Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Automobile Club of Southern California's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Automobile Club of Southern California

  PO Box 25001 Santa Ana, CA 92799-5001

• 

  Automobile Club of Southern California

  499 N El Camino Real Encinitas, CA 92024

• 

  Automobile Club of Southern California

  137 S Las Posas Blvd #154 San Marcos, CA 92078

• 

  Automobile Club of Southern California

  2987 Jamacha Rd #A El Cajon, CA 92019

• 

  Automobile Club of Southern California

  PO Box 25430 Santa Ana, CA 92799

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Automobile club of Southern California (AAA) - I was in a small accident in June of 2021 and when AAA inputed the information. They mistakenly put down that I had 2 separate accidents on the same day. Therefore Ive been paying an absurd about for car insurance for the past year and a half. I didnt realize the mistake until I recently got a new truck and they wanted to charge me 800 dollars a month for a ***** Silverado. After looking into it the mistake they made and asked them to fix it because I cant pay 800 dollars a month. After agreeing and admitting they made a mistake, they told me that they would put my truck on the insurance temporarily until the issue was solved and they will have it fixed the following week. 2 weeks went by with no call so after reaching out to ********************************* a claims manager, I found out that no actions have been made to begin corrections. I was assured it would be fixed the following week. After another week with no call, the issue was fixed after 4 weeks after the initial call. After asking for them to pay me back for the year and a half of being overcharged they explained that all that money I was going to get back was going to be used for the month and a half of my truck being on the insurance. After explaining to them that no terms were agreed on and this was supposed to be temporary coverage while a mistake was being fixed and the fact that it took so long was through no fault of my own, they explained that because they sent me a proof of insurance card over email, that is somehow equivalent to me agreeing to pay the high price and previously quoted. I am currently trying to find new insurance but am racking up a tan with them everyday I wait. AAA has been nothing but inconsistent and shady in this situation telling me any documentation detailing the mistake made to my account is confidential and unable to be shared. I should be receiving money back but instead theyre asking for an absurd amount more that I never agreed to.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2023

  According to our records you were involved in an accident on July 24, 2021, and were found to be at fault. Please know that when an insured is involved in an accident that causes the premium to increase, we do not apply that increase in the middle of a policy period but rather the premium is affected at the following renewal.  However, in your particular case, when your policy renewed on December 24, 2022, unfortunately, due to our error, the accident was processed twice on your policy. We would like to take this opportunity to apologize on behalf of the organization for this error. We assure you that lapses in member service of this nature are not indicative of the importance we place on providing our member insureds with outstanding service. We have since corrected this error and backdated the correction to the beginning of the 2022 policy renewal which is when the loss initially began affecting the premium. You also mentioned that you were under the impression the Silverado would be added to your policy on a temporary basis. Our records indicate that, on June 16, 2023, the **** Lexus was replaced with the 2023 Silverado, effective June 8, 2023. A policy change confirmation, detailing the changes to the premium as well as proof insurance cards, were emailed to you. We were unable to locate any information indicating that you were advised that the vehicle would be added to the policy on a temporary basis, with no impact to premium. Please understand that, upon adding a vehicle to the policy, the premium is subject to change, and it cannot be added without potentially affecting the premium. *********************** called and spoke to you August 29, 2023. ******* was able to discuss these concerns with you. While speaking to her you requested to receive an itemized statement to better understand the changes in pricing on your policy. As such, an itemized statement was sent to you. If you have any questions, please contact ***************************** at ************.
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/17/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I got an auto quote and paid my insurance. The insurance company switched me to a 12 month payment plan and charged me a 10% premium for this "benefit" without me choosing this. I am unable to log in to their phone or web services to switch back from this extra payment charge.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2023

  As a follow up to your conversation with *************************, it is with regret that we must decline your request to reimburse you the finance charges paid for the policy effective September 27, 2022, to September 27, 2023. While we understand your concerns, during our review, we confirmed that since the inception date of your policy in 2018 to current, we have notified you in the New Business Declarations as well as the Truth-in-Lending statement included in each renewal offer, that you must pay the outstanding balance in full to avoid paying any finance charges. In addition, the Truth-in-Lending statement also reflects that after the first renewal payment, each subsequent billing will include a finance charge. Our records reflected that your premium for the above-mentioned policy period, was not paid in full to avoid paying the finance charges. If you have any questions, please contact ************************* at **************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/15/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Not a great experience. After you purchase memberships and auto policies, make sure you verify everything again the following week. I found out months later, agent did a mix up with the way auto policies and memberships were created. When my family members who I got policy and membership for when in to use their membership privileges, they were told they were never in the system. Inconvenience to be paying month to month for them to be told they are not members. Job incorrectly done, to top it off I consider canceling my own, *********************** wants to alter her ego and threaten my credit score will be affected. *********************** was the one who set up auto policy and memberships. I still cant log into my account online. If you work in a customer service setting you should help clients. my family member did not have a good experience with this individual either when they were in the office to clarify. Thank you ********************* for helping them. Five stars for him.***********************, agent at AAA ************, ** Jess ***** location

