Subaru Road Side Assitance, Great service – Horrible service – You decide.
When the car broke down, I called the Subaru Road Side assistance, the program came with the car. I reached into my dash, grabbed the card and called.
The lady answered the line with the most pleasant and reassuring voice, she was very positive and helpful, asked for my id, asked if i was ok, asked if I need emergency assistance, asked if i was in a safe location, etc… She then asked me to hold as she dispatched a truck, promised me that the truck will be there within 45 minutes(which was the case, he came in about 20) as it was not a “busy night”. So far so good, I am impressed.
But things started to go sideways. Here is why. She asked me if I wanted to have the car taken to the dealership, yes please i answered, great she said, please wait till the driver gets there, give him your keys and make sure you take an valuables out of the car. Ok thanks will he drive me home?
NO, that is not part of the service – But its – 17, its 11:30 pm, I am on the hwy, how do i get home. You will have to call a cab after the driver gets there… You are not serious right, do you want me to wait on the side of a hwy, in the freezing cold weather until a cab comes? Sir there is nothing I can do. Now I am getting pissed. What if i had my kids with me what do i do? Sir you will have to call a cab. Its late at night, my wife cant leave the kids and come get me, and I am not waiting for a cab in the cold, what if I was on a major HWY like the 401 in Canada or I81 in the US, how do you propose I get to a town?What f the car was packed with kids and I had a trunk full of stuff? if i was out of town would you give me a rental or some type of transportation? nope that is not part of the service.
So be prepared, if you ever call on Subaru road side assistance, you will get great service for your car, on the other hand you should get ready to be stranded.
How did i get home? Truck driver drove me, i was lucky it was on his way, he had to go by my place anyway, and I convinced him, he was a super nice guy.
[...] They offered to take the car to the closest dealer, which I asked them to do in the morning. They where very helpful except that the one thing I really wanted / cared for when its that late at night, and cold, is the safety of my family, which the road side assistance does not care to cover. I had written a blog post on that in the past you can read it here [...]