AAA San Francisco Potrero Center

I have mixed experience with this AAA office. I went to this office to change the title of a car to my sister-​in-​law on 6÷20÷2016. This part went very well. The associate who handled the DMV transaction was very efficient, friendly and professional. However, the second part of my encounter in this office was anything but. After the title change, my sister-​in-​law and I went to add this car to her auto insurance policy. An AAA associate by the name of Luis was helping us on this. However, although asked repeatedly by us on the actual coverage of the insurance, he (Luis) kept saying that that was not available until an official declaration was sent to us in about a week. The worst part actually was his attitude towards us. He showed a great deal of contempt and disgust towards us when he talked to us. He didn’t see us as his customer. He didn’t even care when I asked to talk to his manager. Finally I had to walk to the back to office find who his manager was and reported this to her. I had also reported this incidence in a survey that I submitted to AAA. I believe AAA has a lot of good and customer oriented employees. However, one bad apple will ruin the whole basket. I sincerely hope that the AAA management can take the necessary action so that this kind of thing won’t happen again.

Unfortunately really disappointed by the overall customer experience and would definitely go elsewhere if I was offered a choice.
Called (415) 553‑7200 (the number listed for the SF Potrero Center AAA location) to inquire about the general location (noticed the address is listed as part of a shopping center; by the way, the AAA office is to the right of Ross, a few doors down) and also to find out if I needed to make an appointment to obtain an International Driving Permit, how long wait times were that day etc. The number is an automated message that doesn’t bring you to a representative so that was immediately unhelpful.
I therefor phoned the AAA regular hotline and asked the agent to assist me — she was absolutely delightful and tried phoning the Potrero branch as well but couldn’t get a hold of them either. She advised me that I could walk-​in, didn’t need an appointment.
I drove over only to find out in-​person that they had run out of International Driving Permits the day before. You can imagine my frustration especially since I had proactively attempted to get a hold of the AAA branch before investing time to head over.
Two ways this situation could have been remedied:
a. They should answer their phones, plain and simple. Don’t have them if your own agents can’t reach you.
b. They should update their website’s page to indicate they’ve temporarily run out of International Driving Permits so people can plan accordingly and go to another AAA location. When a retail store is out of stock of an item, it’s very clear that it has been sold out. Is it asking too much for AAA to do the same (real-​time info), especially since they «put their members first»?
On a side note, received spam from AAA in the mail that looked very official; huge letters on the cover saying «Immediate Signature Needed».way to lose my trust.
Giving 2 stars because the agent at the regular hotline was empathetic, delightful and as helpful as she could be.

This location has horrible customer service and long DMV lines. I came here twice to get some DMV services done. The reps especially Deborah in DMV was horrible. Will not return and cancelled my membership.

I always come here to register vehicles but this time they were especially great. The lady at the DMV counter gave me a bunch of great tips while she was working like the branch’s hours and where their other locations are.

Once again I risk coming to this dreaded AAA. And sure enough nothing has changed. 12 people in line and only 1 person at counter.
What have you done differently since 10 months ago to fix this problem. I will be cancelling my overpriced Première membership which obviously has no significant value whatsoever.

I have been doing business with CSAA for many years. They used to be a top-​notch insurance company and provided excellent customer service. Today, unfortunately, their overall level of quality service has dropped significantly. On the CSAA website they state: «Personal service is at the heart of the AAA reputation. So, whether someone is requesting a quote or making a claim, they can expect service that’s responsive, caring, and helpful.»
However, based on my recent experience with CSAA and the overwhelming number of complaints stacked against them from their own employees and members/​consumers alike, their website should now say: We are a tough, ultra-​aggressive company that will do anything to deny a claim.
Listed below are some comments others have shared online about their CSAA experience:
«Focus on changing claim handling experience to make the workload more manageable.»
«Know the difference between reputation and character. You are too worried about your reputation and forgetting about your character. Your character is who you really are and you have a really bad character. Many employees despise the company but you wouldn’t know it because they walk around with a smile hiding their anger.»
«CSAA policyholders who have been injured in auto accidents complain that CSAA has systematically refused to pay their medical bills, even in cases where there is no dispute as to liability or question as to whether the CSAA policy covers the accident.»
«CSAA has used a variety of unfair claims handling procedures solely for the purpose of delaying and frustrating policyholder efforts to obtain speedy and fair settlement of their claims.»

The DMV service is amazing! So friendly and fast. Having access to their in-​house DMV counter is worth the membership alone. I came in on a Friday afternoon to transfer a title and registration on a newly purchased car, and there was no line! Thank you AAA for easing the usual dread of going to the DMV.

