Auto Clubs
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Better World Auto Club
March 2005
We are thinking of switching from AAA to Better World Auto Club because of the heavily pro-car, anti-environmental, anti- automotive innovation, pro-big car/automaker lobbying efforts that AAA engages in. Does anyone out there have any real-world experience with Better World . . . like, have you had to get a tire changed or towed? How was the service? I'd love to hear some stories! Wendy
I switched to Better World Auto club a year or so ago for exactly the reasons you listed, and have not regretted it. I needed road service at least once since I switched, and the service was no different in quality, timeliness, etc., than AAA's service. The one thing I do miss is the ability to drop by the AAA office and pick up maps at will, but I have requested maps over the Better World website and received them promptly. The auto insurance I purchased through them is less expensive than AAA's was. Haven't had to make a claim against it yet, so can't comment on that. rhenke
We tried Better World Club and dropped it when my husband tried to get a help (I forget what for) when he was driving a friend's car. AAA will tow you if you're a member even if you're not driving your own car, but apparently the guy who arrived at the scene said that Better World could not help out. When I called to drop the policy, they insisted that that's not the case, but we dropped it anyway... Genevieve
I’ve been happy with better world for years. Except recently when my car was stolen, abandoned and towed. I not only had to pay ransom to the tow yard but better world said it would charge me to tow my car to mechanic for repair since the free tow service didn’t cover stolen and vandalized car!!! Luckily my friend has AAA who came immediately and towed my car on her policy without charge.
I haven’t need AAA yet for bike problems but I do know they can “tow”your bike to wherever you need to get it fixed or home. Since I have an electric bike I looked into this. If you want insurance and not necessarily road side assistance you can look into velosurance.
We've had BWC for about 10 years, mainly because the more I learn about AAA the more I think they're not the kind of company I want to give my money to. BWC is okay - I like the super friendly customer service and the pro-environmental focus. They've always gotten us back on the road when we needed a tow or a jump, and have fairly recently started to add more services like free maps and discounts at hotels and things - for a while I felt like we were missing out on things like Legoland discounts that AAA offered and BWC didn't but I feel like BWC is catching up in that department. The only negative I have is that it sometimes takes a LONG time to get a tow truck out when we've called - but to be fair, it's been so long since I had AAA that I don't remember how long they took to respond - they may be just as slow. We haven't used the BWC bike services. Overall I'd recommend BWC, especially if you're trying to support greener businesses.