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

  569 Telegraph Canyon Rd Chula Vista, CA 91910

• 

  Automobile Club of Southern California

  800 La Terraza Blvd #200 Escondido, CA 92025

• 

  Automobile Club of Southern California

  4973 Clairemont Dr #C San Diego, CA 92117

• 

  Automobile Club of Southern California

  12630 Sabre Springs Pkwy #301 San Diego, CA 92128

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:05/20/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 called AAA to ask them why I have two open accounts as I only ever had 1 account. I told the customer service rep to cancel the second account and refund my money. He then told me it would take up to 5 business days to be refunded. I then asked for a supervisor and his employee number and was told he does not have a number and then said he is not going to transfer me to anyone and refused to give me his name as well! Nothing has been returned to me and the second account has not even been closed. I want an immediate refund of my $92.00

  Business Response

  Date: 05/17/2024

  Please forward to ******************** at ************************************************************** for review/response. **************************************

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/20/2024

  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.

  I called AAA because my car battery died and was waiting for 2 hours for a technician. After I provided my car's make/model/year, AAA told me that if my battery needed to be replaced they would do that when they got there. After waiting for 2 hours, the technician arrived and stated he could not replace my battery because they "don't do" VWs. So all he did was jump start me. Fine, but then I had to go get my battery service elsewhere where they charged me over $100 in labor fees for changing the battery. I sent a reimbursement form to AAA to be reimbursed for the labor cost of the battery change and it was denied even though in their member guide it states that they reimburse for services that they were not able to provide. I spoke with multiple representatives on the phone and they were extremely unhelpful.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

  HELLO,

  ACCORDING TO THE MEMBER'S ADDRESS THEY LIVE IN ** WHICH IS NOT IN OUR JURISDICTION. PLEASE USE AAA.COM TO DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE AUTO CLUB.

  AAA

  Business Response

  Date: 05/17/2024

  Please forward to ******************** at ************************************************************** for review/response. **************************************

  Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2024

  
  As outlined in our Member Guide, the mobile battery service technician will install a new battery, if available and batteries are available for most makes and models. Upon further review, it was found that there is not a AAA battery fitment available for your 2017 ********** therefore, the service technician was unable to install a AAA battery in your vehicle. In these instances, alternate service options such as a jumpstart or tow service to a place of repair will be offered to you to choose from. Based on these findings, we must decline your request for reimbursement of the labor charge you incurred for your third-party battery purchase and installation. Please be assured that the necessary corrective actions have been taken to ensure that our independent contractors are providing a detailed explanation to our members as to why they are unable to provide a battery for purchase and install. While we are unable to reimburse the labor charge under the aforementioned reasons, as a gesture of goodwill, your service request from February 11, 2024, has been credited back to your membership account and will not count against your four (4) service call allotments for this membership term. If you have any questions, please contact ******************************* at **************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 paid 362 for insurance in November of 2023 when I knew I would not be driving due to knee replacement surgery. The agent told me hed set up automatic payments. When I began driving again in March I couldnt find the insurance cards. After being transferred to sales in the wrong state 3 times and got hung up on by their automated call-back system I went to the local office All ******************* could tell me is that some paperwork was not completed by the original agent When I asked her to apply the ************************************************************************************************************ a meeting Then she asked me for an additional $500+ as if they didnt already have 362 AND . no explanation was offered for why the same insurance is $200 higher I got up and left the ******************* in California. I reported the supervisor there, a *******************(?) to the California Insurance board as now AAA has stolen $362 of my money AND I have a gap in my insurance coverage I walked across the street and got insurance from ALL STATE in 15 minutes no signatures, no nothing needed from me as I have no tickets, no problems on my record at all UNTIL NOW thanks to AAA Theres no excuse for this

  Business Response

  Date: 05/07/2024

  HELLO,
  

  ACCORDING TO THE MEMBER'S ADDRESS THEY LIVE IN ** WHICH IS NOT IN OUR JURISDICTION. PLEASE USE AAA.COM TO DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE AUTO CLUB.
  

  AAA

  Business Response

  Date: 05/15/2024

  Please forward to ******************** at ************************************************************** for review/response. **************************************

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/10/2024

  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.

