The AA and why i will never use them again

klarzy · 2nd March 2018, 13:47

Yes, I know... this is not social media... but when you have been so badly let down by an organisation you feel that folks ought to know...
This is my personal experience... please draw your own conclusions from it.
In January 2018 I received my renewal notice from the AA... I called them, negotiated a package and price for the year to April 2019 and paid.... nothing unusual there...
During February myself and my partner received 4 new membership cards... cool... perhaps they think we need 4 between the 2 of us...
I updated the AA app on my android phone and put in the details (after a phone reset), and it came up "membership expired"...?? so member services were called and reassurances of "all is ok sir" were given...
Now on Wed 28 Feb as we all know the proverbial hit the pan with the weather and during a trip with a colleague the worse happened and my car ended up nose down in a water filled ditch outside of Peterborough at 09:05 in the morning.
It was in a rural area, with little or no shelter, blowing a howler and -6C in the blizzard. Thankfully there were no injuries apart from some bruising and a very dented pride...
The car looked ok apart from the front bumper and needed pulling out of the ditch..
The AA app was opened and yes, "membership expired" shone bright back at me...
So a call to the emergency line was answered after some wait (I do understand, they were inundated), the situation explained and the chap on the line said "you do not appear to have a membership sir", the situation with the membership being up to date and just not showing up on their computer was explained and I was told to wait while the situation was checked and they would "call me straight back"...
Now we could not sit in the car as it had rested at a steep angle and indeed the drivers side doors were not accessible at all, there was no immediate cover from the wind apart from a concrete wall, and we were "in the sticks" as it were....
3.5 hours later a kindly passing gas fitter (passing purely by chance as his nav had taken him down the same route as us), was kind enough to offer us a ride back to shelter (15 miles and he took us back to my home), (Brian... you are a gentleman!). No call back from the AA, no explanation, no one on the way (they had not taken our location)...
The AA's promise is "We will never leave you stranded"....
Well they bloomin well did this time!
So having to abandon my car before the cold did us some serious harm was not my first choice and my Insurance company were informed and very helpful, they agreed to collect my car asap ("may be a day or two" is completely understandable given the conditions and priorities for folks still stuck in their cars).
So Friday morning I was in a position to go back to the car and recover any possessions we could not squeeze into the fitters van with us (we were travelling with luggage for a 2 day business trip)... now the bit that really hurts....
My car was lovely, it was in good condition, a joy to drive etc. etc... I think a front bumper and a lick of paint would have it back on the road (it was a very low speed and gentle slide into the ditch), and I would gladly have restored it to use...
When I got back to the car this morning, the local... (I really do not know what to call them without the massive use of "$£"%$$^&&*)(*)(*&" has smashed the windows, smashed off the door mirror, ripped out the interior dash and nicked everything they could... they had thrown lumps of concrete at the doors...
The car is now a write off.... I am sick...

So a call to AA customer services this morning (on hold for an hour) about the lack of feedback to the initial call, the mess with the membership and not being given the opportunity to ask for help or even give a location, being left in the open without shelter (God forbid if my wife and child were in the same situation) was responded to with "in the terms and conditions it states we may not be able to get to you in good time, so your complaint is closed"... WHAT??? not in good time...??
You did not want to recognise me as a member and did not take a location! ??? How the hell were you ever going to get to me at all?@??
So, after using them on one form or another over the last 14 years, I have had enough... voting with my feet, I will never return....
If I treated one of my customers like that I would expect the sack on the spot...
Make up your own mind.... but I think we deserve better...

2nd March 2018, 13:47	#1
klarzy This is my second home none but not gone Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: March, Cambs Posts: 16,437 Thanks: 894 Thanked 4,247 Times in 3,025 Posts	The AA and why i will never use them again Yes, I know... this is not social media... but when you have been so badly let down by an organisation you feel that folks ought to know... This is my personal experience... please draw your own conclusions from it. In January 2018 I received my renewal notice from the AA... I called them, negotiated a package and price for the year to April 2019 and paid.... nothing unusual there... During February myself and my partner received 4 new membership cards... cool... perhaps they think we need 4 between the 2 of us... I updated the AA app on my android phone and put in the details (after a phone reset), and it came up "membership expired"...?? so member services were called and reassurances of "all is ok sir" were given... Now on Wed 28 Feb as we all know the proverbial hit the pan with the weather and during a trip with a colleague the worse happened and my car ended up nose down in a water filled ditch outside of Peterborough at 09:05 in the morning. It was in a rural area, with little or no shelter, blowing a howler and -6C in the blizzard. Thankfully there were no injuries apart from some bruising and a very dented pride... The car looked ok apart from the front bumper and needed pulling out of the ditch.. The AA app was opened and yes, "membership expired" shone bright back at me... So a call to the emergency line was answered after some wait (I do understand, they were inundated), the situation explained and the chap on the line said "you do not appear to have a membership sir", the situation with the membership being up to date and just not showing up on their computer was explained and I was told to wait while the situation was checked and they would "call me straight back"... Now we could not sit in the car as it had rested at a steep angle and indeed the drivers side doors were not accessible at all, there was no immediate cover from the wind apart from a concrete wall, and we were "in the sticks" as it were.... 3.5 hours later a kindly passing gas fitter (passing purely by chance as his nav had taken him down the same route as us), was kind enough to offer us a ride back to shelter (15 miles and he took us back to my home), (Brian... you are a gentleman!). No call back from the AA, no explanation, no one on the way (they had not taken our location)... The AA's promise is "We will never leave you stranded".... Well they bloomin well did this time! So having to abandon my car before the cold did us some serious harm was not my first choice and my Insurance company were informed and very helpful, they agreed to collect my car asap ("may be a day or two" is completely understandable given the conditions and priorities for folks still stuck in their cars). So Friday morning I was in a position to go back to the car and recover any possessions we could not squeeze into the fitters van with us (we were travelling with luggage for a 2 day business trip)... now the bit that really hurts.... My car was lovely, it was in good condition, a joy to drive etc. etc... I think a front bumper and a lick of paint would have it back on the road (it was a very low speed and gentle slide into the ditch), and I would gladly have restored it to use... When I got back to the car this morning, the local... (I really do not know what to call them without the massive use of "$£"%$$^&&)()(*&" has smashed the windows, smashed off the door mirror, ripped out the interior dash and nicked everything they could... they had thrown lumps of concrete at the doors... The car is now a write off.... I am sick... So a call to AA customer services this morning (on hold for an hour) about the lack of feedback to the initial call, the mess with the membership and not being given the opportunity to ask for help or even give a location, being left in the open without shelter (God forbid if my wife and child were in the same situation) was responded to with "in the terms and conditions it states we may not be able to get to you in good time, so your complaint is closed"... WHAT??? not in good time...?? You did not want to recognise me as a member and did not take a location! ??? How the hell were you ever going to get to me at all?@?? So, after using them on one form or another over the last 14 years, I have had enough... voting with my feet, I will never return.... If I treated one of my customers like that I would expect the sack on the spot... Make up your own mind.... but I think we deserve better... __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]….All praise Bananaswan….