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Old 02-23-2011, 06:30 AM   #1
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I just received an offer to join the "Good Sam Club" for 12, 23, and 33 dollars for 1, 2 and 3 years respectively. Being totally new to RVing I have no idea if joining is a good deal/value or not. How do others feel about Good Sam?

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Still waiting to here from RVW that our new CF305SKP has arrived!!!


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Old 02-23-2011, 06:45 AM   #2
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I'm getting ready to rejoin this week and am taking the emergency road service also because of several long trips planned this year.For around $129 with membershipI will be able to call for ERS and not have to wonder where help is.If I weren't planning these trips and would be within 200 miles of home I guess I wouldn't have the member ship.Not a bad price I guess at any rate.
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Old 02-23-2011, 07:45 AM   #3
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We have been members for ten years. Have had the emergency road service for five years. Have used it once and we were glad we had it.
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Old 02-23-2011, 08:14 AM   #4
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I've needed road service a few times & our auto insurance took care of everthing.
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Old 02-23-2011, 08:22 AM   #5
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I know that AAA will not tow your vehicle with your trailer w/o AAA roadside (learned that the hard way w/ my old horse trailer w/ a horse in it!) I am getting ready to sign up for good sam w/ emergency roadside service. I found out I can get it cheaper by going thru camping world (where I bought my trailer),I will get 1 yr for $89.
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Old 02-23-2011, 09:49 AM   #6
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We are life members of Good Sam. It is a great RV resource and networking tool. If you don’t use any of their services�.to me it is still well worth the $12-$20 membership fee.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
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Old 02-23-2011, 09:57 AM   #7
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We're Good Sam members also. Earlier this year I got to thinking maybe we should get their E/R service. After checking on what we have for Ins. on the camper------Progressive, which cost $312. per year and $18 of it is for E/R service. That's good enough for me.

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Old 02-23-2011, 10:03 AM   #8
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Agree with all of the above. We switched from AAA to Good Sam Platinum ER, saved a couple of bucks plus get 10% discount at a lot of campgrounds.
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Old 02-23-2011, 11:04 AM   #9
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anaro--Is the $89 dollar the best of the GoodSam ERS plan or the less priced one?
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Old 02-23-2011, 11:28 AM   #10
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We are good sam members too and with the ten percent off at Good Sam campgrounds it has paid for the basic membership. I road service is part of the trailer insurance policy.

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Old 02-23-2011, 12:02 PM   #11
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Good Sam E/R service pays the full cost to tow your tow vehicle and your trailer to the nearest repair facility, regardless of the distance. Make sure your other insurance provides the same coverage. It also covers all vehicles in your household. A friend of mine just got billed $150.00 for a tow vehicle/trailer tow and his insurance paid $50.00.
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Old 02-23-2011, 12:36 PM   #12
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We also have good sam emergency road service,even though we pay more in Canada its worth it .Would not tow without it.
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Old 02-23-2011, 10:29 PM   #13
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Interesting. The question was about becoming a member of Good Sam, and the discussion turned to the Good Sam Emergency Service program, which I don't think you need to be a member of Good Sam to have.

I have been a member of Good Sam for several years, but will not be renewing my membership. Nothing wrong with the Club or it's benefits, but our circumstances have changed.

Like AARP does a great job of fighting for senior rights, so too does Good Sam do a good job of fighting for RV owner rights. They have been quite successful in fighting to allow members to park their rigs at their home rather than someplace else. They fight for access to National Parks and have a great lobby in D.C.

They have several for profit endeavors including their emergency service program (my auto policy provides coverage for my RV when towing it) and the extended warranty coverage and of course their financing and insurance programs just to name a few. These are products and services offered with the hope that they will make a profit. Nothing wrong with that but these are not "benefits" of your membership.

I have used and benefited from the 10% off discounted camping rate at several parks. They have a great rating system in Trailer Life which is discounted to members. Parks that are Good Sam approved tend to be some of the cleaner and better managed parks on the road. I personally find their rating system more accurate and easier to use than others like Woodalls.

Now that I have a season lease site I no longer need their services. My membership expires in two years and I'll just let it run out rather than request a refund.

However, if you do decide to join be prepared to receive some solicitation from them every week for the remainder of your life
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Old 02-23-2011, 11:49 PM   #14
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The Good Sam Club going forward will be nothing like it was even 90 days ago. Affinity Group, the organization that owns Camping World and many RV-centric publications, also owns Good Sam. Effective now, the independent Good Sam dealerships, independent service centers, independent mobile technicians, and independent tow services are no longer in-network with Good Sam. Affinity has reorganized to make Camping World the parent brand and they will only offer Good Sam products and service through their companies.

Many companies paid into this program as recently as January only to have the leads for sales/service/etc. confiscated by Camping World and used only to their benefit. I read a piece of propaganda last week that stated there were 1,870 Good Sam dealerships available for their warranty care. As I presume now, its likely 5% of that.

My only reason for mentioning is - you may want to wait before you invest to see just exactly what they're doing.


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Old 02-24-2011, 12:26 AM   #15
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Affinity Group has had financial difficulty since I believe 1997. Would appreciate a link to the news you just reported Brad as a quick google search did not uncover it.
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Old 02-24-2011, 01:07 AM   #16
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Since he is a dealer it is probably something he has access to that we don't. I trust what he is saying is true.
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Old 02-24-2011, 01:30 AM   #17
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Not a matter of trust, per se. Information today should be easily verifiable. By the time a dealer has access to info it is probably considered old news by todays information standards.

In my brief 5 minute google search I found conflicting info as to whether Affinity Group still owns Good Sam and did not see any thing about dealers being out of network. Even if there is a new network affiliation that does not automatically translate into bad news for consumers. Not to worry, I''ll check it later when I have more time.
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Old 02-24-2011, 04:44 AM   #18
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Here's a link to one article: http://rvdailyreport.com/news/id/106...ive-rv-dealers



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Old 02-24-2011, 04:46 AM   #19
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Hey, Sailor!



Back to your question. A basic Good Sam membership gives you a 10% discount at Good Sam parks. My experience has been that the discount applies to their nightly rate up to 6 nights. Usually, the park has a weekly/monthly rate that is discounted so the Good Sam rate doesn't apply. That's O.K. cause you get a discounted rate anyway. Figure out how many nights you might spend at a Good Sam park and that will tell you what your total discount would be in order to cost justify a membership. I just renewed for three years..then again, I spend 80-90 nights out a year. 23 days or less until I'm out of the snow andheading for the Texas RallyGo for the membership! Hope your rig comes in soon!
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Old 02-24-2011, 07:58 AM   #20
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Thanks for the link Brad. I'll look further into it later tonight. Based on that link it sure seems like dealers got the shaft. I was born and raised in a small town and have been very fortunate to get great local referrals when ever I've needed emergency service on the road, including my blown water line in West Virginia. I could tell stories that would restore your faith in the goodness of Americans. I'm probably unusual but it would never occur to me to look for a dealer/repair facility with the Good Sam stamp of approval. I certainly hope it all turns out well for you and your dealership.

Campgrounds are different for me. I take that affiliation as a guarantee of a good minimum standard of cleanliness and good management. Double standard, I know.

I used my membership for the 10% camping discount, for the discounted price on Trailer Life and for their lobbying efforts on behalf of RVers. I've never been a fan of Camping World and have always been uneasy with the relationship between CW and GSC. Others belong for entirely different reasons and for services I either don't care about or simply don't need.



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