Breakdown rebate

Rueben_2

Hi.

In July I took out AA Breakdown cover. I took it out as I needed an immediate call-out and found out at the time that between moving house my renewal had slipped through the net.

I was charged £150.98, which included the Roadside Cover at £61.98 (the standard fee) and the Emergency Joining Fee of £89.

I have now just sold my car, but they are refusing to reimburse any pro-rata costs on the basis that I have used my cover. Perhaps logical if I had just taken out standard cover, but I actually paid out an emergency fee as I needed an immediate call-out.

So I'm left a little miffed as the five-minute call-out job cost me nearly £90 extra and now they won't reimburse any of the joining fees. I would have been better off ringing them up, joining, hanging up, then getting a call-out at this rate.

Anyway, are there any avenues available to me here?

forgotmyname

You took out 1 years cover and have cover for 1 year.

Personal cover so you can still use it when in someone elses car.

Miffed a 5 minute call out cost £90. Why didnt you just call a garage out instead? £160 call out?

We charge £185 minimum.. out of hours now. Daytime rates vary and depends on how busy we are. But the boss man decides on how desperate you sound. I didnt tell you that :X

Rueben_2

I think my argument stems from the fact my insurance have paid-out pro-rata, so why not my breakdown?

I can understand the "used your cover" policy, but I paid extra for that privilege to begin with. If I could have just paid a call out and taken a policy out later that would have been preferable.

My research has showed that my argument perhaps has little merit, but I would like to know if there are avenues available.

Buellguy

Rueben wrote: »

I think my argument stems from the fact my insurance have paid-out pro-rata, so why not my breakdown?

I can understand the "used your cover" policy, but I paid extra for that privilege to begin with. If I could have just paid a call out and taken a policy out later that would have been preferable.

My research has showed that my argument perhaps has little merit, but I would like to know if there are avenues available.

But you haven't claimed on your insurance (have you?) therefore haven't used it, you've called out the AA and used them. You'll find that if you have a crash and claim on insurance, if you're only paying by installments you still have to finish paying them, you wouldn't get anything back from them if you had paid in full.
End of the day, you've paid for a service, it has been, and still is, provided, you still have breakdown cover, just no car.

arcon5

I can understand why ops being annoyed... she took out a years cover AND paid for a call-out, so I cannot see how they can, having charged op for a call out separately, now say the policy has been used.

If their terms permit pro-rata cancellation then I think you should write a letter of complaint about their refusal and push for this term to be utilised.

As a side note, we broke down a few months ago, unbeknown to us at the time the alternator was knackered so when we restarted the engine it wouldn't fire up... having been shocked at the price the AA and RAC quoted we sought the assistance of a local garage. They drove us back to the car and got us going again, wasn't going to charge us, but we insisted he took a tenner for his help. So a big thank you for this very nice garage in Ferry Bridge

arcon5

Buellguy wrote: »

But you haven't claimed on your insurance (have you?) therefore haven't used it, you've called out the AA and used them.

Ops used the AA.
Ops not used the breakdown cover paid for.

The use of their services was independent to the membership. If this wasn't the case then the call out fee would have been incorporated in to the membership price. If they are classing the call out fee as part of the service then they should refund the call out fee as the membership package does not charge a fee for using the service.

End of the day, you've paid for a service, it has been, and still is, provided, you still have breakdown cover, just no car.

That's true. They have no obligation to allow early exit. However I believe they actually contractually allow early termination where the service has not been used.

So ops either used the service for which a call out fee is not charged, therefore the fee they charged op should be refunded.

or

Ops not used the service and the cancellation clause can be used.

forgotmyname

They used the breakdown cover the instant they took out the policy.

They paid a premium because they needed it instantly.

It wasnt ££ to pay for the breakdown now and ££ for 1 years cover.

it was £££ for 1 years cover with the option to use it instantly. therwise it would have been ££ less.

It would have been much less if they waited 3 days or whatever before they called them out.

Could have called a garage and paid £150 for recovery with no extra cover.

Rueben_2

Many thanks for the replies guys. Funnily enough my thoughts have been the same as everyone else's here, i.e. my premium included an emergency cover extra as I needed it instantly, but since then I haven't used it, so why shouldn't I at least get a pro-rata payment for the standard cover charge?

Yet, of course, I bought it needing it straight away so they have a sound business reason for refusing.

I'm not going to lose anything by protesting, but does anyone have any advice about how I could word a letter of complaint?

Thanks

john_white

Rueben wrote: »

Many thanks for the replies guys. Funnily enough my thoughts have been the same as everyone else's here, i.e. my premium included an emergency cover extra as I needed it instantly, but since then I haven't used it, so why shouldn't I at least get a pro-rata payment for the standard cover charge?

Yet, of course, I bought it needing it straight away so they have a sound business reason for refusing.

I'm not going to lose anything by protesting, but does anyone have any advice about how I could word a letter of complaint?

Thanks

Yeah just raise the cost for the rest of us with pointless admin.

The_AA_Company_Representative

Rueben wrote: »

Hi.

In July I took out AA Breakdown cover. I took it out as I needed an immediate call-out and found out at the time that between moving house my renewal had slipped through the net.

I was charged £150.98, which included the Roadside Cover at £61.98 (the standard fee) and the Emergency Joining Fee of £89.

I have now just sold my car, but they are refusing to reimburse any pro-rata costs on the basis that I have used my cover. Perhaps logical if I had just taken out standard cover, but I actually paid out an emergency fee as I needed an immediate call-out.

So I'm left a little miffed as the five-minute call-out job cost me nearly £90 extra and now they won't reimburse any of the joining fees. I would have been better off ringing them up, joining, hanging up, then getting a call-out at this rate.

Anyway, are there any avenues available to me here?

Hello Rueben, this is something that we would like to look into for you, if you do have any outstanding queries then please email chat@theaa.com with Reference FOR27113. Regards, the Official Representative of The AA

fivetide

Rueben wrote: »

Many thanks for the replies guys. Funnily enough my thoughts have been the same as everyone else's here, i.e. my premium included an emergency cover extra as I needed it instantly, but since then I haven't used it, so why shouldn't I at least get a pro-rata payment for the standard cover charge?

I don't think they are the same as everyone else's.

forgotmyname makes the correct point. You didn't pay seperately to be recovered, you simply paid a premium for instant membership which is why you have used the policy. That's how I see it but of course the way it is broken down [no pun intended] does look a tad misleading.

Why didn't the policy auto renew? If you didn't get the letter then at this point in time surely it would have been automatically charged? Most complaints are about exactly that. these days you have to opt out of the renewal not just ignore it.