AA... What the f*** am I actually paying for?
Discussion
On the way to work this morning my Punto decided to eat its head gasket. Managed to limp it in on 2 cylinders, and some really nasty knock. Dumped it in my usual spot and decided to worry about it later.
Come 5:30 and I go back to my car to assess the situation. It starts, idling on 2 cylinders but it still starts and moves. I decide to take the risk and drive it home. 5 miles down the road, it massively overheats and I coast into a petrol station forecourt and admit defeat.
I call the AA and speak to a helpful chat. Someone will be with you by 7:10. It's 6pm at this point. Fair enough I think, I have to wait my turn. I tell them the head gasket has failed, I need recovery.
7:10 comes and I wait a little longer. My phone rings. "We're busy" some lady says. Going to be another 20 mins. Fair enough I think, I have to wait my turn.
7:30 comes and goes. No sign of recovery. My phone rings again. "The van is lost, where are you again?" Another voice says. I explain my location again (with full address and postcode the grumpy lady in the garage gave me) and am told to wait another 20 minutes. "They are on their way to you now".
I wait. And wait. Nothing. It's getting on for 8:15 now and another call comes through on my phone, this time from the recovery company. "Where are you exactly?" The lady asks. I explain my location and give out the address yet again. "The technician is about 6 miles away now, give it 15 mins"...
15 mins goes by and still nothing. My phone rings again. "Can you confirm the address you gave me before, the technician can not find you". At this point, all I can do is laugh. I've been freezing my tits off in this car for the last 2 hours and you still can't find me even though I've given it the address to 4 separate people...
Just as I end the call, the technician finally turns up at 8:30. He has a quick chat, pops the bonnet, turns it over and explains that it isn't going anywhere. No s
t Sherlock. I told you that 2 and a half hours ago... The guy returns to his car to make a phone call, I stand around in the cold, praying he will return with a tow bar and off we will go. No, sadly not. He's far to busy to take me home. I have to wait for recovered. Off he goes.
I return to my car, still freezing my tits off. The phone rings. It's another new voice. "The technician has confirmed that you need recovery, probably looking at someone getting to you around 10pm at the earliest"...What choice do I have... I politely confirm that I will wait.
9:25 ticks by and my phone buzzes at me! A text from the AA! Recovery is on its way and will be there by 10:15.. Oh, another 45 min wait.. Great... Not long after, my phone rings, it's the recovery company, there is light t the end of this tunnel!... I confirm my address yet again. The driver has no clue how to use his sat nav by the sounds of it. We struggle for 10 mins to confirm the address and he says he will be with me in 20 mins.
I sit and wait patiently. My phone rings minutes later. It's another voice from the AA. " sorry but there will be a delay in the recovery driver getting to you, the company alocated to recover you don't cover your location. We can allocate you to anther company but it will be around another 2 hours wait"...
FFFUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKKK OOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!
Now, obviously, I didn't say that, but I did express my disgust and told them to politely jog on. A call to my misses and she arrives 30 mins later, we head a few miles to a petrol station, buy a tow rope and we both arrive home, safe and should at 11:15.
So, the AA... What the fk am I paying for? To sit in a freezing car for 4 hours, only to have to buy my own tow rope and get my wife to tow me home anyway. Who knows what the fk I'm paying for.
That is all.
Come 5:30 and I go back to my car to assess the situation. It starts, idling on 2 cylinders but it still starts and moves. I decide to take the risk and drive it home. 5 miles down the road, it massively overheats and I coast into a petrol station forecourt and admit defeat.
I call the AA and speak to a helpful chat. Someone will be with you by 7:10. It's 6pm at this point. Fair enough I think, I have to wait my turn. I tell them the head gasket has failed, I need recovery.
7:10 comes and I wait a little longer. My phone rings. "We're busy" some lady says. Going to be another 20 mins. Fair enough I think, I have to wait my turn.
7:30 comes and goes. No sign of recovery. My phone rings again. "The van is lost, where are you again?" Another voice says. I explain my location again (with full address and postcode the grumpy lady in the garage gave me) and am told to wait another 20 minutes. "They are on their way to you now".
I wait. And wait. Nothing. It's getting on for 8:15 now and another call comes through on my phone, this time from the recovery company. "Where are you exactly?" The lady asks. I explain my location and give out the address yet again. "The technician is about 6 miles away now, give it 15 mins"...
15 mins goes by and still nothing. My phone rings again. "Can you confirm the address you gave me before, the technician can not find you". At this point, all I can do is laugh. I've been freezing my tits off in this car for the last 2 hours and you still can't find me even though I've given it the address to 4 separate people...
Just as I end the call, the technician finally turns up at 8:30. He has a quick chat, pops the bonnet, turns it over and explains that it isn't going anywhere. No s
t Sherlock. I told you that 2 and a half hours ago... The guy returns to his car to make a phone call, I stand around in the cold, praying he will return with a tow bar and off we will go. No, sadly not. He's far to busy to take me home. I have to wait for recovered. Off he goes.I return to my car, still freezing my tits off. The phone rings. It's another new voice. "The technician has confirmed that you need recovery, probably looking at someone getting to you around 10pm at the earliest"...What choice do I have... I politely confirm that I will wait.
