AA 20km recovery...

serious3

Recently 2 friends of mine have had reason to call out the AA to recover a vehicle, both were told that as the vehicle couldn't be fixed roadside they would recover them for a max distance of 20kms.... surely they should bring the car to a garage of your choice wherever you are in the country? What's the point paying extra for AA cover when my insurance policy includes it?

bazz26

Surely it's in the terms and conditions of their policy when signing up?

serious3

Been a member for about 20yrs, always had them recover me home

honda boi

Think there's two different kind of poilcys .
A basic one and a road plus or something.
Think the plus one will cover nationwide tows and the other has a limit?
I've had to call them a few times and they take it to whoever I want.

L1011

There's rescue which has the 20km and rescueplus which is basically anywhere plus a hire car or other transport to final destination. It is, clearly, much dearer.

Isambard

they are a recovery business like any other. You get what you pay for.

hungry hypno toad

So someone skimped on the cover and is now complaining they don't get the benefits of the more expensive policy? Seems fair.

lollsangel

hungry hypno toad wrote: »

So someone skimped on the cover and is now complaining they don't get the benefits of the more expensive policy? Seems fair.

I get a better deal with the breakdown assist on my policy

hungry hypno toad

lollsangel wrote: »

I get a better deal with the breakdown assist on my policy

So do I, maybe the OPs friends didn't choose this feature or it wasn't available.

bazz26

Yes, there isn't one size fits all. They have different levels of breakdown assistance just like insurance.

bucketybuck

Coverage that limits you to only 20km does sound like a very basic package, its probably only there so that your car can be moved off the motorway to the nearest junction or out of a dangerous area, rather than a "recovery" service as such.

Its already been said, but your friends got what they paid for. Can you imagine the cost involved in bringing a car anywhere in the country! Do people really think that happens cheap?

Ubbquittious

20km to me is the difference between 'deep in the arsehole of nowhere' and 'the arsehole of nowhere'.

What happens if you break down in Allihies or Glencolumbkille on a Saturday evening? They bring you to a place where there is no garage or bus out of there till the following Monday and just let you there?

Allinall

Ubbquittious wrote: »

20km to me is the difference between 'deep in the arsehole of nowhere' and 'the arsehole of nowhere'.

What happens if you break down in Allihies or Glencolumbkille on a Saturday evening? They bring you to a place where there is no garage or bus out of there till the following Monday and just let you there?

Why would they bring you any further if you didn't ask them for that when you signed up?

Also, if you are going to remote places like that you should really check out the cover you have to avoid getting stranded.

serious3

spoke to her earlier, she's adamant when she signed up there was no mention of mileage restrictions to the recovery. She was in galway from castlebar so hardly remote places.....
I'm going to see what they say on Monday as my ineptitude with technology means I couldn't find out from their website.

Ubbquittious

Allinall wrote: »

Why would they bring you any further if you didn't ask them for that when you signed up?

Also, if you are going to remote places like that you should really check out the cover you have to avoid getting stranded.

If you are paying for nationwide breakdown cover you'd expect brought to somewhere your car could be fixed and where youd be able to get a bus or a train home. Not much point in moving your car from one desolate place to another and saying good luck now lad we passed the 20km mark yer on yer own now!

serious3 wrote: »

spoke to her earlier, she's adamant when she signed up there was no mention of mileage restrictions to the recovery. She was in galway from castlebar so hardly remote places.....
I'm going to see what they say on Monday as my ineptitude with technology means I couldn't find out from their website.

I had a look because I was thinking of signing up but it aint there as far as I can tell. 20km seems to be a figure plucked out of the sky, or a hat, or a wooden bowl on the day.

Allinall

Ubbquittious wrote: »

If you are paying for nationwide breakdown cover you'd expect brought to somewhere your car could be fixed and where youd be able to get a bus or a train home. Not much point in moving your car from one desolate place to another and saying good luck now lad we passed the 20km mark yer on yer own now!



I had a look because I was thinking of signing up but it aint there as far as I can tell. 20km seems to be a figure plucked out of the sky, or a hat, or a wooden bowl on the day.

I would have thought if you were paying for nationwide recovery, you would expect to get nothing more than what you signed up for.

Graham_B18C

In their T&Cs they say...

"If a Patrol or appointed agent cannot fix your vehicle within a reasonable time, it will be taken to the AA's choice of the nearest AA Approved Garage, franchised dealer or other appropriate local Repairer, or alternatively to a destination of your choice provided it is no further."

While I hate seeing people stuck, they do openly advertise on their sign up page that rescue plus offers "nationwide towing". When I signed up I read that, and I chose to not pay roughly 5 times the price for that extra (I live in the UK btw, mine was only 20 pound for the year with only one callout a year, but it has similar restrictions to the Irish one quoted above)