ComplaintsforAAA Carolinas

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a trip in 2020 but unfortunately Covid impacted the international travel to Europe. By working with multiple travel agents it was concluded that I would not receive a refund but a travel credit. Please keep in mind that during this time there are still restrictions and do not have a full comfort level of traveling especially international. I shared with the current travel agent, *************************** that my Mom had an underlying condition and would not be able to travel as well.

  Business response

  04/05/2022

  The travel package that ****************** booked in February 2020 was through *******************. She was informed in May 2020 when she cancelled her trip that Avanti would impose the cancellation penalty and she would forfeit her deposit. In July 2020, AAA reached out to Avanti and they agreed to issue a Future Travel Certificate for land and air travel that would be valid through December 31, 2021. In July 2021, AAA reached back out to Avanti once again as ****************** was not able to travel in 2021 and Avanti agreed to extend the Future Travel Certificate through December 31, 2022. Both times AAA reached out to Avanti they asked for a refund in lieu of the future travel certificate and Avanti denied the refund request. In January 2022, AAA once again reached out to Avanti to ask about a refund and the request was denied, however, Avanti did extend the Future Travel Certificate usage for travel to be completed by December 31, 2023, and ****************** was informed of this extension. The terms and conditions of this travel booking were sent to ****************** in February 2020 when the original trip was booked. AAA does not have the ability to override those terms and conditions and provide refund in lieu of the Future Travel Certificate. Avanti has declined a refund of ****************** deposit each time it has been requested. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was a paying member of AAA Carolinas. On December 20, I accidentally locked myself and my phone out of my car in a parking lot. Using the phone inside a store, I called AAA at approximately 5 pm. I explicitly told the agent that my phone was in the car and I could not receive calls. The agent told me that someone would be there in ***** minutes.After 50 minutes had passed, I went back in the store and called again. This time, I was told that someone would be there in ***** minutes.At 6:30, I went back in the store and called AAA for a third time. This time, I was told that the driver had already been to the parking lot and tried calling me, only to turn around and leave when no one answered the phone.At this point, I became extremely angry, as I had CLEARLY told them that I did not have access to my phone.When all was said and done, it was 7 pm before I was able to get help getting into my car. I had to wait outside with my dog in the cold (35 degrees F) for nearly two hours. This is NOT what I paid for.When I checked my phone, it showed FIVE missed calls from AAA or the driver. Again, I EXPLICITLY told the first agent that I did NOT have access to my phone. NO ONE should have tried calling me. That they did is a clear sign of negligence and/or incompetence on the part of the agent who took my call.I called AAA service that night to complain about what had happened and request a refund -- NOT a partial refund, but a refund for the ENTIRE year, the reason being that this poor quality service was NOT what I paid for and that AAA was clearly at fault.Instead of giving me a refund, they simply canceled my membership. A few days later, I received a partial refund for the remaining time left on my membership.I called Member Services on 1/3/22 to complain about this partial refund. I spoke to three different agents, with the last one promising me a callback from a supervisor within two days.Today is 1/13/22, and I still haven't heard back from them.

  Business response

  01/14/2022

  On January 14, 2022, AAA ****** Care Supervisor, ************************* contacted Mr. **** regarding his complaint. She apologized for the miscommunication that happened during his emergency road service call and also when he contacted AAA and his account was cancelled. ****************** reactivated Mr. ****'s membership account at no charge to him and extended his membership benefits for the next year. She also explained that when an account is cancelled during the membership year, any refund is prorated for the remaining months on the account and a full refund is not made since the member had use of the membership benefits for a portion of the membership year. Mr. **** indicated that he was satisfied with this resolution and his account has been reactivated as of today's date. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On December 31st 2021, My son requested AAA towing service in Durham North Carolina. We have been AAA members since 2020 and have never encountered an issue like this before.My son called AAA at approximately 11 AM. He was told that he could not use the towing service because it was being picked up from the same place it was dropped off by AAA towing service. I was unfamiliar with this policy so I called myself when I spoke to a gentleman he had said because it was dropped off at that location it couldn't be towed from that location I asked him if I moved the car would I be able to use the service and he said yes. I wanted to make sure that once the car was moved from its location to a new location that it would be toad and I was reassured that it would be OK.When my son called to try to get it towed from the new location the same information was regurgitated to him that because it was at the location initially it cannot be towed.When I called AAA They attempted to tell me the same information that they told my son. I informed them that I had spoke with another individual that said as long as we moved it from that location it could be told.After speaking with someone about the situation I started being asked questions about where the new location was and where it was improximity to the initial the initial location it was at.I explained to the woman that I was speaking with that the proximity was never brought up when I spoke with the gentleman how far it was from the initial location was not a concernThat was brought to my attention. The only thing that was brought up was the fact that it needed to be in a different location in that did occur and AAA continued to refuse service to my son.AAA also brought up that it was not considered an emergency but what I consider an emergency and what they consider an emergency may be 2 different things. I had to pay for a tow myself out of my own pocket which should not have been the case because I have towing service.

