Robbing AA b*tards!

[anonymous-user]

I was with the AA for 25 years, I even got a "special" card and everything. But I got fed up of having to ring them every year to get the price down to somewhere near the competitors. Last year they are well over twice what others were charging as a new member, even their own new member discount was less than half of what they wanted to charge me. I asked about leaving and rejoining, but they won't let anyone rejoin from the same household supposedly. It wouldn't be so bad if I was always using them, but I can't remember the last time I called them out and the cars are quite new and well maintained anyway. Anyhow, I left them and joined Green Flag

[anonymous-user]

uuf361 said:

What shocked me about the RAC (and apparently it's the same with the others) is that they charged me a fortune to collect me and my car when someone drove into me on the M25 as they said technically I was not broken down (which is true). Fortunately as the accident was not my fault the other side had to pay the bill.

We had this outside our office a couple of days ago. Someone got their car side swiped so they parked it on the path and called the RAC. RAC man comes out and says That's accident damage and left him to sort it out himself

[lostkiwi]

akirk said:

colin_p said:

akirk said:

Look at bank accounts which often come with this free of charge...

e.g.
https://www.lloydsbank.com/current-accounts.asp?#a...

Lloyds Silver account:
£120 p/a
AA Breakdown Cover and UK Roadside Assistance, whether you’re in your own vehicle or someone else’s.

Lloyds Platinum account:
£204 p/a
AA Breakdown Cover and UK Roadside Assistance, whether you’re in your own vehicle or someone else’s. The cover includes Relay and Home Start.

and you get travel insurance & mobile phone insurance etc. as well - often cheaper than buying directly from all of them, plus often don't have the same callout restrictions...

The problem with the cover that comes with a packaged bank account is next to useless i.e. no home start, no recovery to a chosen destination only to the nearest garage. To make the cover useful you have to pay extra which makes it very expensive.

unless of course you actually read the details I pasted from the Lloyds website Silver account gives you a lower AA coverage, Platinum account gives you home start and relay...

other accounts offering even more or less benefits may also be available...

I have a Lloyds Platinum account and can confirm they will take it anywhere you ask (home or nearest garage or garage of your choice). I had to use it weekend before last when a Crank Position Sensor failed and they brought me all the way back from London to the Midlands no questions. Had to use it on my Defender when I was towing a trailer (with a military hitch). They needed two recovery wagons for that - one for the Defender (it had thrown a propshaft and damaged the transfer box) and one for the trailer as they couldn't tow the trailer with that style hitch on it. No hassle.

Also recovered from the Peaks to the Lakes after I shrapnelled a CV joint and the pieces jammed the swivel hub (no steering). No hassle, no questions.

[dazwalsh]

Halifax ultimate reward has good cover, it's a fiver a month (if you pay in at least 1k a Month and have a couple of direct debits) and that includes multi trip travel and phone insurance. I've used their breakdown cover a few times, no matter what car I've been in, and it includes homestart too. Think only limit is 5 callouts per year

I've used their phone insurance multiple times too, so we'll worth the outlay of £60 per year. The cashbook rewards get me my 60 quid back too.

[teabelly]

Does ADAC do personal cover without the usual hassle with age of car exclusions or limiting recovery to only a garage within a short distance of the breakdown?

I found out the hard way the green flag personal cover had an age limit on the car. I'd even specifically asked the question and they said it didn't.

[anonymous-user]

teabelly said:

Does ADAC do personal cover without the usual hassle with age of car exclusions or limiting recovery to only a garage within a short distance of the breakdown?

I found out the hard way the green flag personal cover had an age limit on the car. I'd even specifically asked the question and they said it didn't.

Green Flag won't cover my mates 2004 VW van for our yearly Le Mans jaunt, but if I use Direct Line (who use Green Flag) they will cover it.

[pembo]

uuf361 said:

I got one for about £20 via Groupon, but haven't had to use it yet.

2Gether, I go that too, called out twice, both times have been great. I think it's limited to 6 call outs a year but that should be plenty for £20.

[Dog Star]

teabelly said:

Does ADAC do personal cover without the usual hassle with age of car exclusions or limiting recovery to only a garage within a short distance of the breakdown?

Yep.

And when I used them they were also happy (well, the AA were) to take my bike to the home of the owner of the MV Agusta dealer as the dealership was closed at the time, and leave me at work.

[eliot]

Renewal came in at £184 negotiated down to £129 - which is the brand new customers only price.
Start rescue was £99 for equivalent cover - happy to pay the £30 extra for the AA - but wasn't prepared to pay the £184.

[Boosted LS1]

I went to these people once I was sick of the AA.

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews130578.html

I've never used them but it's incredibly cheap and looks more comprehensive then the AA/RAC.

[BigLion]

Stick with mainstream, too much risk with these smaller outfits - same with broadband/fibre. I've experienced the cheap deals and no thanks.

[BigLion]

Boosted LS1 said:

I went to these people once I was sick of the AA.

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews130578.html

I've never used them but it's incredibly cheap and looks more comprehensive then the AA/RAC.

Wait until you're stuck on the hard shoulder for 10 hours waiting for bob and his van to turn up

[PositronicRay]

BigLion said:

Stick with mainstream, too much risk with these smaller outfits - same with broadband/fibre. I've experienced the cheap deals and no thanks.

I used MSN for £72 per annum inc European cover. Broke down on a French Autoroute, exemplary.

[Boosted LS1]

BigLion said:

Boosted LS1 said:

I went to these people once I was sick of the AA.

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews130578.html

I've never used them but it's incredibly cheap and looks more comprehensive then the AA/RAC.

Wait until you're stuck on the hard shoulder for 10 hours waiting for bob and his van to turn up

That could happen but the reviews indicated otherwise. The AA never let me down in the past but their marketing became a pain in the butt especially after I cancelled. It was as if they were trying to punish me, phone calls almost every day.

[V8RX7]

RAC renewal came in at £189 with a "member discount" - new members pay £170 for the same deal (relay for any car or van plus trailer including 3 other family members)

I told my wife to cancel it.

They came back with a price of £108 so I renewed.

[MoelyCrio]

Nationwide bank account. 120 pa.
Any car, home start and relay for both account holders plus full european cover.

Also family worldwide travel insurance included, also gabdet insurance and some other stuff.

Mutual Building society too. Great package.

[Jim AK]

JimSuperSix said:

Try Autoaid - IIRC it was about £36 to cover myself and the wife in any car that we happen to be in, driver or passenger , and I think it includes all the usual things like homestart , recovery to destination , recovery of vehicle to any location etc..

I've had to call them out 3 times in the course of being a member for a few years - recently when our Volvo expired when on holiday , within 2 hours the car was on a flatbed to be delivered back to our house in Scotland , a few weeks previously they recovered my kit car from 2 miles away when the alternator packed up , and the first ever day I took cover out with them years ago I had to call them out when my 2nd MX5 overheated on the motorway near Leeds just after I bought it, and they recovered it and myself 250 miles home.

So long as they don't alter their policy etc.. I would never choose to switch to a different breakdown service.

Autoaid were diabolical when I called them out a couple of months ago, couldnt find confirmation of my payment apparently, paid in July & needed them in mid September.

Left me hanging on phone for ages & did not tell me why.

Didnt call me back either but sent a text over an hour later saying help was on the way. We had solved the problem by then, fking useless jack in a Mercedes that was bending & twisting as I tried to lift the car, due to a truck driver having a small trolley jack.

ADAC for me next time, unless Brexit stops it!!!!