AAA Motor Square Garden

While most AAA business can be done on-​line, this is still a beautiful building to behold. This is the place to come for drivers license photos. Also the place to come for Title Services. You can obtain EZ-​pass here and consult with travel agents and get travel brochures. The UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing faculty offices and computer lab and classrooms are also located within.

Extremely bureaucratic employees. Bad facility, even without a trash can in the room. The waiting is forever not only because there are many people in the line, but also a result as a low efficiency of the staff.

I have been a member for more than 39 years. I got a flat tire on my Miata and fortunately this was the first flat tire in 8 years since there is no spare. I called AAA and the service and follow-​up were both appalling! I called for a flatbed truck and the first dispatcher was rude and unhelpful (and I waited a long time to get this rude treatment). Finally he agreed to send someone to put air in the tire. I said if they don’t come with a flatbed truck, then no use. He said I would get priority service for the flatbed if air was not sufficient. Air was not sufficient, the guy called for a flatbed and I waited and wait. I called AAA again and was told that since I was at home, I should wait longer. So the air in tire was wasted time. Finally someone came and it was NOT a flatbed truck. He said that this was better than a flatbed. It was getting late. He forgot to release emergency brake and towed it to garage with brake on! He also damaged the front fender by towing the car. I called the next day. I was told someone would get back to me within 1 – 3 days. No one has gotten back to me yet. I can wait forever to talk to some one.
So I complained by email and decided to share with you too. Horrible treatment.

This place sucks! Not only do you have to pay more for routine DMV services if you are not an AAA member, you will wait for literally HOURS to be seen. Complete waste of life. I hate this place with a passion!!!

I like how this place is so conveniently located. Although they don’t do out of state licenses, they can change your plates to PA ones. Anyway, this place is AAA as the name states, so I would suggest you get a membership before coming as their computers are very, very slow. My husband went in without a membership and signed up, and because of their computers, we were there close to 3 hours. So be warned.
The customer service is very nice and they try to do their best to please their customers. If you are getting plates here, make sure you have EVERYTHING, otherwise you will be coming in for nothing. Since the title of my care had my husbands name on it as well, I had to get a power of attorney so I could get the care registered. So that kinda tells you just how much stuff the state requires.
Overall my wait was not too bad. Just bring a book or download a game on your phone in case you end up waiting to be seen.

Came here needing to change our titles to PA after moving from California. Service was very nice and the staff was extremely helpful… It’s not an easy process and at least they’re very accommodating.

I was dreading the trip, but turned out better than I expected. I already had my driver’s photo card in hand and just needed to get my picture taken. Wan’t too busy on a Saturday afternoon. The lot has free parking which was convenient.

Not that bad of an experience is what I keep telling myself, and that’s what I’ll stick to.
Confusion sets in as soon as you near the place, and before you step foot in the door. Do I park on the street, do I pull in that lot that has all the confusing signs? Take your pick it doesn’t really matter. Careful crossing the streets to get here.
Once inside, the confusion continues. Signs are somewhat lacking and really don’t directly tell you where you need to go. Getting lost is easy in here. Majority of the time, escalators are down for maitenence, making it that much harder to navigate the building.
My soul purpose to coming here was to get my license picture taken. At usual locations for the DMV, you walk in, take a number and sit and wait. Not here. Without a sign to indicate that you need to stop at the reception desk until you make it to the DMV portion of the floor, you have to turn around and wait in a line. And when you wait, you get to hear the receptionist make a snarky remark about how you can’t read a sign… MAKE IT BIGGER AND PUT IT WHERE A PERSON, not a dog, CAN SEE IT.
Thank god that all I had to do was get a picture taken while in here, or I might have lost it.
Sidenote: Is it just me, or would this place have been better used if it was a market to buy fresh meats and produce in. Or an indoor shopping center?

Worst experience. Slow, rude, unhelpful, and completely clueless. After one hour here and talking to 4 different people, I was absolutely no closer to getting my driver’s license renewed.

If I could give negative stars I would. After this review, I’m writing the president of AA and if action is not taken to correct the disservice at this location, I will never be a AAA member again. (been one since 1999)
I recently moved from TN and needed to transfer my title and register my Dodge Ram in PA. (a Dodge Ram is a truck… in case you didn’t know… cause they didn’t) This process is costly regardless of where you go, but adding $ 36+ for every transaction makes AAA the most expensive. I’m willing to pay for people to deal with this inconvenience for me, but AAA has made it worse than going to the DMV. Each and every clerk at this location is incompetent, uneducated, and aloof. I should know, I’ve dealt with at LEAST a dozen. Go to the DMV.
For my very simple transaction, I’ve had to return to this location 7 (yes that is SEVEN!) times, and it still is not resolved. They’ve forgotten to request the title from my lien holder, issued the wrong plate for my vehicle, neglected to inform me of steps required by the state… I mean seriously, why would you pay $ 36 for EACH visit, just to get it wrong. Go to the DMV!
Why did you return there if you were so unhappy, you might ask. Well once you begin the process at one branch, you cannot transfer to any other branch. (We went to Monroeville to transfer my wife’s car and it took 30 minutes, ONCE.) Go to Monroeville, or cancel your AAA membership and go to the DMV!
Oh, and 30 minutes? that’s a dream… I’m waited between 45 minutes and 3.5 HOURS at the East Liberty AAA. Prepare to take the day of work… nay, the WEEK in order to complete any transaction at this facility. Go to the DMV!!!
It has now been over 5 months since I started this process and it’s still up in the air. they don’t know what I still need to do, but they are happy to keep charging me to figure it out. Save yourself hundreds of dollars and a weeks worth of lost wages and just GO TO THE DMV!!! Yeah it might seem sterile and slow, but at least they aren’t serial criminals. It’ll be over with like waking up from a bad dream, instead of the reoccurring nightmare that is the East Liberty AAA.
Oh, and if you think this is a harsh review… Call their number, 412−365−7196. 9 times out of 10 it just rings and rings. once I timed it for more than 30 minutes before I got an answer (with no apology). If you are in the AAA, you’ll know I’m calling. It’s the constant ring in the background that NOBODY answers.

there is no option for zero stars so i was forced to give one. 7 weeks ago i wasted an hour of my time and $ 5 to process a title transfer. BTW, east liberty/​motor square garden-​their parking lot is awful! who makes paying customers fetch tokens to park? 7 weeks later, no title? for some odd reason, local AAA offices dont post their phone number online? instead, you get the generic 412−363−5100 number which is a call ctr and they have to «transfer» you to the local office? naturally, i get an automatic voicemail. and again naturally, no return phone call. CANT WAIT until AAA calls me to renew my membership. complete incompetence. might as well deal with penndot!

You’ll get better service at the proverbial «Bureau of Motor Vehicles.»
Visited today to help my son secure title/​registration for a car he purchased.
The office opens at 8.30a but nobody actually started helping people until about 8.45a. And then it was only ONE staff person — and she was visibly ill (which we later learned was a hangover after overhearing her conversation with a co-​worker).
ONE person working among the dozens of desks and workstations. Granted, it was a Friday morning, but still. Just one??? I understand the need to schedule people on peak/​off-​peak demand for services, but this is NOT what I’ve come to expect from AAA. It was like a ghost town there.
And nobody smiled at anyone else. Not at all. A (small) bunch of unhappy people trapped in a soul-​less bureaucracy. As I said above: it’s WORSE than the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
When we left — 9.35a — they were «serving» only customer #4.
Unbelievable. AAA used to provide service. Not any more.