Not impressed with the AA

Math84

Hi all I'm new here I just want a bit of advice. I recently had a bad experience with the AA so I have emailed the complaints department. instead of me explaining it all I will just copy and paste the email I sent at the bottom of this and you can see why (hopefully) I think it was a bad experience. The advice I'm after is was I harsh to email them or do you think I was right by doing so? or should I just leave it be and just switch to another breakdown company. I have the full AA package. I look forward to the replays thanks in advance.

To whom it may concern.
My name is .... address....... membership number ............. I currently have a membership with you and unfortunately I had to use it as I broke down on the 19/12/2016, I used the app and must say I was impressed with the response time and the gentleman that come out however.. me and my car was arranged to be picked up the next morning 20/12/2016. the van arrived at 8:45 and hooked my car up. Then we drove to a services on the m6 by 10:15 where I had to wait until 11:00 for another recovery truck to arrive, as I understand there is a limit on how far the vans can travel. I was then loaded on to the truck and we set off only to drive for possibly another 1 hr 45 minutes to yet another services on the m6 arriving at 12:45 then had to wait a further 45 minutes, making it 13:30 before we set off again due to the lorries tacho. we then continued to drive for another 1 hour 45 minutes where we stopped off at yet another services at 15:15 only to be unloaded and made to wait yet another Hour to be loaded on yet another van at 16:18. I finally got home at 18:43! A total of 4 destinations, 3 recovery vehicles and 10 Hours I arrive home. Even though I cant argue the fact every driver was polite, it does not excuse the fact I was messed about for 10 hours just to get me and my car home a total of around 180 miles and to be fair feels nothing short of unnecessary on what happened today. This is the first time I have had to use my membership with you and will be my last as I was not happy with the service that you the AA give me a paying customer. I totally understand there is a limit a van can travel and the truck had to take a break but this was ridiculous. So this is my notice to you that I will be canceling my direct debit at the end of my membership and will not be renewing with you the AA and will be switching to another breakdown company.
kind regards

worried_jim

You should have used paragraphs. People just give up on a big block of text.

paddyandstumpy

What's the issue?
That the drivers had to take legislated breaks?

Consider if they didn't, and crashed due to tiredness...

facade

That is how the AA recovery works.

Someone posted once that their trucks can only operate within a fixed radius of their base due to having to circumvent some complicated Government Red Tape, so they have to hand you over to the next one.

The clue is in the name "AA Relay"

Where they fall down is in arranging the relay. If they were trying to win a Gold medal for the relay at the olympics (but as HM The Queen Said- why bother, in The Olden Days they meant something, but now everybody has one) they would winch you off one truck and onto the next, but as you are stuck anyway, there is no rush, and if you were delayed the second truck would be idle for no reason.

So you have to wait not them.

On a positive note- on a long trip, the saving in fuel costs is a bonus.

Mercdriver

So you expected the AA to break the law for your convenience?

You'd rather use a company that would circumvent legislation? Really?

Get real!

Robin9

Math84 - and just what will you do next time you breakdown a long way from home ?

paddyandstumpy

Robin9 wrote: »

Math84 - and just what will you do next time you breakdown a long way from home ?

Wish he still had that AA cover :rotfl:

Rolandtheroadie

When I broke down earlier in the year some 250 miles from home, the RAC sent out a contractor.
Due to me possibly having to do what has happened to the OP, various service stations on the way up the road, switching recovery wagons, the contractor gave me a car so I could drive home myself.
My own car arrived home around 11 the next morning.

OP, you broke down on 19th but weren't recovered until the 20th. If you've a full membership, was onward travel not an option??

GTE_Boy

Math84 wrote: »

Hi all I'm new here I just want a bit of advice. I recently had a bad experience with the AA so I have emailed the complaints department. instead of me explaining it all I will just copy and paste the email I sent at the bottom of this and you can see why (hopefully) I think it was a bad experience. The advice I'm after is was I harsh to email them or do you think I was right by doing so? or should I just leave it be and just switch to another breakdown company. I have the full AA package. I look forward to the replays thanks in advance.

To whom it may concern.
My name is .... address....... membership number ............. I currently have a membership with you and unfortunately I had to use it as I broke down on the 19/12/2016, I used the app and must say I was impressed with the response time and the gentleman that come out however.. me and my car was arranged to be picked up the next morning 20/12/2016. the van arrived at 8:45 and hooked my car up. Then we drove to a services on the m6 by 10:15 where I had to wait until 11:00 for another recovery truck to arrive, as I understand there is a limit on how far the vans can travel. I was then loaded on to the truck and we set off only to drive for possibly another 1 hr 45 minutes to yet another services on the m6 arriving at 12:45 then had to wait a further 45 minutes, making it 13:30 before we set off again due to the lorries tacho. we then continued to drive for another 1 hour 45 minutes where we stopped off at yet another services at 15:15 only to be unloaded and made to wait yet another Hour to be loaded on yet another van at 16:18. I finally got home at 18:43! A total of 4 destinations, 3 recovery vehicles and 10 Hours I arrive home. Even though I cant argue the fact every driver was polite, it does not excuse the fact I was messed about for 10 hours just to get me and my car home a total of around 180 miles and to be fair feels nothing short of unnecessary on what happened today. This is the first time I have had to use my membership with you and will be my last as I was not happy with the service that you the AA give me a paying customer. I totally understand there is a limit a van can travel and the truck had to take a break but this was ridiculous. So this is my notice to you that I will be canceling my direct debit at the end of my membership and will not be renewing with you the AA and will be switching to another breakdown company.
kind regards

So what exactly is your complaint?

Twopints

Mercdriver wrote: »

So you expected the AA to break the law for your convenience?

You'd rather use a company that would circumvent legislation? Really?

Get real!

No. They expected to be taken in a reasonable time from the pick up to the drop off - is that so difficult to understand? That does not require any circumvention of anything. It may not be how the AA work, and clearly was not communicated to the OP that this would be the outcome. It also appears to have been poorly co-ordinated resulting in unnecessary delay.

So you think OP should put up with delays, poor communication and poor organisation but it's OK because the drivers were polite and didn't break any laws? Really?

Marvel1

I'd be happy I made it home.