I set my policy not to autorenew when I took it out. After the first year it did not renew and I did it by phone. This year, despite checking before renewal that it was still set no to auto renew AutoAid have automatically renewed the policy, which I did not want. They then refused to accept it was set not to autorenew, despite admitting I had renewed on the phone last year and I have made no changes since. Despite contacting them within hours of the autorenew to cancel they refused a full refund and kept £24 of the premium. Currently progressing a complaint which I will continue through the ombudsman if necessary, which will cost them more than £24. So potential customers need to look at more than the actual breakdown service, which is provided by independent breakdown companies anyway. The customer service is untrustworthy. If you do go with them and don't want to renew make sure you contact your card company and put a block on them. And if you get stung don't just take it on the chin, complain then go through the ombudsman to highlight their practices. Owned by RCIB Insurance, look at their online reviews.

I have had a policy for a few years, until now. I no longer require cover and was surprised when I received an email, at 08.03 on the morning of my 'auto' renewal to be told that £78.54 had already been taken from my account. I called in at 10.51 to cancel the policy and seek a refund, only to be told that there would be a 'cancellation charge' So, for a policy I did not intend to renew I get charged when cancelling less than 3 hours after they tell me that they have taken my money without authority on the day of renewal? Very unhelpful staff, so I have raised a complaint and will ultimately go the the Ombudsman unless I get a full refund, (which will cost them £750) MADNESS and my advice is go somewhere else.

Appalling service nowadays. Used to be excellent but not anymore. Broke down at 4pm yesterday. Rang three times. Advised to call the police as no one was available for recovery. Basically told to tough luck as local contractors were all busy. Finally got a hold of a "supervisor" who advised to call back the next morning. Car finally towed away after waiting 19 hours. No priority assistance for me even though I was a lone female with 7 year old boys in below freezing temperatures. Avoid.

exorbitant cancellation charges eventhough cancellation done before policy starts!!

Be careful with automatic renewal they tell you a month earlier about it in one of their lengthy emails,then charge you £20 to cancel if you forget,NO notice one or two days before, typical move by certain companies, noticed it happened alot with them..

At renewal time, they take payment at midnight on the day of renewal, meaning if they can't debit the card immediately, the policy expires. This means you are then forced to take out a new policy at a higher price. I was told by a rude, unhelpful customer rep that is standard practice across all companies, and there is nothing she could do. This is clearly not the case, as my insurance company were similarly unable to take payment – however, because they tried to do so BEFORE the renewal date, rather than waiting till midnight on the day, I was able to call a few days later, update my payment information, and continue the policy. This apparently inability to extend my existing cover is despite being sent an email at 6am on 31 Oct (the renewal date) saying: "No need to panic! All you need to do is contact us ... [to] simply update your payment details or retake your payment and get you back on cover without a hitch". I assume most people simply agree to pay the extra £15, but the whole exchange left an extremely bad taste. I now have to look for a new breakdown company, but I can't continue with Auto Aid if that's how they treat their renewing customers. Put your prices up if you need to, but don't resort to underhand practices to gain a little extra cash.

When I phoned the renewal number, I was told that the system was down, but was not made aware that there was a time limit for renewals. When I called again to renew, I was told that, as my policy had now expired, it would cost another £14 for a fresh policy. This was in spite of the fact that I had attempted to renew previously. They have happily taken my money for the many years that I have subscribed and now decide to penalise me for something that wasn't entirely my fault. I shall be making my disappointment known in every way possible about these people. Disgusted.

Broke down bank hol Monday at 7.30,rang for recovery and was told after a very long phone call that I wasn’t covered !! I said I have yr email I front of me and it states my Motor home is covered and the registration is correct he still said my manager says we don’t cover motor homes I said well you have given me a policy stating I am covered he again said yr Not but we can get You Home for £459 a total of 41 miles, I am looking into involving the ombudsman but please don’t trust them.

