Date:         Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:26:03 -0600
Reply-To:     Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Roadside Assistance Plans
In-Reply-To:  <AANLkTin1OLZyKEZUJ1Hjr4yh01S5uUEenXyvGzt13GYT@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Worth mentioning here I suppose .... I also have Geico and have had to call
them
with "roadside emergency" towing needed. I recommend that you use your cell
phone,
call 911, explain to them that in order for your insurance Co. to order a
tow truck, they
need to know EXACTLY where you are, and can they please tell you that (they
use
your phone/GPS to precisely locate you. Then call your insurance Co. THEN
.....
when they tell you that you will be towed to the nearest VW dealer, tell
them they'd
better call the dealer FIRST to determine if they will work on an '87 Syncro
Westy
with a Subaru engine in it (I use that personal example for effect here).
They will
call them, then call you back and ask where you want the van towed!!! ALWAYS
have your own/best shop in mind, so it pays to do some prep work before
leaving
on your trip ... just in case. This has happened every time I've needed a
tow over
the last 13 years. Originally, it was because the ins. co. couldn't find a
dealer or
anyone else who WOULD work on a Vanagon, now it's that and the engine
conversion.

I DO NOT recommend Geico Ins. Co. at all. They are convenient for me because
I've been with them for so long, and after checking, have found no ins. co's
with
better rates than I get from them at this age (me, not the van/Passat).
Their
employees, who answer the emergency line phones are not very competent,
in my experience, and will get frustrated easily, and even after being
patient
with them, they will tend to put you on hold, contact their supervisor, and
blame
you/me/customer for their frustration ... when it is simply due to their own
lack
of training and simple problem-solving skills, oh, and learning to deal with
their
own feelings of frustration without blaming someone else. I talked to a
Geico Supv.
while on I-50 between Delta and Montrose, CO broken down, and she told me
that
her employee had complained that I wasn't being cooperative with her, that I
couldn't tell them precisely where I was ... that, after telling her I had
passed
through Montrose 10 minutes earlier, and was that far "up I-50 toward
Delta."
If you have Geico ..... beware!

I'll likely purchase AAA's roadside emergency service and drop that part of
the
Geico coverage.

Bob



>