The AA & Snow

dillo2k10

According to the AA Membership terms and conditions they will won't be helping you if you get stuck in snow. Or am I reading it wrong?

AA Service does not include the following:
The initial recovery of a breakdown or accident-damaged vehicle when it has left the
highway, is in a ditch, sunk in soft ground, sand or shingle, or when it is stuck in snow
or flood water or by the removal of its wheels. We will endeavour to arrange, but will
not pay for, any specialised lifting or towing assistance needed to recover the vehicle.
Once the vehicle is back on the highway, normal AA Service will be provided under
your Membership entitlement

While the AA seeks to meet the service needs of Members at all times, its resources are not
infinite and this may not always be possible. The AA shall not be liable for service failures
where the AA is faced with circumstances outside its reasonable control, such as Acts of
God, outbreak of hostilities, riot, civil war, acts of terrorism, acts of government authority,
fire, subsidence, explosion, flood, snow, fog or other bad weather conditions, vehicle
equipment or systems failures, failure of telecommunications lines or systems, default of
suppliers or subcontractors, theft, malicious damage, strike, lockout or industrial action of
any kind.

Taken from http://www.aaireland.ie/AA/AA-Membership/~/media/Files/AA%20Ireland/Terms%20And%20Conditions/AAM.ashx

Seth Brundle

But how many of their members needed help for getting stuck in the snow?
Surely, most winter call outs would be battery or coolant related.

Anan1

I'd always understood that the AA were there for mechanical breakdown rather than for accidents such as getting stuck in snow.

Seth Brundle

"Hello AA Rescue, how may I help you?"
"I'm stuck - I need a push"

Anan1

In any proper country if you went out in the snow on summer tyres, got stuck and blocked the whole road, you'd be arrested.:)

Our man in Havana

Proper order too.

smokie2008

In a nutshell what this means is...

The AA will come to your rescue pretty much whatever your motoring situation.... but.....

If your cars halfway down an embankment clean off the road, they will TRY get you out with what they have at their disposal but if it needs a crane or something to that effect that the cost for that will not be covered.

Our man in Havana

smokie2008 wrote: »

In a nutshell what this means is...

The AA will come to your rescue pretty much whatever your motoring situation.... but.....

If your cars halfway down an embankment clean off the road, they will TRY get you out with what they have at their disposal but if it needs a crane or something to that effect that the cost for that will not be covered.

That is it in a nutshell.

smokie2008

dillo2k10 wrote: »

According to the AA Membership terms and conditions they will won't be helping you if you get stuck in snow. Or am I reading it wrong?

They will help in the snow. They come out even if you need a bulb/wiper changed on your car. They pretty much never refuse a call to a member.

-Chris-

smokie2008 wrote: »

In a nutshell what this means is...

The AA will come to your rescue pretty much whatever your motoring situation.... but.....

If your cars halfway down an embankment clean off the road, they will TRY get you out with what they have at their disposal but if it needs a crane or something to that effect that the cost for that will not be covered.

That's what I'm reading too.

/thread.

corktina

sounds fair to me and at least it does imply they will come to your aid after an accident

Seth Brundle

Thread title altered to ensure there is no misunderstanding about the AA and their services

dillo2k10

I always thought that them getting you out of the snow was part of the package.
When my mum got stuck in the snow this year she was able to sign up on the spot (they charged extra) and they came out and got her car home.

Seth Brundle

Did she get stuck or break down?
Anyhow, its a T&C - doesn't mean they have to stick rigidly by it but when a bad snow storm hits (and we get an inch of snow), and the AA are rushed off their feet, they can say "Computer says no" without being mean!

dillo2k10

She got stuck. She came out of work and she couldn't move her car. They came and brought it all the way home.

Del2005

dillo2k10 wrote: »

I always thought that them getting you out of the snow was part of the package.
When my mum got stuck in the snow this year

dillo2k10 wrote: »

She got stuck. She came out of work and she couldn't move her car. They came and brought it all the way home.

What they are saying is that they'll try but aren't equipped to rescue you from the snow. A properly equipped snow recovery van would need chains, winches, shovels and sand channels/sacks. All the AA van would have is a tow rope,sacking and possible chains. They physically can't recover you if you're stuck bad.

dillo2k10 wrote: »

she was able to sign up on the spot (they charged extra) and they came out and got her car home.

FFS I broke down a few years ago and rang them, they where my insurers, and asked about recovery. Got put through to the recovery section and was just about to give CC details when I asked was cover immediate, they said no 24 hours. A friends mother had broke down before and got instant recovery.

Is it only women who get instant access? May call again and take them to the discrimination people.

Our man in Havana

Women always get priority with the AA.

Del2005

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Women always get priority with the AA.

I've no problem with them getting priority, but getting special membership is against the law.

maglite

Del2005 wrote: »

I've no problem with them getting priority, but getting special membership is against the law.

Is that not a contradiction ?

Anan1

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Women always get priority with the AA.

Source?:)

Our man in Havana

Personal experience.

If you want a fast response get a women to phone them.

Anan1

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Personal experience.

If you want a fast response get a women to phone them.