Got 2 emails a month before renewal date telling me that they had changed the conditions on my policy to autorenewal. Luckily I spotted them and they didn't go to spam. You have been warned. Avoid

I had the unfortunate experience of breaking down. Autoaid responded quickly and handled my breakdown efficiently, checking I was OK, safe and ensured I understood every step of the process. They sent text with details and a website link with further info. They also supplied details of the breakdown and recovery company [Riverside Motors]. They arrived promptly but unfortunately were not able to repair car due to severity of problem. However they promptly arranged for recovery vehicle which again arrived promptly, they loaded the car without any dramas and swiftly took us and our car home. The service was great and the guys at Riverside Motors were very polite and helpful. There was no aspect about the situation that wasn't handled very well. Many thanks and well done.

Absolutely wonderful in time if my difficulty

Had ‘auto aid’recovery insurance for eleven months now and not had to call them at all. NOW I find they are going to ‘auto renew’ my policy. I am 75 years old and have had to get a great grandchild to negotiate the fact that the ‘opt out’ policy number is on a sister site! (ERS) and is difficult to track through.  I have managed to cancel the policy even though I might have to pay more through a rival company ( and have told them this on my electronic mail) It is only the fact that I am ‘oldish’ that I have the time in retirement to keep my eye on what has become bad practice in any walk of life connected to electronic on line transactions. Old but not STUPID.

Been with Autoaid for a few years. Broke down at the weekend on my bike when I stopped for a short rest it would not restart .Called Autoaid for assistance and kept me updated with the recovery company and when the arrival will be within the hour. Technician from recovery company found the fault but insisted he would take myself and bike back home. Fantastic service from both Autoaid and SOS motorcycle recovery. Can not praise the service enough.

Changed to Autoaid after dumping the AA as they wanted £200. Broke down on the M1 motorway. Rang Autoaid and within 20 minutes someone was with us. Took us and the car to their garage. Did a diagnostics check and it was something they couldn't fix. Took the car back to Jaguar in Manchester and arranged a hire car for us. As Enterprise couldn't deliver they took us to the hire company. Couldn't fault the service at all. I received an email about a month before renewal regarding the auto renew so had plenty of time to let them know if I didn't want to.

This company has increased its annual premium by 39% despite never claiming so was not going to renew, now i find they have changed their policy and have automatically charged my credit card for another year without my consent! No one is answering the phone or answering emails. They are an absolute disgrace AVOID at all costs you have been warned.....

from ringing them to the time the rescue man arrived 5 star service

I have been a member for 2 years and never had to use the service before. Yesterday I got into the car and found the battery was dead and unable to turn engine over. Called Auto Aid and their breakdown man was with me within the hour and managed to supercharge the battery enough to start the car. He also tested the alternator which was working correctly and the battery which showed some cells had died and were unable to recharge. As this was the original battery on a 10 yrs old Kia it was understandable. He then checked the price and availability of the correct battery at the local branch of Halfords and followed me there. The battery was fitted in situ and problem fixed. Cannot speak highly enough of the service, attitude and politeness of their breakdown man. Great service, well done!

I've seen others have had a similar experience. Autoaid simply auto-renew policies after a year, at a much inflated premium. On the first day on the new policy I tried to cancel, but was told that a cancellation would cost me £31 (the total premium was £60). £31 to simply cancel a policy on the first day of an auto-renew is just so sneaky. They did send an email the month before, but every other company I've heard off will allow you to cancel for free in the cooling off period if they auto-renew. Really outrageous behaviour!

I had broken down with a flat tyre on double white lines on a very busy trunk road with lorries whizzing by,and on one occassion almost colliding with my car. I phoned Autoaid and explained the dangerous possition i was in and was told someone would be with me within the hour. I phoned repeatedly for over 3 1/2 hours before help eventually arrived. The breakdown mechanic had come from his garage less than 10 mins away and told me had only been informed by Autoaid less than 20 mins ago. My wife and i had been in extreme danger of being crashed into especially after it had gone dark and i dread to think what may have happened if that had occured. The Autoaid telephone operators just didn't seem to care. Everbody,please keep away from this company or you WILL regret it.