Working at AAA Southern California — Reviews by Employees

Pay: Pay is reasonable for what they expect you to do. You really aren't expected to be independent or think for yourself.

Respect: There is not respect for the employees there. Management treats you like you a moron

Benefits: They are supposed to be good, but they are really bad. 401 k doesn't start for a year, health insurance is expensive, and sick pay doesn't start for 3 months.

Job Security: As many others have said, if you are in with the managers you are good, otherwise you are in trouble.

work/life balance: Good, the company is too cheap to pay for overtime, so you are out the door after 8 hours.

career potential/ growth: Want to get promoted? Work for the company for 5 years, then maybe you will be a team manager (also known as a supervisor)

location: good location, although the company is too cheap to pay for janitorial service everyday. Today there was no toilet paper in the bathroom. Gross!!

co- worker competence: There are some competent employees, but most are either uneducated, beaten down, or are just mildly retarded.

work environment: I have 3 great managers in our office and one witch. She runs around pontificating to all about how she knows so much. She is unapproachable and rude. She is always in a bad mood and freqently tells her employees to leave her alone because she is in a bad mood. She sets a poor example and it amazes me she has been with this organization for so long.

All of the managers in my office are old. Most have never worked for another company. Most don't realize they are stuck in 1950's business practices. It is very much "do this because we have done it for 20 years" even though it makes no sense. One manager is trying to change this, but he is the minority.

I always thought AAA was a great company until I worked there, now I just look down on it.

First off want to make sure that all understnd I work for a AAA contracted tow compnay and it is not the tow company I am venting about, it's AAA.
The company I work for has been with AAA for a long time. We have earned respect amoung our customers for our service but AAA over the past few years has made it very difficult to keep that respect. It is obvious that they have contracted other stations to steal our calls. The dispatchers at AAA seem to all be against us, they are so negative and hatefull towards us it's as though they have been threatened and told to be this way.
AAA is a money hungry monster who doesn't care at all about all the little people who do all the work for them.

If you are a younger person with a degree, do not venture to AAA. I have a degree and I regret my two years of employment with this company. They act like 2 years equal 2 months of employment. I feel like I have to be there for at least 10 years to get into a position which doesn't piss you off daily. This is by far my biggest issue with this company and why I am on the market for a new job. I have over 90% on MSI scores, which are surveyes given to insureds after a claim is paid. The surveyes are full of issues. Sometimes is 7-10 days after which is when it is suppose to be done. I have had surveyes done over a month after the claim is done. I am still over 90% so far this year with over 50 surveyes. I have been told I should be promoted by the end of the year but that probably leads to a position which gives you much tougher claims and a few small raise. To get into a position you would like to work, you have to wait for someone to die or retire. Many...most of the people in the good positions started right after high school. So, I suppose if you are willing to see the old people retire or die this is a good place for job growth but the people in there late 40's will have first shots at it.

There is a MASSIVE double standard with dress code. The males have to wear a tie during business dress weeks and the women basically dress the same during business casual weeks. The only real difference most males take between business dress and business casual is a polo shirt. The women will wear black tennis shoes. I brought this up to my unit manager and he basically said they do notice it but they dont want to say anything because it is possibly due to how they cant afford business clothes...lame excuse. I now dont even bother wearing my tie properly and leave my top button undone like I am a stressed out stock broker.

The pay is decent especially if you are willing to "pay your dues" basically. The managers CONSTANTLY take the good days off for example, the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. 3 of the 4 took this day off where as only 3 employees out of 30 of the non-managers can take the day off which you need to ask for 6 months prior...no joking.

If you have decent attendance, you'll be fine. The only time they find out if you are sucking at your job is if you go on vacation for a while and the lead reps will work your files then tell you how much you suck at your claim handling. If you don't, it'll take them about a year to notice you suck at your job. They will try to help you out for a few months but if you continue to suck, they will fire you. They are pretty fair at trying to help not because they care but because they dont like training new people.

The co workers at my office for the most part are somewhat useful but many people at other offices are completely useless. They will make you call people they should have called. They will take a few days to reply to time sensitive emails. When I bring this up to a manager, it rarely gets anything done. The offices continiously drop work onto each other as if we are different companies. Major disputes between offices do and often occur which piss off insureds for good reason.

The locations are in good locations BUT if you young like me, living close to many of the offices will cost alot in rent. I am looking to own a home especially in these times while the market is low so I am looking at an hour commute each way now.

The morale usually sucks. Mondays are very busy days. If you constantly call in sick on Mondays, this is when you will get fired. Workloads are usually doubled on Mondays. The managers make committees to improve morale but the committees are treated like an optional as the managers will still give you same amount of work even though you are in meetings for events.