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2023

  
  You worked with our sales agent to start a new membership and a new auto insurance policy for yourself effective February 21, 2023. Additionally, you started a new auto insurance policy for your parents **** and ***************************, also effective February 21, 2023. For clarity, our Emergency Roadside Assistance Membership and our insurance products are separate and independent of each other. As a member-based organization, an Emergency Roadside Assistance Membership is required to take advantage of our insurance products. This means at least one named insured must be a member of the Automobile Club, however, drivers on an auto insurance policy are not automatically members. A membership must be purchased for each driver on a policy if each driver would like full membership benefits. You authorized a $74 payment to start your Emergency Roadside Assistance Membership, a $284 payment to start your auto insurance policy, and an $89 payment to start your parent's auto insurance policy. To clarify, a new Emergency Roadside Assistance Membership was not initiated for your parents, however, your mother was added to your membership as an Adult Associate, which provided use of all applicable membership benefits. Your parents visited our ******************* and were unable to use any membership benefits because our representatives could not locate an active membership for them. As a result, you spoke with **************** because you considered cancelling your auto insurance. **************** recalls explaining a short rate cancellation fee would be assessed if you were to cancel your auto insurance policies within the first year. Please be assured ******************** explanation was not intended to be a threat to your credit score. The short rate cancellation fee would not affect your credit history unless you had a remaining balance after cancelling your policy that remained unpaid. On July 27, 2023, our sales agent initiated a new membership for your father. At this time, your mother was removed from your Emergency Roadside Assistance Membership and added to his membership as an Adult Associate which allowed use of all applicable membership benefits for both. Insurance Manager, ********************************************** advised he attempted to contact you to address the concerns outlined in your correspondence to the Better Business Bureau directly. Since *************************************** was unable to reach you, he left a voicemail providing his direct contact information. If you require further assistance, please contact *************************************** directly to work toward an amicable resolution for any future policy inquiries you may have. Regarding our AAA ****** Services, you must enter your sixteen-digit membership number as it appears on your membership card and zip code when creating your account. If you have already created an account, you can login by entering the username and password you chose when you created your account. If you are unsure of your login information you can click on the "Forgot username or password?" hyperlink which will allow you to obtain the appropriate information to log in to your account. If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact *************************************** at **************.
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/15/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We have had the worst experience with AAA 2 nights in a row trying to get our Tesla towed to a charging station. IT had been sitting for 2 weeks at ****** Train station. We drove there on Sun and Mon night 8/13 and 8/14 Our tesla battery is at "0" and cant be put into "tow mode" We were told by ***** that any towing service needs to bring a wheel lift and dollies in order to successfully tow the car.We told the AAA dispatch on Sunday 8/13 at around 8:30p.m. that the tow truck company must bring the special equipment to execute a successful tow. Apparently the dispatch didnt put the request into the service order because when the contracted towing company called ..they didn't know and told us they didn't have that equipment available and they would call AAA and have them schedule a provider that did have that equipment. The provider didnt call them ..just put it on the notes and sent back to AAA. Apparently no one saw the notes at AAA and never rescheduled another tow truck company and WE PROCEEDED TO SIT THERE FOR HOURS WAITING FOR A TOW! After almost 4 hours we quit and went home.We tried last night 8/14 with the exact same result. The communication is absolutely terrible between towing providers and AAA. The communication and updates is atrocious with AAA and members. We sat for another 3 hours waiting for a tow truck which never came. I have no idea why...apparently no tow truck company has dollies and a wheel lift!?!? They never rescheduled a new company once the first one said they didnt have the right equipment. When we called and asked ********* hours later ....without any updated...we assumed one was coming ...they said...."oh we are trying to locate a provider" That went on for hours ...we left after 3.5 hours. Give AAA a tough problem to fix for their members ...and they fold and ignore you!!Pathetic attempt to help a member!!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2023

