Another Roadside Attraction, It’s … Fine Print!

I’ve been a CSAA member for over 40 years, and have always been happy with their services. So imagine my disappointment today when I opened a membership offer from them that is nothing but a series of bad directions.

It’s a offer to upgrade my Plus Membership to the new Premier Membership for (hang on) only $11! Hmmm.

…200 miles of FREE towing, five gallons of FREE emergency fuel…one-day FREE car rental…more than $330,000 of Travel Emergency coverage…

While I wasn’t sure I needed all that, it sounded pretty good at $11/year for the upgrade. But then  it only took me a minute to read the fine print and realize it was just another pro-rated rate scam, plus a bunch of footnoted fine print. Tsk tsk, shame on you CSAA; looks like they are warming up to get into the Credit Card business?

The Devil is always in the details.

• Since my membership renews later in the year the $11 only covers the balance of this year, so the upgrade rate is really pro-rated and not the full increase.
• The FREE car rental; covers 1 day of a mandatory 2 day rental, you must pay for the other day. At what might be an inflated price, who knows.
• The 200 miles of FREE towing; that’s only once a year, otherwise it’s the same as my current benefit.
• The FREE Travel coverage; only if you book the entire trip thru CSAA. I’ll admit to being a little curious as to what’s actually covered, since it’s not specified.

So how bad is all this? It’s not that the offer is so terrible, depending on your needs. What’s bad is the sneaky, misleading way it’s presented. The footnotes, fine-print and pro-rated scam make this promotion nothing better than a flat tire on a deserted highway.