The AA, ripoff Ireland strikes again!

Owen

My car has 3 years breakdown assistance from new, but I want my mother's car to be covered to give her peace of mind. I went to theaa.ie, and they're quoting € 120 for basic annual roadside assistance. theaa.com (UK) are quoting €56 (39 pounds) for the same service.

Anyone got any half decent recommendations for alternatives?

Archeron

ned78 wrote:

My car has 3 years breakdown assistance from new, but I want my mother's car to be covered to give her peace of mind. I went to theaa.ie, and they're quoting € 120 for basic annual roadside assistance. theaa.com (UK) are quoting €56 (39 pounds) for the same service.

Anyone got any half decent recommendations for alternatives?

I'd recommend giving them a buzz. I started with the AA from scratch and its only a tenner a month for homestart and roadside assistance. They also sent me a flyer offering another family member to go on my policy for a really low fee (cant remember how much exactly) Add to that that its me that is covered, not my car, (which came in handy when my work van broke down) and personally i think its really good value. I have never been ripped or had a bad experience with the AA.

Owen

Yes, but isn't a tenner a month, €120 for the year?

Alun

Although it's tempting in this case, as in many others, to scream "Rip-Off Ireland", I think this may be a valid case where operating a country-wide breakdown service like this may actually be much more expensive than in the UK. Average distances travelled (and therefore time taken) to a breakdown may be larger, and vehicle running costs including insurance are as expensive for them as for any other motorist in this country.

Archeron

heh heh. Sorry, I didnt bring my mathematical head with me today. It is €120, but that also includes Homestart and some other cover as well. And dont forget the snazzy free magazine you get every few months as well. I personally think its good value. I think of it as €2.50 a week, and thats good. Its great to have support when you break down. I can only imagine that for a woman travelling alone, it would be a huge relief to have someone you can call.
Although, I never realized there was such a difference in price between Ireland and the UK. I wont hazard a guess as to why.
As mentioned, tell them you're already a member and they'll probably do you a good deal as a group cover thing.

unkel

It's expensive, but I would not call it a rip-off. I've been a member for years and the price has gone up by much more than inflation, but the times I called them their service was impeccable. Quick, professional, knowledgeable, courteous, and 100% result

That it is a lot cheaper in the UK could primarily be caused by massive economies of scale compared to Ireland

RiderOnTheStorm

I am afraid I have to disagree. I think being a member of the AA (or any other road-side assistance org, I am not targeting the AA specifically) is a waste of money...... unless you intend traveling abroad (where a breakdown is more awkward as you may not speak the lang and cannot call on friends to help)

Contrary to popular belief, being a member will not ensure you are back on the road after you have a problem.
I have found that if you have basic car-knowledge (ie, you know how to change a wheel) then you have covered most of what roadside assistance orgs offer.

I was a member for years, and when I finally had to call them (actually twice in the one year) firstly they could not find the town I was in, but when they did, they arrived and said they could not fix the car and offered me a (free) tow.... but the tow was only to the nearest AA approved garage, which was still 40 miles from my home! What was I to do then???? I ended up paying my local garrage to come and collect my car the next way. The second time I called (months later, and a different car) they said my alternator was gone, and I should get my car to a garage.....
roadside breakdown assistance is only good for flat batteries, flat tires, and locked keys in the car.

There is an option on AA coverage where they will get you to your destination, but this is a very large premium each year. How often is it crucial that you make it to your destination? IMHO getting to work each morn is not one of them! Getting home is more important, but I have changed my mindset now, and a delay in getting home once every couple of years is worth saving 100's of quid!

Ireland is small. If your car breaks down phone a friend and get a lift home (or hitch, maybe not reccomended for ladies or older generation) and get your local garrage to go collect it! Instead of roadside assistance, invest your money in a mobile phone!

Owen

The reason I'm calling shenanigans, is because an organisation as large as the AA should be able to offer coverage for the same price. So, a UK driver holidays in Ireland, should he then be charged more for a recovery? They're not subcontracting to anyone, the costs are internal. Yet, poor old Paddy pays over double what his UK buddy does.

<flameon>Sometimes if we'd stayed invaded by the brits we'd be better off, we'd have cheap tax, insurance, motorways, decent surfaces, okay, we'd all be tossers, but we'd have a car culture!</flameoff>

lazygit

RiderOnTheStorm wrote:

Ireland is small. If your car breaks down phone a friend and get a lift home (or hitch, maybe not reccomended for ladies or older generation) and get your local garrage to go collect it! Instead of roadside assistance, invest your money in a mobile phone!

agree 100% with everything you say, monday was the first day i had to call the AA, the oil filter switch was gone in the car and it was leaking oil. i called them at 10am monday morning, the car was fixed at 4pm on tuesday, after i arranged it to be brought to a garage, the switch cost 14euro and took 3 mins to replace.. AA = waste of time.

Slinky>

We called them out when a car wouldnt start a month or so ago, I had already tested the battery, and guessed it was the starter, They sent out a sub contractor and he arrived with a lady in the van and wouldnt even lift the bonnet, said the starter was gone,

When he was gone i gave the starter a whack of a block of wood and it started, I got a week and a half out of this until a second hand starter arrived, I was lucky the car was outside of my house and didnt need a tow but the van sent out wasnt capable of towing anyway.