Might that just be coincidence? You'd want to be making (and timing) an awful lot of calls in order to be able to say with any degree of certainty that women get priority, no?

smokie2008

Del2005 wrote: »

FFS I broke down a few years ago and rang them, they where my insurers, and asked about recovery. Got put through to the recovery section and was just about to give CC details when I asked was cover immediate, they said no 24 hours. A friends mother had broke down before and got instant recovery.

Is it only women who get instant access? May call again and take them to the discrimination people.

It all depends on the situation, if a non member called from their home with their car in the driveway and themselves nice and safe at home then they wouldn't allow them to join on the spot.

In a case like dillo's Mum where it was a Woman calling stuck in the ice in the freezing cold on her own, then its a no brainer, its unsafe to leave her there when she's calling for help, so they'd allow her to join but there's a small emergency breakdown fee for nonmembers on top of them joining up on the spot.

Same applys for Men.

The AA do give priority to "vulnerable" members no matter what their sex or age. If there's 10 jobs waiting a half hour and an elderly member calls in stuck in their car with no power in -5C then it makes more sense to get that person going rather than other jobs waiting longer but the member sitting on their couch nice and safe and a flat tyre in their driveway.

All depends on circumstances and common sense prevails.

Del2005

maglite wrote: »

Is that not a contradiction ?

I suppose it is. But I'd rather a lone women is taken care of before a man. All the recovery companies admit they prioritize lone women.

smokie2008 wrote: »

It all depends on the situation, if a non member called from their home with their car in the driveway and themselves nice and safe at home then they wouldn't allow them to join on the spot.

In a case like dillo's Mum where it was a Woman calling stuck in the ice in the freezing cold on her own, then its a no brainer, its unsafe to leave her there when she's calling for help, so they'd allow her to join but there's a small emergency breakdown fee for nonmembers on top of them joining up on the spot.

Same applys for Men.

The AA do give priority to "vulnerable" members no matter what their sex or age. If there's 10 jobs waiting a half hour and an elderly member calls in stuck in their car with no power in -5C then it makes more sense to get that person going rather than other jobs waiting longer but the member sitting on their couch nice and safe and a flat tyre in their driveway.

All depends on circumstances and common sense prevails.

I was broken down in a multi story car park. 1st called AA insurance about recovery and they said I don't have it, but we'll give me a discount for recovery. Got put through and was about to pay when I mentioned I was currently broken down. There was no way they'd send recovery out before 24 hours was up.

If they allow women to get recovery without waiting 24 hours and men have to wait that's sex discrimination.

Not too fussed about it as I've never bothered with them since, ~8 years, so I've saved a fortune.

BostonB

Anan1 wrote: »

In any proper country if you went out in the snow on summer tyres, got stuck and blocked the whole road, you'd be arrested.:)

For the little bit of snow we had, any proper country would have cleared the roads.

Del2005

BostonB wrote: »

For the little bit of snow we had, any proper country would have cleared the roads.

Like the UK did?

We don't get bad enough weather to invest in enough snow clearing equipment. 2 bad winters doesn't warrant any more being spent.

Though we could make better use of private vehicles.

BostonB

In Dublin on my commute across the city, they put less effort in clearing (gritting) the roads, than I've seen on some frosty mornings in the past. Winter or snow tyres shouldn't have been needed tbh.

Back to the topic. Is this a change in AA terms?

smokie2008

BostonB wrote: »

Is this a change in AA terms?

No its always been there but its very rarely enforced.

Anan1

BostonB wrote: »

For the little bit of snow we had, any proper country would have cleared the roads.

We don't have the resources for that. In any proper country, people would either stay off the roads or buy suitable tyres, depending on their own situation. This clown act of venturing out on the wrong tyres, getting predictably stuck, blocking everyone else in the process, and then trying to blame the government requires a particularly Irish form of mental gymnastics, IMO.

smokie2008

^^^^^ Best post I've ever read on Boards!!!

BostonB

Anan1 wrote: »

We don't have the resources for that. In any proper country, people would either stay off the roads or buy suitable tyres, depending on their own situation. This clown act of venturing out on the wrong tyres, getting predictably stuck, blocking everyone else in the process, and then trying to blame the government requires a particularly Irish form of mental gymnastics, IMO.

Its bit hysterical to go changing the whole country to snow tyres for a freak weather than happens once a decade or two. For what we got, (at least around Dublin) all you needed was a bit of grit, not snow tyres. They didn't grit my estate for a couple of days. Normally they'd grit everywhere before you get up in the morning. Maybe down the country they had drifts of snow requiring snow clearing, but not around Dublin, and they didn't grit till far too late. That was the problem. Anyone would think we had drifts 20ft high the way people talk about it.

From the AA point of view. Pulling someone out who is stuck in snow is one thing. Thats not going happen that often to the same client. But if the roads are ungritted, then its not going to help if you give someone a push as they are just going to keep getting stuck. Also the whole city will have gridlock as no one can move. So the AA getting around in those conditions is impossible.

Also they closed ungritted roads, and hills, not because of snow. But because they were ungritted. Once they gritted them, they reopened. As there was no problem then.