  Business response

  01/04/2022

  On December 23, 2021, the vehicle in question was towed by a *** service provider to a repair shop that the member chose. On December 31, 2021, *** emergency roadside assistance was contacted by this member to tow the same vehicle from the repair shop it was towed to on 12/23/21 to a different location. *** declined to tow the vehicle as our membership benefits only cover one tow per breakdown. The member was offered service at a commercial rate to tow the vehicle elsewhere at her own expense since it was not a covered benefit under the *** membership plan. This restriction is clearly noted in the AAA Carolinas Member Guide which is available at ***.com and is found under Services Not Included at *** Expense: more than one tow per breakdown. The member spoke to a Supervisor in our call center on 12/31/2021 who explained this restriction to her and again offered service at a commercial rate. 

  Towing a vehicle multiple times for the same breakdown is not a covered membership benefit and as such is not reimbursable under any of ***'s membership plans. ****************** has already been advised of this and our position remains the same. We are unable to reimburse her for a service that is not covered. 

  We consider this matter closed. 

  AAA Carolinas

  Member Relations Team

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Since I became a member again in ****, AAA has bombarded me with unwanted marketing materials through the U.S. Mail. I was receiving multiple mailings each week that were made to look like important information pertaining to my membership. These mailings were nothing more than marketing for their insurance and related offerings that had nothing to do with my auto club membership. I called AAA at least three different times over the course of the past year to request they remove me from all marketing mailings, except for my yearly membership renewal, yet they continued to persist. This prompted me to file BBB complaint #****** (REF#**-100006-******-9-8-000) this past September. The BBB "resolution" to this matter was to "please allow 4-6 weeks for all mailings to stop as some may already be in production." It has now been over 11 weeks and I'm still receiving these unwanted and harassing marketing materials, including today when I received one from their insurance division. I am filing this complaint to ask once again that they cease immediately, without further delay, sending me any further marketing mailings. At this point, I feel like I'm being harassed and if they do not ensure that this poor business practice stops, I will look into further legal avenues to address this.

  Business response

  12/15/2021

  On December 14, 2021, AAA reviewed our account records and found that we had previously unsubscribed ************** from marketing solicitations over 1 year ago on his current account records. We subsequently found that there was a second contact account for ************** that was not associated with his current account that did not get unsubscribed when we marked his current account for no solicitations. This was corrected by our data team yesterday and we have notified ************** by email that we were able to identify the source of the mailings and unsubscribe both accounts so that he will no longer receive those marketing offers. We have apologized for not correcting this on his initial request, however, we were unaware of an additional contact at that time. This issue has now been resolved. 

  AAA Carolinas

  Member Relations

   

  Customer response

  12/15/2021

   
  Complaint: 16355881
  
  I am rejecting this response because I contacted AAA at least three different times over the last year, before having to file two separate BBB complaints when those requests went unresolved. Each time I was told to wait several weeks, up to a couple months for these mailings to cease. Now, they are saying that I had two separate AAA accounts which I believe is untrue and an excuse to deflect their negligence in accommodating my repeat requests to cease all unwanted harassing marketing mailings to my home. I did not become a AAA member for your company to ******* me like this and once again, AAA is expecting me to believe that they have finally fixed this problem? I don't buy the excuse and I don't accept their response. AAA needs to do more than this to compensate me for the inconvenience and aggravation this has caused me over the past year. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  12/16/2021

  We regret any inconvenience that ************** experienced as a result of this issue, however, we have resolved the issue after finding a contact not associated with his current membership account. Our apologies, however, we are unable to offer any type of compensation to **************. 

