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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect the AA to reimburse me for this?

37 replies

PeachyParisian · 05/03/2015 19:40

Car broke down in the middle of a v. Busy A road during rush hour, AA were called (no previous membership so had to pay huge premium for initial call out) they said they would be there in 40 minutes, hopefully before (so, at 6)

I rang again after 20 minutes to inform them that I would be unreachable as I was making my way to the car (DH was driving our car when it stopped, not me!) and I didn't have a working number. I gave them my DFs number and told them he could be contacted in an emergency as he was driving me to the car. They said they would arrive at 6:15 at the latest

I arrive, police have cordoned off the lane, DH gets taken to work by my DF and I sit in the car and wait for the AA. Police had been there since 5:30.
It gets to 6:30 and the police decide AA have taken an U amount of time as the car is in a dangerous position (on a bridge) and a police towing lorry arrives and takes my car to a compound. I have to pay £180 to release my car. On top of the £170 I paid AA for the call out plus annual membership.

AIBU to think AA should refund me the call out premium (£90) and reimburse me for the £180 I will have to pay tomorrow to set my shitheap of a car free?
The Policeman who drove me home thinks IANBU but I called AA to tell them my car was no longer there and the guy seems to think I have to suck up the cost. I've been given a complaints number to ring tomorrow but Im beginning to doubt myself! Police gave me the incident number and said the AA could call them if there's an issue don't see that happening

I have to meet the AA at the compound tomorrow, over 10 miles away and inaccessible by public transport, to see if they can 'roadside' fix the car. I'm fuming!

OP posts:
straighttothepoint · 06/03/2015 06:39

It sounds like you've got an old car do this shit will happen. If it has just had £600 of work done and breaks down so soon I would be speaking to the garage. Get a refund from aa, tough about the compound charge.

JustBeingJuliet · 06/03/2015 08:10

The RAC left me sat in a multi-storey car park in Bristol for 4 hours once! I'd explained where I was, they said the recovery man would ring me when he got there and would be about 90 minutes. 2 hours later I rang them back to be told, very snottily, that they had been calling me repeatedly and I hadn't been answering my phone, so they'd given up looking for me (was about 20 feet from the main entrance so he didn't look very hard anyway!). Asked to confirm the number they were calling me on and the operator reeled off my landline number. Which clearly wasn't going to work as I was broken down in my car 120 miles away. Apparently that's the number I had called them off Hmm A further 2 hours later, and freezing cold with a very bored child, they finally turned up! I was Angry

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 06/03/2015 08:26

I think YANBU to ask for the immediate start part of the membership back plus the cost of the tow which would not have happened if they'd arrived in good time.

Original poster
PeachyParisian · 06/03/2015 08:36

I'm wondering how police are allowed to levy the charge when I had called for breakdown recovery... I don't even know which law gave them power to tow in the first place Confused

Is there an ombudsman for breakdown recovery? In case AA aren't amenable to my complaint.

OP posts:
EveBoswell · 06/03/2015 10:06

Gawd!! I'd avoid the AA like the plague if this is what they're like. I'm with Britannia Rescue and cannot fault them. We had a tyre blow out on an A grade dual carriageway and our mechanic was with us within 30 mins. I suppose it depends on the distance for the nearest rescuer but I wouldn't want to wait as long as the OP had to. We were helped by Highway Patrol at the same time. 10.4.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 06/03/2015 10:57

Was it joint membership? Unless it's changed I thought the AA covered the person not the car (RAC was the other way around) so if your husband wasn't covered and you weren't in the car they could say he wasn't entitled to recovery.

Redglitter · 06/03/2015 12:00

The police have the powers to remove it because as you said it was in a dangerous position and causing traffic problems.

They're not levying a fee. The fee is the towing companies charge for a call out etc. The police have nothing to do with the charges all they're doing is using a 3rd party to move your car

Original poster
PeachyParisian · 06/03/2015 15:48

With AA you can choose to cover the person or the car, we covered the car.

At least AA didnt think IABU, they refunded the £99 premium and ar sending me a cheque for the tow company fee.

Shame my cars only fit for the scrap yard now!

OP posts:
Seriouslyffs · 06/03/2015 15:54

I'm so pleased- sounds like a grim experience but at least you're not out of pocket.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 06/03/2015 16:42

Ah well the refund is good news at least. They've changed the way the cover works then which is interesting.

Original poster
PeachyParisian · 07/03/2015 00:08

Seems he AA will let me convert the cover to person rather than car if I prefer or just change the car it covers without any extra cost too, which is good as it will need to cover the replacement!

OP posts:
andango · 07/03/2015 09:17

The RAC aren't any better - They left mt DH to sit by the side of a motorway slip road in sub zero conditions - took 3 hours - a few weeks ago.

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