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AAA auto club
I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now..........
i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... wait time on hold both times overa hour and a half..... finally got my questions answered by stopping by one of their stores for lack of a better term.. one time they never answered when i finally gave up . I complained loudly about the rotten service. was told all the AAAsare now owned and managed from california. where they consolidated all their telephone call centers. unfortunately they arent able to answer calls from pennsylvania in a timely fashion. they are attempting to move their phone help back to pennsylvania what is wrong with america? service is non existent, college grads in suits give the orders how to cut costs while they enjoy all the perks. in triple aaas case a rep promised me someone would call me back. not only did they never call me back they tell me theres no way to complain...... no address no phone number andmany levels you cant get thru to complain |
AAA auto club
On 9/16/2015 3:33 PM, bob haller wrote:
I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... wait time on hold both times overa hour and a half..... finally got my questions answered by stopping by one of their stores for lack of a better term.. one time they never answered when i finally gave up . I complained loudly about the rotten service. was told all the AAAsare now owned and managed from california. where they consolidated all their telephone call centers. unfortunately they arent able to answer calls from pennsylvania in a timely fashion. they are attempting to move their phone help back to pennsylvania what is wrong with america? service is non existent, college grads in suits give the orders how to cut costs while they enjoy all the perks. Service is still available. But, you often have to pay dearly for it! We recently purchased a vehicle. Talking with friends/colleagues, *many* recommended Lexus. Almost universally, their reason was "The service is excellent!" Folks mentioned the "free" loaner car while yours is being serviced. Or, that they get a little gift on their birthday. Or, that they are greeted by name. Or, stroke, stroke, stroke Of course, from my cynical perspective, the service is also EXPENSIVE! Apparently, *they* don't consider expense in their "assessment" of the "brand". I aim for "it just works!" I do an oil change for ~$25 and 30 minutes of my time. Having the dealer do it will cost me $60 and almost 2 hours of my time: 20 minutes to drop the car off; a few minutes to talk to the service rep and pick up keys for a "loaner"; 20 minutes to get home; then repeat this to return to pick up *my* car when it is ready. What *I* look for in a vehicle is not *needing* service. If everything is just routine maintenance, then I can predict the TCO at the time of the sale. I know how many hassles I am likely to have to face in the future. If "things tend to break", then the fact that the dealer recognizes me and knows my name when I drive up is NOT an asset! I want him to look at me and wonder "where have I seen this guy, before?" not, "Hey! Welcome BACK!" in triple aaas case a rep promised me someone would call me back. not only did they never call me back they tell me theres no way to complain...... Look them up in D&B and send a letter to their CEO. I've heard that each written complaint a firm receives is seen as representative of hundreds (thousands?) of folks who have similar sentiments but weren't motivated enough to put their thoughts to paper. no address no phone number andmany levels you cant get thru to complain Cancel/don't renew your membership. Share your experience with others. Post an entry in a blog, facebook, etc. |
AAA auto club
On 9/16/2015 7:05 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/16/2015 3:33 PM, bob haller wrote: no address no phone number andmany levels you cant get thru to complain Cancel/don't renew your membership. Share your experience with others. Post an entry in a blog, facebook, etc. Got to be some alternative service that does towing? - .. Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .. www.lds.org .. .. |
AAA auto club
On Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 6:05:20 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:
On 9/16/2015 3:33 PM, bob haller wrote: I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... wait time on hold both times overa hour and a half..... finally got my questions answered by stopping by one of their stores for lack of a better term.. one time they never answered when i finally gave up . I complained loudly about the rotten service. was told all the AAAsare now owned and managed from california. where they consolidated all their telephone call centers. unfortunately they arent able to answer calls from pennsylvania in a timely fashion. they are attempting to move their phone help back to pennsylvania what is wrong with america? service is non existent, college grads in suits give the orders how to cut costs while they enjoy all the perks. Service is still available. But, you often have to pay dearly for it! We recently purchased a vehicle. Talking with friends/colleagues, *many* recommended Lexus. Almost universally, their reason was "The service is excellent!" Folks mentioned the "free" loaner car while yours is being serviced. Or, that they get a little gift on their birthday. Or, that they are greeted by name. Or, stroke, stroke, stroke Of course, from my cynical perspective, the service is also EXPENSIVE! Apparently, *they* don't consider expense in their "assessment" of the "brand". I aim for "it just