AA membership WARNING

krazykidskate

I joined AA via Quidco last year for a bargain membership of about £12 after cashback. Well i didn't know I'd set it up as a subscription I thought i would just cancel after the year but I totally forgot about it and not only has the payment automatically been taken from my account but they added on about £16 admin charge :mad:. To top it all I don't even have a car at the minute :rolleyes:

Anyway i called up to try to get a refund but was told i could either cancel and get charged £14 admin fee and a refund of the remainder or keep the membership and they would knock off the £16 admin charge they'd shoved on.

Before everyone dives in saying how its my own fault for not cancelling in time etc. I know all that just posting to warn others not to miss the cancellation dates because there are other good cashback/breakdown offers around or if you do decide to stick with the AA then watch out for the £16 admin fee they have added on and query it to possibly get it taken off.

hollydays

I you keep an eye on the tabloids they usually have adverts for aa membership at £35 plus £20 of marks and spencer vouchers,making it £15,plus no waiting for cashback.

pinkshoes

Did they send you a letter stating they were going to renew the contract in X days and give you chance to cancel, as stated in their terms and conditions?

This happened to me, and I pointed out that they hadn't sent me any letter giving me chance to cancel. Nor was I aware I even had a direct debit with them, as I hadn't set one up, and it wasn't listed as a DD with my bank!!

I wrote them a letter pointing all this out, then got a phone call from some rude sales assistant saying I would have to pay the £14 cancellation charge, but I stuck to my point, and eventually they gave in and sent me a cheque in the post for a full refund.

hollydays

hollydays wrote: »

I you keep an eye on the tabloids they usually have adverts for aa membership at £35 plus £20 of marks and spencer vouchers,making it £15,plus no waiting for cashback.

When I joined them last year by phone for this offer,I think they tried to say to me It
would be direct debit.I told them frankly,that I didn't want that,as next year I would be looking around for the cheapest deal again (and renewal quotes are never the cheapest).They said I would receive a reminder,so when I did I just rang them and said I wanted to cancell it.

krazykidskate

pinkshoes wrote: »

Did they send you a letter stating they were going to renew the contract in X days and give you chance to cancel, as stated in their terms and conditions?

This happened to me, and I pointed out that they hadn't sent me any letter giving me chance to cancel. Nor was I aware I even had a direct debit with them, as I hadn't set one up, and it wasn't listed as a DD with my bank!!

I wrote them a letter pointing all this out, then got a phone call from some rude sales assistant saying I would have to pay the £14 cancellation charge, but I stuck to my point, and eventually they gave in and sent me a cheque in the post for a full refund.

They had sent a renewal notice but it was in an envelope marked 'Membership card' and was about 2 months before renewal date. I have been sent plenty of junk mail by these guys so i didn't pay much attention - i thought the membership cards were for the period I'd payed for and were just the latest gimmick.

pinkshoes

krazykidskate wrote: »

They had sent a renewal notice but it was in an envelope marked 'Membership card' and was about 2 months before renewal date. I have been sent plenty of junk mail by these guys so i didn't pay much attention - i thought the membership cards were for the period I'd payed for and were just the latest gimmick.

Hmmm, not sure how to get round this one then, as I didn't get ANY letter from them whatsoever. They had my new address, as I'd phoned them previously to enquire about using their service, but I have a hunch they sent it to my old one!

I'm 99.9% sure I didn't agree to ANY direct debit with mine though, as I know very well that after the 1st year, the price almost doubles, and there's no way I'd pay that much when I can go cheaper with another company.

Don't have any breakdown cover at the moment, but will try and pay by cheque next time!

chinagirl

:mad:I paid for membership for my son's 21st Birthday last January. Last week got a letter addressed to him, saying membership was going to be renewed, and they would take the money out of his bank account. I checked and he agreed, no longer wanted cover, so emailed them at 'Contact Us' to say so.
Checked my statement today and found they have a £163.54 payment to AA due to go out of my bank account tomorrow !:mad:

No way would I have agreed to have them do that. I shall be phoning them up tomorrow to give them a roasting. How dare they!
This practise should be banned. Where is the choice for the customer. I shall be in serious trouble with my finances if I do not get the money refunded.:eek:

WhiteHorse

A lot of companies do this now. Buried in the small print is a default option - if you don't tell them, they'll take the money. Unfortunately, it's up to you to read the agreement.

What they are doing is quite legal, but that doesn't make it right or honest.

Because it isn't.

chinagirl

Good news! After my DH phoned the AA and really laid into them on the phone about their shoddy, underhand trick to take money from people - I got a full refund of my £163.54. I would advise anyone else who has been taken advantage of by the AA to ring and give them a roasting. My DH threatened them with Watchdog, and that seemed to do the trick