My car broke down on I-35 at 3 AM - AAA showed up in 20 minutes instead of 2 hours

I was coming off a night shift at the hospital and my alternator just died near the Round Rock exit. Stranded on the shoulder in the dark with no power. Called AAA and expected to wait forever like everyone always complains about. Guy named Hector showed up in a flatbed before I even finished my coffee. Told me they prioritize breakdowns on highways with no shoulder because of safety risks. Has anyone else noticed their response times vary a ton based on where you break down?

2 comments

2 Comments

seanlewis10d ago

That whole "prioritizing highway breakdowns" thing sounds like a line they tell you so you feel special. I've been stuck on the side of I-35 near Georgetown with my flashers going and waited almost an hour and a half for a tow. It was 11 PM on a Tuesday, not even a busy time. Maybe Hector was just having a slow night or you got lucky because your car died close to one of their hubs. The truth is AAA is just a dispatch service now, they contract out to whoever's closest and cheapest. I don't buy that they're out there making real time safety decisions for every single call at 3 AM.

grace_hunt8410d ago

Wait, @seanlewis didn't you just say AAA's a dispatch service that picks the cheapest option though?