breakdown insurance

FrankieJ · 03-08-2005, 08:58 AM

I have a 1999 Winnebago 34Y. I just bought it used with 38K mileage. I am embarking on a trip and was curious as to how many of you carry the break down insurance. I was referring to the one Good Sams and Campers World offers. I know there are several companies out there.If you do, the company you are insured with and any pros and cons to share? If you broke down and used the insurance company, how was their treatment of yuour situation?

FrankieJ · 03-08-2005, 08:58 AM

I have a 1999 Winnebago 34Y. I just bought it used with 38K mileage. I am embarking on a trip and was curious as to how many of you carry the break down insurance. I was referring to the one Good Sams and Campers World offers. I know there are several companies out there.If you do, the company you are insured with and any pros and cons to share? If you broke down and used the insurance company, how was their treatment of yuour situation?

Dave F · 03-08-2005, 09:40 AM

I use Winnebago Premium Roadeide Assistance.

John_Canfield · 03-08-2005, 11:03 AM

Your best bet is to do a search on rv.net in the Class A forum. Here is a sample search with the query term "road service".

John

ichn2go · 03-09-2005, 02:17 AM

FrankieJ don't leave home without it. I have had Good Sam's and currently use Coach.net/Winnebago Premium. Its one and the same..Coach.net/Winnebago seems to be the service of choice. Used Good Sam's once and they were fine. Have not used coach net yet but understand they are good also. Have trained techs on duty 24hrs a day...Please have the service before you go, no matter which one you choose...Good Miles and

Dsouthw524 · 03-09-2005, 02:34 AM

We have used the Winnebago/Coachnet policy for quite a few years. I have used the service primarily for my previous coaches. The services provided were/are easily worth the price and peace of mind. One of the benefits if you need a tow is that they send equipment that is capable of handling your vehicle and it is prepaid. If you are lucky you will never need them, just like any other insurance coverage.

Rick Buddrus · 03-09-2005, 03:24 AM

Been using Coach Net for 7 years. Friendly customer service and very knowledgable.

Retired and Happy · 03-09-2005, 03:59 AM

I've used Good Sam for several years and have been quite satidfied, except for the last call. I had a blowout, but I had a mounted spare. They sent a truck from 40 miles away theat could not raise the corner of my motorhome high enough to get the new wheel past the driver's step. They had to send a second truck from about 5 miles away to complete the job. I don't know what the problem was or why they used a truck from so far away the first time. Dispatchers have always been courteous and helpful and over all I have not problems with the service. And I agree, I would not be without the service. I have also used it on a van that broke an alternator bracket and for a shot transmission in my driveway.

Stan Birch · 03-09-2005, 07:29 AM

The entire concept of purchasing roadside emergency service "insurance", is something that has never made any kind of sense to me.

I have no idea what it costs these days, but I suspect that ranges in the area of $100+ per year. But kind of protection are you really paying for?? And in the very worst case scenario; what kind of financial disaster do you envision, in the absence of having emergency roadside insurance??

On balance, an average roadside assistance call might run anywhere from $100 to $200. But, how many times will you really need roadside assistance; not to mention that if the number excedes 2 in any one year, they'll probably cancel your "insurance" policy forever.

Reflecting upon some forty years of RVing experience; Rving for months at a time from coast-to-coast; we've yet to encounter so much as a single instance where any kind of roadside assistance would have provided us with so much as a miniscule benefit.

For sure . . . while I tend to advocate purchasing insurance to protect against the kind of losses most of us are ill-equipped to sustain! IMO, the entire roadside-"insurance" effort, is a mere scam; appealing to the more daft amoungst us!

Rick Buddrus · 03-09-2005, 07:47 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">appealing to the more daft amoungst us! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Wow there Stan, you are one rude individual. IMHO.
Just for your info sir, the Coachnet service is less than $100 US and it not only covers my MH but also my other vehicles. I have had occasion to use their service more than once in a calendar year and my rates have never gone up. They are always helpful and courteous and provide what I consider a very valuable service for the minimal price.

smlranger · 03-09-2005, 08:09 AM

Stan:

It's pretty much like all insurance...you weigh the cost of the insurance against the potential cost of a loss without insurance...apparently, you are willing to assume the risk.

