I had been a member of AAA for 15 years or so. I ran out of gas and so I called them for gas. Instead of gas, the driver insisted that my vehicle be towed to a mechanic's shop which would have been OK except he hooked my vehicle up incorrectly and caused damage to my steering mechanism. It cost me $1800 to have the vehicle fixed from damage the AAA tow truck out of Hayward caused. I have called them for years and tried to get my expenses for the fix to my vehicle reimbursed to me. They have ignored my repeated letters and told me to cease and desist the subsequent bad mouthing I have done to them.
AAA said that the tow company "AAA" out of Hayward, that towed my vehicle , was not affiliated with the AAA company that insures motorists. AAA motorist company sent an unattatched inspector to check my vehicle over for damages that the tow truck driver may have caused and of course, found nothing untoward. I subsequently discovered that the "vehicle inspector" worked for the towing company that had towed my vehicle and they ARE affiliated with AAA motorist company.
AAA motorist company has refused to take any responsibility for the damages to my car, won't reimburse me a dime and just continus to ignore the situation. Thank goodness there are forums such as this one where victims of big business can complain and actually make others aware of bad business practices.
Robert
Irvine,#2Consumer Comment
Wed, October 06, 2010
When you called for service who did you call? Did you call AAA directly or the tow company directly?
If you called AAA(AutoClub) and they dispatched this company, and are now coming back saying that they are not authorized. It sounds like you have a very good case against them for at least some of the responsibility.
If you called the tow company directly, and if I read this right they are also called AAA. Then your issue is with the tow company. Although, I am sure that the real AAA(Auto Club) would love to "talk" to them about the name of their company.
One issue I see is that you have said you have tried for "years". If this has been more than 2-4 years there is probably nothing legally you can do anymore to get reimbursed, as it is probably beyond the Statute of Limitations. What you probably should have done, and may want to look into IF it is not too late. Is to file a small claims case against both AAA's and let the court figure it out.
Patti W.
Los Angeles,#3Consumer Comment
Wed, October 06, 2010
I have been so thankful to have AAA in my times of need. Until fairly recently, I was an old Saab driver. Um...if you have one, you probably know what I'm talking about when I say, "Thank God for my AAA!". Nowadays, I rarely need any help (Thanks, Infiniti!) but I keep my card handy.