Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by urbanhippie on Jun 19, 2007 15:41:19 GMT -5
you would think that the tow company that bonnaroo would choose would be a AAA company. Did you ask if they took AAA membership cards? That's the first thing i would've done...
Yea so that was a big long rant (and sorry for your bad luck) but thats just it bad luck, has nothing to do with Bonnaroo. Why would they let AAA on the property? They would have 100 tow trucks running around in area they know nothing about causing more confusion. You saw how things were situated. 90% of the cars werent in a position to be towed nor was there safe and sufficient room for numbers of tow trucks to be driving around. Im really sick of hearing people complain about things that dont need complained about. If you have a legitimate gripe about something in Bonnaroo's control then go for it (trust me I have mine) but other than that suck it up and rethink your festival selection next year. Trust me I wont be bothered by there being less people. and if you dont go someone will just fill your spot. If this is your first Roo take it as a learning experience. If you are a veteren, then you know what to expect. Yea this was the dustiest year but you know its sort of an endurance/stamina test and anything can happen weather wise at Roo. You know going in that this has been Tennessee's worst drought for how long?
Post by thingsfallapart on Jun 19, 2007 17:02:16 GMT -5
As I said in my original post, my complaint isn't about the dust. I know that's not Roo's fault. My gripe is the fact that Bonnaroo doesn't let in AAA and only allows one company in to tow. I don't see what the difference is between letting in AAA wreckers and this company--besides the fact that it would have saved me almost 300 bucks. It seems pretty clear that Bonnaroo has got people with car troubles by the balls (unless you know how to fix your own car, which I don't, that's why I have AAA after all). I'm pretty sure that in the real world this sort of thing is known as a monopoly.
And the way I know that AAA isn't allowed on the property is that I called AAA and that's what I was told.
CRY BABY stay home next year.....Plan better.....Nothing here is Roo's fault. Deal with it like everything else and make the best of it. Some times things are not in your control, make the best of it.
Oh man, how can you say @#$% you bonnaroo. I think the experience is what you make of it. Yeah, the dust kinda sucked and yeah it sucks that you had to get towed out...but really, stuff happens. This was my first bonnaroo and I have to say that it was the best experience of my life so far. Yeah it was dusty, but nothing a day or two of coughing after won't cure, and yeah it was hot, but jumping in the fountain a couple times a day will fix that. The atmosphere, the people, and the music were amazing and I'm so glad I was there to experience it all. I'll be back next year without a doubt!
Damn dude we had jumper cables and a portable jumper thing at our camp. Ya gotta be persistant and patient. There are those who will help. We jumped off 3 people.
Post by gonephishin on Jun 19, 2007 21:28:54 GMT -5
it was a hot, dusty, weekend. me and my group even have two seperate run ins with manchester's finest......(had no idea cops walked the grounds, especially where we were camped) but hey we made the best of it and had a great time.... even with my 406 dollar fine for simple possesion it was easily the best weekend of my year. with all that said (imho) the ROO has lost a bit of the magic it had originally. i mean i saw people getting cited on shakedown for selling bottles of water. i probably wont be coming back down again but that farm gave me some of the best memories of my life and i will never forget them. thanks to all you wonderful people on here and to the people that put the festival together. thanks for five years of wonderful festival memories.
Post by layingblames on Jun 20, 2007 0:24:59 GMT -5
derm1123 said:
I'm not certain, but I believe AAA can't go on ANY private property. I got stuck in the snow a few years back at the University of Delaware and b/c it was in a UD parking lot, they couldn't come tow me.
just to clarify - know you weren't the only person to say it derm, but the first one i paged up to find!
AAA contracts w/ local towing companies and auto shops for towing and roadside assistance. while the trucks will frequently have a AAA shiny silver sticker in the window, there are no actual AAA-operated tow trucks.
if they would only allow for one service company to enter the grounds - i'm hoping that this isn't true and you were subject to misinformation - but i guarantee based on my real world job that they were contracted by bonnaroo, and that bonnaroo received financial gain of some kind from the contract.
granted, i'm hoping this is not true, and maybe your AAA operator flaked on you. shitty situation for you, thingsfallapart, but i'm going to live in my wonderland where bonnaroo doesn't f'you without at least asking first.