Anan1

ned78 wrote:

The reason I'm calling shenanigans, is because an organisation as large as the AA should be able to offer coverage for the same price.

Why, if it costs more to provide coverage in Ireland?

Owen

Anan1 wrote:

Why, if it costs more to provide coverage in Ireland?

Because if they can cover a UK driver to drive in Ireland for € 56, then they should be able to cover an Irish driver for the same.

I remember them recently offering cover for € 60 as a promotion. I'm sure they weren't loosing money then either! € 120 seems extortionate.

The_Magoo

Because they are a multimational company and should be able to ofset there cost against their UK set up in order to provide a more competitive price in Ireland, rather than cashing in on our current economy. Ok I know, make hay when the sun shines, but companies like these are making massive profits yet the service standard doesnt really warrant their cost, they have the market sown up due to their abilty to maintain and manage the logistics!

Smithers

Anyone ever tried the Rac?

Breakdown cover
Existing members get more


RAC Ireland Cover gives you the reassurance of RAC breakdown cover in the Republic of Ireland and the UK.

Choose from one of the following levels of cover that best suits your needs.

Roadside €90

Roadside provides assistance at the roadside or outside your home, should you break down.
If we can't get you going within a reasonable time then we will tow your vehicle to a nearby garage.


Roadside and Recovery €125

All the benefits of Roadside
If we cannot fix your car within a reasonable time then we will take you, your vehicle and up to seven passengers to any republic of Ireland or mainland UK destination.


Seems for an extra 5 euro on the AA price they will bring u and ur car to anowhere in Ireland

murphaph

What does AA membership cost in Northern Ireland? If it's the UK price then the RoI members are being ripped off as the economy of scale argument goes out the window if a guy in rural Fermanagh pays less than a guy from the biggest city on this island!

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

ned78 wrote:

My car has 3 years breakdown assistance from new, but I want my mother's car to be covered to give her peace of mind. I went to theaa.ie, and they're quoting € 120 for basic annual roadside assistance. theaa.com (UK) are quoting €56 (39 pounds) for the same service.

Anyone got any half decent recommendations for alternatives?

http://www.rac.ie/

cargrouch

In my case I think it's worth it. Every car I've owned or driven has been 8 - 11 years old and I regularly travel fairly long distances. I spend a lot of time in Kerry and I'd rather have my car towed properly on those roads rather than relying on a hairy bit of rope.I have rescue plus and I've pretty much got my moneys worth over the last few years. Getting your car recovered isn't cheap!

I don't know if I should be happy or not about expecting to come out on top or at least break even every year. Maybe I should just get better cars.:o It's really only a matter of time before they kick me out.

Anan1

ned78 wrote:

Because if they can cover a UK driver to drive in Ireland for € 56, then they should be able to cover an Irish driver for the same.

How many days will the average UK AA customer spend driving in Ireland? One? Two? Not 365, anyway.

The_Magoo wrote:

Because they are a multimational company and should be able to ofset there cost against their UK set up in order to provide a more competitive price in Ireland.

I can't think of one good reason why UK AA customers should be forced to subsidise higher costs in Ireland. Can you?

The_Magoo

Anan1 wrote:

I can't think of one good reason why UK AA customers should be forced to subsidise higher costs in Ireland. Can you?

Not saying the UK customer should pay more, just that the company has such profits that you have to question if the rate they charge in Ireland is an accurate reflection of their operating cost, or is it a case of take Paddy for as much as possible because he doesnt mind paying it.

unkel

The_Magoo wrote:

you have to question if the rate they charge in Ireland is an accurate reflection of their operating cost

Why would it be an accurate reflection? Private companies' aim is to maximise profits, not to provide products / services at cost

The_Magoo wrote:

or is it a case of take Paddy for as much as possible because he doesnt mind paying it.

Perhaps...

If the price here is too high, there probably isn't enough competition. Or the AA are particularly good at something and people (like me) are prepared to pay a premium for that

For the record, I am not known to pay over the odds for things in general to put it mildly

Seth Brundle

As a comparison, my old E30's clutch died on the M50 at Blanch one evening. It cost IR£80 back in 2002 to get it carried the 5 or 6 miles to my home.
With the AA this would have been free. They also came out to the house about three times for other reasons, including towing my wifes 106 home after the water pump went.
When the cat in my E39 went the AA came out and although he couldn't tow the car (the valance is too low to get the yoke in under) he escorted me home.
IMO the few quid spent is good value for money!

yellow012

ned78 wrote:

My car has 3 years breakdown assistance from new, but I want my mother's car to be covered to give her peace of mind. I went to theaa.ie, and they're quoting € 120 for basic annual roadside assistance. theaa.com (UK) are quoting €56 (39 pounds) for the same service.

Anyone got any half decent recommendations for alternatives?

Chances are she already has breakdown assistance. Check her insurance policy, nearly all insurance companies offer it as part of their insurance package (or can be added for a small premium).

unkel

yellow012 wrote:

Chances are she already has breakdown assistance

Yep there's a good chance she has a basic breakdown assistance service on her policy. I have it on mine, but I don't expect anywhere near the quality of service as from the AA

If she has, check the T&Cs. It might be adequate, so you can save your mother a heap of money