Forget calling for a tow truck — there’s another road rescue team in place and they probably work for peanuts. But seriously, while it might sound like a joke to have a couple of elephants helping out a stuck semi-truck on the side of the road, it’s all too delightfully true. [More]
roadside assistance
I’m Glad I Didn’t Call Hertz Roadside Assistance For An Actual Emergency
By 12.27.12
For a recent trip, Michael rented a car from Hertz. It was a hatchback. He had a tiny problem: the key he had opened the doors and started the engine and everything, but didn’t open the hatch. He tried a few different ways to contact customer service, but couldn’t find anyone to help him or didn’t receive an answer. He never needed trunk access during his trip…but what if he had? [More]
Verizon Wireless Roadside Assistance Apologizes For Sucking
By 10.15.08
Earlier this month we shared Jason’s tale of incompetent Verizon Wireless Roadside Assistance—how the operator “helping” him acted like she’d been huffing paint on her break, and eventually just abandoned him with a “Sorry, I can’t help,” left on his voicemail. Verizon saw Jason’s story and contacted him about it. Below is the follow up he sent us yesterday.
Verizon Wireless Roadside Assistance CSR Running On Empty, Just Like Your Vehicle
By 10.2.08
Here are the morals of this story:
Toyota's Roadside Assistance Leaves You Stranded Out Of Gas
By 6.17.08
Reader Chris spent some extra money on a Toyota extended warranty which comes with free roadside assistance in the event his vehicle breaks down or runs out of gas. Unfortunately, that’s what happened to Chris’ girlfriend one day when she ran out of gas on a Cleveland freeway. She called roadside assistance for help, but when the rescue driver finally arrived he’d only brought a half-gallon of gas, not enough to get her RAV 4 started. Since the roadside assistance terms allow for 3 gallons of gas she asked the driver to bring additional gas to which he replied, “They don’t pay me enough for that,” and drove off. Chris’ letter, inside…
Progressive Apologizes, Sort Of, For Leaving Customer Stranded Last Weekend
By 10.12.07
We’ve received a follow-up email from Chuck, who has spent the better part of the week trying to determine why Progressive’s Roadside Assistance service—for which he pays an additional monthly fee on top of his normal insurance premium—sucks so badly that they’d leave a motorist stranded for 45 minutes on a busy Interstate on a weekend morning.
Progressive Roadside Assistance Strands Lady On Roadside
By 10.9.07
According to a reader, Progressive—the insurance company that sends private detectives to secretly tape-record church support group meetings—took 45 minutes this past weekend to put a live person in contact with a woman who was stranded on a busy Interstate in Nashville after a tire blew out on her car. Eventually, a Tennessee Department of Transportation officer stopped and helped her.