  Regards,

  AAA Carolinas

  Member Relations Team

• Initial Complaint

  12/09/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Called twice for service in last month. One time for a lock out, after 4 hours no show. Called again last night for a tow, after 12 hours waiting, called 3 times during to follow up, no one showed. Call to speak to a manager, sat on hold for 45 min and disconnected.

  Business response

  12/09/2021

  Good Day.  Please redirect this inquiry to AAA Carolinas (https://carolinas.aaa.com/about/contact-us/). Thank you, AAA-************* Group

  Business response

  12/14/2021

  AAA Carolinas is ******************** home *** club, however, the issues he is referring to happened outside of the Carolinas and we do not have access to those records. We are in the process of working with the *** club for that geographical area to secure records of the service calls mentioned and once we get that information, we will reach out to **************** regarding his complaint. 

  A follow up response will be sent by Monday, December 20, 2021. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/19/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My husband and son hit a deer on the interstate in SC at 3:40 a.m. on a Sunday morning. It was sub-freezing weather. After waiting for 3 hours for AAA to get a tow truck out there, the Hwy Patrol called a tow to impound the car. I had to drive 3 hours round trip to pick my husband up. My son caught an Uber since he lived closer to where the accident happened. Then we had to drive another 3 hour round trip to take care of the car the following Monday. Here's the kicker...AAA doesn't want to reimburse us for the tow, even though we have 100 mile tows with our membership, because the tow truck driver didn't put my husband's name on the receipt. They wanted me to drive back to the shop and get a new receipt. Useless! Instead of driving back to the tow shop, I decided to spend that time writing bad reviews. I've called, emailed, uploaded what they requested online and it is a big waste of time.

  Business response

  11/22/2021

  We have reached out to the ****************** twice to request a new receipt that is in the name of an active AAA member and shows a breakdown of the charges for the towing service and the charges for storage. We are happy to approve the reimbursement for the towing expense, but storage fees are not reimbursable under any member plan level. ****************** stated she was simply going to write a bad review. If ****************** wishes to provide the updated receipt she is welcome to do so. At this time we consider this matter closed. 

  Customer response

  11/22/2021

   
  Complaint: 16160456
  
  I sent a new receipt in this morning to ********************************* The first receipt should have been sufficient. See attached new receipt with name and breakdown of charges. This is not closed in my book, nor will it be resolved until we receive reimbursement.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  11/24/2021

  The previous response was submitted before receiving the correct receipt from the member. We have approved her request for reimbursement of the towing charge in the amount of $239.00 as of November 23, 2021. A check in that amount will be mailed from our **************** on November 30, 2021, to the address listed on the membership. We now consider this matter closed. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/11/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was scheduled for a trip to ***** in Sept 2021. I was told on 07/20/21 that AAA trafalgar cancelled the trip. I then asked for a refund. I submitted the form and i was told i would have it in 30 days. 30 days came and past still no refund. Then i was told it takes 60 days. That came and past. Then i was told **** days when i called ************ and spoke to several agents. Now i still have no refund of $2588 in a check and $500 on my husband credit card. The account # *******. This is alot of money and the trip has been cancelled. Please help in seeking an resolution. Thanks in advance

  Business response

  11/15/2021

  
  As of 11/11/2021, AAA Travel has resolved the customer complaint by obtaining the refund from Trafalgar, the travel retailer, for the cancelled tour. 

  Customer response

  11/16/2021

   
  Complaint: 16122760
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Customer response

  11/18/2021

  Today is 11/18/21 and i have yet to receive a refund or a call from Trafagalar. I want what anybody would want that paid for a trip but was cancelled by the company. They said they issued the refund and i have not recieved it. They could of overnighted the check due to there poor customer **********************. No one has called me to apologized for the length of time. If someone listen to the call i had ******************************* they will see she was combative and did not try to take ownership. And she is an ************** Lead. She has not emailed me, called me to follow up and she advised it will be handled urgently. Please get my refund it is way over due please. 

