American Automobile Association AAA offers total ripoff fraudulent services Pennsylvania Nationwide

If you remember correctly, around Christmas time we had a blizzard, and it was much worse in PA than it was in OH. I worked for AAA as a dispatcher, and our rule was to get those in immediate danger first, THEN get to the people who had heat, shelter, and food. AAA rarely takes that route, but there are a few things that you have to understand about the Winter time.

a) That tow trucks are not 4 wheel drive. If they are towing a vehicle from behind on icy roads, there is a great chance that upon taking a turn, the vehicle its pulling will slide off the side of the road, and take the tow truck with it.

b)That the stations dictate how many drivers they allow us in certain areas and types of weather. If the owner of the tow company deems the weather conditions too dangerous for his drivers to be out in, he will tell them to stay home, sometimes making certain areas hard to cover for road service.

c) That members who are in an accident come first, followed by members on the side of the road, then those who are safe at home. In this particular winter storm where it was very dangerous to do any kind of service calls, we had our supervisors out in 4 wheel drive vehicles picking up our members and taking them to a safe place, leaving their cars behind to tow when the roads were safe again.

d) Tow trucks get stuck very easily, therefore making it difficult to get down any side streets. Any tow truck that gets stuck risks getting another truck stuck trying to get him out. That means that if we cannot get down the street until it is plowed, we cannot get down the street.

e) Please remember this is NOT the normal routine for AAA. Sometimes it takes longer than our estimated times when there are no drivers to cover certain areas. This storm in particular meant life or death for some our members who were stuck on the side of the road, with no heat, and only the shelter of their cars which didnt offer too much protection. We had one particular tow truck get stuck on the highway going up a hill, and we could not get to it for a few days either. The driver and his passenger had to climb a steep snow bank to the road above where they could be picked up, leaving his tow truck and the vehicle it was towing to sit there until the road conditions improved.

Sometimes life hands you difficult situations and you have to make the best of it. Please try to understand that these are not excuses, but the reality of the tow business. Had your power went out and turned it to a life/death situation, then yes, you would be on the immediate service list. Ive known people to get service in less than 5 minutes, and Ive known people to wait a few hours at a time, especially if they are at home with no where to go.

AAA trys to please every member, every time, but sometimes people want services that are not available in certain circumstances (especially in the Winter) and become irate. Put yourself in the reverse situation; if you were stranded with your mother on the side of the road during this storm, wouldn't you be upset if the driver stopped to do a tire change before helping you, leaving you to wait longer in the freezing weather? With over 200,000 members just in the 6 counties that we dispatch, we cannot please everyone. Hopefully this answered the question of why your situation wasnt given immediate attention.