Roadside Recovery: AutoAid Feedback

I claimed from AutoAid once and it was absolutely easy and pain free. I have now switched to RAC but only because I use my Tesco clubcards for it so it works out even slightly cheaper.
The only slight worry I would have with them is that you essentially rely on third parties. They do give you details of roadside service providers on the phone but I would not be convinced that this will get you someone at 2 am in the Scottish Highlands (and as far as I recall, one of the suppliers they gave to me at the time of my incident was quite unsuitable). With RAC or AA you presumably haven't got that issue.
With that small warning in mind I would recommend AutoAid any time.

I joined AutoAid this year and called them out for the first time a couple of weeks ago for a 'home start' problem. I had no problems whatsoever with AutoAid and received my cheque promptly - however, had I not been 'on the ball' with the breakdown company, I might not have received a penny...

This was the first time that my car has ever broken down - it is very reliable - and, as it turned out, the fault was minor. The breakdown company arrived within a creditable 40mins and was emblazoned with the logos of Britannia Rescue, Green Flag, etc. etc. So far, so good.

I was a bit disconcerted, though, when the first thing the mechanic asked about was not "What is wrong?" etc. but "How are you going to pay and have you been told how much it will cost?". Rather odd, I thought - and how did he know how much it would cost before he had even inspected my car? OK, he then did a good job and was pleasant enough after that. However, having paid by debit card (the payment being confirmed by phone) and me having signed for the work, he would not give me a receipt! Instead, he said that I would receive one in the post within a couple of days. Of course, I never did receive the receipt... After 4 days, I phoned up the breakdown company who said that they had sent the receipt straight to Equity Red Star (i.e. AutoAid). Eh? Why did they do that? So, I had to drive to the Breakdown Company's yard where they gave me a fax copy. Luckily AutoAid accepted this in lieu of the original and I was refunded.

If I had been driving out of my home area, I might not have had the presence of mind to note down the name of the breakdown company. So, my advice is to insist that you be given a receipt - and it would also be a good idea to keep your own receipt book in the car.