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Business Profile

Roadside Assistance

AAA Central Penn Auto Club

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Roadside Assistance.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for AAA Central Penn Auto Club's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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AAA Central Penn Auto Club has 12 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 12 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 5 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    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.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/15/2023

      Type:Product 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.
      My father passed away over the summer. AAA Central Penn automatically renewed his subscription to his credit card in September. Consequently it took several weeks for this to come to my attention. I live in Maryland, my father lived in Harrisburg. I walked into a Maryland AAA office and was told that I would need to handle this with the PA office his subscription was based out of. I then called the PA office to cancel his subscription explaining that it had just come to my attention that his membership had auto renewed to his credit card on file. I was told that this would need to be approved by a manager. A week went by and having heard nothing, I called back to inquire to the status of a refund. I was told that a PARTIAL refund had been issued because of the amount of time that had passed. While we are only talking about $10.83, I am taking time to feel a complaint because I am incensed that they are going to prorate a membership fee for someone who is DEAD an died several months before their membership renewed? So much for ethics in business!

      Business Response

      Date: 01/22/2024

      Complaint ID **************

      As per company policy of AAA Central Penn, the amount we refund is based on the day we are notified, not the date of death.

      A credit of $54.17 was issued to the deceased ******** ******* Card on 12-11-23.

      i apologize for not responding previously.

      **** * ********

      AAA Central Penn

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/14/2023

      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.
      In October I was moving my belongings cross country after being medically discharged from the military. 84 miles from my base housing, my truck's(F350) rear axle exploded. It was unfixable and needed to be towed. I called AAA because my policy covers up to 100 miles of towing, and I also had a Recreational Vehicle policy so oversized vehicles may be transported as well. I have had issues getting companies to tow my crew cab before, so we pay extra to AAA for the peace of mind to know they will tow it without a problem.After 4 hours of going back and forth, AAA said the earliest tow I could get would be the next day. That was unacceptable due to the value of my belongings in the vehicle (was moving). Multiple AAA Agents instructed me to seek out a private tow and assured me that I would be reimbursed because that is their company policy. I kept my receipts and submitted them and the proper documentation to AAA. *************************** #************ has REPEATEDLY not done the proper work on his end and has refused to cover it. He also is the only point of contact for these matters and does not provide any sort of correspondence. We have emailed and left messages multiple times with no response and He in turn, has tried to tell us that he has attempted contact with no success, when he hasn't even attempted it. AAA doesn't want to do it's job. Why would I pay yearly for this service, set up for our vehicles-BY AAA MAY I REMIND YOU, if we couldn't even use it.How humiliating.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/20/2023

      Central Penn AAA contacted and spoke with ******************** and his Mother on several occasions.

                                We reimbursed ******************** under the terms and conditions of his RV membership.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/26/2023

      Type:Product 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 requested a tow on the morning of thanksgiving 2022 at around 2AM. After waiting several hours I called AAA back at around 4AM and asked for the status of the tow truck. At this point the estimated arrival time had passed. The individual I spoke to said the truck was the same person I originally called for the tow. they stated the truck was on its way and actually refused to call the towing company (I believe it was ***** Emergency Towing) to confirm. I specifically asked him to call and he said I would have to wait. My car was in a spot that was blocking traffic and after waiting as the AAA agent stated the police had a tow truck come themselves. When the polices towing company arrived they actually called Bills Emergency Towing to see what happened. ***** Emergency towing stated they had no service call for my car. AAA clearly lied about the status of the tow and the agent who "helped me" not only caused damage to myself but endangered the public by facilitating the extended blockage of traffic unnecessarily. I recently submited a reimbursement request for $165 in towing fees that was denied because it had been 6 months (AAA stated anything over 30 days was no good). I submitted it late in part due to confusion with the reimbursement form, which I tried to call AAA about but struggled to speak to anyone with authority. This reimbursement should fall outside normal policies as AAA actively engaged in behavior that damaged myself and the public. I spoke with an agent who delivered the news of the denial and they stated I could talk to their supervisor. They lied and did not have their supervisor call me back. AAA is desperate to kill this issue and they are going to keep lying until they win. They have no regards for morals only profit.I have attached a receipt from ******* towing (the tow company contacted by the police) which specifically states that the customer (myself) contacted AAA and the tow from AAA did not arrive.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/12/2023

      Dear ******* *******, 

      We appreciate the opportunity to address ******* **************'s inquiry concerning reimbursement service. We as an organization take members concerns seriously and respond to their inquiry as soon as possible. 

      AAA Central Penn's goal is to provide safe and courteous roadside assistance as expeditiously to our members as possible. When service is not available, or the member wishes to obtain their own service, a reimbursement service is available. 