works!" I do an oil change for ~$25 and 30 minutes of my time. Having the dealer do it will cost me $60 and almost 2 hours of my time: 20 minutes to drop the car off; a few minutes to talk to the service rep and pick up keys for a "loaner"; 20 minutes to get home; then repeat this to return to pick up *my* car when it is ready. What *I* look for in a vehicle is not *needing* service. If everything is just routine maintenance, then I can predict the TCO at the time of the sale. I know how many hassles I am likely to have to face in the future. If "things tend to break", then the fact that the dealer recognizes me and knows my name when I drive up is NOT an asset! I want him to look at me and wonder "where have I seen this guy, before?" not, "Hey! Welcome BACK!" in triple aaas case a rep promised me someone would call me back. not only did they never call me back they tell me theres no way to complain...... Look them up in D&B and send a letter to their CEO. I've heard that each written complaint a firm receives is seen as representative of hundreds (thousands?) of folks who have similar sentiments but weren't motivated enough to put their thoughts to paper. no address no phone number andmany levels you cant get thru to complain Cancel/don't renew your membership. Share your experience with others. Post an entry in a blog, facebook, etc. I knew that AARP had an auto club but there are a bunch of others. ^_^ http://roadside-assistance-services-...enreviews.com/ [8~{} Uncle Road Monster |
AAA auto club
On Wed, 16 Sep 2015 16:05:35 -0700, Don Y
wrote: Snip Of course, from my cynical perspective, the service is also EXPENSIVE! Apparently, *they* don't consider expense in their "assessment" of the "brand". I aim for "it just works!" I do an oil change for ~$25 and 30 minutes of my time. Having the dealer do it will cost me $60 and almost 2 hours of my time: 20 minutes to drop the car off; a few minutes to talk to the service rep and pick up keys for a "loaner"; 20 minutes to get home; then repeat this to return to pick up *my* car when it is ready. You need to buy from a different dealer. My BMW dealer will bring the loaner, usually a brand new BMW, and drive my car back for whatever service I have scheduled. Then when the service is completed they will bring my car back to me and pick up their loaner. My BMW is now 10 years old and I live about 30 miles from the dealership and I always get excellent service from them. My wife's Mercedes is 2 years old and that dealer will do the same thing for her car too. That dealer is in the same town as my BMW dealer. Snip |
AAA auto club
On 9/16/2015 8:30 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
I knew that AARP had an auto club but there are a bunch of others. ^_^ http://roadside-assistance-services-...enreviews.com/ [8~{} Uncle Road Monster AARP, those are (some of) the guys who want to protect old folks from crime by disarming the old folks. While leaving the dobads alone. - .. Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .. www.lds.org .. .. |
AAA auto club
On 2015-09-17, Stormin Mormon wrote:
AARP, those are (some of) the guys who want to protect old folks from crime by disarming the old folks. While leaving the dobads alone. I'm an old phart but will not join AARP because I loathe their politics. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roger Blake (Change "invalid" to "com" for email. Google Groups killfiled.) NSA sedition and treason -- http://www.DeathToNSAthugs.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
AAA auto club
On 9/16/2015 6:44 PM, Gordon Shumway wrote:
On Wed, 16 Sep 2015 16:05:35 -0700, Don Y wrote: Snip Of course, from my cynical perspective, the service is also EXPENSIVE! Apparently, *they* don't consider expense in their "assessment" of the "brand". I aim for "it just works!" I do an oil change for ~$25 and 30 minutes of my time. Having the dealer do it will cost me $60 and almost 2 hours of my time: 20 minutes to drop the car off; a few minutes to talk to the service rep and pick up keys for a "loaner"; 20 minutes to get home; then repeat this to return to pick up *my* car when it is ready. You need to buy from a different dealer. If I want to drive 120 miles to the next metropolitan area, I could possibly get a dealer with different policies. OTOH, I don't think he'll be willing to drive the 120 miles each way to pick up my vehicle for service. And, *I* surely won't be interested in driving those 120 miles -- both to drop off and pick up! My BMW dealer will bring the loaner, usually a brand new BMW, and drive my car back for whatever service I have scheduled. Then when the service is completed they will bring my car back to me and pick up their loaner. My BMW is now 10 years old and I live about 30 miles from the dealership and I always get excellent service from them. My wife's Mercedes is 2 years old and that dealer will do the same thing for her car too. That dealer is in the same town as my BMW dealer. Snip |
AAA auto club
"Roger Blake" wrote in message ... On 2015-09-17, Stormin Mormon wrote: AARP, those are (some of) the guys who want to protect old folks from crime by disarming the old folks. While leaving the dobads alone. I'm an old phart but will not join AARP because I loathe their politics. That is why I don't join either. The should kep out out of things that don't directly effect us like gun control. |
AAA auto club
