Ok. So, after a few years of it, I finally got sick of going to my mailbox, and pulling out massive amounts of junk mail from AAA. If I kept it all in one place, you would be shocked. It is THAT much. It is all centered around upselling their existing customers to crap they don't need. If I needed a life insurance policy, I already know where to go. I know where AAA is. I know what they sell. Bombarding my mailbox with almost daily solicitations, also known as opportunities for identity theft, is not likely to make me want what they are hawking. So, I decided to be reasonable, and simply ask AAA to stop.
I called their Cust Service line at 800-922-8228. You get the 1 = Eng, 2 = Span routine. Ok. I press 1. Then it lists 4 options. I press option 2, to speak to a representative. The system doesn't recognize the keypress and repeats the options. I press 2 again. Again, it doesn't recognize the keypress and begins reciting the options. On and on and on it goes. The number is crap. So, now I go online.
Because AAA is clearly a company that operates using such dirty tactics, they do not make it easy to find addresses or contact info. I find some unrelated number and manage to get through. It takes some time, but I get transferred around and everntually get to a AAA CSR. I explain that I have not authorized AAA to SPAM me. I have not asked for any info. So, I demand to be taken off their SPAM list. The CSR assured me that my address would be removed and it would take 30 days.
Weeks later, it was still happening. I no longer had the number that I called to get through. So, I had to go throuh the whole routine I described above. I spoke to ANOTHER CSR, and again was told I would be removed. This time, I also went online and sent an email, documenting the problem. I sent the email below on 22Feb12:
"Look... I called the AAA customer service number weeks ago, demanding that prior to my AAA membership being renewed, I wanted to be removed from the AAA US MAil SPAM LIST. I never authorized AAA to SPAM my mailbox weekly with the flood of crap I am being sent. I demand that aaa remove me, immediately, from any and all spam lists. Do not spam my email address. Stop spamming my us mail address. I do not want your special offers. I doo not want to be upsold. When I have needed assistance with vacation planning, AAA has consistently let me down, and I ended up doing it all on my own anyway. I use AAA only for roadside assistance, nothing more.in fact, AAA is clearly so incompetent that I cannot even call the customer service number from my cellular number today, because it will not allow me to navigate through their menus, and accept my pushbutton responses, which is why I am not on the AAA website, demanding that I be removed from the SPAM lists. I don't give a rat's ass how long AAA says it takes them to remove me from these lists. I never authorized AAA to put me on these lists to begin with, and I demand that I be removed immediately. If I receive another piece of SPAM from AAA, I will ride out the remainder of the year, since I just paid for it, and then I will cancel my service and my girlfriend's service. I will move my roadside assitance to another service. Get me off of your spam list. I am also making a record of this and other contacts with AAA, and I will post this online to usacomplaints.com and other consumer advocate sites, and file a BBB complaint against AAA."
On 22Feb12, Jason S. From AAA responded:
"Hello %, Thank you for visiting AAA.com and expressing your concern regarding solicitations. We respect your privacy (HA!!! THAT'S A LAUGH!!!) and have processed your request. Please allow up to 30 days (ending on 23Mar12) to have your mailing address and email address completely removed from our list. If you have any questions regarding AAA's Privacy Policy, please click here or visit the following link listed below: (omitted) Thank you for being a AAA Member. Please let me know if I may be of further assistance. Best Regards,
Jason S.
AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah"
You would think that this saga would be over, right? WRONG. Today on 26Mar12, I am still receiving AAA upselling SPAM.in today's mail, I received an 8.5X11 envelope stating it was a "Certificate of Coverage" and that I should "keep it with important papers". On opening it, yes you guess it, a AAA life insurance upselling offer.
Again, I had to do the AAA phone number mamba. I finally got through. No answers. No explanations as to WHY my privacy is being violated... And WHY they can't simply leave me the hell alone.
So, I am posting this here to let all AAA customers see exactly what you will go through should you be stupid enough to join AAA. Expect to have your mailbox filled with upselling offers, disguised as official AAA communications. Expect AAA to expose you to every opportunity to have you identity stolen, just so AAA can make a few extra bucks upselling its own customer base. When you complain about it and demand to be taken off their lists, expect to get the runaround by their (intentionally) crappy phone service, and then by the CSR's. Expect to be promised that your name will be removed from their lists and expect to continue receiving their crap. Why? Because this is how AAA CHOOSES to do business. AAA CHOOSES to piss directly in the faces of their own customers if it means their bottom line is just a little higher at the end of the year.
So, AAA customers, open your mouth and prepare to receive the stream. Or, do like I intend to do, and cancel their service. THere are MANY auto clubs these days and yes, they all provide the same services. I will just choose one which CHOOSES to treat their customers like customers, not like opporunities to make more money.
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