You know I don’t even own a car these days. Why does AAA keep sending me snail mail that I need a membership? Well, that aside, on a warm day I walked here with a friend who needed an international drivers license. It happened so fast… walk in, prompt friendly greeting, got things done quickly and while I was waiting for my friend, two other folk asked me if I had been helped already. And there was a friendly old lady leaving the shop who stopped to ask me about the music they were playing (as if I’d know). Well nice place… wish their HQ sending me letters.

I had the pleasure of encountering Deborah Jones at the DMV desk at this location a few minutes ago. After having a pretty stressful day and dreading the DMV, like most Americans, I was pleasantly surprised by how kind, helpful and positive she was. I asked to even talk to a supervisor so I could give her a good review. I would highly recommend this location bc of my encounter with Deborah today. Cheers to great customer service!

100% satisfaction. 100% of the time.
Stickers stolen. Register car. Pay for registration. Insure my car. Smiles, quickER service than DMV. Friendly employees, so eager to help. Thank you AAA. You are lifesavers.

I came here during my lunch break yesterday to pay my insurance dues for the year. I did not have to wait too long to be seen. Everyone seemed nice and pleasant, as I was there just to go in/​out. If I’m in the area and I need services I would not hesitate to come back. However, please be ware of some sketchy neighborhood folks who may be hanging outside of the building.

Every time I come here there is only 1 – 2 people working and the line is building up. The employees don’t care how slow they move or how long the line is. My average wait is 35 — 40 min.

We are 40+ year members of AAA and have had good experiences with Road Service when we have had the extremely rare need to use them. Our car was damaged in a parking lot by a AAA insured driver, and we have experienced delays in AAA’s getting us authorization for a rental car (covered as a part of the person who hit our car’s insurance). The person handling the claim was very slow to return phone calls, thereby delaying authorization for our rental car claiming they need, and thereby delaying repair to our car.
As they say, ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ and AAA’s delays serve as a defacto denial of coverage. I spoke with a supervisor who offered that I could register my complaint to a fax number or mail it to a P.O. Box. Frankly, I am wondering if the maps and road service are worth the $ 90./year we pay for our to memberships. Hey, thanks AAA.

I have had car trouble on about six occasions over the past year or two. Every single time I have called AAA road service for a tow I have had to wait at least two hours, on one occasion I waited four hours. Seriously need to look into a new insurance provider.

The DMV service is super slow,
line is huge, due to the fact that the is only one person working behind the desk.

On the morning of July 21^st, my car would not start. We called AAA and and yellow tow truck from Larry’s towing in SF showed up about an hour later. The 2 guys tested my battery and told me that it needed to be replaced, and that they could get it done in an hour. All that, and a 5 year warranty on the battery too. I felt apprehensive about entrusting a stranger with my fragile beast, but they were there and I wanted to get to work. Besides, my girlfriend seemed to be saying yes already. Two weeks later, the car wouldn’t start. We called AAA again and Larry’s towing showed up, gave us a jump start and said the car was fine. They told me that there must have been a car light left on the night before. I drove 30 minutes to work after letting the car run in the driveway for 10 minutes. After work that day, the car wouldn’t start. The company tow truck came to the rescue with a jump start and told me that the battery was faulty and needed to be replaced. I called AAA the next morning and asked them to replace my battery. On the phone, they agreed, but the AAA tow truck that came would not replace it. After I exasperatedly explained my 48h of troubles, the driver insisted that I had a bad alternator. I had the AAA tow truck give me a jump start and I went to my trustworthy mechanic in SoMa, and he ran 10 minutes of diagnostic tests and insisted that it was indeed a malfunctioning battery. He kindly gave me a jump start and I drove home. Then, I called AAA again and told them that I had been to my mechanic and he had confirmed that I needed a new battery. They said that they would send someone to replace my battery. Two hours later, I was arguing loudly in front of my house with another AAA tow truck driver who told me that there was nothing wrong with my battery and that despite the 5-​year warranty on the battery, he was not allowed to replace it. I asked him if he could just please let me try a different battery for a few days so that I could see if I could drive to work and home without needing a jump start. Denied again. I called AAA again and was notified that I was running out of service calls. I spoke to a very kind young lady who was very patient in listening to my 4-​day ordeal. I asked her if there was anything I could do to have the battery replaced. She said that I would need to bring it to an AAA mechanic. I did that and the mechanic confirmed that the battery was faulty. He kindly offered to replace the battery. I called AAA and asked them if that would be OK. They said that it would not, and that I would need to make another service call in order to have one of their AAA battery service trucks come and replace the battery. After another 2 hours wait, the battery service truck came and I asked if he would replace my battery. He said that he would need to run some diagnostic tests. I asked if he might be able to just get the information from the AAA mechanic inside. He said no and proceeded to run additional diagnostic tests on my sickly, poked, prodded, and faulty AAA battery. Finally, her confirmed that the battery was bad and he replaced it. My car has been running smoothly ever since.

