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Old December 17th 05, 11:58 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.jeep+willys
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Default YJ Breaks down - Bad Triple AAA Experience.

Jeez. what a bunch of morons.

My advice, write a letter to the president of AAA New York. Don't bother
with customer service departments, write directly to the top dog. You'd be
surprised sometimes how fast they are to rectify a problem like this. Be
factual, professional and non-emotional in your letter. Good luck, and post
what happens!

"billy ray" > wrote in message
...
> Like it or not everyone needs to read it, especially anyone near Syracuse.
>
> --
> (Remove the SPAM)
> 2002 WJ Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat
> Helping is why we are all here on RAMJ+W, or should be.
> "Lou Boncek" > wrote in message
> ...
>>I figure I'd put this ins seprate post, because it is sort of a rant, and
>> some people won't want to read it.
>>
>>
>> Last year my 90 YJ Blew a water pump and AAA had an independent tow truck
>> to
>> me in less that 30 minutes, polite tow person, offered me his cell phone
>> to
>> make arrangements with garage, wife, employer, and offered me a ride.
>>
>> But yesterday I had my worst experience with AAA.
>>
>> My Jeep gets hung up in a snow bank, because a plow went through an
>> intersection, didn't raise its wing and buried the front of the Jeep with
>> a
>> few feet of snow. It was on an incline, at a red light, with a line of
>> traffic behind me. Long story-short, going up over the snow bank, does
>> something to kill the starter and the electrical system.
>>
>> OK. Call 911, because I'm blocking traffic on the exit ramp and I am one
>> quarter of the way in to the intersection, which is not a flat
>> intersection
>> but a hump, so you can't just push through it. Plus it has been snowing
>> so
>> there is over a foot of snow to go through.
>>
>> Time is about 7:30 am.
>>
>> Local police come. Real pleasant, considering it is snowing, slippery, a
>> line of traffic. He helps me shovel the Jeep and gets the traffic around
>> the Jeep so we can push it 10 feet back down the ramp, so he can put his
>> car
>> behind it with lights and get traffic moving around us.
>>
>> He asks if I want a tow, AAA. I tell him I have Triple A. He says he'll
>> make the call for me, if He can have my card. I go to get my card and
>> realize I can't see! One of my lens has fallen out while we were pushing
>> the Jeep!
>>
>> I know the card is the gold one in my wallet, so I find it by color and
>> give
>> it to him and then spend 10 minutes in a foot of snow and somehow find
>> the
>> lost lens in one piece.
>>
>> The officer lets me know that AAA is on the way and he will stay there
>> because he think the situation could be hazardous.
>>
>> About 30 minutes later a "real" AAA Flat bed shows up. Logo on the side,
>> driver with official looking jacket, etc. The Syracuse Triple A has its
>> own
>> trucks and drivers!
>>
>> Time is about 8:00 am.
>>
>> We are discussing the best way to load the Jeep, since we are in the
>> intersection, when a second AAA tow truck show up. Wow! What service!
>> Two
>> truck - two official looking guys. This is great!
>>
>> So he'll stop traffic with his truck and lights, so the flat bed can back
>> in.
>>
>> All goes just like clock work. Less than 5 minutes.
>>
>> HERE IS WHERE IT ALL STARTS TO GO DOWNHILL!
>>
>> Driver asks, "Where do you want it towed?" Now BOTH drivers are standing
>> right there.
>>
>> I tell them, Trapasso's Garage, Fulton (NY), which is located directly in
>> front of the Fulton State Police Barracks.
>>
>> Driver says he is not really familiar with Fulton. Do I know the street
>> address? No I do not, but is is in Fulton, right next to the State
>> Police
>> Barracks.
>>
>> I tell him, pull out to your left and go down the ramp, take 481 North to
>> Fulton. Get to near the center of town and I'm not sure if it is the 3rd
>> light or the 4th light, but you'll see a company like Hutamaka on the
>> left,
>> a wendys, Take a right. And go until you see the State Police Barracks.
>>
>> He then asks, are you going to ride with me?
>>
>> I replied that the officer has been kind enough to drive me the mile to
>> where I work, and that my wife had already called the garage, they've
>> worked
>> on the Jeep before and already were getting a starter and some other
>> possible needed parts to have on hand, so if that was indeed the cause
>> they
>> could get it right in and back to me.
>>
>> He says, OK. I'll call dispatch and get the street address.
>>
>> Both tow trucks pull away. The officer waits until they clear the scene.
>> Motions me to get in the car and drives me to work. I thank him for
>> everything.
>>
>> The garage where I wanted the Jeep taken is 14.9 miles North of where it
>> broke down. Even in the bad weather, he should be there in 30 minutes,
>> heck
>> even give him an hour in case he stops for coffee or something.
