My step daughter locked her keys in the car in California while I was on a business trip to Yuma arizona I contacted AAA to use the roadside service to get her keys out. Their response..... you must be there physically present to verify that you're the account holder. I told her, I'm in Yuma, shes im California, she said its AAA policy that I must be there in person,, then she said, is there anything else I can help you with.... if I'm paying for it, I should be able to use it, in this case I was 14 hours away, I have to admission I was very pissed off. Needless tobsay I'm looking for a new carrier​ read more

Absolutely TERRIBLE experience, what a nightmare. I should've read reviews before trying to get a Homeowner's insurance quote, especially with Tito Valenzuela. He sent me a quote off the bat, which was great, but after over two weeks of calling multiple times and emailing, all I got was a voice message that he was "out of the office and would be back tomorrow." What a joke. I took time from work to go to the office in person, waiting an hour, with people who checked in after me being called before me. I checked back in with them asking how much longer it would be and he couldn't find my name in the queue, but told me he just told Tito I was there. I sat back down and heard my name called after a few minutes I was told Tito was busy and to come back at 5. SERIOUSLY?? No thank you, never again. read more

Best AAA of all time. The employees here so are nice and let us in just before closing and stayed after to help us. They know exactly what they are doing and do it cheerfully. Walking around offering us water bottles and sticking up conversation. Friendliest AAA ever! read more

We've had a great experience with AAA. To have a local branch is fortunate. I had a question on my policies and waited only 10 min. Well done! read more

Joshua helped me with my title transfer to my trust account last week and he was FABULOUS!!! If all your employees are this good you have a great business here in Santa Barbara. read more

Been a member for 32 years but the last few years the customer service has gone totally to shat. Robotic agents (800#) that are either incompetent or unempowered to take care of issues. Double billing on what has already been added/paid for on a policy. The list goes on. If the insurance system in CA wasn't so dysfunctional and limited, I would switch to another carrier in a heartbeat. With limited competition there is no motivation to provide competent service - as AAA is demonstrating. read more

I sold my car, and from reception to Joshua, everyone was friendly and helpful. Joshua helped with the paperwork!

Been a member for years. Today I arrived to register two vehicles. They do certain DMV services but you have to pay by check or cash...no cards. But you don't have the hassle of going to the DMV! Plus the place was air conditioned! I could have stayed all day and looked at travel guides! read more

AAA - There are some bad drivers in this town. - Insurance Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Never use AAA again. I have been a member for over 60 years. Even though I have always paid for a Platinum Membership since the costly premium setvice started, this was the straw that broke the back. As a founding member of AMGEN, i have been afforded the luxury of owning over 30 cars at one time and a 3 million dollar Prevost. I have never been treated so rudely, disrecpful and terse in my life! After being on hold for over 30 minutes, i was forced to contact Todd Hudson of Santa Barbara. Todd was Todd, was truly an "angel". I am 75 years old and in need of getting to Cottages Hospital. Todd was prompt (10 minutes), answered the phone on the first ring, courteous, informative, fast, professional, immense product knowledge and economical. I will be refering all my 25,000 AMGEN employees to drop AAA and we will no longer use any of AAA products i.e. insurance, travel, roadside assistance etc. I should have done this 2 years ago when AAA towed our Mercedes to the dealership and left my wife stranded and alone on a deserted interstate or this last December when the AAA serice technician poured gas all over our $150K Lexus, did not know how to change the tire and lost over $1000.00 worth of automobile parts. To add insult to injury the icing on his stupidity and disregard for any civil customer service attempted to trade the service fee (included in my membership) for a $2,000.00 sniper rifle. read more

I am BEYOND blessed I have an AAA membership. I never received a registration renewal from the DMV and was stressing out. My co worker told me because I have an AAA membership I can skip the DMV and go here for my services! I was beyond THRILLED. No DMV trip?! HECK YEAH! I'm not kidding- was in and out in 2 minutes and got my new registration renewal and sticker!! Sandra was very kind and so was the man greeting at the door. Just know it's CASH or CHECK ONLY. I'm so thankful this saved me a trip to the DMV and the workers were really nice. Definitely come here for services :) read more

