Customer ReviewsforAAA East Central

Last year my wife and I booked a family vacation to Hawaii with the AAA branch in Strongsville, Ohio. The trip was scheduled for May 2023. We made airline and hotel reservations for a stay on two islands for 4 people. We paid an initial deposit and final payment in July 2022, and March 2023. On both occasions we received an itinerary of our trip. We were also verbally told by the AAA travel agent that we would have to pay resort fees (including tax) directly to the two hotels we were going stay at upon checkout, which was noted on the itineraries we received. When we arrived home after our trip, we discovered that the bill from one of the two hotels we stayed at was charging us for two extra guests per day including tax. This extra charge amounted to 1,132.40. I contacted the AAA travel agent and also spoke to the branch manager about getting this issue resolved. I received responses such as, dispute the charge with my credit card company, to we are not responsible for this additional charge. Which to me is ridiculous. You as the travel agent booked the trip with your booking agent, recommended the hotel in question, and took our money without disclosing verbally or on the itineraries we received after each payment, that we would incur this additional charge. I had to personally contact the Customer Care Center of the hotel chain, who had the management of the hotel in question contact me to review and help resolve the issue. The hotel’s management reviewed the issue and agreed to refund me the additional $1,132.40 in charges. Needless to say, it’s sad that I had to resolve this issue myself and not AAA. I have been a AAA member for over 46 years and will never again book a trip with them. The poor customer service I received and the lack of disclosure during the booking process is unacceptable. The parent organization, AAA East Central, of the branch in question, should take a hard look at their travel and customer service practices.

The member initially booked two rooms for his trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, and then changed the booking to one room. Even though the member gave four names for the booking, payment was only for double occupancy. This particular Marriott property in Hawaii has a policy that the travel advisor read to the member and was clearly stated on the member’s invoice. Payment for the additional two guests can only be given at check-in on arrival at the hotel (see below) PLEASE NOTE: Prices are based on single or double occupancy. Additional occupants age 18+ will incur a charge of $120 per person, per night. Additional person charge is payable directly to the hotel at check-in and is subject to change without notice For current information on requirements, services, facilities & amenities please visit: https://whattoexpect.marriott.com/hnlwi Resort Charge of $42+tax per room, per day, is payable directly to the hotel Includes: Premium WiFi, use of 1 MiFi Mobile Hotspot, 1 day use of GoPro Camera-room/stay, Moana tote bag-1 per room/stay, morning yoga class, Yoga Nidra Meditation, cultural activities, including Ukulele lessons, Hula lessons, lei making, morning ocean ritual and historical tour Resort Charge rate & inclusions subject to change Guests staying at Moana Surfrider Westin Resort also have signing privileges for spa, beachfront facilities, restaurants and bars at The Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton Waikiki & Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. Points and other benefits of Marriott loyalty programs are not applicable to this stay Parking: Self-park $45 or Valet $55, rates are per day payable at the hotel. Unfortunately, the member thought it meant if he had extra guests beyond his reservation. After the member returned from his trip and contacted the travel advisor, she spoke with the travel vendor requesting a refund on behalf of the member. Unfortunately, the vendor would not provide a refund as the fees were noted on his travel documents. Both the travel advisor and branch business manager apologized to the member and suggested he contact the Marriott personally since the charges were paid by him directly to the Marriott property and not paid through AAA. As the member noted, he was successful in receiving a refund through the Marriott Customer Care Center. He did inform the AAA branch, and said he may have been hasty in filing the complaint to the BBB.

Called for roadside assistance on 12/24/22 at 9:59am. It was below 10 degrees out and my vehicle was stuck in the snow. Was told a tow truck would arrive at 12:50pm. At 1pm it was updated to no estimated arrival time. Had I not gotten other help I would have died waiting for AAA. Their roadside assistance is abysmal. I also was unable to contact anyone to cancel my request for service. Their automated phone and text messaging systems are awful. So I pay a membership fee every year for peace of mind in the event I need help. Then when I do need help I can't rely on AAA to help me unless I'm willing to wait an ungodly amount of time and risk my life in the process. I'm really starting to think that AAA is some sort of scam. They con you into paying a membership fee knowing full well that they will unlikely be able to provide the requested services. Maybe the State Attorney General should get involved.

We extend our sincere apologies to the member for the less than desirable experience regarding his roadside assistance request. Certainly, December 24, 2022, presented some very trying events related to ongoing extreme weather-related requests for roadside service. The frustrations he encountered with the automated system and the dispatch department have been forwarded to the respective management teams for review and to be addressed. A representative from AAA East Central’s Member Relations team spoke with the member on January 3, 2023, and extended our apologies and offered to reimburse his current year’s membership dues. The member accepted this resolution.

I was in a small fender bender and my insurance doubled. I contacted an agent and asked them why it went up so much, I'm a senior citizen on a fixed income and I haven't been in an accident in a very long time. The agent advised me that it was due to the claim and there was nothing he could do to help me. I told him I was thinking of looking into a different insurance company and he told me to go ahead and do that then, he was very rude and I felt he was being dismissive because of my age.

On November 30, 2021, one of our branch business managers contacted the member to extend our sincere apologies for the unsatisfactory experience with her initial inquiry. The member inquired about her insurance premium doubling due to a vehicle accident. The member said she spoke with an insurance agent who was very dismissive and did not explain the rate increase. The member phoned back and spoke to another agent, Billie, who took the time to answer all the member’s questions and explained in detail why the rate increased. The member said Billie did a great job. The member said she would most likely stay with AAA insurance and thanked the manager for phoning her.