>>
>> Time is about 8:15 am.
>>
>> At 1:00 pm my wife calls me (She had been home all morning waiting for
>> the
>> weather to clear so she could put in a half days work - my job, I'm
>> considered "essential staff" so I get docked a day even when they are
>> closed, if I don't show up) Anyway, 1:00 PM. She tells me she called
>> the
>> garage to make arrangements to pay and pick up the Jeep and they tell
>> her,
>> Jeep isn't there! Never showed up!
>>
>> 1:05 PM I call AAA.
>>
>> "Hey, I had a road side emergency tow this morning at about 8:00 am and
>> the
>> garage tells me, the Jeep hasn't gotten there yet. What happened?"
>>
>> They go through all the stuff, name, etc to bring up the computer screen
>> (Also I am calling the LOCAL Syracuse AAA office, not a 800 anywhere
>> number)
>>
>> "Well, it says here you didn't tell the driver where you wanted it taken"
>>
>> OK - so my bloods beginning to boil, and I say, No, I told the driver
>> EXACTLY where to take it. I told BOTH drivers where I Wanted it taken. I
>> did
>> not have the EXACT street address, but the driver said he would call
>> dispatch and get the address.
>>
>> "Well where did you want it taken?" I told him exactly what I told the
>> other two drivers. And I ask, by the way, where is the Jeep.
>>
>> "Oh, it's here in our yard."
>>
>> We go back and forth a little bit, no swearing or anything, just
>> disbelief
>> that it was not delivered.
>>
>> "Well it says in the drivers report, you didn't give him your phone
>> number
>> so we had no way to get in touch with you to find out where you wanted
>> it,
>> so we off loaded it."
>>
>> I asked him if he had his computer screen up in front of him and he told
>> me
>> yes, he did. OK. Let's check something, is my address correct? I give
>> him
>> my address. Then I ask him - Now, where is says phone number, you do
>> have a
>> phone number listed there for me, don't you?
>>
>> Silence.
>>
>> "We didn't know your work number?"
>>
>> I said, my wife has been home all morning. She has made arrangements
>> with
>> the garage. They are waiting for the Jeep.
>>
>> "Well sir it says in the drivers report you left the scene before the
>> truck
>> left so the driver did not know where to take the Jeep.
>>
>> Oh-Boy, can blood really boil! I review with him that the Officer and I
>> stayed until the truck left he scene.
>>
>> "Oh, the officer was there too? Let me put you on hold.
>>
>> Back off hold 10 minutes or so later.
>> "We'll get it there today sir."
>>
>> Unaccepatable! I've made arrangements with some people I know that are
>> coming in to Syracuse to shop. They were/are going to pick the Jeep up
>> and
>> drop it off so I can get home. I live 30 miles from where I work. The
>> garage said they can fix it by the time the close today at 5:00 pm. THey
>> are
>> not open this weekend. So if you put it on a truck now (It is about 1:30
>> by
>> now), and truck it, it will be there in an hour, plenty of time for them
>> to
>> fix it and for me to get home. You do understand the problem? No Jeep.
>> No
>> way to get home?
>>
>> "Let me put you on hold" (Another 10 minutes or so)
>>
>> While on hold, I look up the address, phone number of the garage. Call
>> the
>> garage and talk with them. Yes they will work on my Jeep right way
>> because
>> they know I need it.
>>
>> The AAA guy comes back on the line. I give him the name of the garage,
>> the
>> address of the garage and the phone number of the garage.
>>
>> "Sir, all our trucks are busy now"
>>
>> I'll tell you what. Don't use one of your trucks. Call a tow company.
>> Get
>> one of their trucks there NOW and get that Jeep on the road, so I have a
>> way
>> to get home tonight! And YOU will pick up the cost!
>>
>> (On hold again)
>>
>> "Sir, we have it logged in for pick up by 2:08 pm toady.
>>
>> I figure OK, even if they leave by 2:30, get there by 3:30 the guys at
>> the
>> garage should be able to get it done by 5:00 pm.
>>
>> I then stay on the line and tell him to add a note, that is is a formal
>> complaint, that the service has been rotten. (I left out the part where
>> he
>> told me that since I was at work I was safe and secure and they had to do
>> their assistance first before they could take care of my problem - the
>> problem they created when THEIR driver decided he didn't want to go 15
>> miles
>> North - I need to find out if those guys get paid by the call, that would
>> explain why he dumped my Jeep, so he could hit some local tows!)
>>
>> So we end up, I remind him 2:08. You have my work number, I expect a
>> call
>> at 2:10 for you to updated me on the status of this situation. Hang up.
>>
>> So I'm working away not realizing the time and see that is is 4:00 PM.
>>
>> Call the garage. "Hows the Jeep?"
>> "What Jeep?"
>> "The White 1990 Wrangler Triple A dropped off, probably 30 minutes, an
>> hour
>> ago."
>> "Hold on." "Sir, I checked our lot, our side lot and inside all the
>> bays,
>> there are no Jeeps here. Let me get you the owner.
>>