If you are looking for an in-person agent for Auto insurance steer clear. I went in end of December to set up a policy with Tito. I emphasized the importance of having a responsive and transparent agent. While I was in there with my young son, the agent in the cubicle next to us was in a heated argument with an older gentlemen just trying to pay his bill (albeit with a cc). Tito and the agent next to us handled it like inexperienced unprofessional children- threatening him, standing over him, etc. I should have know right then to walk away. Fast forward to now, I received a bill for my new policy that is $20 more expensive that I what I was told I'd pay, and my policy is lacking things (like medical) that I asked for. I have called Tito 3 times over the past week & half and emailed with no response. I called SB AAA and asked if he was in office and to switch agents so I could sort out my bill- I was transferred, rather than being set up with a new agent. Customer service has informed that Tito did not set up auto pay for me along with several other mistakes on his end. What a disappointment, I was really looking forward to having a local agent- I will be filing a formal complaint and PSA your agents receive commission so if you are unhappy be sure to be transferred. read more

BAIT-AND-SWITCH The Automobile Club of Southern California has been running an infomercial offering an annual membership for $55, waiving the joining fee, and offering a $25 Visa debit card. When I immediately went to their advertised website (aaa.com/tvgift), it had switched the $25 Visa debit card for a beverage container. This is a classic bait-and-switch scheme. I phoned the number they advertised (866-252-3480), and the customer service rep knew nothing about a $25 offer -- instead he offered me a "free" second membership. Another bait-and-switch scheme. I complained to AAA through a number of contact points. Only one responded, and I was asked to provide proof -- which I did by sending screenshots. AAA replied by admitting that the offer is valid, and that it can be obtained via their website. This is a lie, and it's the original reason I complained. They also explained that the beverage holder gift is a "substitute offer" (bait-and-switch). They also claimed that the Visa offer is a limited "while supplies last" offer -- but the ad clearly states it's a "limited time" offer. In either case, they should not be running a campaign that offers something that they already know does no longer exist. $25 is not a big deal, but it's very disappointing that a reputable company has to lower itself to deceptive schemes in order to obtain unwitting new customers. read more

AAA - Actual bait-and-switch AAA offer of a beverage holder - Insurance Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Came in to do a bunch of DMV paperwork. Was in and out in 30 minutes with no appointment necessary! Chris was the guy who helped me out. Extremely friendly and courteous. Got all the paperwork and forms I needed, helped me fill them out, explained EVERYTHING. Answered all my questions and offered alot of pointers. Thank you for your awesome service Chris! Avoiding the pain of the DMV on this alone makes my membership worthwhile. read more

Great service l. Prompt response. The technician was extremely helpful. He researched and solved the issue in minutes. read more

Ok. So we've all been to the Auto Club for a myriad of reasons. And this myriad of reasons is why the Automobile Club is of such importance to most of our lives. It saves us time. It is convenient. It is fast in most cases. It saves us money. We sometimes forget what the Auto Club can do for us: arrange our vacations, sell us Insurance, perform a number of DMV functions as well as distribute maps (You remember those, right?) and the most important function of the AC: they tow you! My father used to say that even if you only had one tow a year, the Auto Club fee is worth it. I was in this SB office to handle a couple of things that would usually take hours at the DMV. Though my main AC is in Glendale, this Santa Barbara office did not fail me. The service here is personal, pleasant and quick. What more can I expect? Bravo! read more

AAA - Insurance Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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I came to triple A trying to register my vehicle. I left with a triple A membership and car insurance with them. Curtis assisted me and was very helpful in making sure I got all the discounts I qualified for. My mother used to have triple A insurance and was very excited when she learned I put her on my policy to get roadside assistance. read more

I finally decided to sign up a AAA membership today. Mostly for the roadside assistance. I didn't have to wait very long considering it's a Saturday and I had great customer service. Right after I signed up for my membership I was able to take a passport photo using my membership discount and they also knocked a couple dollars off because I had the axxess card discount. I got the best passport photo I've ever had in my life! They had a discount travel book table and I took advantage of my member discount on a travel book as well. Awesome service is hard to come by in Santa Barbara, so I'm very grateful when I have an experience like this. read more