  We extend our sincerest apologies to you as we were unable to provide you with a totally satisfying member experience. Please be assured that the appropriate corrective actions have taken place with our staff and contracted service provider alike. Our attempts to reach you by phone and email have been unsuccessful, at your earliest convenience please contact, ************************************* to discuss your service experience in greater detail. If you have any additional questions or comments, please contact, *************************************, at **************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/15/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hello. My membership number is *******************. Around March or April of this year I hit a flat tire. I called Triple A and they took 5 hours of getting to me. Then the guy came and said that my tire needed to be replaced and he wouldn't be able to patch it. Triple A also rotated me through three different vendors and never kept me properly updated at all.I was in a sketchy area until 2 in the morning with no assistance. And then I had to pay to get my tire replaced / rim as well because when the mechanic came to me and took out the tire he bent the rim. I demand that triple A reimburse me for this.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2023

  
  As an independently owned and operated business, ******* ************** is responsible for any damage resulting from its actions or those of its employees. To assist you with resolution, the ********* has taken the role of mediator and enlisted the assistance of our Member ********************* Based on our review, we found that the damage you reported was not consistent with improper tire service but rather more consistent with the flat tire you sustained while driving on the road. Although we were unable to find ******* ************** responsible for the damage that you reported, we extend our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience you experienced when in need of roadside assistance. If you wish to pursue the matter further, your options are to file an insurance claim or small claims suit against ******* **************. If you have any questions, please contact ***************************, at **************.
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/13/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have a flat tire in the middle of the forest in ************. I called roadside assistance at 10. 30 pm last night. It is now **** am and no one came to help me yet. Everytime I called them they don't have any updates and the website says that no driver has been contacted yet. So here I am in the middle of nowhere waiting for triple A to (hopefully) show up at a certain point. I have been a member for 18 years and I barely used them. I have been treated very badly by all the people that answered the phone everytime I called for help in the past 4 hours.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/10/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  CONTEXT: On May 25th, I visited the ********* AAA branch to complete my ** Real ID application. The employees who do that are *** employees who are scheduled to work at the AAA office per the contract between AAA and the *** (THIS WAS NOT SHARED WITH ME BEFOREHAND). The 2 *** employees took my information and did not complete my service, and I need to file a fraud report on them. PROBLEM: I reached out to AAA ********* over 15 times from 7/25-7/26/2023, and no one was able to give me the names of the 2 *** employees working in their office. The branch manager, **************, told me they don't keep that information, which is a lie considering other AAA employees I spoke with on the phone told me legally she should have the names of anyone working in her office. She left me a voicemail saying she escalated the problem and someone would reach out, but no one has contacted me. That means 2 *** employees contracted by AAA are being allowed to access personal information (birth certificates, pictures, fingerprints, addresses, etc.) and potentially committing fraud in their office but they don't/can't give me their names? SOLUTION: I need AAA to contact me with the names of those *** employees so I can submit a fraud report with the *** for my potentially stolen information. If they do not keep record of who is in their office, then they need to let customers know that they could interact with non-AAA employees with no records being kept before they complete a transaction at their location. Note: all of my calls with AAA employees have been recorded and noted on their systems

  Business Response

  Date: 08/21/2023

  We understand you felt the *** technicians who assisted did not correctly submit your application for your REAL ID. In response to this inquiry, it was determined that due to connectivity issues encountered during the processing of your REAL ID application, it was unfortunately not completed. The CA *** has reinstated your application and would like to make accommodations with you to complete it. Per the CA ***, the REAL ID mobile technician program manager has attempted to reach you on several occasions, leaving messages requesting a return call. To date, the program manager has not received a response. When ready, you may contact the CA *** program manager directly at ************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I Cancelled my roadside assistance membership at the same time that my insurance with AAA was cancelled On October 2021 since my new insurance had free road side assistance convinientlly my roadside assistance was never cancelled since 2021. since my credit card information was on file they charge the membership fee for 2 more years. AAA send letters to my home everyday for marketing I just so happen to open one of the letters and saw that it was a renewal and I was able to see that AAA had automatically deducted 90 dollars from my credit card on file. i called and explained the situation and requested a refund. the refund was denied

