The top complaint about tow service is silence

Road Service Report · Customer Experience

We read 60 recent customer reviews of roadside service posted in June and July 2026 on AAA’s Trustpilot page and Drive Roadside’s, and sorted every complaint. The top one was not damage, price or a rude driver. It was silence. In 19 of the 60 reviews, the customer had no updates and watched the ETA slip.

What customers are really telling us

Long waits came second, in 15 of 60. But read the reviews closely and the two travel together. A two-hour wait with three phone calls from the driver reads very differently from a one-hour wait with none.

The data backs that up. Agero, which dispatches millions of roadside calls, reported that customers who could track the truck were happier even when it ran late. In a survey Agero cites, satisfaction scores dropped from 62 to 15 when a customer had to make three or more contacts to get an answer (Agero and Bain). Treat those numbers as directional, but the lesson is plain: every time a customer has to chase you, you lose them.

This matters more now that roadside networks are consolidating. Agero bought Urgently and Honk merged with CurbsideSOS this year. Bigger networks lean harder on the survey score.

What customers praise

The five-star reviews describe the same few things: the driver called ahead with his location, calmed a stressed customer down, and was on time and polite. And the praise names the driver. Be the driver they name in the 5-star review.

The skill: call on accept, text on change

The en route call, from our NPS and Survey Mastery job aid:

• Introduce yourself by name and company

• Give your ETA as a real time, not “soon”

• Confirm the customer’s exact location

• Give a safety reminder: stay in the vehicle or well off the roadway

• Invite questions

When a delay hits, the five steps from our ETA Delays and Recovery job aid:

1. Identify the delay and your updated ETA.

2. Notify dispatch with your location, the reason and a specific revised ETA.

3. Call the customer: acknowledge, explain, and commit to a specific time.

4. Log the delay in real time.

5. Set a ten-minute reminder. If you still cannot meet the ETA, call again.

Escalate right away if the customer makes a threat, has asked for a supervisor three or more times, the delay is more than 90 minutes past the original ETA, or they report a medical or safety emergency.

For owners and dispatchers

Silence usually starts at the desk, not in the truck. A dispatcher who confirms the location, gives an honest window and asks “are you somewhere safe?” heads off three of the top complaints at once. Make the en route call a rule, not a courtesy, and check it on one call a week.

Sources: AAA Trustpilot reviews · Drive Roadside Trustpilot reviews · Agero, managing the clock · Agero and Bain · Tow Times, Agero and Urgently · BusinessWire, Honk and CurbsideSOS