Post by ziggyandthemonkeys on Jun 20, 2007 0:36:41 GMT -5
Is it just me or does 290$ sound regular for a tow and recharge. And like people have said, AAA will probably reimburse you. At least look into that before you start bitching for no reason.
calm down everyone... shes just pissed because she probably speant thousands going there and then when she had given them everything she had, they wouldnt let AAA in...
I understand that its not Bonnaroos fault, but let her be pissed, who cares? Maybe with some luck if she writes them, they will allow AAA in next year... ill be there either way, thats for sure
As your attorney I advise you to drive at top speed and it'll be a Goddamn miracle if we get there before you turn into some kind of wild animal. Are you ready for that? Checking into a Las Vegas hotel under a phony name with the intent to commit capital fraud with a head full of acid? I certainly hope so...
Out of towner, stuck far from home, plus obviously on a vacation / fun trip, plus needs tow and quick vehicle turn-around == HUGE overcharging at most mechanics. 'Roo or not, if your car breaks down in a situation like this, expect to get reamed. Yah, it bites, but it had nothing to doo with 'Roo. I doubt there are any direct kickbacks involved, but probably some kind of contracting arrangement does go on, but if you had broken down anyplace else you still would have been reamed.
As for the no AAA, remember that AAA doesn't do any towing themselves, they contract out to towers who do it for them. So, when you call AAA you could get any one of a variety of tow companies on their contract list in the area, which makes coordination a nightmare for something like 'Roo. It makes perfect sense to me, given all the issues others mentioned above, for 'Roo to contract with their own designated towing company.
Remember also that you didn't just pay for a tow and a battery charge but paid to have it diagnosed and then done rather quickly. At least where I live most mechanics don't like drop-in rush work, usually preferring to schedule work in advance and often asking if you can leave your car for 7+ hours or even multiple days for complex issues. Rush work always gets the higher price.
By the way, if AAA wont reimburse you for the tow, you should seriously consider switching to Better World Club instead. They kick ass and I have been super happy to have their deluxe-package after dropping AAA.
As for the dust, wet bandana for the win. I found a vendor in Centeroo selling them for $2 for the regular ones, $4 for dead ones. Wore my blue dead one and my woven grass hat almost all weekend and only came out with a little bit of a cough from going Friday without the bandana.
But I've heard voices not in the head Out in the air they called ahead Through ripped out speakers Through thick and thin They found a shelter Under my skin -Evgeny Aleksandrovitch Nikolaev
the way i see it is like this ; if your away from home and you KNOW that your battery is shot or even a few yrs old . spend the $35 for a new one at wal-mart. as for keys , wire a door key somewhere under your car and if you get locked out you have a spare, the dust. well if it rained all weekend would everyone piss and moan about that too? the dust granted sucked but my weekend at bonnaroo was the fucking best . i'll be there next yr , rain , shine , sleet or dust.all you gotta do is be prepared and ROLL WITH IT
Come on guys, stop with all the name calling. It isnt roos fault, we all know that, this person is just pissed because they were expecting the weekend of thier life and it turned into a nightmare for them.
I agree. Name calling is not the way we should be conducting a thread. While the guy who started this thread made a questionable title for the thread. His complaint is fairly legitimate, and should be discussed, rather than flamed about.
(imho) the ROO has lost a bit of the magic it had originally. i mean i saw people getting cited on shakedown for selling bottles of water. i probably wont be coming back down again but that farm gave me some of the best memories of my life and i will never forget them. thanks to all you wonderful people on here and to the people that put the festival together. thanks for five years of wonderful festival memories.
with ya 100%- I won't blame Bonnaroo, but the 4 I have attended have each gradually changed to the point where "grass roots" is not so much applicable any more.Now that the word has gotten out there, expect societal norms to impact the festival more and more every year. I have long been a proponent of being there to represent and keep it how I like it rather than bitch about it and let it fall to the commercialism and greed.