>> The owner comes on, he knows from my wife's call and my previous call the
>> situation. He tells me, if it shows up - yeah he was suppose to close at
>> 5,
>> but if it gets there by 5:00 pm he'll stay and work on it. I thank him.
>>
>> 4:10 PM Call Triple A
>> "I have a problem, my Jeep was supposed to be taken to a specific garage
>> today at 9:00 am, it's not there yet -"
>> "What's you name, etc....again"
>>
>> "OH, yes sir, I have the information right here, You didn't give the
>> driver
>> a place to take it so they took it to our Taft Road Offices in Syracuse,
>> do
>> you want it to go someplace?"
>>
>> I briefly explain, heatedly, how their driver lied for some reason, the
>> conversation with the person I had a 1:00 pm about the Jeep and how it
>> was
>> suppose to be on a truck at 2:08, and how if it is still on their lot,
>> They
>> have a real problem, because I don't have a way to get home.
>>
>> "Hmmm sir, I think I better have you speak with a supervisor.
>>
>> Supervisor comes on line.
>>
>> I briefly explain the entire story you've read so far, hitting only the
>> high
>> points, like the driver's incompetence, lying, no call back at 2:10, so
>> we
>> could have dealt with the situation then.
>>
>> "She puts me on hold"
>>
>> "Sir, I show here that the transport is at the lot and your Jeep is being
>> taken to the garage."
>>
>> She does not yet understand the situation. So I have to spell it out for
>> her. Had the Jeep been taken directly to the garage in the morning. I
>> would have a ride home. Had the Jeep been taken at 2:08, I would have a
>> ride home. But since the Jeep is now going to arrive AFTER the garage is
>> closed, I have TWO problems that they have caused. 1. I have no ride
>> home.
>> 2. I have no way to get to work on Monday, because they will need to fix
>> the
>> Jeep on Monday, and I don't want to loose a days pay because of all their
>> screw up and incompetence all day long.
>>
>> She puts me on hold.
>>
>> While on hold, I start making phone calls on another line, and after 5 or
>> so
>> calls find a friend who would be able to get me.
>>
>> 15 minutes later she gets back on the line, And I tell her, while she
>> had
>> me on hold I found a way to get home. She told me she had been working
>> on
>> that - I told her that is the first time today anyone had tried to fix
>> the
>> situation.
>> But - I explain to her the second situation. No way to get to work. And
>> I
>> suggest to her that I think Triple A can provide for me a car Sunday
>> night,
>> preferably a 4WD or All-wheel drive as snow squalls are predicted, so I
>> can
>> drive to work on Monday, make arrangements to get my Jeep and then drop
>> the
>> car off Monday night.
>>
>> She asks if I have a cell phone and I give her my number. She says she
>> will
>> call me back. I told her that I won't be home until 8:00 pm because of
>> the
>> arrangements, so you call my cell up to then and my home after that.
>>
>> Then I think to ask. When they drop the Jeep off, they will secure the
>> Jeep. I mean the garage will be closed.
>>
>> "Oh, yes" If there is a drop box the driver always puts the keys in it.
>>
>>
>> So----On my way home I ask if we can make a 10 minute detour to the
>> garage.
>>
>> Guess what? Garage is closed! Guess what? The Jeep doors are open and
>> the
>> keys are in the ignition. Along with the gas cap key and the back
>> compartment key.
>>
>> And of course, oh, yeah, even at night, I can see it. They have a drop
>> box
>> right by the door!!!
>>
>> They haven't called me yet about a car for work on Monday either. Think
>> I
>> should hold my breath?
>>
>> Thanks for letting me rant - but I do want to get the message out, that
>> the
>> Syracuse Branch of the Triple A, on this instance has been totally
>> incompetent. I plan to write a formal complaint (Won't help me, might
>> the
>> next person) and find out what other agency's you can write to to report
>> how I was treated by Triple A that day.
>>
>> Like I said before - I've used Triple A in the past, and every other time
>> it
>> was an independent tow that Triple A contracts with and they have ALWAYS
>> been on time, polite and helpful.
>>
>> This is the first time that the Syracuse Triple A, which keeps its own
>> fleet
>> of trucks and drivers responded, and the response, the lying by the
>> driver,
>> the lack of concern and slow/no action is unbelievable.
>>
>> But I'm thinking, we have a car in our driveway that is fully licensed
>> and
>> insured, and plated, but has slipping clutch that we plan to get fixed
>> after
>> the holiday bills.
>>
>> What do you think? Should I call up Triple A on Monday at about 5 am and
>> tell them I need a tow, and give the the address of my jobsite and then
>> ride
>> in with the driver?
>>
>> Hope you all have pleasant experiences, and I hope that my complaining to
>> Triple A and appropriate agencies will make your next experience
>> better!.....lou
>>
>>

>
>



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