Don't Depend on Silver-Plated Roadside Service!

A BIG SHOUT OUT to Jason, Tricia, Pat’s Body Shop, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol!

It was a beautiful day for a trip to the South Carolina Upstate. The sun was shining, it was a mild 70 degrees, and the sky was that beautiful, picture-perfect, Carolina blue. Our first stop, as always, was the tire store. They checked the tires, and we were soon underway. ARTyRV is a 36 ft. long motor home and weighs in at 15,000 + LBS. Tire safety is a priority.

As some of you know, we have a vacation home in Pacolet Mills, South Carolina. Our home is located in the Pacolet Mills National Historic District. The village was built 1915-1920 and there are 126 contributing buildings. Our 100-year-old home sits on a granite outcropping at the end of a cul-de-sac. We love the history here and we can hear the waterfalls in the distance. Fishing and kayaking are within walking distance. We have a place there for ARTyRV, allowing us to work on the house, visit family and see customers in the Upstate area.

The beauty of having a motor home is that we can travel, stop and have lunch, turn on the AC, and relax anytime we want to! So we stopped at the Lugoff Rest Area and enjoyed a healthy lunch of avocado, tomato slices, and unsweet ice tea. Dixie had a walk and a snack, and we were once again on our way.

We cruised out onto the interstate and eased into traffic. As we approached 50 miles per hour, we heard a loud pop, and as they say, -All H*** BROKE LOOSE-. HOW MANY TIRES BLEW OUT? Rubber was flying, and we could feel the grinding of metal to the pavement. Did you know there is a warning bell alert in the vehicle when the brakes fail? As Ed guided the motorhome away from traffic, we lost our breaks! The guide rail loomed in front of us, then to the side, as we swooshed by. Was I praying when we came to a grinding stop? You bet!

Traffic whizzed by, and we sat there in disbelief. Did we cry? Did we speak? No, we sat there. We looked at each other. We were still alive! We knew we had shared a very traumatic experience. There were no words. But we were safe for now.

We regained composure, Ed opened the door, and heck, the steps worked! I could hear the crunching of asphalt as he stepped out. Yes, we blew a tire, only one. When it blew, it tore out the brake line, the fluid leaked out, and the brakes failed. Now we were out in the middle of nowhere on I-20, on the side of the road.

As Ed was determining the damages, I called Good Sam Travel Assistance. I felt some relief when I realized we had bought the Platinum Plan. The Platinum plan offers a myriad of benefits. Free towing and tire and wheel replacement. Roadside help, car rental, overnight accommodations, etc.

The first call to Good Sam was at 12:37 PM. The nice lady at Good Sam asked if we were in a safe location. She did seem concerned. She assured us that a tow would be there within the hour. We still did not know where we were going.

We were so looking forward to this trip. To see family and reconnect means so much to us. We made it through the worst of the pandemic! Every time our family is together, time feels more precious. So I called Tricia (our daughter) and let her know we would be late but, help was on the way.

At 1:40 PM, Good Sam sent a text to apologize for the delay and reassured us that help was on the way. I called them to inquire where they were towing us to. We then learned that there was a three-week waiting period at all service facilities in the area. Also, the facilities had nowhere to store ARTy. Good Sam suggested to tow us to the nearest Wal-Mart parking lot. They told us we could wait there until they came up with an answer.

Sometime during our 4 1/2 hour wait, Good Sam called Pat's Body Shop, located a few miles from where we were. They got a quote and told them they would call back to confirm. Good Sam never called them back to confirm the tow.

While waiting for the elusive tow truck, I called Tricia to let her know we were still waiting. Tricia realized we were on the highway two miles from the home office of her husband's employer. Did we ever tell you about our son-in-law? He is a wonderful husband to our daughter and a super-duper Dad. He is also a very talented, generous guy with a ton of patience and always willing to help. His name is Jason. Could we spend the night in the parking lot there instead of Walmart? Then we can figure everything out in the morning? A plan was in the works.

At 3:08 PM, Good Sam sent a text and promised a tow truck was 45-75 minutes away. Soon after, we received a text that told us we could not ride in the tow truck. Now we would need to find transportation to our destination. To coordinate the ETA of the elusive tow truck with UBER, we called the towing company. It was then we found out that they were not coming. I called Good Sam. They said that the elusive tow truck came to our location and we were not there. HMMMMM How could that happen? Is this why people say, if it is unbelievable, it might not true? Anyway, someone is lying. During our conversation, I received a text from Good Sam asking me to fill out a service survey. Karma.

4:09 PM, Ed made the call to Good Sam this time. I am sure they could hear the desperation in his voice. After spending hours on the side of the interstate, we were not fairing well. Good Sam then promised to expedite our case. We now had a supervisor named Grace. She assured us help was on the way. Grace never called back.

4:30 There was a knock on the door! Finally! Only it was not Good Sam to the rescue; it was the Highway Patrol. Do you guys need a tow? Fifteen minutes later, we had a tow truck and a place to go!

A BIG SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to South Carolina Highway Patrol and Pat’s Body Shop in Lugoff, South Carolina. They saved the day, and we will be forever grateful for their help.

5:30 PM Thanks to Pat’s we arrived at our destination. We walked the dog, assessed the damages, ordered tires, fixed a sandwich, and went to bed.

6:32 PM Grace called. We were asleep and missed her call.

Lesson Learned: When you have an incident, call the Highway Department first!

See you Monday at 7 PM on ArtyRV GLASS STUDIO on YouTube.