On Wed, 16 Sep 2015 15:33:07 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote: I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... wait time on hold both times overa hour and a half..... finally got my questions answered by stopping by one of their stores for lack of a better term. one time they never answered when i finally gave up . There you go. I have had AAA since 1967 and it never occurred to me to call them about a title issue. I mostly use them to get good paper maps (remember those?) and I have had one road service call in the last 20 years. |
AAA auto club
On Wed, 16 Sep 2015 21:58:43 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote in On 9/16/2015 8:30 PM, Uncle Monster wrote: I knew that AARP had an auto club but there are a bunch of others. ^_^ http://roadside-assistance-services-...enreviews.com/ [8~{} Uncle Road Monster AARP, those are (some of) the guys who want to protect old folks from crime by disarming the old folks. While leaving the dobads alone. +1 -- Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one. Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those newspapers delivered to your door every morning. |
AAA auto club
On Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 8:58:46 PM UTC-5, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:30 PM, Uncle Monster wrote: I knew that AARP had an auto club but there are a bunch of others. ^_^ http://roadside-assistance-services-...enreviews.com/ [8~{} Uncle Road Monster AARP, those are (some of) the guys who want to protect old folks from crime by disarming the old folks. While leaving the dobads alone. - . AARP is run by a bunch of old Hippie Democrats who use the money collected older Conservative Americans to lobby Congress to advance Leftist causes. It's a lot like union bosses that take money from union members to lobby Democrats and Conservative union members have no say. There are Conservative leaning alternatives to AARP such as "AMAC", "ASA" and "NASCON". There's even a Christian alternative to "AARP" called "CAP". ^_^ [8~{} Uncle Old Monster |
AAA auto club
On 9/16/2015 10:13 PM, Roger Blake wrote:
On 2015-09-17, Stormin Mormon wrote: AARP, those are (some of) the guys who want to protect old folks from crime by disarming the old folks. While leaving the dobads alone. I'm an old phart but will not join AARP because I loathe their politics. As a born and raised American, I don't much like socialists. - .. Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .. www.lds.org .. .. |
AAA auto club
On 9/16/2015 11:09 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
"Roger Blake" wrote in message ... On 2015-09-17, Stormin Mormon wrote: AARP, those are (some of) the guys who want to protect old folks from crime by disarming the old folks. While leaving the dobads alone. I'm an old phart but will not join AARP because I loathe their politics. That is why I don't join either. The should kep out out of things that don't directly effect us like gun control. Encouraging laws that disarm old folks .... that doesn't directly affect us? How do you figure that? - .. Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .. www.lds.org .. .. |
AAA auto club
On 9/16/2015 9:58 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:30 PM, Uncle Monster wrote: I knew that AARP had an auto club but there are a bunch of others. ^_^ http://roadside-assistance-services-...enreviews.com/ [8~{} Uncle Road Monster AARP, those are (some of) the guys who want to protect old folks from crime by disarming the old folks. While leaving the dobads alone. - . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus . www.lds.org . . AARP is an insurance company with an old folks home in the back. Their administration makes money off the backs of its members. |
AAA auto club
On 2015-09-17, Stormin Mormon wrote:
As a born and raised American, I don't much like socialists. Amen to that. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roger Blake (Change "invalid" to "com" for email. Google Groups killfiled.) NSA sedition and treason -- http://www.DeathToNSAthugs.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
AAA auto club
On Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 11:17:29 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Wed, 16 Sep 2015 15:33:07 -0700 (PDT), bob haller wrote: I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... wait time on hold both times overa hour and a half..... finally got my questions answered by stopping by one of their stores for lack of a better term. one time they never answered when i finally gave up . There you go. I have had AAA since 1967 and it never occurred to me to call them about a title issue. That was my first reaction. What does AAA have to do with titles? I have 6 family members covered under my AAA membership. I have 2 daughters away at college and 2 boy out-of-my-state. They all have older vehicles. We've always had older vehicles. I'm paying for peace of mind. I mostly use them to get good paper maps (remember those?) and I have had one road service call in the last 20 years. I feel I have gotten my money's worth over the years. Mostly tows, but also some paper maps just for pre-trip reviews. My GPS and phone are my drive-time navigation tools, but I like to look for alternatives to the main routes. Sometime I program my way-points based on the AAA info so my nav tools take me on the route I want to go. I renew the kid's memberships every year and wrap up their cards as a Christmas present. |
AAA auto club
On Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 6:33:11 PM UTC-4, bob haller wrote:
I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... Teach me something: What title related questions did you go to AAA with? I've been a member for decades and never once considered asking them a title related question. Please enlighten me. |
AAA auto club