9:25 ticks by and my phone buzzes at me! A text from the AA! Recovery is on its way and will be there by 10:15.. Oh, another 45 min wait.. Great... Not long after, my phone rings, it's the recovery company, there is light t the end of this tunnel!... I confirm my address yet again. The driver has no clue how to use his sat nav by the sounds of it. We struggle for 10 mins to confirm the address and he says he will be with me in 20 mins.
I sit and wait patiently. My phone rings minutes later. It's another voice from the AA. " sorry but there will be a delay in the recovery driver getting to you, the company alocated to recover you don't cover your location. We can allocate you to anther company but it will be around another 2 hours wait"...
FFFUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKKK OOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!
Now, obviously, I didn't say that, but I did express my disgust and told them to politely jog on. A call to my misses and she arrives 30 mins later, we head a few miles to a petrol station, buy a tow rope and we both arrive home, safe and should at 11:15.
So, the AA... What the f
k am I paying for? To sit in a freezing car for 4 hours, only to have to buy my own tow rope and get my wife to tow me home anyway. Who knows what the fk I'm paying for.That is all.
V8RX7 said:
Should have got wife / GF to swap places with you at the start and used the "lone female" card.
Do they pay more for priority treatment - do they hell.
Doesn't work. Do they pay more for priority treatment - do they hell.
I was a lone female at the side of the M3 for 3 hours from 8-11pm one Sunday, once upon a time. On my own, stood on an embankment, in the dark. Thankfully next to a bridge so I could shelter from the pissing rain.
Again, it was a Fiat Punto. Wiper motor had broken on the drivers side. Already had taken me some skill (read - leaning out the window in the rain.. in the dark..) to get off the M25, no chance in hell I was waiting there.
AA took their sweet time getting to me. Thankfully didn't have to wait for another vehicle as they'd (well, Ravenscroft or whoever they use round those parts) showed up with a flat bed.
The RAC are no better, but what choices do we have ?
I broke down (cpu faliure) in my 528i last October at something like ten o'clock at night.
They know what car I have etc, and actually manage to get a contractor to me just after midnight, who turns up in his smart landrover discovery to inform me he has no diagnostic kit for a BMW .... well that was worth the wait wasn't it ?
Then he tells me he can recover the car to his employers garage and arrange a loan car for me, and looks puzzled when I ask him how his outfit is going to look at a car they have no diagnostic kit for !
He then tells me he can get a "dolly" and tow me back to Worcester, I ask him if he's ok with lifting the back end to tow it ....... he hasn't noticed it is automatic !
The RAC at this time, for whatever reason, have no recovery vehicles of their own, something to do with a lease company, old ones gone back, new ones not arrived, so they get another contractor to me at about four o'clock sunday morning, and they get me home just after eight o'clock.
We have no real choice though, gawd knows how much that recovery would have cost me !
I broke down (cpu faliure) in my 528i last October at something like ten o'clock at night.
They know what car I have etc, and actually manage to get a contractor to me just after midnight, who turns up in his smart landrover discovery to inform me he has no diagnostic kit for a BMW .... well that was worth the wait wasn't it ?
Then he tells me he can recover the car to his employers garage and arrange a loan car for me, and looks puzzled when I ask him how his outfit is going to look at a car they have no diagnostic kit for !
He then tells me he can get a "dolly" and tow me back to Worcester, I ask him if he's ok with lifting the back end to tow it ....... he hasn't noticed it is automatic !
The RAC at this time, for whatever reason, have no recovery vehicles of their own, something to do with a lease company, old ones gone back, new ones not arrived, so they get another contractor to me at about four o'clock sunday morning, and they get me home just after eight o'clock.
We have no real choice though, gawd knows how much that recovery would have cost me !
alfabadass said:
That's fking shocking.
I've always been covered by Britannia as are other members of my family. We;ve had to use them about 5 times in 8 years. Always fast and polite.
another vote for Britannia, they've served my family very well, and my experience with them - apart from a slightly gobby phone operator - they were about as quick as could be expected, and the recovery driver was friendly and conversational. king shocking.I've always been covered by Britannia as are other members of my family. We;ve had to use them about 5 times in 8 years. Always fast and polite.
I appreciate you may have some sort of deal with AA, OP (we're on britannia through caravan club membership or something) but really, after an experience like that I would take my business elsewhere
14-7 said:
Jesus OP!
That is absolutely shocking and definitely worthy of a complaint outlining everything to their customer services.
I am with the RAC and have had to use them 3 times over the last 6-7 years. Never had to wait anything more than an hour.
Who's a lucky boy ....... lol, not my experience of the RAC at all.That is absolutely shocking and definitely worthy of a complaint outlining everything to their customer services.
I am with the RAC and have had to use them 3 times over the last 6-7 years. Never had to wait anything more than an hour.
MysteryLemon said:
martin84 said:
Absolutely. A PH'er has admitted to owning a Punto.
. It's a good daily stter.As for the AA I eventually realised that you're better off with an insurance-based policy which calls out the nearest available local contractor - because there are only so many yellow vans in the country and they'll pop round to see you when they've finished their other jobs and fitted in their mandatory breaks; however a private contractor wants to get as many jobs as they can in the least possible time so the 'technician' will show up driving a flatbed and either get straight to the root of the problem or start loading your car whilst getting approval for recovery costs.
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