I have Good Sam and it paid off the first month of motorhome ownership. I had a fuel pump failure on my old '97 gasser at home while trying to get to my storage space....the nearest tow company with a big wrecker was 50 miles way, as was my RV repair guy. In trying to get my coach to 'coast' to a place where the tow truck could get to it, I ended up in a pretty tough place in a grassy field. Bottom line, it took 2 hours to get the MH in a position to tow, then a one hour tow to the shop. The tow operator said my cost would have been $400+ just for the tow...so the $79 I paid GS for the first year was a good deal.

I made one phone call and everything was taken care of....for me, it is worth it.

Stan Birch · 03-09-2005, 12:36 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rick Buddrus:
appealing to the more daft amoungst us!

Wow there Stan, you are one rude individual. IMHO. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, perhaps. And if I can manage to get the point across, then it has been well worth the effort to risk being designated as being "rude".

Having spent an entire career being associated with the insurance industry, I tend to be steeped in fiscally repsonsible principles and practices of "insurance". And paying $100 per year to offset a **potential** loss of $200, within the insurance industry is considered total giggle-material: catering to daft pigeons just waiting to be plucked!

While your average retiree is well advised to set aside at least $1,500,00 for retirement, let's say that you've really bombed out, and only have a mere $1,000,000 in retirement assets. Based upon roadside service insurance rates, the cost of insuring *all* of your assets on the same basis would $500,000 each and every year. 'Course, after the second year, it wouldn't really matter, since your insurance company have wisely sucked up each and every last dollar you would ever see during your entire lifetime.

retired2001 · 03-09-2005, 05:01 PM

I guess I must be one of the "daft" ones, too. I bought a used M/H that had 57000 miles and was 6 years old. I took the "extra" coverage and it has more than paid for itself. Replaced the ice maker, cruise control, alternator, misc. electrical, etc. My problem now is that my first policy is just about up and I have 87000 miles and Good Sam won't cover it. Oh well I'll just have to "make do"!

Gary RVRoamer · 03-10-2005, 06:00 AM

I never considered my roadside service plan (I use Coachnet) to be an investment - it's more like a peace-of-mind thing. If I have a breakdown, I love the idea of being able to call someone who knows where to find help near my location and will make whatever arrangements are needed to help me on my way. To me, that "help" is worth every bit as much as the insurance benefit of paying for the service call. Maybe more than that even.

In the 6 years we have had a roadside service, we have had two occasions to call the service, once in the motorhome and once in the car. Actually, in the car case they had to come back twice because of a secondary problem that stemmed from the first - a blown tire had damaged some wiring and we didn't realize it until we started out again. Dollar-wise I'm probably somewhere near break-even or maybe abit behind, but I'm quite satisifed with what I got for my money.

A close friend traveling with us got locked out of their RV on a Sunday of a holiday weekend. We called Coachnet and they hunted up a locksmith willing to drive out to our location in a National Forest. We could have been on the cell phone for hours trying to find somebody by ourselve. THAT service, in my opinion, is what you are really paying for.

Retired and Happy · 03-10-2005, 06:21 AM

There are apparently two kinds of coverage now being discussed here. The first is the roadside coverage, and the second is continuing service. The first costs me about $79 a year. The second would have been over $1000. I have used the first several times, and I could have used the second a couple of times. I'm not sure the second is worth it now with the age of my RV.

SunflyerA · 03-10-2005, 07:35 AM

Count me in as one of the stupid ones. Good Sam road side assistance paid for itself the first year and every year for the next 10 years. For a lousy 100.00 I have the convienience and peace of mind of making one call from a lonely highway late on Sunday afternoon and someone comes out to help me. Stan, I know I'm stupid, but I will continue to use them.

joanne0012 · 03-11-2005, 11:23 AM

I think Stan is overlooking the fact that roadside assistance provides more than just insurance, i.e., payment for the services. They also provide for *access* via an 800 number to someone relatively competent and trustworthy who can find you and help you. For those of us who travel unfamiliar roads, this is worth far more than mere reimbursement for a loss.

"007" · 03-11-2005, 01:08 PM

Welcome to the forum

joanne0012 thank you for your coments, will be looking forward for others. If we can be of help to you just ask.

---"007"

TTT1953 · 03-11-2005, 03:37 PM

We've used Good Sam twice on the road and wouldn't leave home without it. Both times we were over 2000 miles from home in rural country. We no doubt could have found help, but not with the ease that Good Sam provided it. It's not just about reimbursement.