But now, Superfly has an empire worth protecting. And don't doubt that they will do ANYTHING they need to to keep it going. Sorry to say that means upping prices, skimping on services, allowing law enforcement greater access, pinching shakedown, etc. Still a great festy for diverse tunes and people--just more associated headaches. Buck up or bail. Bitching is for bitches.
I loved Bonnaroo, but I must say that the creator of this thread is pretty dead on when talking about how they deal with car troubles, it's beyond crappy.
The confusion aspect of many wreckers being let in is a good point, but their selection was a horrible selection and there was clearly some deal going on because the prices were outrageous there.
On our way down one of my friends got a flat tire which he patched up quickly (we were already in line when we noticed it) and decided to fix later. He decided to try to get it fixed there and got a number from Centeroo.
The company was going to charge him 250 dollars to change a f**king tire. Needless to say he decided to try to make it to a wal-mart where it cost 75 and he got spin balance.
We also had another problem when another friend lost her keys (she found them 10 minutes prior to us leaving). She looked at the Bonnaroo guide, which instructed her to call AAA! After calling, she was informed that they were not allowed in and that there was no way for them to help her until she got off of Bonnaroo property. Had she not found her keys she probably would have had to deal with the same bullshit the thread creator did.
Moral of the story: don't have car problems at Bonnaroo or prepare to be fucked.
edit: I feel I should say again that I had a blast there and still would have even if we had to split money for the car troubles. There are just clearly better ways to handle things.
you know what was different this year - no yells of "BONNAROO!!!" in the crowds...
personally, I had an awesome time and I'll be there next year. even my gf, who was very "ooh, bonnaroo is fun but we shouldnt go every year" now wants to go next year.
Post by oleander124 on Jun 20, 2007 16:02:56 GMT -5
I just really hated having to wait in line TWICE to get inside on Thursday. The police totally fvcked us over and made us turn around and drive another 10-15 miles to get in line again. That really pissed us off from the get go.
Then our neighbors show up and ruin what time we spent at our campsite. I do believe we had the worst neighbors ever! They flashed women, rated them on their looks by shouting numbers as they walked by, kept yelling to get people to try their moonshine, then on Sunday the bulk of them leave only to leave a new guy there that kept yelling "fagg0t...I'll show you what a homosexual is fvckin' fagg0t!!!" at everyone walking around. It was truly a bad feeling being at our camp.
Post by mytwitewesties on Jun 20, 2007 16:12:08 GMT -5
The dust really sucked. I am still dealing with the mild respiratory annoyance and runny nose. But I intend to be at Bonnaroo in 2008 if I am still breathing. My wife won't let me bring my kids because she is concerned their asthma will become critical is such an environment. I had a bunch of bandannas with me. I even gave one away when I saw someone really struggling with the air. But, I didn't really recognize the breathing problem until some majority of the people at Bonnaroo were jumping up and down to the Police! That was the first time I realized how awful it was. That kind of screwed the view (or enhanced the view) at Flaming Lips. But I screwed up and forgot to bring a long sleeved shirt so it was the cold, sweating after Police without having a change of shirt, not the dust that sent me shivering away from another amazing show at Bonnaroo.
Let me suggest that all of us AAA members go online at AAA and see if there is an AAA authorized service in Manchester TN. If there is, we AAA members should express our frustration that AAA has not figured out how to manage an arrangement with another business that draws, conservatively speaking, 50,000 vehicles.
Oh, and if we don't like the dust, we should all start doing our part to stop Global Warming like ride a bicycle to Roo or car-pool at the maximum level our vehicles have capacity to carry. If we don't do something about GW there will be lots of dust in more places than Manchester TN.
This was my first Bonnaroo and I don't want it to be my last so let's do something for ourselves and support any activity that can reduce Global Warming and help the weather be more pleasant. Oh yeah, and call Triple A about how they helped your bad luck become worse luck.