Is Urgent.ly Good for Roadside Assistance?
Last Updated on September 23, 2022
There are plenty of roadside assistance services in today’s market, many of which offer similar services. Each roadside assistance service has its unique strengths and weaknesses yet a few have emerged as the cream of the crop. Urgent.ly is quickly becoming one of the more popular roadside assistance services partially because it is playing the role of Uber in the context of roadside service. As long as you have an Android or iOS device, this app-based roadside assistance service will prove quite helpful.
The Basics of Urgent.ly
It is best to think of Urgent.ly as an Uber of sorts yet instead of summoning a passenger vehicle, you summon a tow truck. In other words, Urgent.ly is a pay-on-demand app that provides roadside assistance services to those in need. Simply install the Urgent.ly app on your smartphone. If you need assistance on the road, you can tap the app a few times and someone will be at your service sooner rather than later. Pricing is estimated at the time of the request call. Customers ultimately pay through the Urgent.ly app with their credit card.
Urgent.ly Pricing and Services
Use your mind’s eye to envision a scenario in which you have mechanical problems and need a tow to the local auto shop which is about 10 miles away. Such a tow will likely cost a flat fee of $99 through Urgent.ly. However, if you enter your destination address into the app, you will be provided with a much more accurate quote. In general, tows between 10 and 20 miles typically run from $100 to $150.
Roadside assistance, however, is not Urgent.ly’s sole service. Additional Urgent.ly services include but are not limited to fixing flat tires, jumping dead batteries, fuel delivery, and vehicle lockout service. All in all, Urgent.ly has relationships with more than 55,000 service providers. However, it is not clear whether the company thoroughly vets these service providers or merely gives them a cut of the proceeds without digging deeply into their respective backgrounds.
Urgent.ly also partners with auto insurance companies to bring more convenient roadside assistance to their customers. If you are an Elephant Insurance policyholder, for example, you could get discounted Urgent.ly rates through their partnership. Contact your Elephant insurance agent for more information about this service.
Urgent.ly Response Time
Response time is of the utmost importance in the context of roadside assistance. If the responding truck cannot make it to your location in a timely manner, you will be stuck there that much longer, feeling frustrated as you miss your appointment, work shift, social gathering, or another event you were driving to. Urgent.ly does a good job of reducing response times as it runs the company’s app on all response drivers’ phones. The driver receives the request for assistance along with the location of the motorist and directions to his or her location.
Urgent.ly Payment
After assistance is provided, payment is transmitted directly through the Urgent.ly app by way of credit or debit card. The company even accepts payment through Apple Pay from those who run the Urgent.ly app on their iOS device. In other words, Urgent.ly’s payment system is fairly similar to Uber’s. There is no need to exchange money with the driver, ask for change or stop to break a large bill; simply pay with a few presses on your smartphone and you will be on your way.
A Timely Response to Your Call for Help
For the most part, Urgent.ly responds to requests for assistance in a timely manner. Though there are some instances in which it has taken a while for Urgent.ly tow trucks to reach those in need of assistance when driving in rural areas, the company typically provides assistance without an extensive delay. In fact, Urgent.ly users can see the number of responders in their area within the app. Once an Urgent.ly responder accepts the request for assistance, the customer can observe the responder’s tow truck move along the virtual map toward his or her location. The map updates in real-time to provide the stranded motorist with ongoing updates about the responder’s location.
Urgent.ly is for the Entire Family
Urgent.ly has a new feature dubbed “family view” for Android and iOS users that allows customers to add several family members to their Urgent.ly account. This feature is perfect for Urgent.ly customers who have one or several teen drivers in the house. If any such family member needs assistance through the Urgent.ly app, every other enrolled family member will also receive a notification to boot.
There is no Automatic Response
In order to use Urgent.ly, you must open the app on your smartphone. Once the app is open, you must manually make the call for service. In other words, the company does not have any sort of automatic response system in place that triggers a call for assistance after a crash occurs. However, Urgent.ly developers have stated they are considering adding such a future in due time.
Urgent.ly has no Recurring Fee
One of the best aspects of Urgent.ly is you only pay when you need the assistance of the service’s responders. This is a free roadside assistance app up until the point at which you need service. You can download Urgent.ly at no cost and keep it on your phone across posterity. Those who are not the best drivers, those who rarely drive, and those with a late model vehicle will find this roadside assistance service especially helpful.
Is Urgent.ly Worth Your Money?
Urgent.ly has been operating for 15 years so the company has proven it has a viable business model. Sign up for Urgent.ly and you will be provided with assistance from emergency response crews in all 50 states throughout the entirety of the day and night regardless of whether it is a weekend or holiday.
You have everything to gain and little to lose by signing up for Urgent.ly as it is free until you need it. There is a good chance you will never actually need to use Urgent.ly so you have every reason to put it on your phone. If the unfortunate occurs and you find yourself in need of assistance due to automotive failure or another issue, you will be able to summon assistance through a few presses of the Urgent.ly app on your smartphone. Download Urgent.ly today and you really will feel that much safer and confident on the road.
