Don't Buy AA Roadside Cover

Alan_Weston

My 17 year old daughter passed her test in November 06. She was given a £100 gift from her Grandparents specifically for the purchase of comprehensive roadside cover.

The AA advertisement that we all see on TV depicts a women being rescued in a desolate location and says cover starts from £39.

I explained to the AA’s telephone representative that I needed comprehensive roadside cover, which would include getting my daughter and car home, wherever she was.

I ended up paying over £93 for AA Relay, which they say, “If, following a breakdown at the roadside, we can't arrange a prompt repair, we'll transport you, your car and up to seven passengers home, or to any mainland UK destination of your choice”.

My daughter’s car was hit by a ‘hit and run driver’ last week. This happened late at night and she was in a dreadful state of shock, fortunately not hurt. The police were on the scene within five minutes. My daughter telephoned home for help. I rang the AA only to be informed that traffic accidents are excluded and if we wanted to get her and the car back home, it would cost £104.

When I originally purchased the AA Relay, I was not informed at any time that it excluded accidents. The exclusion is however in the small print within the terms and conditions but I feel deceived and very angry. I will not be renewing the cover with the AA and will actively make friends, associates and family aware of what you buy from the AA cover is not what you think you are going to get.

Interestingly, I called Autoaid (which I joined after getting the tip from Martin’s Money Tips). They in any event, accident or not, will get you and the car home for £32 per year. It works and I have used it.

ish

If the vehicle was involved in a "accident" then your insurance should arrange recovery for this, not the breakdown cover. The whole purpose of a breakdown cover to recover the vehicle if it somehow mechanically fails e.g. the engine doesnt start, transmission doesnt work etc.

Personally i had really good experience with theAA everytime i break down. They come very quickly and are very helpful.

vansboy

As Ish mentions, it's not a 'breakdown' as such, although they used to cover for this - even to the extent of recovering vehicles from ditches/rivers & goodness knows where else. All stopped a few years back when insurers started making their comprehensive cover, more comprehensive... & offering FREE breakdown cover, too!!

The Auto Aid is best option, like you say!!

VB

Pagan98

ish wrote:

If the vehicle was involved in a "accident" then your insurance should arrange recovery for this, not the breakdown cover.

Be careful! When my car was involved in an accident on the M25 last month my insurer, Direct Line arranged for a tow truck to recover the vehicle. However, when it arrived I discovered this didn't include recovering me! :mad:

(After a bit of argument between me, Direct Line and National Breakdown the tow truck did eventually give me a lift to the nearest train station.)

gamma

Wow that is ridiculous! Meaning you would have been left stranded right there and then?

tee_pee_2

OMG I have been arguing with myself to get road assistance in case I have a prob when out with DD but after reading this I will stick with good old reliable dad, costs nothing apart from Thank you and a big hug. Can't get any better MS than that !!

On a serious note I think autoaid for £32 is excellent value. will look into that

Crabman

vansboy wrote:

As Ish mentions, it's not a 'breakdown' as such, although they used to cover for this - even to the extent of recovering vehicles from ditches/rivers & goodness knows where else. All stopped a few years back when insurers started making their comprehensive cover, more comprehensive... & offering FREE breakdown cover, too!!

The Auto Aid is best option, like you say!!

VB

Or when they were privatised... :rolleyes:

...that isn't the only AA service they axed - don't forget the AA petrol prices which Martin was willing to take over but was refused by the AA, preferring it to die instead :rolleyes: I'd never ever use them.

UnitedFlyer

Wow, I was involved in an accident about this time last year.
Stupid me didn't have any roadside recovery support of any kind though.
I couldn't drive the car back home at all, so I rang RAC, got through to someone really nice who said they would enrol me and recover me, and also give me a VERY good discount because I was with Toyota Club.
RAC came within an hour, took the car to the garage and me home - no questions asked at all.

Needless to say I renewed with RAC again. :T :j

arrowsmith

UnitedFlyer wrote:

Wow, I was involved in an accident about this time last year.
Stupid me didn't have any roadside recovery support of any kind though.
I couldn't drive the car back home at all, so I rang RAC, got through to someone really nice who said they would enrol me and recover me, and also give me a VERY good discount because I was with Toyota Club.
RAC came within an hour, took the car to the garage and me home - no questions asked at all.

Needless to say I renewed with RAC again. :T :j

If you've got Club Toyota you are already in the RAC, no need to pay twice !
http://www.toyota.co.uk/cgi-bin/toyota/bv/frame_start.jsp?id=S_Club

Personally I would never touch any of these organisations, I'd buy a reliable Japanese car, get it serviced regularly and then pay for a breakdown when it happened.