AAA Portland Service Center

This is a review for AAA Autosource, the car-​buying club.
Bought a 2014 Corolla last June through Mike Taylor. This was my first car. I had no experience purchasing a car before. Mike did everything and made it unbelievably easy. Because I was new to car buying, I would have certainly been overcharged. Mike, however, ensured that everything was perfect!

Just a heads up: if you order foreign currency through the AAA web site, you will actually be dealing with Wells Fargo, and you will be ripped off. In my transaction, they marked up the exchange rate by 15%. There’s also a $ 15 charge for FedEx delivery.
AAA should be ashamed to link their members up with these crooks.
EDIT: AAA replies that published exchange rates, my basis for comparison, are not usually available to the public and that Wells Fargo rates are «typically very competitive». Wish I’d had the time to shop around, though.

Thank You, AAA for helping me find cheap car /​renters insurance! Kevin Murray is an insurance god! He helped me find the best and cheapest car insurance and got me a bundle deal w/​renter’s insurance. Since AAA is an insurance dealer here in Oregon, they didn’t force me to choose AAA for my insurance, but found the cheapest one for me, which ended up being Progressive. Kevin went out of his way to make sure I got the best insurance, and said to call him before Progressive if I got in an accident to make sure that my claim and everything was handled honestly and affectively. Thank you, Kevin!

I just purchased a car from AAA. Mike Taylor was our ”sales”. He gave us excellent customer service, went above and beyond helping us get what we wanted. Very nice guy. I highly recommend using AAA!!!

We were looking for a new or slightly used mini van and contacted AAA Auto Source. I was fortunate enough to reach Mike Taylor and he is excellent to work with! He asked some questions to clarify what we were looking for and why. After the conversation we considered a Dodge Caravan, which had not been on our list, but is the only van with Stow and Go seats, and it perfect.
Mike was readily available, got back to us quickly, answered all our questions and honestly, got us the best possible dealer. I was not handed off to dealers, as Mike was my contact.
Please do yourself a favor… If you’re looking for a vehicle, new or used, Mike at AAA is your safest and best source!

Went there for baby pic passport, the lady made an over-​exposed photo, impossible to see mouth, hair or baby nose. She swore it was the way t do it. Photos were rejected, we’ve lost time and energy. Intolerable.

On July 18, 2013 I was driving my ford cargo van and a small trailer on vacation gold prospecting in southern Oregon, I came to a big hill just passed Canyonville on I 5 about 30 miles from Grants Pass. All of sudden I noticed smoke out the back and the truck slowing down, I almost mad it to the top. the engine sounded fine but no tranny. I called AAA I had AAA plus, it was about 3:30 pm they said they would have someone there to tow me soon. the tow truck got there around 5:00 pm. the driver was nice got me hooked up and towed me to his bosses shop so he could remove my driveline. we got there after 6:00pm. the mechanic was having trouble removing the driveline. said he could not do it. the owner shows up at 7:00pm says he is not going to tow me because triple A doesn’t pay him enough to tow me to Eugene. He says AAA dose not cover box vans or small trailers. He parks me truck across the street on the Hwy shoulder unhooks me and leaves me No Water no nothing. He was a total jerk. I just paid my AAA plus $ 171.00 the week earlier to be covered for this. I am a 100% disabled Vietnam vet with several heath issues. I had my 4 English bull dogs with me and a cockatoo, one English bulldog was overheating so bad he was foaming at the mouth and noise badly I didn’t think he was going to make it. the owner watched me from across the street smiling and joking and pointing while I was trying to save my dog. I was on the phone with AAA from 6:30pm to 1.00am trying to get Them to tow me. They told me on page 14 part way down there was a small paragraph that said they will not tow box van or utility trailers unless there is a motorcycle in it. I said what booklet? The one we sent you when you first sign up. I said are you kidding 15 years ago. you have taken my $ 171.00 for 15 years and now your going to let me down when I need you! Anyway 6:30pm to 1:00am to get them to OK the Tow on the side of a highway w/​4 dogs. they called back and said the tow truck will not tow me with the driveline hooked up and I needed to change the right rear trailer tire? (there was 70% tread on it…)I said I would do it in the dark if it meant me getting out of there. did it in about 45 min. both. With the tools I had with me.
Bill’s towing should not be a AAA tow Service. Vary Rude, Non Caring. There driver could not apologize enough for the rude behavior of their owner. If your a AAA member you should e mail them first describe what you’ll be doing have them e mail you back so you have it in Writing. They don’t cover a lot of dirt roads ether (by the way) AAA should give a booklet each time you pay your yearly fee. That not to unreasonable is it?

I called AAA when my car died in my garage (a lucky break that it wasn’t on the road). They got to me that day (a Saturday) within half an hour!
Brian was able to fix the corroded battery in my Honda Civic and did so, fast! I feel so grateful and honestly don’t know what I would do without AAA!

Kevin was able to cut our car insurance in half! We got a new policy last year with him and renewed. He worked a lot to get us many different quotes. I think about all the years I was with Geico and overpaying with them. Yuk. Go here for car insurance for sure!

I’ve been with AAA for a year for my insurance. I got a call the other day from a new agent who has taken on my account, and she offered to check into different plans to see if she could save me any money. She called me back in about 30 minutes with a couple of options, all of which save me over $ 100 on each payment with better coverage! Plus, she was able to explain it all to me so I could understand clearly what I was getting and the difference between the plans.
Thanks, Jackie Sweeden, for your help, your excellent customer service, and your incredible insurance expertise!

Morning disaster: I get up at the ass crack of dawn to try to get to work by 6:30,. and I walk out to my garage and find a majorly flat tire.
I immediately call AAA, tow truck buddy arrives at 7:00am, spare on in 5 minutes, and I’m off to Firestone for a new tire.
Heart.