  In 2019 I received a tow from AAA for my motorcycle at no charge. When asking for the same exact service for the same exact vehicle on May 4,2024 I was informed 2019 was an error and I would be charged for the tow and inelligble for the motorcycle add on as it required a 7 day grace ******* I needed the tow that day. As the consumer, the 2019 incident led me to believe that this tow for the same vehicle was included in my membership, I wasn't informed of the glitch back in 2019 until May 4, 2024. I was unable to avoid the penalty of paying 228 dollars for the tow, as I couldn't add the addon service, i needed the tow that day, and I thought I was covered based off the 2019 interaction with no follow up from AAA describing the glitch or error. If I would have canceled the tow, I would have had to leave the vehicle and not get it safely back as it quit running.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/29/2024

  The optional RV and Motorcycle Roadside Assistance dues are required to receive the Optional RV and Motorcycle Roadside Assistance benefits, as applicable. Regarding the motorcycle tow service call in 2019 that you referenced in your BBB correspondence, we have reviewed the service call and found that you received RV/motorcycle service in error as you did not have the appropriate membership coverage. However, under your service request on May 4, 2024, once it was discovered that you did not have the RV/motorcycle benefit under your membership, you were provided with a proper policy explanation prior to the service providers arrival to the breakdown location. You requested to be reimbursed $228.00 for the motorcycle tow that you received. This charge would not qualify for reimbursement as it was found you were adequately informed prior to rendering roadside assistance that you did not have the coverage necessary to obtain a motorcycle tow. If you have any questions, please contact *************************************, at **************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/29/2024

  due to the 2019 experience and not being informed, I was unable to add the motorcycle insurance as I didn't find out about the 2019 error until the day of the 2024 tow. At that point I couldn't add the optional service as I had to wait 7 days after activation to use it. Had I known 2019 was an error, I would have added the service 7 days before the tow, to avoid the 228 charge. This is where I was unable to avoid the 228 penalty, I couldn't add the service to get the tow, I was led to believe the tow was included due to the precedent set in 2019 and not follow up from AAA afterward explaining the error, until it was too late to add the service and avoid the tow charge. I couldn't leave the motorcycle at the place it needed a tow from, therefore I had to pay the extra tow charge.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/08/2024

  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.

  We called AAA for a dead battery, the tow company sold and installed a battery that was not specified for my vehicle. That said battery then died again within 18 months and we called AAA again. The new tow company said it was the wrong battery and AAA did not have a stop/start battery for a 2018 ****** Highlander. I then had to go to Autozone, pay for another battery and install it myself. I called AAA to credit my membership fee and they refused. I want a full refund of my membership fees since they did not provide the service I am paying for.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/28/2024

  
  We extend our apologies for any inconvenience that you experienced. You requested a refund of your annual membership dues for the inconvenience you encountered when purchasing a third-party battery and performing your own installation. While we are unable to reimburse your membership dues, we sent you a check in the amount that represents a full refund under warranty of the original AAA battery purchased on November 5, 2021. If you should have any questions, please contact ************************************* at **************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/30/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/07/2024

  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.

  1.The first issue I want to dispute is I have only used 3 service call and you have me down as using 4 services 2. Second issue is my car wouldnt start and i have been out of work. my last service call the driver jumped my car and let my know my alternator was bad. I bought a alternator and hired a mechanic to find out the technician didnt connect my battery all the way and my car started, i lost alot of money due to the neglignce and wannabe reimbursed monetary wise. the last call should not be held against me due to the negligence.if this cant be reslolved i wanna terminate my membership and i will take legal actions

  Business Response

  Date: 05/28/2024

  
  We extend our apologies for any inconvenience you experienced during your emergency roadside service requests. You requested monetary compensation due to service technician negligence, and the removal of your last service call. Although we are unable to accommodate your request for compensation, we have credited three of the service calls back to your account for the current term, for the inconvenience you experienced on April 29, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact ***************************, at **************.
  
   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/31/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/25/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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 have been working with AAA Auto insurance on behalf of my parents for an accident that occurred in 12/2023. This car accident involved two other people. My experience with the follow up started out fantastic. However, my specific point of contact left the company - and there was absolutely no communication making customers aware. I have dates of phone calls and emails that remained unanswered. I had to track down managers and the like to get an answer. I have POA for my parents. I am not seeking a dollar amount, but rather some sort of policy change that requires the company to let people know that their point of contact is no longer employed. The customer should not have to uncover this information.Claim # *********

