When Patric Douglas discovered that his Toyota 4Runner had been severely vandalized, he was reluctant to call AAA; a previous experience with a different well-known auto insurer had been so miserable it left him nervous about ever having to file a claim again with any company. But, Patric says, “AAA made the whole process so seamless it was actually pleasant. If I ever have need again, I'll be happy to call AAA.” Here's what happened:

“I run a shark diving company and I use my Toyota to move gear all the time. On this particular night, I had just come back to San Francisco from a weekend of fly-fishing on the upper Sacramento River, so I had a full load of both dive and fishing gear. I was tired, I didn't want to bring everything up to my girlfriend's house. I thought the security glass hid things fairly well, so I left all the gear in the car.

“When I came back the next morning, the right side window was punched out, the gear was gone, the interior of the car was defaced, and it smelled horrible

“I was reluctant to call AAA. In 2004, I had had a different car robbery, and my insurer at that time made the recovery process so painful it felt like a second trauma after the initial theft.

“I did call, though, and to my amazement I met with an immediate sense of 'We will get this taken care of for you.' When the adjustor came to see my car she was sympathetic-and ready to make things happen. She approved a Toyota dealership that had been recommended to me and they made all the fixes. I didn't have to shuffle around to different shops getting estimates. She made good on her promises and got my car restored within a very fair period of time.

“You really want to know with insurance that if something goes wrong, you'll be taken care of. Unlike some other companies that make loud promises that they don't fulfill, AAA gives me precisely that peace of mind.”