Member Reference Guide
AAA Roadside Assistance – Member Reference Guide
Roadside Assistance 24/7 from anywhere in the United States or Canada.
1-800-AAA-HELP (1-800-222-4357)
Road Service Eligibility
· As the person named on a valid AAA membership card, you are eligible for service – whether in your car, a friend’s car or even a rental car. You will be asked to present your current paid membership card and driver’s license to the service provider to obtain service. If your card is not available, the Club will attempt to verify your membership and authorize service. However, if your membership cannot be verified, service will be provided to you on a commercial basis. Upon presentation of the original receipt and verification of your membership, the Club will reimburse based on the service to which you are entitled.
· Four-wheel motor-driven vehicles of the passenger, pleasure or recreational type (vans, campers, pickup trucks and motor homes), regardless of license plate designation, are eligible for all services if they can be safely delivered.
· Dual-wheel campers/motor homes will be provided all services except towing, extrication/recovery and tire service. Dual-wheel unloaded pickup trucks are provided all services except tire service.
· Rented passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles are eligible for service. Taxi cabs and limousines are not eligible for service.
Road Services will be provided at no expense to the member from the nearest available contract facility within the Club’s assigned service territory. Charges to the member for service beyond AAA/CAA Standards shall not exceed the prevailing hourly rate or mileage rate of the region in which the contract facility provides service.
Members are expected to keep their vehicles in good mechanical condition. Road Service is designed to help members whose vehicles have become disabled as a result of unavoidable circumstances. It is limited to making the vehicle operable, if possible, or towing the vehicle in accordance with the provisions governing towing. Misuse of service may be cause for membership cancellation.
Roadside Assistance
The AAA roadside service provider will attempt to make minor mechanical repairs or adjustments in order to get the vehicle back to driving condition.
If the vehicle is started before the service truck arrives, please call and cancel your request, so that we can assist other members in need.
When the vehicle cannot be made operable upon providing the services listed in this brochure, the Club will assist you in finding the nearest open place of repair. If a repair facility cannot be located, the Club will assist you in obtaining lodging or alternative transportation, which will be at your expense.
For your protection, service cannot be provided to an unattended vehicle. In extenuating circumstances, an exception may be made if prior arrangements have been made with the Club. If the vehicle cannot be serviced or driven safely, towing service will be provided as outlined herein.
Towing Service
If in the judgment of the AAA Roadside Service provider the vehicle cannot be started or driven safely, it will be towed, at no charge, back to the responding service facility (regardless of distance) or to any other location of your choice up to a distance determined by your membership type. For more details on towing, please visit AAA.com/RoadsideAssistance.
In the event the tow distance exceeds your membership entitlement, you will be charged the prevailing rate for each additional mile payable to the service provider upon completion of service.
Battery Service
A battery jump-start will be provided in an attempt to start the vehicle or, where available, a specially trained battery technician will test the battery and electrical system. In the event that the battery is in need of replacement, the technician can replace the battery on scene or arrange for replacement at a later date. If neither service is practical, a tow can be arranged. Battery replacement will be at member’s expense.
Flat-Tire Service
A wheel with a flat tire will be replaced with the member’s inflated spare tire, at no charge. Special lug wrenches or keys needed to remove the wheel cover or wheel must be supplied by the member. If the spare is not available or in need of repair, the service station will tow the vehicle. Dual-wheel vehicles are not eligible for this service.
Fuel Delivery Service
A limited amount of fuel, if available, will be provided to enable you to reach the nearest service station; if not available, you will be towed to a facility where fuel is available. Fuel will be provided at current pump prices at the member’s expense.
Lockout Service
If the keys are locked inside the vehicle, service will be sent to gain entrance. If the key that operates or provides access to the passenger compartment of the vehicle is lost, broken or the service provider cannot gain entrance to the vehicle, locksmith service up to $50.00 will be provided. In cases where the vehicle cannot be made operable, towing services will be provided in accordance with the provision governing towing.
Extrication or Winching Services
A vehicle will be extricated when it can be safely reached from a normally traveled road or established thoroughfare. If special equipment, more than one truck, or more than one person is required, the associated cost will be at the member’s expense.
