Oct 2005
AAA comments
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and as you can guess, I am affiliated with
AAA:

  "too busy"....sure there are times - during extreme weather - when it
  is impossible to reach everyone immediately....AAA then prioritizes
  calls:  if you're on the road, you get preference over people at
  home......doctors/emergency workers get priority, etc.  and in such
  circumstances, if you can get non-AAA service, you can get reimbursed by
  AAA.  (a lot of the other motor clubs don't have ANY garages under
  contract....every service in reimbursed, so there is no help at all in
  locating a garage.  AAA is "one number" service....you can call
  1-800-AAA-HELP from anywhere) (did you know that you are covered in over
  140 counties, too?)

    when you call, the computer keeps track of everything.....AAA HQ
    monitors how many rings before call is answered, how long on the line,
    how long till truck dispatched, how long till call complete, etc., etc.
    the goal is to be on the scene in 30 minutes or less.  at my club, we
    average 34 minutes on most monthly reports.

      on $1000 keys, etc.  of course, AAA doesn't expect the locksmith to
      eat the cost of keys.  the original service was called "lockout service"
      and was to be a simple door opening when the keys were left hanging in
      the ignition.  this has been expanded over the years to cover many other
      circumstances.  the least a local club must cover is $50 or $100 (PLUS
      members)....a local club can offer more coverage.  but when the costs
      exceed that, the member pays, not the contractor.  Likewise towing.....a
      PLUS member gets up to 100 miles free towing per call....after that,
      member pays for "overmileage" at a preferred rate.

        here's something that should interest group members.......AAA
	stipulates the kind of equipment & tools the contractor must have.  a
	local club may have contractors who only provide "light service" with
	pick-up trucks.....but must also have contractors (or club-owned
	vehicles) for heavy work including extricating and towing RVs.  also,
	service must be provided as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer,
	i.e.  if Porche says it can't be towed, the club must provide flatbed
	service, etc.  if your rusty '53 Starliner quits, you can call anybuddy
	in the phone book and see how they move it.....or you can call AAA and
	know they have access to the proper equipment.  many clubs - such as
	Toledo - now have their own equipment and drivers just to handle exotics
	and collector cars.

	FYI....new cars don't break down?  as early as 1940 AAA was worried that
	cars were getting so good, road service may no longer be needed.
	currently the average member has  .7 breakdowns per year.  that's over
	40,000,000 service calls a year....there are bound to be some "horror
	stories" with numbers like that.  we have our own horror stories of what
	some people are like, too......here's one that's less than 2 weeks old:

	basic membership here is $40/yr.  guy calls from Cleveland....he's not a
	member....but his ex-wife is. her son....who's not a member.....is
	broken down in the middle of Kentucky and they want the car towed to
	Cleveland.  as a courtesy, the Kentucky club drives out to the middle of
	nowhere and brings the kid and car to civilazation....but explains they
	aren't going to tow it 600 miles for free since he's not a member.
	Ex-stepfather in Cleveland is going to sue everyone....call the
	newspapers, radio, TV etc.  Finally, he tells the kid to go ahead and
	BUY A NEW _____ING BATTERY.  in other words, they wanted AAA to incurr a
	couple thousand in expenses dragging an old roach 650 miles because the
	___hole thinks he can save a couple bucks buying a battery in
	Cleveland.......and the kid wasn't even a member!  (a lot of people want
	to join AFTER their cars quit....."Hi....my house just burned to the
	ground....I'd like to buy fire insurance).

	I'm done      < g >gpctc@webtv.net