AAA – Amherst

They screwed up the birth dates on our reservations. As if I don’t have enough to do the day before our vacation, now I have to either schlepp to the airport at 4 am or spend hours dealing with this.
You would think they would be aware of what us required…

Biggest bunch of INCOMPETENT idiots in the world. They are the most uneducated jerk offs you’ll every meet. Go else where for your early driver needs.

For WNYers, AAA as you’ll experience it has a dual identity: the sharp, knowledgeable employees at the Amherst/​International Drive office and the courteous but not-​nearly-​as-​capable staff at AAA’s call center in Liverpool, NY (near Syracuse).
On a positive note: The ladies at the front desk at the Amherst International Drive office are fast and helpful when it comes to providing AAA Tourbooks and maps and the travel agent I most recently dealt with was friendly and very knowledgeable about my destination. If this review were only for the Amherst/​International Drive office, I’d happily give four or five stars.
Membership, towing and other services for WNYers used to be handled by the competent, on-​the-​ball staff at the Amherst International Drive office. Nowadays these services, at least by phone, are handled by AAA’s Liverpool, NY call center and the level of service has declined.
Towing services, especially, have declined. I should know — I’ve been a member for more than 30 years. The most recent example: Yesterday I called for a tow. The Road Assistance dispatchers for Western and Central NY are located in Liverpool (near Syracuse), know nothing about the Buffalo area, and they tend to be extremely slow and ignorant. After waiting a very, very long time to be connected with a dispatcher and after a lengthy conversation involving the dispatcher’s having to enter every last thing about my membership and vehicle into the computer system, I was informed that I would have to wait 3 HOURS FOR A TOW. Are you kidding me – 3 HOURS FOR A TOW in mid-​June? What kind of service is that?
This isn’t the first time in recent memory that towing services have been unacceptable. Two calls ago (again, via the Liverpool dispatch center), when I requested that my vehicle be towed to a dealership — which has a couple of locations in the Buffalo area — AAA’s dispatcher in Liverpool had my car towed to the WRONG location, even though I had clearly specified the correct address. When I called about the problem, another dispatcher in Liverpool refused to help get my car towed to the right location (citing AAA’s «one tow per incident» policy) and I had to escalate the call to a supervisor in order to get the matter resolved.
Also, in a recent call to Membership Services, the associate appeared to be helpful but she made a big mistake that required yet another call to correct.
When you call AAA, even with a phone number that begins with (716), you’re likely to get a person at the Liverpool office, so here are some tips on getting quality customer service: Unless you have a towing issue, insist that the call be transferred to someone (anyone) at the Amherst/​International Drive office or call 716−630−3799 and ask for a rep at the Amherst office and you’ll be connected directly to the Amherst International Drive office. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did.
***6/​22 Per Jerry H’s comment, I just called 800−836−2582, which connected to the Liverpool call center, and asked to speak with Member Relations. The call center agent said he didn’t know what that was and he didn’t know where to transfer the call. Point made.

Love aaa I work here so you know it’s an amazing place :) there great for all your travel and road service needs. We’ve been around since 1902. Must be doing something right !

Ahhh the AAA. I do make use of this membership.
I came to this location recently as I was in the area anyway. Its is the largest in the area, and its where they hold defensive driving classes and things like that. Parking is easy here too, plenty of spots in a large lot.
This location does get some traffic, and you may have to wait a little while, but once you are called, the help is friendly and useful.
I am usually here to pick up maps and things like that. They have both maps you can fold out and then map books,. Both serve a great purpose, and with membership all are free. I find their books very useful, especially when visiting a new town and looking for things to do. The maps are great to use to plan a trip and also get some new ideas.
These days there is an online tool they have for members. AAA version of MapQuest really. You can drop ion where you want to go and sites along the way, and it will show you a few different routes. Say you don’t want a highway, it’ll take you backroads. I have only used this on a desktop and am not sure if there’s an app for it.
If you are in the area, this location is just fine. So «Im a Fan», which is true of both the location and the membership overall.

I want to complain about the condescending phone service I received this morning from a female operator.
On Friday Sept 13^th my car broke down due to a broken brake line, so I called AAA for towing. That operator told me I could have the car towed to a garage for service or to my home. I elected to have it towed to my home, so I could attempt the repair myself, and asked the operator if I was unable to fix it, if it could be towed a second time to a garage, since it cannot be driven with a broken brake line. He said yes they could do that because I was a long time customer.
When I called in this morning to have it towed to a garage, the female operator was very condescending and treated me like a was trying to abuse my coverage, saying AAA is not a towing service. Before I ended the call, I asked her to tell me how long I had been a AAA member, she said since 2008, and in that time, I had no reported incidents.
So why was I treated this way from this operator? The previous operator from Friday’s call was very nice, so I am not complaining about the AAA system, just the way I was treated by today’s operator.
I would appreciate if a supervisor could contact me back to address the situation with today’s operator and review the importance of making the customer feel valued. Today I just feel like Grandpa Simpson having to write this letter.
Thank you.

AAA goes above and beyond every time. So refreshing to have such amazing customer service for anything roadside assistance-​related. It’s so affordable too and they’ve done way more for me and my travels than my auto insurance company ever has.
Tip: even if you lock your car keys in Canada or experience some sort of problem on the other side of the border, they will help you with your AAA membership.
Just the other day my fiancé’s battery died and I was about forty minutes away. I called AAA asking if they could help jump start her car (even though she’s not a member) and they said they would do it as a one-​time courtesy. It doesn’t get better than this. At this location, you can grab maps, trip tics, discounts, etc. AAA = AAA+++.

