Roadside Assistance – No
Paying for a roadside assistance service in today's economy is definitely a waste of money. How often is the service really used? Basic accounting principles is all the logic needed to justify this statement. If all the fees paid were added together a majority of people could not say that they have used the service enough to replace the monies spent for the service.
Automobiles with theOnStarservice can do wonders, but is it really necessary for the average driver who is a responsible adult. If adults teach their kids that they should be accountable for their actions, shouldn't adults be responsible enough to carry jumper cables, a first aid kit, and be responsible for making sure gas is in their tank?
Roadside assistance these days can be obtained throughAAA, travel agencies, and even cell phone companies. Yes, even cell phone companies are trying to get their piece of the pie. When examining my cell phone bill, I had discovered that even my 14-year-old son had a roadside assistance charge on his phone account. I never signed up for this service, yet there it was on three phone accounts in the amount of $4.95 per phone per month. The cell phone carrier wanted to know why I wanted this service terminated from my bill. I asked them why would they have put roadside assistance on the phone of a child. The response was quite astounding, "Because we can." Please, beware of this one. They will rip you off every chance they get!
At one point in my life, I did subscribe to a roadside service with what was supposed to be a great reputation. I tried to use it on three separate occasions. The first was an issue with flat tire (before I had learned to do it myself), in which it took the service man two hours to get to me. By the time of his arrival, I was late for a major business meeting. It was a sunny day and I was in a large city where an office of my provider was located. The second attempt to use the service was when my car wouldn't start and I was at a friend's house. The service man never showed up, and I had to ask the friend for a ride home. On the third occasion, the service man again never showed up, and I ended up having my husband come to my rescue. Frustrated that I had paid good money for someone to help if there was ever a problem I had essentially been ripped off.
After these experiences of my own, I inquired with some co-workers and found they had similar experiences with roadside services. They had paid upwards of $80 per year, as did I. From that time on, I never again knowingly subscribed to such a service. People losing jobs every day and the economy getting worse by the minute, it seems that the logical response would be that they are definitely not worth the money. If you are a responsible driver and make sure your bases are covered, you are less likely to ever need such a service in the first place.
