Usual AA renewal palaver.. :(

Stubod

Been with the AA for as long as I care to remember. Every year (except one!), we get the usual overpriced renewal. 

There then follows the usual phone call, haggle and eventual price drop. 

However this year I simply can't seem to contact them. Their "chat bot" just drops me off with "one of our advisors we be with you shortly..".....(...no they won't). 

Tried their phone line which asks you to key in various "options", none of which actually work.

Long story short I just went "online" as a "new customer" and found they have a 33% off deal, so I ended up just taking out a new membership and got better cover at a lower price.

(Wondering if they will call me back to check??....(probably not), but the money has gone out of my account, and I have a new membership number...

Hope I never have a need to rely on them for an actual breakdown!!

flaneurs_lobster

Gave up on The AA when they stopped giving out chrome badges, a key for AA boxes, and the chap who failed to salute if there was a speed trap around the next bend disappeared.

twopenny

I still have my chrome badge but they don't make radiators to fit them.
Did you know in the past AA boxes were to be used by the prime minister if away, to phone into parliament if war was imminent? Reverse charge of course. 

So far I've had reasonable renewals even though I could get it cheaper elsewhere.
I live in a rural area and broke down in the wilds at dusk. Couldn't do what 3 words and they didn't know my area.
But they found my location, told me the reg number of the vehicle that would come and his name so I could be secure. Excellent service. Secured my safe move onto the road and followed me to the garage to leave car with report. 
Then took me home,
.
I tried to contact them to say how appreciative I was but could find no way...,..... Only ways to complain. Shame.

Mildly_Miffed

So... why play the game at all?

They aren't the only recovery operator in town.

I have AA recovery... with zero argument about the (unbeatable) price. Nationwide Flexplus bank account...

Stubod

Mildly_Miffed said:

So... why play the game at all?

They aren't the only recovery operator in town.

I have AA recovery... with zero argument about the (unbeatable) price. Nationwide Flexplus bank account...

...you are probably right, and I am aware that customer loyalty counts for nothing these days, and pretty much every service supplier I have had the misfortune to deal with over the last few years has been truly pants when it comes to customer service, but I sort of accept that that is the new norm. 

I have also heard some horror stories about others, particularly the RAC...and on the (rare) occasion I have needed them they have been good. 

Mildly_Miffed

Like I said, though, I have AA cover - via the bank account. £18/mo, so £216/yr. It's just gone up from £13/mo...

I've just looked at the AA's website. As a new customer, they want £140/yr for joint personal cover for a couple with all the UK bells & whistles - home, national, onward.

Except my £216 includes full *Euro* personal cover. They don't sell that.
They charge £316 for annual cover for a single vehicle, on top of the normal policy, so that's more than twice as much for lesser cover.

Oh, and the Nationwide account includes full global travel and mobile phone insurance, too...

Ms_Chocaholic

You can often get breakdown included as part of your insurance nowadays, double check or opt for one that does offer breakdown when you renew, probably at a fraction of the price of AA membership.

born_again

MSE way, cycle round them each year using cashback sites.

Just make sure that they do not have it on auto renew 👍

lincroft1710

flaneurs_lobster said:

Gave up on The AA when they stopped giving out chrome badges, a key for AA boxes, and the chap who failed to salute if there was a speed trap around the next bend disappeared.

You forgot the free* annual AA Handbook, originally hardback


*you had to pay for the RAC Handbook, but it had many more pages and was hardback

Mgman1965

Stubod said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

So... why play the game at all?

They aren't the only recovery operator in town.

I have AA recovery... with zero argument about the (unbeatable) price. Nationwide Flexplus bank account...

...you are probably right, and I am aware that customer loyalty counts for nothing these days, and pretty much every service supplier I have had the misfortune to deal with over the last few years has been truly pants when it comes to customer service, but I sort of accept that that is the new norm. 

I have also heard some horror stories about others, particularly the RAC...and on the (rare) occasion I have needed them they have been good. 

I renew every year as a new customer via a well known cashback site and usually get a sweetener of some sort thrown in.

This year I Re-renewed with the RAC, total cost of cover (personal for 2 people/unlimited callouts and Homestart ) was £267 with free Battery replace worth £45 (My car has a very expensive Stop/Start battery).

But I got £159.67 cashback from Quidco so my cover only cost a total of £157.33.