      As stated in our membership policy and on the reimbursement the information should be submitted within 30 days. *** ************** submitted the reimbursement approximately seven months after the service. 

      In concordance with our stated policy the service is not reimbursable. 

      We hope this resolves the matter with ******* **************. Thank you for your help in this matter. 

      Sincerely, 
      Member Relations Coordinator 
      AAA Central Penn 

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/12/2023

      [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]

       Complaint: ********

      I am rejecting this response because: They did not address the issue in the complaint. yes I am outside the 30 day refund period and I am not eligible for a refund per that policy. I am seeking a refund because your agent specifically lied and said a tow was coming when one wasn't. When confronted about his lie the agent refused to call the tow company that he said was supposedly coming (***** Emergency Towing, who stated they never got any service call). By lying your agent created a serious safety hazard by leaving a car stuck in the road so long it was mistaken as an accident and emergency services were called. He also caused me financial damage with the cost of the tow and emotional damage. I have seriously been considering killing myself and this criminal theft only makes it worse. I'm not going to kill myself but who knows how long I can keep this up, and its seriously not okay that you can steal money from people and cause this kind of suffering.

      I do not want a refund per your normal policy. I want a refund because your agent intentionally either lied or was grossly negligent and it caused serious harm. Gross negligence is not subject to a 30 day policy.

      Also you failed to address the fact that the supervisor refused to talk to me and your agent lied about that to. If your not going to make contact fine, but lying about it ads to the criminal element of this. Any sensible company would say theyre managers just not going to call.

      The conduct of AAA is awful. Im going to go to media, every regulator I can find and retain a lawyer to take you down if you continue with your extortion scheme. It is not my responsibility to pay for the failings of your agents.

      Regards,

      ******************************************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/09/2023

      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.
      Membership number for AAA Central PA: **************** On January 7, 2023 I called the AAA Central PA office to cancel my roadside assistance subscription as I am moving across the country and will not have a car. I was told that my monthly subscription plan could not be cancelled and I would be charged until it expires in August, 2023. Looking through my account and contract, this is not clearly stated and I was not informed of this upon signing up. After getting off the phone with the representative, I tried to log in to my AAA Central PA account and was unable to. I received the message "the account attached to ACCOUNT NUMBER is unable to be accessed." I called AAA Central PA back on January 9 and was told that I could transfer my account to Washington, and that my online account would be looked in to. Upon hearing this I decided I would transfer my account to Washington state so that I could use it after I move. The Central PA representative and AAA website and online resources said the transfer would be "fast and easy." When I called the AAA Washington office I was told that I would not be able to transfer my account and would have to be registered with Central Penn through August, 2023. I was told this may lead to delays in service and complications. I called the toll-free AAA number and reached a national agent. She was unable to help me and transferred me to AAA PA. I was on hold for over an hour and no solution was reached. I would like to not be charged my monthly payment of $8.74 to AAA because I am not receiving the services promised and I have been mislead. Thank you.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/01/2023

      We contacted ************ and cancelled the scheduled payments. We issued a refund for the January payment.

                                       
                                         We believe he is satisfied with the resolution.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/20/2022

      Type:Product 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.
      My family membership automatically renewed on December 16, 2022. I did not want to renew it and called on Dec. 16 to cancel. I was told that a refund could not be made on the same day. (Delay #1) I called the following day shortly after 8 a.m. and was told that refunds could to be made until after 9 a.m.. (Delay #2) I called another day only to be on hold for 30 minutes without an answer. (Delay #3) I finally left a number to have them call me back. (Delay #4) They called back and took my cancellation request and then told me that I needed to await another call to confirm my card information. This is complete BS because they have my card information and automatically charged it on Dec. 16. (Delay #5) Currently awaiting said call back for card information that they already have. There is the possibility that I may not be able to take they call whenever they get around to calling again. Will I have to start the process over again? My experience with them to this point is that they will attempt to take this route. This the definition of bad business.It is obvious that the refund process has been engineered to make it exceedingly difficult to cancel a subscription.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/04/2023

      Please see my notes below as to what transpired and when it was rectified.

       

      • The initial call was placed on 12/16 which is when our automatic renewals take place. As part of the batching process the payment must physically take place before a refund can be issued.
      • When ****************** called back and had a 30-minute delay (I am not sure where he called) we are going through a phone upgrade in which members have been experiencing longer than normal hold times. This issue should be rectified Q1 of 2023 with out new phone system roll out
      • Due to short staffing and holidays ****************** did receive his refund on December 28th in full.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 01/06/2023

      [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

      Better Business Bureau:

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

      Regards,

      *****************************

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