Not a fan of the DMV wait times? Skip the lines and take advantage of Santa Barbara's best-kept secret. This building is rather unassuming and looks like nothing but a windowless wall from the road. The entrance and parking are down driveway. It's so hidden that you'd have to focus on the road sign or you'd drive right by. This shop will handle all of the minor DMV items you'd normally take care of at an actual facility. The difference is that at this AAA, the line is shorter (if there even is one), and the service is friendlier. Title change, license plate distribution, renewal stickers, this place has you covered. As I am a AAA auto club member, I have been doing my business at this facility for years. I can't stress over how convenient this place really is. Each time I've come, the assistance is quick and I am out the door in a matter of minutes. There's no added fee, either, which makes it all the better. The next time you need to take care of a minor DMV item, look no further than this AAA office! read more

Company is poorly run....... Management lies to the customers....... I've been waiting for 9 hours my Wife has medical issues & I am Physically Disabled..... for 7 years ....Ian going to have to take my wife to emergency she is having issues breathing due to her Asthma.......... I have spoke with numerous supervisors...... & all have lied straight to me & my wife....... This Company does not care about people at all........ Done with companies that don't care about there customers..... now I have to go to the Hospital & leave my vehicle unlocked due to my battery is Dead.... Thanks AAA. You ------ Suck read more

Im not sure if I have to get the BBB involved or seek legal counsel, but I've been attempting to get help and reimbursed for towing and storage of my trailer because they canceled my RV Roadside Assistance that I haven't used in the two years that I've had it. And the first year I was a service PROVIDER for them. All this because the Service Technician did a fuel delivery in a April and left without taking payment from me. So they closed my account. I put in a dispute...nothing back...talked to a kind employee who told me why my account was closed that's how I know what's going on, I call the office and get cold transferred somewhere else...this is too much! I literally have to work overtime everyday to pay for all this for something that could've been resolved over the phone with someone knowledgeable and able to fix this mistake. This is my last attempt to get this resolved without incident. read more

I've been with AAA for 40 years and it's hands down the best. Dante is great! Even calling the 1(800) for general questions is always a cinch, great job guys. read more

My daughter had a tire to blow out on the dangerous highway. she was able to pull over to the emergency lane, that is a small lane, and call AAA. customer service told her it would take up to 3-4 hours for them to get to her for assistance. thankfully she was smart & exited her car for her own safety. she had to call back twice to get assistance. it took 3 1/2 hours for her to get assistance from AAA & get home safely. this is unacceptable for so many reasons. PLEASE make highway assistance a priority for safety reasons for everyone, especially for young women. We will not be renewing AAA membership. read more

Thank goodness for AAA! I recently bought a used Outback from Antelope Valley Subaru and within a month the transmission went out. The cost of repairs is almost equal to what I paid for it and they refuse to return emails and repeated phone calls. I'd still be on the side of the road if it weren't for AAA!! I'll keep the great insurance but won't ever step foot in SUBARU OF ANTELOPE VALLEY read more

I had one claim in my entire life, i hit a curb. for their $600 payout they were charging $724 more in premium. with them 9 yr. Never any claim ever anywhere. They just pass you around from voice mail to voice mail. No one knows anything, they have to transfer you to other dept. This company might have been good years ago but now w my new company i see how much i overpaid all this time. Avoid! read more

I called AAA about 8;30 to get my Ford Coachman RV towed. I was kept posted with calls and texts until Aaron, from Bob Holzer Towing, arrived about 9:15 with a heavy-duty flat bed. Aaron had a great attitude and on-the-job hustle. He had to finagle to get it out of the long driveway, but he got it done without undue delay in this one-way-out Mobile Home court. At one point, with me behind the wheel, Aaron hand pushed the heavy vehicle. Pro Football, do you need a Linebacker? Major kudos to Bob Holzer Towing, Aaron and of course AAA! read more

Wait time for an agent time was prompt earlier called back than expected exeptuonal Professional service! Very pleased with auto quote $ savings$ As advertised pleased ny okdest has been a member for 15 years very happy pleased not only auto ghe coverages for coat is fantastic bundle save renters or owners inaurance reduces auto di t lay too much for home read more