The computer systems in claims are DOS based...DOS based!!!!!!! They always say, a windows one will be made soon but I highly doubt that since most of the managers still type with using only 1 or 2 fingers. The managers are usually cooler than your co workers so I cant say the managers don't realize the place sucks and realize why you are unhappy. Many of the older co workers and told me to get out while I can because this is a trap.

In short, if you are young...don't apply unless you are ok with little job growth. If you are experienced, the way AAA handles claims will make you laugh. Still using DOS and paper files instead of an online database.

AAA has a really good rep in Southern California...I have no clue why. The roadside assistance and claims are completely different agencies and have NO contact with each other which creates issues for insureds. Coworkers act like insureds should know this and treat them like idiots. Most insureds have awful policies and then bitch at you about it saying the sales agent never told them about rental or a deductible waiver. You tell them, sorry but I cant do anything about that so you need to pay out of your pocket now.

Out of a 10, i give AAA a 3. I sit at my desk everyday asking myself, i went through 4 years of college to do this!!!???

The Long Beach ER unit is a great place to work for women if you prefer a casual dress code. The unit manager there allows women everyday to wear:

Jean skirts
Dark colored full length jeans
Sleeveless blouses
Tennis shoes
Open toed sandals
Shorts

**Dress code for men is fully enforced at this location and you will be sent home if not dressed in full business attire.

i would'nt tell ANYBODY to work for this lame company!!! there'a a supervisior in the L.A call center she is ruthless and a snake, she hardly comes to work and when she is there she's out to find anyway to get hard working employee's fired..and even her own co-workers.....she's no joke if the auto club made her take a drug test trust me she would'nt be there.....u can't grow with this company if u don't keep a "brown nose" they have a crazy dress code for there call center when u don't work with the public @ all, u can't go to the restroom for to long without being grilled for it u better have account for yourself whenever ur not answering aaa phones!!! there is always a huge turnover most of the hires quit while going thru the sloppy training class, u r constanly over worked and wayyyy under paid

The company is very conversative since it's basically an insurance company and makes its money from insurance policy holders. Lots of old timers at the company and it's probably one of the largest privately held company in the US (approx 10K people). Most managers have been there for at least 10 years and senior management can extend their grip by changing the rules as they sees fit. Senior management is almost invisible from the regular employees unless they are getting food from the cafeteria.

They hires smart people but then dumb them down to follow all of the rules and regulations. Job security is ok as long as you're doing what you're told. People are fearful of challenging the rules or bad practices so everyone just keep their mouth shut to get their pay check. These are some of the reasons why it's called "The Club" when they speak about the company.

Most employees are good people who wanted to do their best but there are many incompetence or back stabbers in the mix.

The Automobile Club of Southern California is the worst company ever. I am appalled that it has been around for over 100 years. The management team lacks experience and there is a lack of opportunity for growth unless someone retires or dies. You have to kiss butt in order to get anywhere in the organization. Only people in the "in crowd" move around in the company. I would not wish my worst enemy to work there.

Many managers at the Auto Club have only ever worked at one company and do not understand that times have changed. The dress code is ridiculous - pantyhose for women? What company requires that anymore?

It is a cutthroat environment where you cannot trust anyone. Every employee is out to backstab each other. The work environment is stressful as you always have to watch your back and what you say. You never know who is related. Favoritism is so obvious. Different rules are set for different employees based on if they are popular or not.

A company this size should provide some sort of tuition reimbursement but it does not. The leadership team is afraid that this would foster change and innovation. Change and innovation are a threat for the leadership team because they do not like to be challenged. Any employee who challenges management is penalized by their manager. They will be singled out for the duration of their employment.

I would advise anyone who is interested in working there to choose not to. It's a company full of bitter people with chips on the shoulders. The executives are far removed from the employees in the "trenches". They do not care about the employees or staying current with technology. The company technology is equivalent to the technology other companies had in the 1980s.

Also, my favorite thing is that their is a separate parking lot for managers. The peons have to walk half a block to get to their desk. There is a carpool lot that is empty half the time. Not a good use of space. They should build a parking structure. The walk in the from the parking lot is the only exercise most employees get.

The cafeteria is awful. There have been numerous times where I have eaten food there that has made me feel sick to my stomach. Also, you can buy the same thing every day for lunch but the price will vary based on which cashier you get. Gloves are not used by the cafeteria workers. It is a major health violation. Just walking through the cafeteria makes me feel weird.