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message ... The should kep out out of things that don't directly effect us like gun control. Encouraging laws that disarm old folks .... that doesn't directly affect us? How do you figure that? While I believe in being well armed, the actual law does not give or take away our money or health care. That is what the AARP should really be worring about out. They lost lots of members when they took a stand for gun control. |
AAA auto club
On 9/17/2015 10:09 AM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
While I believe in being well armed, the actual law does not give or take away our money or health care. That is what the AARP should really be worring about out. They lost lots of members when they took a stand for gun control. Most laws take away our money. And some take away our health care. - .. Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .. www.lds.org .. .. |
AAA auto club
On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 06:15:39 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote: I mostly use them to get good paper maps (remember those?) and I have had one road service call in the last 20 years. I feel I have gotten my money's worth over the years. Mostly tows, but also some paper maps just for pre-trip reviews. My GPS and phone are my drive-time navigation tools, but I like to look for alternatives to the main routes. Sometime I program my way-points based on the AAA info so my nav tools take me on the route I want to go I have not embraced GPS/Nav yet. It is certainly not what I want on vacation. Some of the most interesting things we have found were because we were "lost". I prefer a paper map so we can get an overview of where we are and look for things we might want to see. Google Earth is the new technology we use the most. We are mostly old school using travel books and paper maps. Businesses change so much that if you don't buy the updates every year, your nav is not going to be right that often. It is pretty discouraging to drive to a place that is out of business. |
AAA auto club
AAA used to be a fast efficent way for all sorts of vehicle releated questions. a one stop shop of knowldgabe friendly people for help
AAA in pennsylvaniia changes ownership of vehicles, you can renew your drivers licenses there, tags etc. they are a extension of penn dot. apparently thats not how most of the ****ry handles things/ thanks though i will blast them on facebook, and call the AAA radio show talking travel where they gush about how wonderful AAA is. I will set them up with a easy to answer question, gush about how great AAA is then go for the juglar ripping them a new ass. |
AAA auto club
On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 08:45:16 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote: AAA used to be a fast efficent way for all sorts of vehicle releated questions. a one stop shop of knowldgabe friendly people for help AAA in pennsylvaniia changes ownership of vehicles, you can renew your drivers licenses there, tags etc. they are a extension of penn dot. apparently thats not how most of the ****ry handles things/ thanks though i will blast them on facebook, and call the AAA radio show talking travel where they gush about how wonderful AAA is. I will set them up with a easy to answer question, gush about how great AAA is then go for the juglar ripping them a new ass. In Florida, at least they are honest about the whole title/tag issue. The whole thing is done at the TAX collector's office. In the end this is all just taxes. There is no other reason for the government to title cars. |
AAA auto club
Why didn't you call or talk to DMV triple AAA don't have anything to do
with "Titles" "bob haller" wrote in message ... I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... wait time on hold both times overa hour and a half..... finally got my questions answered by stopping by one of their stores for lack of a better term. one time they never answered when i finally gave up . I complained loudly about the rotten service. was told all the AAAsare now owned and managed from california. where they consolidated all their telephone call centers. unfortunately they arent able to answer calls from pennsylvania in a timely fashion. they are attempting to move their phone help back to pennsylvania what is wrong with america? service is non existent, college grads in suits give the orders how to cut costs while they enjoy all the perks. in triple aaas case a rep promised me someone would call me back. not only did they never call me back they tell me theres no way to complain..... no address no phone number andmany levels you cant get thru to complain |
AAA auto club
wrote in message ... On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 06:15:39 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03 wrote: Businesses change so much that if you don't buy the updates every year, your nav is not going to be right that often. It is pretty discouraging to drive to a place that is out of business. Garmin and maybes others (never looked at other GPS) have lifetime maps updates now when you buy the GPS. I had an older Garmin that did not have the lifetime maps. It would have cost me almost as much for the maps as it did for a new unit,so I found a new one on line that was listed as refurbished for about $ 115. It is warrented for 1 year and looks like it is factory new. I think you can update them 4 times a year for free. |
AAA auto club
wrote in message ... In Florida, at least they are honest about the whole title/tag issue. The whole thing is done at the TAX collector's office. In the end this is all just taxes. There is no other reason for the government to title cars. North Carolina does it backwards now. You pay the yearly County tax on the vehicle when you get your tag renewed. They make sure to get the tax before you get a tag or title. |
