Dodge "Roadside" is totally USELESS!

[sexyRTboi]

I just need to RANT! .... sorry its alil long ....

I live in S.W Ontario, St.Thomas to be exact. This past weekend our area was hit hard by a winter storm with snow squalls off the lake - 70cm+ !!

I work nights in Nursing in London which is approx. 20mins to the north. Getting to work Saturday night took me over 90mins as the roads were pretty bad. The drive home was more or less the same but as long as I kept my speed way down and drove according to the conditions I was totally fine.

About 5 mins from home, I was travelling a 2 lane highway, the on coming lane had been plowed and about 1/2 of my lane, therefore I was driving with half my DJ on the plowed lane, and the passenger side through the snow. Traffic was very light being 8am on a Sunday morning however an on coming car failed to move over to the right alittle bit to share the lane so I had to slowly inch the Journey closer and closer to the unplowed part of the road when the inevitable happened and the snow drift just grabbed the wheels and pulled me into a fairly deep snow drift that unfortunately the AWD could not get me out of. -- I was NOT off the road, if the snow wasn't there, I would've been half on the wide shoulder and half in the travel lane ... but I was stuck and that was that.

After I cleaned out my pants, I got out to assess if there was any damage and luckily there was none - very soft fluffy snow - and you could easily see my path of travel behind me ... but I was still stuck.

I quickly grabbed my handy "Dodge Roadside Assistance" card and dialed the number. The lady who picked up the phone was BEYOND rude!!! ..... she asked me the normal questions (very curt) - name, address, VIN# etc and confirmed I did infact have Roadside available. I explained my situation and that I just needed a quick pull out -- literally I just had to be pulled about 10 ft backwards on flat road, no problem --

Here is our conversation: (which btw sounded like she was talking on a 1984 speaker phone as I could hardly hear her)

Her: So HOW exactly did you get "in" the ditch?

Me: Im not IN the ditch, Im actually ON the road, just stuck in a deep drift is all.

Her: Was the road plowed?

Me: About 2/3 of the road has been plowed, but almost 1/2 of mine had not.

Her: So you CHOSE to drive on an UNplowed highway??

Me: It's been plowed, just not fully ... we've had a pretty major storm so they're trying to get the roads cleared.

Her: Sir, has the highway been plowed!?

Me: Like I said, more than 1/2 has but my wheels got pulled in from a deep snow drift.

Her: but you just told me your lane had NOT been plowed .... so which is it sir? has the road been plowed or not?!?!

(here Im trying to remain pleasant and courteous as I understand it's hard for her to picture I imagine what I mean)

Me: It's been plowed ... just not fully yet.

Her: So like I said, you CHOSE to drive down an unplowed road therefore you will be CHARGED for the tow as this is YOUR FAULT.

Me: Excuse me? ... we had a MAJOR storm, most roads are NOT plowed fully at all as its 8am....

(She cut me off mid sentence ...)

Her: You have admitted the road has not been plowed therefore it was your decision to drive down it and your fault you are now stuck, I will dispatch a tow

truck to your location however you WILL be charged whatever their fee is for a removal.

Me: You're kidding right? ... what kind of "Roadside" has loopholes like this? because Im stuck in snow, I have to pay for a tow truck.......

(Again cut off mid sentence ...)

Her: Sir, do you want me to dispatch a truck to your location or not ?!?!!!!

Me: Do you know how much the pull out charge would be?

Her: I do not, whatever that company charges you ... also you are responsible for any damages that happen due to being towed out.

Me: I have Roadside through my insurance company who Im sure will have no problem providing their customer with the emergency assistance they need.

Her: That's fine ... thank you for calling Dodge Roadside Assistance ... have a great day ... *click*

I than called my insurance companies Roadside Assistance and couldn't believe the difference ... first question was, ARE YOU OKAY? ... Are you alone? ... Do you have enough gas to keep the vehicle warm? --- There was absolutely no problem with her dispatching a tow truck, she was VERY apologetic that the timeframe was 4-5 hours as they were very busy but I was okay with that. --- She than called me every 30 mins to check on me and give me an update time wise.

I couldn't believe the difference, I wish I wrote down that Dodge ladies name as I would forsure be filing a complaint against her ... her attitude, her flat tone, her lack of customer service and her flat out blaming me was just totally uncalled for ! ......

Once the tow truck showed up, it took all of 3 mins to hook up the winch line and pull me backwards ... the driver said it was his easiest removal so far that day.

Ugh ! .... I just was and am so pi$$ed about this .... what is the point of having the peace of mind of having Roadside Assistance if when you go to use it you are berated, talked down too and than pretty much told the best she will do is call a tow truck ??? .... lady I can call a damn tow truck! .......

Sorry its so long .... I just really needed to rant and vent

Edited November 26, 2013 by sexyRTboi

[bigtsr]

I have only had to use roadside assistance once since 1984

have always thought (I may be wrong) that it was only covering

mechanical or tire problems.

I agree that from your description she could have done a better

public relations job with improved communications skills having said that

maybe she was having a crappy nite because of the storm.

The trucks dispatched for this service are contracted independents and unless

it's vehicle related they can and usually do charge.