AAA has never failed me in their towing services. The staff they have are wonderful and on time. It is so worth it to get a AAA membership. They have a loyal customer for life.

I was away on work-​related travel in Bend, OR when an unexpected snow storm hit central Oregon. The weather forecast did not predict any snow during my travels therefore I did not plan accordingly. Thankfully, I had a pair of brand new chains in the back of my trunk however I had never put chains on a vehicle.
Long story short, I was able to put the chains on and make it over the Santiam Pass safely. It was getting the chains off that caused more of a problem. I ended up getting them caught around my wheel well and called my husband in tears saying that I was stuck and he may have to meet me near Detroit Lake (he lives in Portland). Unknown to me, he contacted AAA to see if a tow truck could locate me and further assist. AAA was able to contact Davis Towing in Sisters, OR. I’m guessing it was probably a good 2 hour drive in snow from my location.
I ended up having a Sander help remove the chains before the tow company arrived but either way, AAA sent them out looking for me despite the inclement weather.
In situations like this, I definitely think it’s worth the small annual membership!

After having an amazing experience with a AAA International travel agent, Louanne, booking our Cabo trip, I definitely wanted AAA to book my domestic trip to a couple of states this past spring.
However, due to the Domestic agent’s mistake, our traveling experience was a complete nightmare. At four out of our seven airport stops, we were delayed in lines for several hours due to this mistake by our agent. I had had to change something in our itinerary several weeks prior to our departure, which cost $ 350 in change-​fees, but the agent didn’t do it correctly, which meant that at each and every stop at the airports, we were not in their system and had to wait in line for almost two hours each of the four times. It was a tremendously stressful experience and to add insult to injury, we had to pay that additional $ 350 just to experience that huge hassle.
Very disappointing and we will not be using AAA Domestic again. However, we highly recommend Louanne for any international trips. She was awesome. Just stay clear of their domestic division.

If you’re used to getting your insurance online, I’d recommend taking a little time out of your day and making space to go down and see an insurance agent in person. Having AAA has saved my butt more times over the years than I’d care to mention — numerous lockouts, batteries, dead alternators in the middle of the night, broken cars in the middle of nowhere — I’ve never had anything but stellar service, even at five in the morning with three feet of snow in the middle of winter.
Naturally, now that my car hasn’t see so many miles that it would as soon die as drive, I went down to the local AAA office right after moving to Portland. While the parking lot is a bit of a pain to get into, there are a fair amount of spots available. Walking into the building, there is a large and well-​appointed travel shop up front, a cheerful reception station, and the Hall of Insurance. Directed by the receptionist, it’s a scenic jaunt past roomy cubicles and busy folk. The insurance agent that helped figure out our insurance was happy, present, and thorough, making sure that all our questions were answered and that we had everything we needed to be happy with our insurance.
In a world of instant-​gratification-​internet-​expectations, it was refreshing to get to spend an hour with an honest-​to-​goodness person.

My car decided to stop working this weekend while I was at a conference in Eugene. I needed to get back to Tillamook for work. It was Saturday evening and NOTHING was open (service shops).
I called AAA, they took my information and sent Ray’s Towing (Eugene) out to get me. It took no more than 45 minutes from my phone call until Dave with Ray’s Towing arrived and just a little over an hour from when I called AAA until when my car was parked outside the service station (waiting for Monday morning to come).
Out of pocket cost (s): $ 0. That’s pretty freaking great.

Hopefully I am on the correct site before I write a scathing attack on my roadside «service»…Let me explain:
For the last oh…20 years. I have faithfully been pledging my allegiance to Triple A in the form of $$ for insurance as well as roadside service should any number of vehicular mishaps occur. I drive old cars & things happen. It should also be stated that while I love older autos, I am woefully non-​mechanical. This is a conundrum I am able to justify as i always felt Triple A had me covered. Not so!
Yesterday after putting in a long night shift at the hospital, I came out to a dead car. No sound whatsoever when the key was turned. Lights & radio came on, so at least I knew the battery was not the culprit. So I called, then waited. And waited, and waited. Hunky & handsome guy shows up, which was eye candy… After he assesses that it’s not my battery, he drives off. Handsome? Yes. Not the sharpest tool in the shed? Yes to that as well. So, I continue to wait, losing my patience, while another mechanic is supposed to show. I waited a f*#king 2 HOURS!!! After numerous calls (thank God for cell phones), I was ready to take the bus home, & abandon the car. The guy shows up, taps on the starter & when it doesn’t start, he tells me we’ll have to tow it. Oh, & he’s sorry about the wait… Well, hell yes, Buddy, me, too…
He chooses to go the long way home, causing loads of delays as we wait for the Hawthorne Bridge to come down, and when we finally make it to my house, he deposits my car facing the wrong way (thus causing a potential ticket situation).
I was tired & went to bed, but since The Big Man had been fully informed of this fiasco, he fumed all day. Apparently he calculated what we could have done with his same amount of $$ over the years. Basically, if we’d put the dough into a savings account instead of paying for this «service», I could have walked away, & bought something cool (like another vintage headache in the making…). I also could have taken a limo home while a gold-​plated tow truck took my Volvo home efficiently. But we didn’t do this. We paid for all this through many years of monthly statements.
Reason enough to take the bus, a cab, or ride my bike. Take heed. Oh, & lest some of you may think we over-​used this system? Nope, used it ONCE 10 years ago to be towed 3 miles when our then-​vehicle, an International Travel-​All broke down on Thanksgiving Day on the Bay Bridge at the toll plaza. We didn’t wait then… what gives?
From now on, I’m embracing public transportation.