  Business response

  11/24/2021

  The representative from AAA has been in correspondence with Trafalgar and ******************* as recent as Nov. 19. AAA has confirmed that two checks were mailed by Trafalgar for a refund totaling $3088.00.

• Initial Complaint

  11/09/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been a AAA member for many years, and have many of their insurance products.On October 19, we had a our one vehicle, the PT Cruiser, overheat, at Hwy. marker 322, on U.S. 74 west. We called AAA, and a driver was dispatched.We were not with the vehicle at the time of the tow, but this is not a claim regarding vandalism.I was towed to ****** Automotive in Rockingham. The vehicle was picked up 3 days later, by my wife.She drove the vehicle locally for 2 weeks, but I did not notice anything odd, as a passenger, while with her, although it is mostly a 35 mph zone.We had to do some banking at SunTrust, and decided to go to ********* on November 19th, at which time, I drove, and at highway speeds noticed the steering wheel wobbling hard.I also noticed some outer tire wear to the outside front tires, at the bank.On the return trip, we had a blowout in Monroe, and ******************** serviced the call, a *****, to install the temporary spare. The flat had the steel belt visible, all of that in less than 100 miles.We took it to ******************* in Rockingham, and were told that both tie rod ends were heavily damaged, and had to be replaced. This vehicle had no collision damage, and towing damage is the only explanation.The tires were all Hankook all-season radials, and had minimal wear prior.I do not mind the tires, as so much, as someone hooking the vehicle or securing it it a truck, on moving parts.The guy that runs Reliable, here in Rockingham, I have seen do so many ridiculous things.This summer, his wife driving their SUV for weeks with a headlight out. One of their tow trucks at the Chinese buffet parked in the fire lane, and starting to eat with chopsticks, while turning out onto Business 74.********************* himself, in the company pickup. left turned in front of me west on Mill St., onto Church St., south, with a load of lumber hanging 4+ feet out of the back of the truck, with no red flag or securing of the load.

  Business response

  11/09/2021

  Upon receipt of this complaint we have opened a damage complaint and it has been forwarded to our damage coordinators for review. According to our member guide, we may not be able to mediate damage claims that are not reported to us within 10 days of the date of the incident or if vehicle repairs have already been completed which prevents us from inspecting the alleged damage. ********** can contact the contracted emergency road service provider directly to expedite handling of his complaint. The provider is ************* and Towing and the contact person is *********************. They are located at **************************************. The contact telephone number for that service provider is **************. Once we have completed our review of his complaint, ********** will be notified in writing with the results of our findings. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/09/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The dates are approximate with the exception of the cancellation date and this does not represent every conversation that has occurred.16 SEP 2021- Cancelled a family/church trip to ****** booked through Delta Vacations.Agent ******* informed me that of the $3800 paid I would receive $3000 refund due to non refundable deposit and the refund should take about 4 weeks. Seemed an unusually long time for a refund but what could I do.~14 OCT 2021- I still had not received my refund and talked with ******* who told me. "I'm sorry for the miscommunication, the refund may ***********-8 weeks."~04 NOV 2021- Contacted ******* again regarding my refund, she stated that Delta Vacations processed the refund on 03 NOV ******* NOV 2021--I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED MY REFUND. In this day and age of automated everything, there is no was a refund should take this long. I have been more than patient and understanding now I am ****** off.

  Business response

  11/15/2021

  As of November 9, 2021, ************** confirmed that she did receive her refund. We consider this matter closed. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/03/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Multiple AAA insurance branches keep calling my personal cell phone number ************. Apparently in their internal system my cell phone number is listed as their HR and Payroll **************** contact number. I need this changed immediately and when I've tried to reach out they just tell me they don't know how to fix it or hang up on me.

  Business response

  12/15/2021

  After reviewing ****************** comments our telephone engineers were able to determine that a AAA team member had incorrectly set up call forwarding on their company phone extension and typed in ****************** telephone number in error when doing so. We have removed her telephone number from our system as of 12-14-2021 and she should no longer get phone calls intended for AAA. We have contacted ************** and apologized for this unintentional error and informed her we have resolved the issue and removed her telephone number from our system. This matter has been resolved. 

  AAA Carolinas

  *********************, Manager CIC Operations

  Member Relations Team

  Customer response

  12/15/2021

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

*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. ↩