Stranded on I-95N

Below is a letter which I wrote to my auto club several months ago. Just thought I would share. I never recived a response. Definitely do not use Signature's Nationwide Auto Club.

Baltimore, Maryland 21209
8/27/2007

Signature's Nationwide Auto Club.
Attn: Customer Service
P.O. Box 968008
Schaumburg, IL 60196-8008

Re: Member #XXXXXXXXXXX

Greetings,

On Friday, August 24th 2007, I was traveling on Interstate 95 North and got a flat tire. I was traveling with my wife and four children. I immediately pulled onto the left shoulder of the highway. Unfortunately, for some reason the vehicle I was driving did not have a crowbar, so I could not change the tire myself.

No problem, I figured, I will call my auto club. Unfortunately my Auto club failed miserably. I have not used this service in years and am appalled at the shoddy and irresponsible service provided. Allow me to explain.

I called the Emergency Road Service number. I was connected with an Agent who had almost no command of the English language. Just to confirm my information took ten minutes. I was put on hold several times. Then to confirm my actual location took around thirty minutes. After forty minutes on the phone, the agent still had not even located a service provider.

How hard could this be? I explained to the agent that I was on Interstate 95 North in Maryland. I gave the agent the mile marker number, the exit number, the distance between me and the next rest stop. It should have been simple and quick to locate me. But he could not. The agent could barely understand me, could barely speak to me, and I can’t imagine how he could communicate with the service provider.

After I had been on the phone for over 40 minutes, the State Highway Administration Courtesy Service came by and assisted me with changing the tire. At that point I was still on the phone with the agent, who still had not located a service provider.

Once the issue was resolved without the help of your service, I called the customer service number for Signature's Nationwide Auto Club. The agent and team lead I spoke to advised that your company has a call center in India (yes the country India, in the Far East). I was flabbergasted. No wonder the agent could not understand me; I was talking to a person in India. No wonder he couldn’t speak or understand English.

If I am calling for service regarding my computer, or credit card, or phone service, I can understand having a call center in India. There is no imminent threat of danger in those situations. So the difficulty communicating with an Agent in a foreign country is simply an inconvenience. An inconvenience that is tolerable as there is no imminent physical danger. However, if I am dealing with an Emergency road service, this inability to communicate could have caused severe injury or death. This is patently unacceptable.

Signature's Nationwide Auto Club put me and my family in unnecessary and intense danger of physical harm or even death. This was done all in the name of cost savings and profit.

I can be reached at the above address or on my cell phone, 410.XXX.XXXX



Josh

Cc: Better Business Bureau Chicago & N. Illinois
Illinois Attorney General Consumer Fraud Bureau
Consumer Reports