AAA auto club
DerbyDad03 writes:
On Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 11:17:29 PM UTC-4, wrot= e: On Wed, 16 Sep 2015 15:33:07 -0700 (PDT), bob haller wrote: =20 I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by thei= r service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacin= gmy one van.... wait time on hold both times overa hour and a half..... finally got my q= uestions answered by stopping by one of their stores for lack of a better t= erm. one time they never answered when i finally gave up . =20 There you go. I have had AAA since 1967 and it never occurred to me to call them about a title issue.=20 That was my first reaction. What does AAA have to do with titles? The california AAA offices were sort of extensions of the state DMV; various tasks could be done at AAA without waiting in line at the DMV (e.g. registration of new vehicles, plate renewals, vanity plates, release of liability, etc.) |
AAA auto club
On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 08:45:16 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote: AAA used to be a fast efficent way for all sorts of vehicle releated questions. a one stop shop of knowldgabe friendly people for help AAA in pennsylvaniia changes ownership of vehicles, you can renew your drivers licenses there, tags etc. they are a extension of penn dot. apparently thats not how most of the ****ry handles things/ DMV does all that. thanks though i will blast them on facebook, and call the AAA radio show talking travel where they gush about how wonderful AAA is. I will set them up with a easy to answer question, gush about how great AAA is then go for the juglar ripping them a new ass. Bring 'em to their knees. Make them moan, groan and gnash their teeth. Teach them to be humble LOL |
AAA auto club
I have not embraced GPS/Nav yet. It is certainly not what I want on vacation. Some of the most interesting things we have found were because we were "lost". I prefer a paper map so we can get an overview of where we are and look for things we might want to see. Google Earth is the new technology we use the most. We are mostly old school using travel books and paper maps. My idea of a good day is to hop on my motorcycle and ride aimlessly. I decide arbitrarily which way to go when I hit an intersection. The hysterical markers are worth a look too. A sign outside Greeley, NE says it's home to about 450 friendly folks and three old grouches. -- Using Opera's mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/ |
AAA auto club
tony944 posted for all of us...
Why didn't you call or talk to DMV triple AAA don't have anything to do with "Titles" "bob haller" wrote in message ... I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... wait time on hold both times overa hour and a half..... finally got my questions answered by stopping by one of their stores for lack of a better term. one time they never answered when i finally gave up . I complained loudly about the rotten service. was told all the AAAsare now owned and managed from california. where they consolidated all their telephone call centers. unfortunately they arent able to answer calls from pennsylvania in a timely fashion. they are attempting to move their phone help back to pennsylvania what is wrong with america? service is non existent, college grads in suits give the orders how to cut costs while they enjoy all the perks. in triple aaas case a rep promised me someone would call me back. not only did they never call me back they tell me theres no way to complain..... no address no phone number andmany levels you cant get thru to complain Yes they do. That WAS one of the "services", overnight to DMV. Sadly I have to agree with Bob on this issue. Wife had her drivers license stolen (later found) AAA couldn't/wouldn't do any thing unless we went to an office about 50 miles away. Bleep that. Went to tag service and out 15 minutes later. Received with 7 days from DMV. Licenses are digital so the state must print them. Went to sell a car; bleep can't find title. AAA person was out of office three times. Never returned calls. Went to same title place and had new title in several days. They have to check encumbrances. Paid slightly more than AAA but got the service. We even know the office manager and complained but got no satisfaction. Keep it only for the road service aspect, I used to do AAA road service in an earlier time and obligated to provide service. They used to stick up for their customers because one time I miscalculated the tow mileage and had to give the overage back-only fair... Now they only want to be a travel agent and sell cruises. -- Tekkie |
AAA auto club
bob haller wrote in news:d7cb4e0a-c03e-42f9-aac2-
: I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... Would've made a lot more sense to call your local Dept. of Motor Vehicles branch... |
AAA auto club
On 9/17/2015 3:48 PM, Doug Miller wrote:
bob haller wrote in news:d7cb4e0a-c03e-42f9-aac2- : I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... Would've made a lot more sense to call your local Dept. of Motor Vehicles branch... ROTFLMAO! Perhaps *your* DMV is more "consumer friendly" than most of those that I've dealt with over the last several decades! I'd imagine a long wait on the phone -- followed by a dubious answer (with no "guarantee" of accuracy... sort of like calling the IRS!) |
AAA auto club
On Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 11:27:43 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 06:15:39 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03 wrote: I mostly use them to get good paper maps (remember those?) and I have had one road service call in the last 20 years. I feel I have gotten my money's worth over the years. Mostly tows, but also some paper maps just for pre-trip reviews. My GPS and phone are my drive-time navigation tools, but I like to look for alternatives to the main routes. Sometime I program my way-points based on the AAA info so my nav tools take me on the route I want to go I have not embraced GPS/Nav yet. It is certainly not what I want on vacation. Some of the most interesting things we have found were because we were "lost". I prefer a paper map so we can get an overview of where we are and look for things we might want to see. Google Earth is the new technology we use the most. We are mostly old school using travel books and paper maps. Businesses change so much that if you don't buy the updates every year, your nav is not going to be right that often. It is pretty discouraging to drive to a place that is out of business. That's not an issue with Google navigation on a smart phone. No updates needed. In fact, not only don't I have to worry about a business being out of business, I often don't even have to worry about them being closed for the day. For example, I just searched for a Grainger location in another state. Before even showing me the route, Google displayed the following message: Your destination may be closed when you arrive. Open today: 7:00AM - 5:00PM Estimated arrival at 2:16AM I'm guessing your paper maps can't do that. ;-) Now, a major difference between Google Navigation and my GPS is that I can tell my GPS to avoid highways so that it will guide me on the scenic route, which I often like to do. I can't do that with Google (or at least I can't get it to do that) I plan to look for a smart phone app that has that feature. Once I have that app, I won't need my GPS anymore. |
AAA auto club
On Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 8:20:56 PM UTC-4, Don Y wrote:
On 9/17/2015 3:48 PM, Doug Miller wrote: bob haller wrote in news:d7cb4e0a-c03e-42f9-aac2- : I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... Would've made a lot more sense to call your local Dept. of Motor Vehicles branch... ROTFLMAO! Perhaps *your* DMV is more "consumer friendly" than most of those that I've dealt with over the last several decades! I'd imagine a long wait on the phone -- followed by a dubious answer (with no "guarantee" of accuracy... sort of like calling the IRS!) My local DMV office is very "consumer friendly" and my recent title/registration questions asked via the main DMV phone number for my region were answered accurately and efficiently. Granted, getting through was tough at times. The hold times weren't long because you simply are told to call back later. Actually, that's even more frustrating, because I can sit in my office and work while on hold, hanging up whenever I want. It's more annoying to have to keep calling back. However, the local office is pretty good. I have registered 2 used vehicles in the past few months. In each case, there was a problem with the paperwork (sort of my fault). In one case I had to get a different Bill Of Sale which was going to take me a few hours. The nice lady at the counter gave me a rain check so that I wouldn't have to wait on the main line once I had the paperwork. I could get a window number immediately. The second time I needed a different insurance card, but my agent's office didn't open for another 20 minutes. The (different) nice lady gave me the fax number of that DMV office, told me to call my agent and have her fax it to the DMV and then come right back to her window, "don't wait in any lines." I was in and out in a matter of minutes, even though the line was out of the door. I grew up in NYC, so I know what a brutal DMV experience feels like. Unfriendly, unhelpful employees, long customer lines, hot crowded offices. It's not like that where I live now. |
AAA auto club
On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 17:21:08 -0700, Don Y
wrote: On 9/17/2015 3:48 PM, Doug Miller wrote: bob haller wrote in news:d7cb4e0a-c03e-42f9-aac2- : I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... Would've made a lot more sense to call your local Dept. of Motor Vehicles branch... ROTFLMAO! Perhaps *your* DMV is more "consumer friendly" than most of those that I've dealt with over the last several decades! I'd imagine a long wait on the phone -- followed by a dubious answer (with no "guarantee" of accuracy... sort of like calling the IRS!) Like I said earlier, they are honest and just do these things at the tax collector, because that is what all of that auto stuff is, a tax. Our tax collector is actually pretty good tho. I have had some strange title issues here with boats and they made it very painless ... in one trip. Most mundane things can be done completely online. Once you get a paper less title, there is not any real reason to even go up there and all they really want is the money. They take Visa/MC/Amex on the web site. |
AAA auto club
On 09/16/2015 05:33 PM, bob haller wrote:
