AA Problems Can I Sue

motorguy

Crabman wrote: »

If you're after legal advice I'm afraid you're unlikely to find it on a money saving forum.

Perhaps if you have home/car insurance with a legal helpline they could advise?

Alternatively he could just catch himself on and save on the phone call?

motorguy

pinkteapot wrote: »

When I was a kid, my parents broke down in the outside lane of the M25. Now that was brown trousers time.

Did they sue anyone?

pinkteapot

No, but come to think of it maybe I'll sue them for the trauma I suffered. I could have died.

Pennywise2012

mrvanman wrote: »

[Personal details removed by Forum Team]

To whom it may concern

My name is [Personal details removed by Forum Team] and my AA membership number is [Personal details removed by Forum Team] I have been a member on and off for 20 years, I feel compelled to write to you as me and my friend were severely let down on the 21/4/12 6 months ago?at around 7.30pm, on the 21st of April 2012 we were travelling northbound on the M11 near Bishops Stortford when my vehicle broke down, I managed to pull over onto the hard shoulder and immediately called the AA, to my dismay the operator that answered the phone said my membership had expired (I knew this was incorrect as I had recently renewed my membership from the previous year)



I explained this to the operator and explained we were on the hard shoulder and it was dark, I was told my membership had expired and that they would not come out (a similar thing happened a couple of years back and it turned out the operator was looking at the wrong screen)
I thought the operator must be looking at the wrong screen and I asked her to double check, she said the membership had expired and the only way they would come out was if I paid to join again.



I reluctantly agreed as we were in a very dangerous situation but then the operator said the payment had to be done on a credit or debit card absolutely standard practice in this day and agebut I had no money on my cards but told the operator I had cash, but she insisted the payment had to be done on a card, I now had to end the phone call as I was very angry, cars and lorries were speeding past my van it was dark at 7.30pm end of April?and we were now stranded on the hard shoulder and left to fend for ourselves! You are not a child fending for it's self and the AA is not your parent


Me and my friend [Personal details removed by Forum Team] tried to flag other motorists down so we could get some help,dangerous I even called the police but they never turned up, a couple of cars parked up on the hard shoulder 200 yards in front of us so I sent [Personal details removed by Forum Team] up to try and get help from the driver but they wouldn’t help!why should they? Later on this motorist actually caused a crash but no one was hurt, What does this have to do with anything?



I called the AA again to try and reason with them and to ask if they knew a local garage Directory Enquiries/Yellow PagesI could walk to to try and get help but she refused to help and just said no, I said I would pay the membership but I only had cash on me, again she refused to help, neither my friend or myself had any money on our cards.


We were left on the hard shoulder for hours why didn't you use breakdown phone?trying to flag motorists down, my van and our lives were put at risk how?and nobody would help us! Then my friend [Personal details removed by Forum Team] had an idea, he said he would call his brother and ask him if he could transfer money onto his debit card via online banking, it worked and I was then able to join the AA AGAIN! Eventually a truck came out and we were taken to a nearby garage where we received the help we needed.


Over the next couple of days I called the AA again and spoke to a gentleman in the complaints department, I told him what had happened and upon further investigation he said there had been a computer clinch and that I was indeed a member and that it was the AAs error, I was quickly given a refund of the money that was paid and an apology was offered.absolutely fair enough I asked why the horrible heartless woman doing the best she can with the info available to herI had spoken to when we broke down couldn’t sort this out there and then and he said the operative in question that night would not have been able to see the same thing he could see on his system.


I’m very sorry but this just isn’t good enough! I feel duty bound to take legal action now as our lives were put at risk! No they weren't Hundreds of people die each year on the hard shoulder, trying to flag cars down and endanger lives?if this has happened to us it is happening to others and eventually someone will die, I would like to discuss changing your system so this can never happen again, This is your one fair pointmyself and my friend were also extremely traumatised that night as we were left stranded, abandoned, ignored and our life’s were put at risk you were broke down. get over it! so we would both like to discuss a compensation package a package? Gym membership and everything? something that we both feel is fair as well as having your system changed which is the main thing, I’m hoping I do not have to go down the route of the small claims court, newspapers, television etc. I have in fact already written to watchdog so your hope that you don't need to go down the legal route hasn't lasted long thenand the trading standards about this fiasco so you should be hearing from them soon.


I keenly await your response.


Signed

---

6 months ago you were mildly inconvenienced over a car breakdown. You got a refund and an apology.

You and your friend aren't traumatized - presumably neither of you has visited your GP in the last 6 months to discuss how this incident has impacted upon your lives.

The only reason you and your friend were in danger is because you acted in an unsafe manner.

In my opinion, you've dredged this up and are trying to make it into something it's not, in the hope of getting some money.

poppasmurf_bewdley

Spend a few quid and speak to a solicitor. That's what they're for. It's not what a moneysaving forum is for.

But you'll be wasting your money.

The_AA_Company_Representative

Hello mrvanman, we appreciate you have already spoken to someone from The AA regarding this, however if there is anything outstanding which you would like to discuss, please email into chat@theaa.com with Reference number FOR21518. Thank you.

Quentin

Well well well!

Looks like by them now offering talks you might do better than just a bunch of flowers out of them after all, op!