Don't get me wrong. I love AAA and have been a member for a long time. However - trying to get through to them on the phone is absolutely the most exasperating and frustrating thing in the world. I couldn't seem to find the right 'key word' to break through the obnoxious and annoying robot answering system. After several minutes, I ended up calling my local office (instead of the numbers on the back of the card). Still got the robot but thankfully was able to break through to a real human being! I think it's time to re-instate actual human beings to answer phones and direct calls. read more

I had a flat tire and AAA service was on time with just a short wait time. When Mitch showed up he was courteous, kind and professional. I am very please with this service. read more

Horrible service. I got locked out of my car and I called them and at first they gave me a 1 hour wait time which seemed a bit much but I could bear through it. Once the hour was up and I received no phone call and no driver in sight, I called back and they said the driver did not find the car!!! This was a lie, they never showed up anywhere near where I was at. They sent another driver and I ended up waiting a little more than 2 hours for them to come by. read more

I had a problem with the registration of one of my vehicles so I went online and made an appointment at the DMV in Goleta. My appointment was made for 4 days later at 10 a.m. I arrived 20 minutes early and walked through the door and was stunned by seeing 20 people in line ahead of me and no where to check in for my appointment. After 10 minutes of waiting in line and only 2 people assisted from the line ahead of me, I left and went to AAA on State St. I walked in the door, explained my issue and was helped and out of there in 20 minutes. The woman who assisted me was knowledgeable and very kind. If you have AAA, don't even bother with the DMV, to straight to AAA. They offer such great services!! read more

We are long time AAA members and have always received great service at the Santa Barbara location, until today. The person at the counter helping us was very pleasant but when a co-worker of hers stepped in (Jennifer), the visit became unpleasant. Jennifer was very rude and snippy for no apparent reason. Not sure what her issue was or if she's just a very unhappy person, but we will think twice about renewing our AAA Plus membership of 18 years. read more

Couldn't find a AAA office listed on Yelp, so we added this one after finding it on their website. The agency has a front checkin desk but there wasn't a line. The agents were polite enough, but nothing to write home about. The front desk person seemed agitated with us because we were asking about whether our Northern CA policy would be valid after moving here. It looks as though this office has a variety of services, including a travel agency. We worked with a sales agent for auto insurance. Overall an okay experience, but nothing stellar. No one we worked with was particularly chummy. -1 star for a really outdated and sloppy interior appearance...lots of stacks of papers in cubicles, things look a little disorganized for being a major branch office. read more

While in Santa Barbara, my friend locked the keys in the car. Fortunately for him, I have been a AAA member for many years and knew that the services cover the insured, not the vehicle. I whipped out my trusty AAA card, called and had help on the way within a few short minutes. I love how they send texts frequently to let you know the status of your call: dispatched, on the way, how many minutes to wait, when the truck arrives. It's awesome! Alex, the driver, had the doors open in a flash and we were back in business! I will never be without my AAA membership. It's cheap for the year and gives me the peace of mind that I will have assistance when I need it. Last year, I had a flat tire and also a dead battery. No problem! AAA to the rescue! AAA, you have a lifelong fan! read more

Bottom Line; Great service and you dont have to go to the DMV!! What more do you want? Not having to go to the DMV, just ONE TIME justifies a AAA membership. The folks that work here are very friendly, efficient and make sure you have what you need taken care of fast. The last three times I have been here, they have called my name within minutes of arrival and I was out the door in ~15. Once you have had good service, it's really had to have to deal with bad service. As I have always said; effort shows and lack of effort slap you across the face like a rotting fish. There's my comparison between the DMV and AAA. Effort and Rotting Fish. Its not elegant but you certainly get the idea... read more

Great service I love the people here. I had an accident with this insurance and despite my confusion the service made me calm down. They helped me register my replacement car quickly. I never imagined the stress of being hit while parked. Please get the most coverage you can and use this company. It's a small town and you need this branch when you least expect it. Their physical presence and range of services is so comforting. read more