Really great customer service. I came here for a trip tik for my trip to the Adirondacks. I was set up with numerous maps, tour guide books and tips for where my AAA membership will get me discounts locally, as well. I walked away glad that I have a membership and look forward to renewing it.

Member for over 11 years and I can honestly say it is worth every dime. They’ve retrieved keys from inside my locked vehicle at least 5 times, cleaned out a corroded battery and replaced a slashed tire. I would be lost without them. Today they responded to my service call in only 30 minutes. The technicians were two young, incredibly friendly and efficient guys who did not cause any damage to my vehicle when unlocking the doors.
The other services provided by AAA are equally invaluable. Go here to stock up on travel guides and maps, and speak to one of their friendly agents who can help you plan your trip.

Wow. I was NOT expecting a pleasant experience here at AAA Travel & Insurance Center on International Drive in Williamsville. It just does not get any better than this customer service.
Our helper was Liz, who greeted us with a smile. She walked us to her desk to discuss adding a family member to the AAA plan I was already enrolled in and to see about obtaining some travel advice and maps.
Liz was as good as it gets, cheerful and friendly while listening to our requests. We added a family member to the plan and then she asked if there was anything else, and I remembered members get discounts on movie tickets, so I purchased four ($ 8/​ea vs $ 10.50 at Regal). She returned with the debit card and movie passes and then wanted to remind us to always, always show our AAA card anywhere we shop. She informed us that many places give a 10−15% discount just for having AAA, such as Payless Shoes. We learned if we visit the Outlet malls, stop by the mall customer service desk and receive a coupon book, free (Green Savings Cards — show your AAA/​CAA card welcome program). How thrilling to learn about the discount at NOCO (Swipe your AAA membership card ONCE at the pump and watch the price per gallon automatically reduce by 3¢!). This adds up when your dang car drinks premium gas. Oh, and you can also enroll in AAA Pay and use your AAA Membership Card to pay at the pump at Noco Express (Swipe your new AAA Membership Card ONCE MORE, enter your PIN to authorize payment, and watch the price per gallon automatically reduce by a total of 10¢) to save even more. You can purchase money saving tickets for Darien Lake for much less than at the Park.
We left with a lot of ideas for saving money, learned to show our AAA Membership card more often, and with a bagful of maps, a TripTik, a ferry schedule and books for our destination.
One more hint Liz gave my guest was to consider a waterproof container for her cell phone since kayaking may involve a man-​overboard. She showed us to the wall of travel paraphernalia and snagged the one she herself used when she kayaked. It was a waterproof bag that allowed use of the phone while contained and the neatest part was that should you upend your vessel, the phone would FLOAT! Plus the thing was just $ 10, cheap insurance to protect a smartphone that wouldn’t have the sense to float of its own volition.
I did not expect such a pleasant experience here at AAA, it was not positive in the past. But it gets a full five stars and fireworks for excellent customer service from Liz.

Friendly staff that caters to AAA members. I have been a member for over 10 years so I never have a problem however I can see why someone would be turned off by this place if they walked in off the street seeking travel information and did not have a membership.
The vacation planning staff is very helpful and seems to know a lot however a bit pushy even though they say they do not make commission it sure doesn’t seem that way.
All in all a good choice for travel advise, I would go again.

It is very cold outside and I am dashing from job number one to job number two. The car has been making an on and off whining noise and after parking, eating, and running out to tuck my day clothing in the car, I see a lot of green stuff around the car like a moat!
Now what?
My dad is 75 and it’s too bitter cold to ask a guy with a tired ticker to check it out. My son is miles away and his car broke two weeks ago. All the rest of my family might as well be on Mars.
I think OK, join the auto club, as I heard you can do that the moment you need help. Yes, you certainly can join, but if you need immediate service you do need to know there is a premium tacked on.
Just a few dollars that a customer service rep waived as I was a member before for many years.
Well, it’s very cold in Buffalo right now, my friends, and that can only mean one thing: AAA drivers are the businest guys out there tonight.
Fortunately, I’m at work, safe and warm, with lots of good food. I place my emergency call an hour before I knock off at ten pm, They tell me it’s an average 75 minute wait.
They call me to let me know that a driver will be right there in a little bit he is only just down the street.
They call back to apologize but dispatched him to a guy who is stranded in a car that won’t start and he has no heat.
They call back to apologize that it is taking so long and tell me not only will they waive this nights call but that they will ask the driver to take me right home after dropping my car off at the garage.
The driver is very pleasant. He is from Niagara Falls and has been in my area taking care of calls for four hours and his night is not over yet. He’s on the road for a while yet. In the cold. Remember that and be nice to him.
My experience with the company years ago was frustrating because New York State has rules. Too many of them that tend to interfere with old fashioned good customer service. Like legally only two people can ride in the car with the driver and if the driver has a budddy with him that can be a problem if you have a passenger.
So, I am rescued and warm, safe at home, now, I can get free maps (triptics) to anywhere I want to go and after I pay the repair bill for the car I can even browse and see about Triple A discounts on trips, etc.
So, I make the most of it and let you all know that if you read my traumatic experiences with a competitor listed in my reviews earlier last year I can finally say I am getting my money’s worth and am a satisfied customer.