Roadside assistance (RSA): the good, the bad, the ugly

When a surreal locale, a sturdy vehicle and an affectionate companion are put together for a journey, you would think nothing can go wrong. Until it does. 

The Christmas weekend in Delhi last year was warmer than usual and our winter clothes freshly stuffed in almirahs demanded justice. We decided to put them to good use at higher altitudes, and packed our furriest attires. The destination was Chopta – a remote village in Uttarakhand. Our four-month-old Kia Seltos glided through smooth stretches of tarmac and remained composed on off-road terrains.   

Reclined seat, stretched legs, sparkling eyes and a soulful smile – I made for an ever-excited co-passenger whilst my husband took up the job of keeping us in motion. Some 230 kilometers later, we made our first halt at Rishikesh – a holy city in the Himalayan foothills. After filling ourselves to the brim at the renowned Chotiwala restaurant, we got rolling again for another 160 kilometers. As we neared Chopta, darkness had engulfed the vicinity and cars accompanying us had disappeared into thin air, but luck hadn’t left our side as yet. Asking around for a while and a few steep turns later, we found our accommodation for the night.   

A mesmerising view of Chopta – a remote village in Uttarakhand

In the lap of nature, we woke up bright-eyed and bushy tailed. The aroma of hot masala tea and butter-smeared parathas from a roadside dhaba prepared us for the famous Chandrashila trek. Another 80 kilometres on our gas-guzzler took us to the foot of the trek, from where we set off on a quest to test our fitness and perseverance. How much we scored on these parameters is a story for another day, but we surely made the most of the woollens we carried.   

It was dusky by the time we returned to our gas machine which was patient enough to sit in a corner till we found our way back to it. But it was unresponsive; something was wrong with my perfect trio. The engine didn’t start, and the tranquil beast didn’t budge at all despite consistent toggling with its systems. There was no mechanic nearby, leaving us stranded in the middle of nowhere. 

The next line of action was to call the Kia Roadside Assistance (RSA) – a service which came as a free add-on for three years with our new vehicle. The manufacturer boasts an extensive set of facilities under its 24x7 RSA such as vehicle breakdown assistance on the spot, refueling, towing of vehicles up to nearest garage, medical assistance and much more. Customers can also get the service extended beyond the standard three-year period. An RSA service mostly comes in handy when one gets stranded at remote locations, meets with an accident or the vehicle gets immobilized.  

Kia offers dedicated SOS and RSA buttons, allowing customers to connect with the centre in case of need

Kia has tied up with Allianz Partners for its RSA service, which is reachable through a toll-free number. After a few back-and-forth calls with an assistant, we were assured that aid would reach soon, though a specific timeline was not committed. With phone signals weaker than my patience, we kept our fingers crossed. After three hours of waiting and a few heated conversations, it was concluded that we could only expect help the next morning due to the remoteness of the region.    

Stranded on a pitch-dark stretch of road with no buildings around and a car with half opened window in biting cold, our reality was scary. We wrapped ourselves with more layers, cursed the manufacturer and the RSA service provider and tried to get some sleep till dawn broke. With tired eyes and stressed minds, we called the RSA assistant the first thing the next morning and help was finally on its way, but not as was promised. It was extremely delayed, reaching us only after noon.  

Our messiah came with a jumper cable and it took only 15 minutes to get us back on the road. The sense of being in motion again was good but the appalling memory of being stuck in a car through the night is indelible. The worst part is – all that the service providers could do was cut a sorry face and bury the incident in the heap load of service requests.  

Simply recharging the battery using a jumper cable was all that was needed

We were relieved after touching the home turf and getting proper sleep, but the memory of the incident kept haunting us. I was curious to know if this was an isolated incident or if other people could relate with me. So, I connected with some acquaintances and friends to know their instances of using RSA. Surprisingly, some of them, who drive, were not aware of this service while others quickly shared their experiences. 

Amit Saraswat, a colleague, instantly sympathized with me. Back in May 2019, on a road trip to Rajasthan, his humble family car – 2017 Renault Kwid – started leaking oil after hitting a crater-sized pothole. Though he doesn’t remember the exact location of the incident, he immediately parked his car in a corner and called the Renault RSA toll-free number. “To my surprise, no one responded,” he recalled. When they eventually responded after an hour or so, Amit was told that the nearest service centre was closed, so they were arranging a third party flat-bed service to tow the vehicle to a farther one. “I remember waiting for over three hours in the middle of a desert when they promised to send help in one and a half hours,” he added.

After all the waiting and panicking, the tow-truck came to his rescue. A free cab assistance up to 50 kilometers is a part of the RSA package but that service was not extended to him. Amit and his father took a lift in the tow car. His mother was accommodated in another car that was travelling along. “We were lucky enough that a family friend’s car was there. Imagine if this happened at midnight, waiting in the middle of a desert would’ve been a very different (and risky) scenario.” he said. It was a mixed experience for Amit as he expected better service.

Amit’s 2017 Renault Kwid being towed

A friend, who chooses to be anonymous, narrated his ordeals of assessing roadside assistance for his leased Maruti Swift. Round-the-clock RSA service came as a part of his lease package from the car subscription platform which he doesn’t want to name. Back in 2022, when he encountered battery issues in his car near Cyberhub, Gurugram, he manually pushed it to a corner amidst heavy traffic. “Recognizing the urgency of the matter, I promptly contacted the third-party RSA helpline, asking them to tow the car to the nearest workshop for repair,” he recalled. However, upon anticipating delay from their side, he chose to directly get in touch with an executive from the leasing firm. After a short wait, the company sent its in-house technician who confirmed a case of battery failure and quickly replaced it. “It seemed as if they were already aware of the impending issue,” he remarked.   

The leased Maruti Suzuki encountered battery issues during the duration of use

In my opinion, the onus of helping a stranded customer lies with the manufacturer and the leasing firm, who sells and leases the vehicle, respectively. However, since most of the top players tie up with third-party service aggregators, they hardly have any control over issues like delayed help or unresponsive helpline numbers. To maintain a high-customer satisfaction rate, it is important to have an in-house network of mechanics alongside outsourced services.   

However, every cloud has a silver lining. While some people experience substandard service when stuck on roads, others find it extremely helpful. “It is great to get instant help on the spot,” said Rajiv Jain, a businessman. In October 2022, on way back from his factory, his new Hero Maestro 125 started throwing issues. Due to some battery wiring issue, the scooter got immobilized and Rajiv immediately called the RSA helpline. Within an hour, a tow truck came to the spot and transported the scooter (and him) to the nearest Hero workshop. “I was quite satisfied with the service and the prompt response. It was a smooth experience,” he said.  

Rajiv’s Hero Maestro at a company workshop

Sandeep Verma, another colleague, shared a similar anecdote. In 2021, while driving on the Yamuna Expressway, he realised that his Hyundai i20 had a flat tyre. Since he did not have a spare wheel on hand, he contacted the RSA helpline for assistance. The tow truck, which was expected to reach him in 45 minutes took about three and a half hours instead. However, Sandeep was satisfied with the overall service. “Except for the waiting part, I found the service quite smooth,” he said.

The exercise of chatting with acquaintances about their RSA experiences was comforting and thought-provoking at the same time. The concept of RSA got popularised in the India market in the early 2000s and is expected to mature over time. While it is convenient to have an SOS helpline support for all those uncalled-for incidents, the service providers need to up the ante to live up to the tall claims they make. In almost all cases, help reaches on the spot, but the urgency of the help is often neglected. Faster turnaround time, better communication and innovative technologies will help the RSA industry fare better in the longer term while keeping the customers satisfied.