I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... wait time on hold both times overa hour and a half..... finally got my questions answered by stopping by one of their stores for lack of a better term. one time they never answered when i finally gave up . I complained loudly about the rotten service. was told all the AAAsare now owned and managed from california. where they consolidated all their telephone call centers. unfortunately they arent able to answer calls from pennsylvania in a timely fashion. they are attempting to move their phone help back to pennsylvania what is wrong with america? service is non existent, college grads in suits give the orders how to cut costs while they enjoy all the perks. in triple aaas case a rep promised me someone would call me back. not only did they never call me back they tell me theres no way to complain..... no address no phone number andmany levels you cant get thru to complain I needed AAA service last year, because of a dead battery. There were no delays while on the call, and and a service truck arrived in less than an hour to start my vehicle. They called back while I was at the shop to verify that the service went OK. BTW, the dead battery was about 22 months old, and was replaced free. -- 99 days until the winter celebration (Friday December 25, 2015 12:00:00 AM for 1 day). Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." [Carl Sagan] |
AAA auto club
On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 17:43:58 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote: On Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 11:27:43 AM UTC-4, wrote: On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 06:15:39 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03 wrote: I mostly use them to get good paper maps (remember those?) and I have had one road service call in the last 20 years. I feel I have gotten my money's worth over the years. Mostly tows, but also some paper maps just for pre-trip reviews. My GPS and phone are my drive-time navigation tools, but I like to look for alternatives to the main routes. Sometime I program my way-points based on the AAA info so my nav tools take me on the route I want to go I have not embraced GPS/Nav yet. It is certainly not what I want on vacation. Some of the most interesting things we have found were because we were "lost". I prefer a paper map so we can get an overview of where we are and look for things we might want to see. Google Earth is the new technology we use the most. We are mostly old school using travel books and paper maps. Businesses change so much that if you don't buy the updates every year, your nav is not going to be right that often. It is pretty discouraging to drive to a place that is out of business. That's not an issue with Google navigation on a smart phone. No updates needed. In fact, not only don't I have to worry about a business being out of business, I often don't even have to worry about them being closed for the day. For example, I just searched for a Grainger location in another state. Before even showing me the route, Google displayed the following message: Your destination may be closed when you arrive. Open today: 7:00AM - 5:00PM Estimated arrival at 2:16AM I'm guessing your paper maps can't do that. ;-) Now, a major difference between Google Navigation and my GPS is that I can tell my GPS to avoid highways so that it will guide me on the scenic route, which I often like to do. I can't do that with Google (or at least I can't get it to do that) I plan to look for a smart phone app that has that feature. Once I have that app, I won't need my GPS anymore. We are not usually looking for a business on vacation. We are looking for cool hiking trails and out of the way places that google might not even know about. A lot of the places we go are less than stellar about cell service too. In rural North Carolina this was the only WiFi hot spot http://gfretwell.com/ftp/North%20Car...Hot%20spot.jpg and there wasn't much of anything if you were more than a mile or two from this "office" http://gfretwell.com/ftp/North%20Carolina/verizon.jpg If you could manage line of sight from this mountain, your cell worked but it was pretty hard to do in most places. http://gfretwell.com/ftp/North%20Car...20me%20now.jpg |
AAA auto club
On Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 10:25:10 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 17:43:58 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03 wrote: On Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 11:27:43 AM UTC-4, wrote: On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 06:15:39 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03 wrote: I mostly use them to get good paper maps (remember those?) and I have had one road service call in the last 20 years. I feel I have gotten my money's worth over the years. Mostly tows, but also some paper maps just for pre-trip reviews. My GPS and phone are my drive-time navigation tools, but I like to look for alternatives to the main routes. Sometime I program my way-points based on the AAA info so my nav tools take me on the route I want to go I have not embraced GPS/Nav yet. It is certainly not what I want on vacation. Some of the most interesting things we have found were because we were "lost". I prefer a paper map so we can get an overview of where we are and look for things we might want to see. Google Earth is the new technology we use the most. We are mostly old school using travel books and paper maps. Businesses change so much that if you don't buy the updates every year, your nav is not going to be right that often. It is pretty discouraging to drive to a place that is out of business. That's not an issue with Google navigation on a smart phone. No updates needed. In fact, not only don't I have to worry about a business being out of business, I often don't even have to worry about them being closed for the day. For example, I just searched for a Grainger location in another state. Before even showing me the route, Google displayed the following message: Your destination may be closed when you arrive. Open today: 7:00AM - 5:00PM Estimated arrival at 2:16AM I'm guessing your paper maps can't do that. ;-) Now, a major difference between Google Navigation and my GPS is that I can tell my GPS to avoid highways so that it will guide me on the scenic route, which I often like to do. I can't do that with Google (or at least I can't get it to do that) I plan to look for a smart phone app that has that feature. Once I have that app, I won't need my GPS anymore. We are not usually looking for a business on vacation. You brought up the problem with nav system updates and closed businesses. All I did was respond that it was not an issue with a device that can run Google Maps. |