If you’re walking through the Mission District, here for the first time and desperate and desirous of a paper map, your heart may flutter at the sight of the AAA logo, atop a random stone edifice in the gentrifying barrio. Alas, it may sink again when you notice that, appended to the iconic logo are the words «Insurance.» As in, this is just a stupid insurance office. No maps, no triptiks, etc. But something inside you compels you to check it out anyhow! It is the same spark that drove Magellan, Lewis & Clark, Vasco da Gama, Matthew Henson… Perhaps, just perhaps, some insurance worker has stashed in his or her desk a proper paper map of the metro area, and maybe, just maybe, they will let you barter for it.
And so you find the second floor entrance. Others in your party, skeptical that any maps lay inside a mere insurance storefront, low on patience and coffee, walk off shaking their heads, in search of the charts you need for your journey. But you walk in past the glass doors anyhow, something, some unknown spirit compelling you to just have a look, just in case.
And then you spy it. To your left, just as you enter. Two big, brand new vending machines, stocked with every kind of paper map imaginable. A gift from the cartographic gods: S.F. Metro area. Northern California. Southern California. Surrounding states, wine country, bat country, Bay Area, Oakland, every possible mapping need one could ever have in this region, all addressed in glorious, foldable, oversized paper maps. Best of all, the maps are free –you simply swipe your AAA card, punch the code for the desired map, and it pops out the bottom. No apparent limit to how many you can get, either.
AAA is one of those things you don’t think about until you need it, but when you need it, you’re always glad you have it. Thanks, AAA.

Do not get AAA! Unless you wanna be lied to and have such poor/​unprofessional and rude customer service through the phone… Bad experience!

Dee Rivera was wonderful for our recent car seat installation check! she was friendly, knowledgeable and professional! as first time parents, she taught us so much! we were able to schedule an appointment within a couple of weeks of our inquiry

Love this place!
UPDATE
ok so I went back and here’s what I found… And this is just random noise. How long does my review have to be???

dropped in here to get (free) maps from the vending machine. just use ur AAA card and press the code for the map u want. quick and easy!
Dmv services, i always forget they have them. waited 1 – 2 hours recently at one.
need to check them out sometimes.
friendly/​helpful «receptionist»

This is in regards to attempting to get an appointment for a car seat inspection. I am having my first child & was told I needed to get my car seat inspected by a list of different agencies, AAA being one of them. What I really wish someone had told me was to do this at LEAST 2 months before you are due… or even 3 months before your due date in case you deliver early.
I called this agency & left 2 messages to Dee Rivera (who is listed as the person in charge of car seat inspections on
) to please call me back to schedule about a month before I was due. No one ever returned my phone calls. In a last attempt to schedule something (now that my due date is a week a way), I called again this morning. Finally, someone answered, but the earliest appointment is in July. Maybe if someone had called me back the first time, I could have got an appointment to check my car seat before my baby is born. Now I have doubt in regards to how safe my child is in the car seat because no one seems to want to bother with checking it for me.
What a disappointment. I will never become a member of triple AAA or use their services.
My advice to all future parents out there in SF: do this early. All the agencies that are on the list at
require at least a couple months out to schedule an appointment. The SFPD & SFFD do not do these anymore either. I’ve tried all agencies to no avail. Apparently, they don’t give a shit if your car seat is installed properly or not – they just say they do.

Thank you for not making me go to DMV for my car registration ever again!
Your DMV services counter is so convenient and wonderful.

Went to get aquarium ticket, waited forever.
What happens when you combine a DMV experience with trying to buy a couple tickets to the Monterrey Aquarium.
you get to sit in line for a long time while people sort out their DMV issues. I mean really AAA…its nice you offer this feature. Pretty good. DMV’s suck afterall
Yet why can’t the people who want to actually use AAA services get their own line? Why should I wait for the other crap, when I just want to get two tickets, pay, and leave.
For me it ruined the experience of having AAA, and if it was like this in Colorado I would ditch AAA. I renew a license what? every 3 years. I buy tickets to stuff a lot.

I had to have my car towed last night. Called AAA for a tow but after 3.5 hours of waiting, I had to call an alternative towing company. The cost of the towing from SF to Fremont was $ 500. And according to AAA, AAA will not guarentee reimbursement.
I have AAA for peace of mind especially for my wife. But after last night’s experience, I will think twice. I was left stranded in a not so good part of SF for over 4 hours and after so many phone calls with reps, despatch persons, & so & so, AAA didn’t even bother to show up or call to check on me.
I finally got home 6.5 hours later and at 3.30am. I am glad this happened to me instead of my wife as I can imagine how nervous she would be.
How is anyone suppose to «trust and rely» on AAA service? Apparently, this has happened to others as well.