While I am unhappy with my job, I am not disgruntled. I just want people to know that when you come to AAA's Damage Assessment Center (DAC) you will be shocked at how horrible you are treated by managment. While I think the pay is low, I did accept it. However, the bonus pay is not the same in this department as it is in other departments. While you are rated by how the customers feel they were treated, it is unfair here because 7 out of 10 of the customers are already upset that their car is totalled and their agent (not you) did talk to them about rental nor their policy limits. This in turn reflects on you getting a low score on your evaluations. On top of that, they only count 1's and 2's (the lowest scores) and 9's and 10's (the highest scores). An '3-8' scores are completely thrown out of the equation. So you may not get your bonus because of this.
Also, because of the heavy workload, a lot of the workers will come in a little early, work a few minutes into their lunch or stay a few minutes late. But if you're caught you are immediatedly fired. But there is no way to get all the work done unless you give a little of your time.
Our unit manager is horrible. She speaks when she wants to whom she wants and has trained the team managers to fear her. My team has been told by my manager that we better not through her manager 'under the bus' or she deal with us. This means, that even though she asks us illegal questions such as "What's wrong with you?" when you call out sick, if we report her to HR we will be fired.
I have asked a manager of another department for help and he has flat out said "no, you're not on my team and walked away".
My manager rules by fear and she is a micro manager. Everyone knows that if you're on her team, you're pretty much the next one to be fired if she moves you in front of her desk. She is rude and even when she is wrong there is absolutely no humility. She even keeps the notes on employees for other managers so they can fire you promptly.
The managers are all very tight. They look out for each other as though they are really family. But any given day, you will hear at least 2 of them openly talking negatively about one of the newer managers and they could care less they are in front of subordinates.
Just know that if you work for this department, there is no job security. The company says they aren't doing layoffs and technically, they aren't. But they are terminating people for the smallest things and dispursing the work onto the rest of the workers.
Also, be mindful of the roaches (one fell out of the air vent) and the mice (there are traps around several desk).
Most of the co-workers are friendly but there are a few backstabbers (but hey, that's everywhere right?). It's the management that you have to watch out for the most though.
Oh yeah, because there is a 2nd department there, you will often hear the DAC managers speaking negatively about the other department and the guys downstairs. They are nice guys though and the salvage department is cool. But if you go soley off of the managers, you would think otherwise.
If you are looking for a job that will keep you busy, this is it. But if you want to be somewhere that you can grow as a person and maybe pursue management, you may want to look elsewhere.

I want to point out I am not a disgruntled employee but rather I want to warn others about what they are getting into when they work at AAA in Costa Mesa.

Be forewarned of the work environment. The management believes that the company should still operate as if it were the 1950's. Literally men wear ties everyday(one employee was reprimanded for wearing a bowtie)and women wear dresses. To see a women in a pants suit here is never going to happen. If you are a minority working here you will be just that-a minority. There is no diversity. Everyone that works at AAA in Costa Mesa are older white men who will admit they look down on minorities and women working there. When you attend meetings with executives you are not allowed to speak unless spoken to! There is a sense of fear that is instilled in employees about this. All employees have to park in a 200+ car parking lot and believe me it takes 15 minutes just to walk from the parking lot to the main building. I have never had to walk so far from a parking spot to a building in my life. Security here is ultra aggressive. You literally have to check in and check out to leave the building. If you have a bag larger than a bag from 7-11 they inspect it. Coming in or going out. For example if you order say a book and bring it to work in a bag or box they make you give it to them and they look through it before you come in and before you leave. They actually drive around the employee parking lot giving out tickets if you are backed into a space or are missing your front license plate! I wasnt aware that anyone other than law enforcement can ticket you.

As for up to date working environment forget it. No employee is allowed to have the internet. The only web based application you can use is called Club Hub and it is essentially a website that promotes all of the companies services. They even lock out your USB hubs on your computer and believe it or not the computers are so old you cant have more than one application open at a time or the PC will crash. They provide mice and keyboards that are so old they are yellowing! I'm not exaggerating! You need to bring your own office supplies-simply put they dont have any to give you except-and again I am not exaggerating-2 pens and a pencil.

They have a so called 15% employee discount on AAA insurance etc. But it is a joke because it is so expensive that it is still more expensive than other insurance companies without the discount. I hav worked places before where a company cafeteria exist but never one where they charge you $8 for a burger and fries. And to make matters worse they charge you .25 for a cup if you buy a fountain drink. I have never been to a cafeteria that nickels and dimes you for everything. And forget about bringing your lunch. The microwave line is atleast 30 people deep from 11 until 1 pm. And guess what-they only have two microwaves.

There is a great deal of turnover among young professionals at AAA. Because of the 1950's culture and environment and the poor pay they cant seem to keep younger people (25-40). Most people there, belive it or not, have been there 20 plus years. It is sad when the company magazine that is distributed to employees has obituaries on the last page of employees that have died!

Also they have the strangest pay dates I have even seen. You get paid on the 10th and 25th. No one can explain to me how they came up with those dates. And remember Xmas is on the 25th-and that is when they will deposit your check. So much for your last check to buy gifts before Xmas.

On the plus side I can say it is less then a mile off of the 405. There seems to be job stability but if you are younger and dynamic you will not stay here long.

Again I am not disgruntled but I dont want anyone to waste their time working at AAA in Costa Mesa. You will regret it.