AAA auto club
On 9/17/2015 6:06 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 8:20:56 PM UTC-4, Don Y wrote: On 9/17/2015 3:48 PM, Doug Miller wrote: bob haller wrote in news:d7cb4e0a-c03e-42f9-aac2- : I have been a AAA memberfor 40 years. I have always been pleased by their service etc till now.......... i called them twice about some title issues when thinking about replacingmy one van.... Would've made a lot more sense to call your local Dept. of Motor Vehicles branch... ROTFLMAO! Perhaps *your* DMV is more "consumer friendly" than most of those that I've dealt with over the last several decades! I'd imagine a long wait on the phone -- followed by a dubious answer (with no "guarantee" of accuracy... sort of like calling the IRS!) My local DMV office is very "consumer friendly" and my recent title/registration questions asked via the main DMV phone number for my region were answered accurately and efficiently. Granted, getting through was tough at times. The hold times weren't long because you simply are told to call back later. Actually, that's even more frustrating, because I can sit in my office and work while on hold, hanging up whenever I want. It's more annoying to have to keep calling back. However, the local office is pretty good. I have registered 2 used vehicles in the past few months. In each case, there was a problem with the paperwork (sort of my fault). In one case I had to get a different Bill Of Sale which was going to take me a few hours. The nice lady at the counter gave me a rain check so that I wouldn't have to wait on the main line once I had the paperwork. I could get a window number immediately. The second time I needed a different insurance card, but my agent's office didn't open for another 20 minutes. The (different) nice lady gave me the fax number of that DMV office, told me to call my agent and have her fax it to the DMV and then come right back to her window, "don't wait in any lines." I was in and out in a matter of minutes, even though the line was out of the door. I grew up in NYC, so I know what a brutal DMV experience feels like. Unfriendly, unhelpful employees, long customer lines, hot crowded offices. It's not like that where I live now. I've only had to visit the local DMV (here) twice (at least, for *my* needs) in the past ~20+ years. Once for a DL, and again for a DL renewal (I think when the Feds instituted the new DL requirements; I recall having another photo taken, etc.). Unlike other places I've lived (New England, Midwest and West), a DL is issued "until you're 65" -- none of this renew every 4 years sort of crap. And, other places seemed to like to zing you with tehnicalities: "Oh, you forgot to bring your birth certificate? Gee, you'll have to come back another time..." "Hmmm, this birth certificate isn't *notarized*. You'll have to fetch one that *is*..." When SWMBO moved, she contacted DMV regarding getting a new license with her updated address: "Oh, sweetie, just write your new address on a slip of paper and attach it to your DL with a paper clip..." [Yikes!] The last two vehicle purchases had titling all handled by the dealer so we just waited for a title to appear in the post. We kept the plates (transferred) so didn't even have to pick those up. OTOH, I've had friends who've been spontaneously notified that they must have new photos taken (!) and had to sit through the process. The local office is probably the size of a football field. With a "split" in the center ("50 yd line"). You roll the dice when you decide where to sit -- you may be serviced by staff on either side based (apparently) on some random criteria (e.g., whoever is FREE when it's your turn). There appears to be some specialization involved among the staff as you will often see folks who arrived *after* you getting serviced long *before* you! Observers failing to realize this would undoubtedly sense some "unfairness" in the system! They try to push folks to their web portal -- though we're not keen about doing many things "on-line". You never know *where* your packets are being routed/processed. [E.g., our local library is serviced by a firm in *Canada*! What privacy guarantees are *they* required to observe?] As with most bureaucracies, it's not something I'd want to deal with unless I absolutely *had* to! |
AAA auto club
On 2015-09-18, Don Y wrote:
OTOH, I've had friends who've been spontaneously notified that they must have new photos taken (!) and had to sit through the process. It seems that most if not all states are amassing huge databases of facial recognition data. Real police-state stuff. To do this they need high-res digital photos. (Of course they assure us the data won't be misused, will be protected, etc. Maybe they have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell us as well.) -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roger Blake (Change "invalid" to "com" for email. Google Groups killfiled.) NSA sedition and treason -- http://www.DeathToNSAthugs.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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