Services Not Included
AAA’s goal is to provide members with the most efficient and effective Road Service possible. That is why we cannot offer service in the following circumstances:
· Snowbound vehicles. Digging or towing a vehicle out of a snow bank or rendering service to vehicles on unplowed streets or driveways. During severe snowstorms, preferential service must be given to vehicles that have become disabled on major highways or snow-emergency routes.
· Removal of anti-theft devices is not covered.
· Rotating of tires and installation or removal of snow tires.
· If a vehicle is off a regularly traveled road (such as on a beach, field, creek bed, seasonal road-way or in a restricted area) or at a location where service is not practical, possible or safe. If vehicle access is blocked, or if it is submerged, charges for the labor and equipment required to get the vehicle back on the road shall be at the member’s expense.
· If the vehicle can be safely driven to a safe place, or where legal restrictions are imposed, the vehicle does not qualify for Road Service or towing.
· We do not service unregistered or uninsured vehicles, or to tow to salvage yards.
· If there is more than one tow per breakdown, subsequent towing will be provided on a commercial basis at the member’s expense.
Repairs
Service does not include furnishing parts, labor, materials and/or storage, which are at the member’s expense and for which separate arrangements must be made by the member with the service station. The Club cannot guarantee that all stations stock parts or are quipped to service or repair every make of domestic or foreign vehicle; nor can it guarantee the availability of repair service at its contract garages after regular business hours or on weekends. Towing from the service station premises to any other location for repairs will be at the member’s expense.
AAA Plus and AAA Premier provides additional Roadside Assistance benefits, including up to 100 or 200 miles of towing, respectively. Upgraded membership is available to eligible members beginning with their second year of membership.
Service Reimbursement
Members should call AAA at 1-800-AAA-HELP (1-800-222-4357) when they need assistance. If for some reason service cannot be provided, the Club will authorize you to obtain assistance elsewhere. In these situations, the Club will reimburse members at the prevailing commercial rate for the region. Reimbursement will be made only upon receipt of an original itemized bill, submitted within 60 days of the member receiving service. When a non-AAA facility is used, instead of an available AAA service, the Club will reimburse members the AAA-contracted rate for that area.
AAA takes special measures to be prepared for unfavorable weather; however, it cannot guarantee its normal service response under all circumstances and conditions. Reimbursement at the prevailing commercial rate for the region may be provided in cases where service response times are excessive or unreasonable.
On certain roads, Road Service is available from franchised stations. When service is provided by these non-affiliated stations, the Club will reimburse members based on the service they are entitled to receive and in accordance with the rate charged by the franchised parkway agent, provided that the official receipt is submitted. If towing service is provided, members will receive a full refund for a tow to the franchised station providing the service or to the nearest exit. If the member elects to be towed elsewhere, the member will be reimbursed in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the towing section of this guide.
Emergency Repair Check Acceptance
Your personal check for up to $350.00 ($250.00 outside the Club’s territory) will be accepted by any independent contract facility providing Roadside Assistance or repairs for AAA members. The name on the check must match the name on the membership card and your driver’s license. A valid membership card must be presented at the time of payment.
How to Obtain Service
AAA dispatches – and – approximately 35,000 service vehicles nationwide – are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
For service, just call one easy-to-remember number: 1-800-AAA-HELP (1-800-222-4357)
You will need the following information:
ü Your membership number
ü Your driver’s license
ü The vehicle’s make, year, color and license number
ü The borough or town you are in
ü The exact location of the disabled vehicle (nearest cross streets)
ü Whether the vehicle is on the street, at garage or parking lot
ü The type of problem you are experiencing.
Upon arrival, the Roadside Assistance provider will ask to see your AAA membership card and driver’s license. Through the Club’s appointment system, a specific time usually can be arranged to service your vehicle.
Service-Call Limit
AAA provides up to four service calls per membership year. A reimbursement for non-AAA service counts as a call. Additional services will be provided at rates normally below commercial prices, at the member’s expense, and are payable to the facility at the time the service is provided.
Liability
The Club makes every effort to secure reliable, competent service stations to provide Roadside Assistance. Those stations serve as independent contractors and the Club does not assume liability for their acts or the acts of their service people who are not employees of the Club. Any damages resulting form the acts of service station personnel – or any defects or deficiencies in the goods or repair service which a member may purchase- are the sole responsibility of the station and should be reported promptly to the proprietor. The Club will use reasonable efforts to mediate vehicle repair and damage complaints resulting from road services provided by service-station personnel.