Conned by Top cashback and the AA. Help!

cam101

You may remember a while back (beginning of August time), there was a Martin recommended offer where you could join the AA for £29, and receive £25 cashback via TopCashBack.co.uk

Well, me and my partner both signed up under our own account, the transactions tracked and it gave a payment date of November. We thought this was a long time, but at least it had tracked. So we just waited.

This week, we logged in to see the payment amount of £25 has been crossed out and replaced with a £0 on both of our accounts. Topcashback claim it is the retailer's decision, but after a lengthy phone call to the AA they claim they don't go in for all this cashback malarky and wash their hands of it and us.

So basically we are left with a pretty rubbish level of breakdown cover (it would have been good if it had cost £4!), and no one that is taking responsibility for the mess up.

On the one hand, I guess you live and learn. on the other, i'm really angry that we have been duped. Has any one had similar experiences or can offer any advice?

Cam

bigbill

Make sure you cancel in one years time as these con merchants renew automaticlly without you knowing.

Tell everyone you know not to use the AA or have anything to do with these fraud experts.

By the way welcome to the we've been conned club

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=544809

MSE_Martin

You may remember a while back (beginning of August time), there was a Martin recommended offer where you could join the AA for £29, and receive £25 cashback via TopCashBack.co.uk

Well, me and my partner both signed up under our own account, the transactions tracked and it gave a payment date of November. We thought this was a long time, but at least it had tracked. So we just waited.

This week, we logged in to see the payment amount of £25 has been crossed out and replaced with a £0 on both of our accounts. Topcashback claim it is the retailer's decision, but after a lengthy phone call to the AA they claim they don't go in for all this cashback malarky and wash their hands of it and us.

So basically we are left with a pretty rubbish level of breakdown cover (it would have been good if it had cost £4!), and no one that is taking responsibility for the mess up.

On the one hand, I guess you live and learn. on the other, i'm really angry that we have been duped. Has any one had similar experiences or can offer any advice?

Cam

This is interesting to read, are there any similar reports.

A couple of notes in the meantime

1. Cashback is never guaranteed, I believe i did write this in the note and it is stated in the article linked to. Its one of the great problems with cashback sites and why I always ask people to read the article to understand them

2. On the back of this; what the AA says is both true and baloney. There's no such thing as a cashback site to the retailer in many ways. They simply pay websites for sending them traffic whether per click or per product. THis is how affiliate marketing work.

So the AA says "anyone on our programme we'll pay £xx " per successful policy. The cashback sites then apply saying yes, and then give some or all of their cash to the people who go through.

The AA had accepted Topcashback and others on the programme. Yet they can always dispute the fact their T&Cs were met by cashback providers. So when it comes to paying out; sometimes it doesn't happen. In that case its up to the website (in this case the cashback provider) to dispute it with the retailer; like any other commercial transaction. If there's a disagreement it can go to court.

My suspicion is that is what's going on here. The AA allowed the cashback sites on the programme, then realised what was happening and there is some dispute on it. I haven't checked this out so its only supposition at the moment (it is sunday night) but this understanding of the mechanisms is important.

Martin

Please feedback if anyone else is suffering similar with the AA - both via Topcashback or any other site.

cam101

Wow thanks for thank information, like you say it is a risk to use a cashback site- we just hoped it would go through! As our first experience of a cashback site, even having read the article, I may just go for the easy life and steer clear from now on.

As for the automatic renewal, I insisted the lady I spoke to deleted my bank details whilst I was on the phone, so they can't renew it! Hopefully she actually did.

Thanks for the link to the other thread too, I didn't think to search the forums with "Quidco" as well.

Anyway, i'm off to find some other bargains...

Cam :cool:

Forgot so say, AA don't appear to be listed on TopCashBack any more- so it looks like a bigger problem between the companies.

deal_hunter_4

I posted a thread a couple of months regarding this exact same thing, where I was expecting £25.00 back from the cashback site i used (topcashback) and realised i was getting nowt!!

I contacted topcash back and gave them relevant details and they are looking into....but to be honest it aint looking promising!!

I'll keep you posetd on how things pan out1

By the way I have no plans renew my memvbership with them, not after this fiasco....so SAY NO to the AA!!!!!!

asea

There is also a thread in the Vent forum about the AA & Quidco...

Seems to be that the AA are being very naughty!!!