Roadside assistance offered via your motorist's club is an excellent benefit to have. It comes in handy for all those times when you are in an accident, your car breaks down, you get a flat tire, etc. However, you really do need to be very specific when requesting roadside service. Here is why.
Some Motorist Clubs Will Just Send a Portable Jumpstarter and Someone to Hook It Up
That is not to say that a motorist club will not send other help to you if you need it (e.g., a tow to a service station), but if you do not specify, the general assumption is that you just need a battery jumpstart. It can be very frustrating to both you and the person that is sent to you when he/she shows up to give your vehicle a jump and the problem is not electrical but mechanical or related to an accident. Someone in a passenger car with a portable jump machine is not going to be able to tow your vehicle or change a flat because he/she did not arrive in a tow truck or bring tools to help with the real problem. Be specific so that the right assistance vehicle with the right tools and equipment show up to help.
The Wrong Service Only Frustrates Everyone
A tow truck that shows up expecting to tow a vehicle and finds that the vehicle just needs gas, or the passenger vehicle with the portable battery jumpstarter that shows up and discovers that your car badly needs a tow are both examples of how roadside service can suddenly turn frustrating for everyone. It could have all been avoided had you mentioned and requested specifically the right vehicle and service. With nothing in/on the tow truck or in the passenger vehicle, you really do not have many options to get you unstuck.
No More Delays to Complete Service
When the person sent to help you is not driving the right vehicle or has the right equipment on board, then there are further delays to getting your vehicle off the road and getting home. Specify the exact service you need when you make the initial call for help, and then you can go home or get to work much sooner. The vehicle goes to a mechanic's where it can be repaired, and hopefully you can pick it up later that same day or the next day.