  Business Response

  Date: 08/21/2023

  In follow up to your conversation with *************************, your request to cancel the membership is being processed, however we are unable to accommodate your request for a refund to October 2021. We found no record of a request to cancel the membership at that time. Additionally, we found correspondence had been mailed to you, notifying of the membership renewal and upcoming automatic payments. These notifications were mailed prior to the date the payments were automatically deducted. If you have any questions, please contact ************************* at ************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/28/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I recieved a hit on my credit report July 21st 2023 and found it was from a collections sold by AAA from February-May 2017, a time when I had no policy nor vehicle. I remember this very well. I had signed up from a Policy for a **** e300 ******** in February of 2016, the car broke down in the summer and was junked in the fall of 2016. AAA said my policy would expire January 2017. Did it expire? Yes. Did someone at the company reinstate it? YES! I notified them that this was incorrect and they issued my a $28 refund. Then 2 months later they asked me for March, April, and May payments for 2017. I said what payments!? I do NOT OWN A CAR. I thought this was going to be the end of this. But now today I see a hit on my credit report for $88 from this policy in 2017 that I NEVER SIGNED UP FOR. Today I called AAA and was passed to 3 different representatives, claiming to be sending me to the right person. But sending me back to the beginning. Wasting even more of my time. I don't know how to make this end, and go away. I'm not paying you for something I expressly did not sign up for. Something I called to cancel and fix 3 different times. Something that had zero value to me.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2023

   

  You chose not to renew your previous AAA auto insurance policy effective February 26, 2017, but the policy was reinstated without your authorization. As a result, you received negative credit information on your credit report for the balance incurred from February 2017 to May 2017.Yyou are requesting the negative credit information be removed from your credit report. Our records indicate we mailed a Notice of Non-renewal and Termination of Insurance notification on January 18, 2017, stating your AAA auto policy would not be renewed effective February 26, 2017, because you did not have an active Emergency Roadside Assistance Membership. Additionally, the letter stated you could renew your policy if your Emergency Roadside Assistance Membership was reinstated or restarted. On March 3, 2017, you restarted your Emergency Roadside Assistance Membership, and your auto insurance policy was renewed effective March 4, 2017, with a lapse in coverage from February 26, 2017 to March 3, 2017. On March 8, 2017, we mailed an Auto Insurance Renewal Reinstatement with Lapse in Coverage notification, stating your policy was reinstated with a lapse in coverage effective March 4, 2017. This mailing also included your Renewal Declaration Page and your first billing statement. On May 8, 2017, we contacted you to inform you that your auto insurance payment was past due. At that time, you requested to cancel your policy because you were insured on your sister's auto insurance policy. Our representative then cancelled your policy as requested, effective May 9, 2017. We provided coverage from March 4, 2017 to May 8, 2017 and the unpaid earned premium for coverage provided was forwarded to our *********************** Manager, ******************* advised he contacted you to address the concerns outlined in your correspondence to the Better Business Bureau directly. ************** explained as a one-time courtesy, the effective date of the cancellation of your policy was backdated to the renewal of your policy, February 26, 2017, and your prior balance was waived. Additionally, we have refunded your $28 Annual ********************* Dividend and informed the credit bureaus to remove the negative credit information from your credit history. Please be advised it may take up to 90 days for your credit report to be updated. If you should have any questions, please contact ******************** Manager, *************************************** directly at ***************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/01/2023

  I dont accept this ***** word essay with no real apology. Please do not disrespect what you have put me through and done to my credit. It has cost me over $600 this year alone. 
  

  I was a good customer, and you guys basically told me to f#%ck off every time I called you. 
  

  Being morally unable to give a bully my lunch money, I lived with this. 
  

  It is crazy to me how you guys are unable to admit wrong doing and only respond when I tattle on you to the teacher.

  The guy who called me to give my $28 to fix things, carried a very hostile energy.

  $28 does not fix the damage you caused. Nor give me back to many hours spent on hold trying to get you guys to fix this. 
  

  Im not a happy customer. You are literally trying to do the absolute minimum thing that you can do, and its very insulting to me. 
  

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2023

  As noted in our initial response, if you have any further questions, we encourage you to please contact ******************** Manager, *************************************** directly at ***************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/18/2023

  This business did something bad. They wrote me a letter admitting to the guilt and betrayal but without any real apology. People deserve to know what happened, and be aware of how AAA will sign you up for an auto insurance policy without your permission during a time when you dont even have a car. And after they refund you for one month, they will then bill you for 2 additional months. Youll have to call again and this time they say they cant do anything to fix it. And that they notified you with letters. Then they will hit your credit for 2 years.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/26/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I applied for a AAA life insurance given that I have all my policies with this company. Ive been with them for 9 years and have never had an issue until now . The amount of ****** was taken from my account without my authorization and I accrued two NSF FEES OF ***** each . They returned 1 few but now the agent I originally spoke to is not returning my emails and every time I call the **** number I get different answers, agents, and responses . All I want is my ****** refunded with the remaining ***** nsf fees .

  Business Response

  Date: 08/10/2023

  The writing agent has been working with the member.  One payment has been returned and the agent is working on returning the other payment.