[jkeaton]

Sorry to say, but roadside assistance would not cover recovery from being stuck. I agree it was handled unprofessionally, but make sure you read the fine print and you wont be put in that situation. It covers towing only from a breakdown of a covered part.The contract specifically states it WILL NOT cover towing as a result of the vehicle being stolen or involved in a collision or accident. I believe she was covering her a$$ by implying yoiur vehicle was stuck as a result of an accident (even though it was not technically an accident). I know it sucks and I agree with your rant. They could have done a better job explaining why it would not be covered.

[DodgeCACares]

Sorry to say, but roadside assistance would not cover recovery from being stuck. I agree it was handled unprofessionally, but make sure you read the fine print and you wont be put in that situation. It covers towing only from a breakdown of a covered part.The contract specifically states it WILL NOT cover towing as a result of the vehicle being stolen or involved in a collision or accident. I believe she was covering her a$$ by implying yoiur vehicle was stuck as a result of an accident (even though it was not technically an accident). I know it sucks and I agree with your rant. They could have done a better job explaining why it would not be covered.

jkeaton,

Regrettably this is not true.

The warranty manual reads:

"If your vehicle is stuck in a ditch or snow on or adjacent to a public roadway and appears to be undamaged, and the tow facility has access, it will be winched to the nearest road surface. If your vehicle is unable to proceed under its own power and a tow is required once the winch is performed, you will be responsible for paying the service facility for the winch and the tow."

I see what you're saying though, there are certainly circumstances that do not apply.

I've sent a private message to sexyRTboi to follow up about the service he got and see what we can do.

Cheers!

[jkeaton]

My bad, I was just quoting straight out of the road assistance brochure, maybe didnt read far enough. Thanks for the clarification.

[Jason Doherty]

I'm glad I was able to read more into your story RT Boi! My GF's family lives all out in S.W Ontario and actually drove in some of those snow squalls you were talking about. It's not fun at all even for someone such as myself who's not used to that sort of weather and the hazards of drifting snow causes when your driving in it. I've got one of those "Roadside Assistance" cards but have yet to use it. I do however have a similar story that was exactly like yours but with my previous car and the same conversation happened.. Maybe it was the same woman :O

[zmttoxics]

The 2 times I called them (I am up near Ottawa) it wasn't a problem and I actually thought the service was friendly and timely. Once was for a dead battery (when the Journey was not even a year old) and the truck came and boosted it for me. The second time was for when the power steering blew up and they towed it to a dealer for service. I didn't have to pay and no one questioned anything, just a "the truck is on the way!".

If DodgeCACares says its in the manual, I would be quoting page and line numbers the next time they try to deny you service like that though.

[2late4u]

well i learned somthing today. always thought it covered any tow just like my car ins covers. of course i never read my owners manual just thought common sense covered towing meant any reason. glad ive seen this

[DodgeCACares]

The 2 times I called them (I am up near Ottawa) it wasn't a problem and I actually thought the service was friendly and timely. Once was for a dead battery (when the Journey was not even a year old) and the truck came and boosted it for me. The second time was for when the power steering blew up and they towed it to a dealer for service. I didn't have to pay and no one questioned anything, just a "the truck is on the way!".

If DodgeCACares says its in the manual, I would be quoting page and line numbers the next time they try to deny you service like that though.

zmttoxics,

I know there can be some situations where the tow can be questionable however the main goal is to get the Customer and the vehicle taken care of safely.

Always handy to keep the owner's manual in the glove box too, could help straighten things out on the spot.

Cheers!

[cskmom]

The one thing we can all wish for, is not ever having to call the number. Like anything to do with insurance, they are always quick to try and sell you the product or package it with something else, but when it comes to you actually needing it, they make you jusmp thru hoops.

I bought a tablet for my son at Costco this week, they try to get me to buy the extended protection, but when I asked how exactly it will work if I needed to make a claim...I was told that I'll have to call a number and ask for a box to be sent to me, I'l then have to send it to Samsung for repair

I asked them why can't i just bring into Costco? To which I was told that is not how it works.....I declined the coverage

[Journey_SeXT]

CAA / AAA is always the best option. Never cared for the "free roadside assistance" offered by car companies.

[citation]

After reading this topic,I didn't get one of those "Roadside Assistance" cards. Are they given to you when you buy your vehicle or are they mailed to you?

[bigtsr]

Yes at Chrylser dealership is where I have always received

the card and this time 2 keychains with the number on them.

In all the years I have owned new Mopars I always got it

and have only used once since 1984.

They were prompt and courteous.

[B4ZINGA]

I've only needed assistance twice. The first time was when the radiator blew out on my 300M at 10pm on back roads. I didn't even think of calling my insurance company to tow it to a service shop (far too old to have Chrysler Roadside). Second time wasn't for me. A few friends and I went camping two weekends ago using my Journey and another friends Buick LeSabre. Well, he changed into his sleeping clothes behind the Buick, and toss his shorts into the trunk. His keys were in the shorts. Didn't find that out until the following morning. I didn't use Dodge Roadside, I used my AAA membership that I got shortly after I had oversize tires installed on my 300M and knew I couldn't use the spare anymore. They sent a tow truck to jimmy the Buick open, no questions asked. AAA follows the member, not the car.