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“DO NOT JOIN!!! ”

written by 184Cardenas on 24/06/2014

Since joining the AA at the roadside last year I have called the AA for assistance on four occasions, and each time have found that I am either not covered by my policy, or have found the service offered to be sub-standard.

I joined after suffering a tyre blow-out in roadworks on the M6 motorway. I called for assistance and was sold an annual membership, and was charged a large penalty for having to join whilst in a breakdown situation. Breaking down on a motorway is a stressful and dangerous situation to be in, and after waiting with my vehicle I was pleased to see an AA van arrive, however, the van continued past me and did not stop. Afterwards I received a phone call to tell me that because I had broken down in a section of roadworks I had to use the free recovery service offered by the construction company instead – if I had been told this over the telephone earlier perhaps I could have been rescued much quicker, and without having to pay to join the AA in the first place.

The second time I called the AA was on the New Years day, when a vehicle hit my car while parked, causing damage to the rear of the vehicle. I called the AA to ask for advice and to enquire as to whether a patrol could be dispatched to assess whether the vehicle was roadworthy (I was 250 miles away from home) but was told that the AA do not deal with road accidents, and instead to call my insurance company, which, being a bank holiday, was closed.

My third call to the AA was after my partner accidentally selected the wrong nozzle at a filling station and dispensed £1.60 worth of petrol into my diesel car. Again, I was told that I was not covered for such an eventuality and that for a mere £180 I could pay for a representative to attend and rectify the problem – after politely declining I called a competing service who advised (correctly) that £1.60 worth of petrol would not cause damage to a diesel car, as long as the tank was immediately filled with diesel and the engine not started in the meantime. Simple and accurate advice that the AA again failed to give.

My fourth and final call was when my car displayed a diagnostic error message and entered a limp mode, making it almost impossible to drive. When the patrol man arrived, the mechanic was equipped with a vehicle diagnostic system that he admitted “hadn’t been working for a couple of days” and as such, was unable to diagnose the fault. Luckily after a brief stop at a local supermarket, the car recovered for long enough for us to make our way home, where the next day we visited a local garage and paid £50 for a vehicle diagnostic – something that should have been completed at the roadside.

As you can see, I do not feel that I have received anywhere near the value for money expected with my membership fee, and in fact have been left out of pocket due to the failings of the AA equipment.

I have now joined Green Flag and must sing their praises after the diabolical service I have received from the AA