  Business Response

  Date: 05/07/2024

  We are sorry that you were not properly notified that your file was transferred to a new adjuster. We strive to provide the highest level of service at all times,and we regret that we fell short during the handling of this claim. Although our company does have a process in place for transferring claims and notifying those affected, we did not complete this process for your claim, and we apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. If you have any questions or additional information to provide, please contact *************************************, at **************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  Automatic annual premier membership renewal on 4/24/2023 of $37 for my 14 year old son. This was done in error as I never requested my son to be added, as he doesn't drive, and he is always traveling with us. I found out about this on 4/22/2024 as AAA wanted to renew our membership again and I noticed that there was a charge for my son, I quickly called AAA to resolve the issue. The representative I talked to was able to remove the amount for the upcoming renewal year of 2024 but said he was unable to reimburse for the prior year of 2023. The representative also mentioned that my son was added to the membership on 3/21/2022 for free but I was charged $37 for 2023. I asked him how did AAA even know my son's name and even mailed out a card for him, if my wife or myself never provided this information. The representative said he couldn't see on his system how AAA got my son's information. I explained to the AAA representative that at that time my son was only 13 and didn't drive so he wouldn't need any membership. Further, when I received the membership card in my son's name back in 2022, I quickly called AAA and spoked to someone who said to disregard it and that they would remove him from the membership. Fast forward two years later and I've paid for 2023 renewal via automatic payment and didn't noticed that it included my son's membership. The only reason I found out that we were getting charge for my son's membership this time, is that my automatic payment had the wrong account information which led me to login to the invoice. If this is another way of getting money from its members, it's very misleading and should not be tolerated.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/15/2024

  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 am not liable for this debt with Automobile club, I do not have a contract with *** collections, they did not provide me with the original contract as I requested.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/24/2024

  The Exchange provided insurance coverage for your 2008 Jeep from 12-09-2021, until the policy cancelled for non-payment effective 1-31-2022.Your initial deposit of $176.00 was posted to this policy making it effective.Your first installment in the amount of $177.26 was generated as agreed on 12-27-2021,due on 1-09-2022. This unpaid installment was considered late on 1-19-2022, and a $7.00 late fee was added. The policy later cancelled for non-payment effective 1-31-2022. The Exchange provided insurance coverage and expects to be paid for that time. Our notices regarding the balance also asked if you had secured coverage elsewhere prior to our cancellation date. If you did have coverage elsewhere, an adjustment to the balance owed could be made for any duplicate days of coverage. Due to our unsuccessful attempts to have the balance paid, the $347.97 was referred to our outside collection vendor, AWA ************ in August of 2022. Per **** they had not received any contact from you until 4-13-2024, when a dispute was received through the credit bureaus. As of the writing of this response, the balance remains outstanding. Due to the age of the account, we are willing to have the balance, once paid, removed from your credit history. Please contact ******************, Collections Supervisor at ************ with any questions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/12/2024

  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 had an incidental claim as car had gun shot damage. Issue occurred July 2 and was reported on July 3 of 2024. Repair shop that was recommended did not even work on electric car (2023 VW ID.4 Pro). The claim representative has been less than helpful. I had to find my car shop as the one recommended did not work on car. Payment was not provided to collision shop initially delaying repair. No assistance or support provided when repair shop was not diligent and work has taken over 16 weeks to repair. Rental car was only provided for 30 days and payment was not fully give. Having me still be responsible for part of rental.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/01/2024

  
  On July 19, 2023, you reported a claim for vandalism for your 2023 VW that occurred on July 2, 2023. The claim representative explained that the applicable coverages for the loss were your Comprehensive coverage with a $500 deductible and Rental coverage for up to 30 days and an overall limit of $1050.00. Initially an assignment was sent to Seidners Collision to create an estimate for the repairs to your vehicle. Notes indicate once you went to this shop in mid-August of 2023, they advised they were unable to complete the repairs to your ID.4 as they were not VW certified. You then selected **** Collision Repair and notified us that you had chosen them to complete the repairs to your vehicle on October 24, 2023. It appears you shared a copy of the Seidners estimate with **** and upon your request, we forwarded payment to Elis on October 25, 2023. On January 4, 2024, you contacted us to advise that you had an appointment with **** on Monday January 8, 2024, and requested a rental be set up at that time. Per the terms of your policy your rental coverage allows up to 30 days of rental while the vehicle is under repair. We were in contact with **** several times during the week of your drop off, as it is their practice to prepare their own estimate. Our team provided you an update on January 12, 2024. We followed up with **** on January 17th for status of their estimate and were able to reach an agreement on January 19, 2024. We understand **** provided an email update at that time expecting an 8-10 week repair. There were supplement requests received from the shop on March 12, April 10, and April 12, 2024, each of which were approved by us the following day. We can confirm that the full extent of your rental coverage on your policy was paid on this loss. We understand that that while the first rental vehicle was completely covered by the $35/day policy limit, a second vehicle was rented that exceeded the daily limit of $35/day afforded by your rental coverage and you paid for the amount above the $35/day daily limit directly. It was confirmed that **** Collision missed their estimated completion date by several weeks and we understand the frustration and inconvenience this has caused.  We do not see any delays on the part of ********* impacting the time it took to repair your vehicle.  My review of the file indicates we responded to each request from the shop. There was no evidence found to support our initial payment made October of 2023 delayed the repairs at **** which were scheduled for January 8, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact *************************** at **************.