Geico Emergency Road Service Sucks

First, it takes at least five minutes to get through to a representative. Picture yourself out on the road and your car breaks down or you get a flat in the dark in an unpleasant or unsafe situation. Does jumping through hoops in a recorded prompt system make sense to you for an emergency call? The technology to identify you and determine your location by phone is commonplace yet Geico doesn't use that. Instead, the call is routed through a prompt system that requires policy number phone number date of birth what is wrong with your vehicle and more followed by a wait time and then a representative who asks for the same information again. Just what you want when you are stuck on the road somewhere.

Then it gets worse. They took five minutes to find a provider and found Pop-A-Lock. I reminded the dispatcher, for the third or fourth time, that I had a flat tire. I didn't need a locksmith, I needed a tow truck. She said Pop-A-Lock will change the tire if I have a spare and a jack. I said fine, but it's not a good jack which is why I am calling road service. The dispatcher said estimated wait time 45 minutes.

They sent 3 texts confirming with telephone numbers, one text saying please call this number. I called and it was Pop-A-Lock and they asked all the same questions... again... and confirmed my location ...again... and said ETA 35 minutes.

An hour later I called Pop-A-Lock again and the dispatcher said she would text the driver so he could call me and give me an ETA. Ten more minutes and I call Geico back and ask their definition of "emergency road service" and they said they would file a complaint about the provider (Pop-A-Lock) and I asked how does that help me fix my flat? and the dispatcher, while sympathetic, put me on hold.

When she got back I said just cancel the service call.

I changed the flat myself.

Tomorrow I will see if I can get the flat repaired and I'll probably switch to AAA.

I will probably shop for car insurance while I am at it.

Bad form, Geico.