Automotive towing and 24-hour emergency dispatch services are key elements in any warranty package—items that some consumers look upon as unneeded fluff, but in reality can be a lifesaving caveat (if you happen to be stranded in, say, Texas). Before accepting the terms of an extended auto warranty, customers should first make sure that the terms are acceptable—meaning that 24-hour roadside assistance programs are reliably intact.
Breakdowns do not abide by timetables or desirable locations—in fact, if Murphy's Law is to go undisputed, breakdowns typically happen under the most harrowing conditions and in the most inhospitable of climes. Marooned along the roadway is no way to spend an afternoon, evening, or even the minutest of minutes. But, without the aid of roadside assistance, not only are consumers left high and quite dry for hours on end, but are forced to bear the expenses of the entire process. In other words, suffering the slings and arrows of summer heat or winter cold while waiting for aid is not bad enough, but consumers must then dole out dollars for towing costs, hotel accommodations and subsequent repairs. To buy or not to buy, in this instance, hardly seems a challenging question: buy.
Extended warranty coverage is meant to create an aura of peace around a rather unsettling buy—an expensive and, let's face it, sometimes unreliable hunk of metal and fiberglass. But, without roadside assistance services and towing, vehicle owners are negating a large portion of that piece of mind—because, while the costs of the breakdown are covered, the emotional, physical, and fiscal considerations surrounding a breakdown are left untouched. And, when it comes down to brass tacks, auto warranty providers should be focused on relieving the tremendous burden of breakdown circumstances—replacing expensive, willy-nilly plans conjured up on the spot with well thought out and thoroughly executed escapes. Automotive towing and 24-hour roadside assistance are part and parcel of this task.
But won't these services cost colossally more than bare-bones coverage plans? Perhaps, from a financial standpoint, it's not even worth the trouble to purchase these caveats? To quickly bed any qualms, the answer to both these queries is a resounding no. Roadside assistance services (to which towing is an integral and invariably part) ordinarily comes at no extra charge to consumer, as long as you secure your warranty through a reputable company. In fact, flagship, top-notch service implies the existence of 24-hour emergency automotive aid. So, if you're considering an extended auto warranty plan remiss in these details, think again. If you want sound advice: sound warranty providers automatically make such necessary benefits available to patrons at no extra fee. Accept nothing less.
Warranty coverage is meant to insure your car and assure your safety—and roadside assistance and automotive towing both help achieve this goal. Without the existence of similar benefits, a warranty is just a gamble (a decision of whether the cost of repairs will outweigh the costs of the warranty itself). With the inclusion of towing and 24-hour emergency dispatch services, an auto warranty becomes, well, a safe bet.
By Jean-Pierre Lacrampe