We were with State Farm for 16 years and had a great experience. We moved to California and decided to try AAA. We probably have spent 6 or more hours on the phone trying to clear up policy confusion. They had to go back and listen to a recorded call to verify what we said on the phone before they would credit us on our policy for a car we sold and removed but they never cleared from our policy. This took 3-4 call and a day or two to get confirmation. We moved down the street and had to change our address and after three calls to update our new address they are still sending to our old address after 3 months even though they say they have the updated info. Every time you call up you get a different person and they don't communicate well with each other. We had our monthly bill auto withdrawn from our account but they did not tell us if you don't pay for whole year up front they charge you interest each month. I think the interest was 17.9% each month. Fine to charge but at least tell people before they do it. Then after finally having enough of the confusion we decide to go back to State Farm and they charged us $160 dollar cancelation fee. Bad service waisted time and then a final punch to the gut as I exit. My advice if you are thinking about AAA for insurance is there are much better companies to work with. S read more

I have been a plus member for 22 years and dont use my roadside assistance benefits very often but last night I needed a tow. I called at 6:19pm and requested tow service and thought all was good and at 6:31 pm, I received a text stating the tow had been dispatched. At 6:44 pm I the tow truck driver called me to ask if I need a flatbed or regular tow. Turns out I need a flatbed tow. The driver tells me he may have to decline as he does not have one available. I waited to hear from AAA about this but didnt receive a text update or call so I called at 6:50pm and waited for 32 minutes for a rep to take my call whichbwas 7:27 pm and was told another provider was being requested. I did not receive a text update or call once again so I call AAA at 7:28 pm and wait 31 minutes for a rep to help. At 7:59 pm I explain my situation and ask what is going on and was told there are no flat bed tows available and I find that real hard to believe. I think someone dropped the ball. The rep apologized for nobody updating me. What if I just assumed AAA was working on it? I would have been there all night and I was in a not so nice part of town so it would have been nice for someone to let me know there wasnt a tow truck available so I could have figured something else out. Is this normal practice when a tow is declined? The rep I spoke with first should have asked if I need a flatbed or regular tow and i should have been updated since I requested text alerts. I got the text saying the driver was dispatched but no update when it was declined or follow up after. This is unacceptable in my opinion and is not the kind of service I expect from AAA. read more

The AAA office in Santa Barbara was good. They provided fast efficient service but when I tried to use my AAA roadside assistance, after being on hold for 20 minutes waiting for a live person to answer I hung up. I tried it again and after another 10 minutes on hold I just gave up. Huge problem with roadside assistance service. The only other time I used it they answered the phone but the tow truck driver didn't show up and I ended up leaving after waiting an hour for the tow truck to show up. This service needs to be fixed. Lots of issues. read more

This review is specific to getting a home and auto insurance quote from AAA in Santa Barbara. At first, it was a positive experience, until we learned the day before our home insurance expired that AAA denied us home insurance due to our flat "non-conventional" roof. They would have covered us if we had "traditional" flat roof materials, but our high-quality pvc membrane flat roof that will not leak or sag was disqualified. That by itself is fine - AAA has a conservative approach to insurance, and I get it - that's how they keep the rates low. The problem I have is that we were not informed throughout the process that this could be an issue even though my husband told the representative we had a flat roof with this material during the first phone call. Weeks later, even days after the home inspection was completed and the roof was viewed by the inspector in person, I got a call asking me to verify the material the flat roof was made of. There was no mention or indication that there was a possibility that our insurance coverage would be denied until the day before our policy expired. I was told the underwriter would approve our policy the next morning. Well, that never happened and we felt blindsided by the news. We ended up going with another provider because the purpose in getting a quote from AAA was to bundle our auto and home insurance policies. Getting our refund back from them was also a painful experience. It took multiple emails and follow up, and then because they waited too long, they couldn't reimburse us via original payment method, and now we're out another week waiting for a check in the mail. AAA may be a good match for many people, but if you have anything non-traditional like a flat roof, beware - they may deny coverage right before you need it. read more

Very quick, efficient, knowledgable employees - But most of all no long lines a la the CA DMV (everyone's fave hangout/activity - NOT!!). If you have AAA, take advantage of their many services. In my humble opinion, it's totally worth it. read more