AA renewal - no longer able to haggle a better deal?

fred246

I think you do have to be a bit careful though at the budget end of the market and read all the reviews. Some companies weren't even answering the phone on the emergency number. There are some really bad experiences but there are massive savings to be made on AA and RAC. Cars became a lot more reliable. At the same time the venture capitalists were buying the brands and realising people would pay extortionate amounts for brand loyalty.

AdrianC

fred246 wrote: »

I am with ADAC about £90 for full european cover.

Likewise.

I think ADAC are reluctant to do long recoveries if the car can be fixed which sounds reasonable to me

Not so much "reluctant", as your coverage doesn't include it. That's the biggest difference to the AA/RAC/etc - you have a "budget" for maximum towing cost. If you're nearish to home, they'll take you there. If it'd be over the budget, they take it to a garage and put you up in a hotel, give you a hire car or cover your onward travel. If it's going to be over three working days until it's done, then the car will be delivered to you.

The difference comes about because, on the continent, saying "We'll take your car home" for a relatively minor fault is just plain daft - it might be a thousand miles. In the UK, the risk of that is minimal.

facade

I've been with the AA many years, mainly as they will recover any vehicle, and when a puncture can strand a motorbike you need all vehicle cover.
Each year I have to play the "Now halve your 'best deal' routine"

In retrospect, I shouldn't have bothered, I could have bought a breakdown truck with the premiums that I have thrown away over the last 25 years, unless you plan on breaking down several times a year you might as well get one of those "insurance" policies, that might refund the recovery charge and pay for your own recovery.

MikeMouse

I find that RAC and AA are pretty equal service wise - and both way better than the rest.

So whichever of the two gives the best price is the one I would go for and like you would have changed company for that price difference

AdrianC

facade wrote: »

I've been with the AA many years, mainly as they will recover any vehicle

They won't.

p15 of PDF/p13 of doc - https://www.theaa.com/resources/Documents/pdf/breakdown-cover/terms-and-conditions-current.pdf
3.5t max. 2.3m width max. Roadside only, <10yo. Animals at discretion, livestock and horses never.

nidO

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

you want your car and yourselves transporting on to home or a garage of your choice, and not pay through the nose for it.

I think this is the difference between what you want and what some people want.
You may just want towing to the nearest garage so can get that cheaply, but i'd like a breakdown service that can, if it's at all feasable to do so, fix my car there and then so I can get on with my journey in my own car, with no time, hassle, or cost involved in the actual repair.
My experience through the one time my other half used Green Flag and various people I know who've used them and AutoAid is that they're basically just providing a recovery service and will only even attempt to fix things like "I can't get my spare wheel on myself" at the roadside, for everything else they're providing transport to the garage of your choice, for you to arrange and pay for it to actually get fixed.

This might be doing a massive disservice to the budget providers but it's the impression I get of them (and I think it's telling that both the RAC and AA prominently advertise how many callouts they fix at the side of the road, whereas Green Flag and AutoAid don't seem to mention it anywhere obvious), whereas of all the times i've ever had to call out the AA (mainly in my younger years with less reliable cars) they've only ever not been able to sort me out there and then once, when my car's head gasket had gone.

facade

AdrianC wrote: »

They won't.

p15 of PDF/p13 of doc - https://www.theaa.com/resources/Documents/pdf/breakdown-cover/terms-and-conditions-current.pdf
3.5t max. 2.3m width max. Roadside only, <10yo. Animals at discretion, livestock and horses never.

Should have said "any vehicle that I am likely to drive"

lindsaygalaxy

I play the same game with the AA yearly who also go on about the silver and now gold membership benefits (that we never use!). However, every time we have needed them they have arrived quickly then fixed or found the problem quickly. With two young kids this is worth the yearly phonecall.

StevieJ

nidO wrote: »

This might be doing a massive disservice to the budget providers but it's the impression I get of them (and I think it's telling that both the RAC and AA prominently advertise how many callouts they fix at the side of the road, whereas Green Flag and AutoAid don't seem to mention it anywhere obvious), whereas of all the times i've ever had to call out the AA (mainly in my younger years with less reliable cars) they've only ever not been able to sort me out there and then once, when my car's head gasket had gone.

Green Flag suggest that they fix 4 out of 5 at roadside and have a response time of 46 minutes (cost £68 with my insurance company, including homestart/relay and hire car). I am with a AA and just finished my annual wrangle. I get complementary relay and my renewal charge was £140, they offered £98, I was tempted by the GF deal but I eventually accepted the AA offer, better the devil you know I suppose.

arcon5

AutoAid seem to be thrown about a lot - they are though a pay and reclaim company, not everybodys idea of stress free or convenient.