AA - feedback and would welcome thoughts

[AladinsaneUK]

Sorry this is going to be a bit of a long post but - really would welcome people's thoughts before I get not only a tad antsy, but positively medieval on AA's corporate arse

some may be aware that we had a small issue on a recent trip to Bath - https://ziggylaika.blog/2025/06/02/bath-and-the-wacky-races-wheel/ details it from our perspective at the time.

funnily enough, I did raise a complaint with the AA - a week or so ago, I received a reply:


To: pete@petedean.org.uk
From: The Automobile Association


Dear Mr Dean

Thank you for contacting us with your concerns; you are a valued AA member, and I am sorry that you have had cause to complain.

Your Complaint

I understand you are unhappy with the following:

Part 1 – The fault of your vehicle was misdiagnosed, and you were advised it was okay to drive, which was incorrect.

Part 2 – The attending recovery patrol advised he would be with you soon then went on his break and your job was not reallocated.

Part 3 – The recovery patrol advised someone would be with you soon, however, he closed the job.

Part 4 – You experienced extensive delays throughout your breakdown experience.

My Investigation

Part 1

Upon completing my investigation, I can see that your vehicle was initially attended on 26 May at 09:14 and the patrol suspected the fault was with the steering ball joints and/or bushes; he advised the vehicle was safe to drive.

Subsequently, you requested further breakdown assistance, and another AA patrol arrived at 15:02 and found that the wheel bolts were missing and the threads in the hub had been damaged. As a result, he deemed the vehicle unsafe to drive and arranged for it to be recovered.

It is evident that the service provided in the first instance was less than adequate, and I hope you can accept my sincere apologies on behalf of the AA for any distress caused as a result. Please be assured that I have sent feedback to the Performance Leader of the patrol in question who will take any necessary corrective action required.

Part 2

I have reviewed our records and found that a safe recovery was requested at 10:15, it was allocated to several resources before being locked onto an AA patrol at 10:57, however, he did not arrive until 12:51.

Part of the delay was due to having to take his mandatory 45-minute break in line with EU driving time regulations and the working time directive, which place restrictions on the amount of time that certain drivers can work. This helps to ensure the safety of both passengers and drivers.

Unfortunately, this can mean delays occur on occasion, however, it is evident in this instance that the job should have been allocated to another resource that would be able to arrive sooner, especially considering the severity of your location.

Part 3

I have checked our systems and found that following your safety recovery, your job was closed as ‘completed,’ and another job was not put in place until you contacted us at 14:58 to advise of the error.

It is clear that the job should not have been closed, and I hope you can accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by the error and the additional delays incurred as a result. Please be assured, I have sent feedback to the patrols Performance Leader and any necessary corrective action will be taken.

Part 4

Even at the best of times, a breakdown is a highly inconvenient experience and speed in attending any broken-down vehicle is an important part of our service. We know it is a great help to know how long it will take for service to arrive and we aim to reach a member within 60 minutes of any call for assistance.

Our records show that you initially requested breakdown assistance at 07:59, and sadly, your final recovery journey did not commence until 19:28. A lot of different factors contributed to the extensive delay incurred, some of which are noted in my previous investigation.

I hope you can accept my sincere apologies for the poor customer journey provided on this occasion; it is evident our services fell short of their usual standard, and it is never our intent to add to an already stressful situation.

In Summary

I can understand your dissatisfaction with the level of service you have received, and I agree with your complaint. I hope you can accept my sincere apologies on behalf of the AA.

Unfortunately, I cannot change what has already happened, however, in recognition of the poor service that you have received, and to reinforce my apology for the inconvenience caused, I have issued a cheque to you for £170.00; please allow up to 21 days for it to arrive by post.

Next Steps

If you are unhappy with the final response, you can contact the National Conciliation Service (NCS), a competent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider.

Should you wish NCS to consider your complaint, please follow the below steps: Visit <https://www.nationalconciliationservice.co.uk/> and follow the instructions to raise a new case.

Submit your case and supporting documentation. The team at NCS will then contact you to advise of the next steps. Once your case is opened, should you require any updates or need to speak with somebody, NCS can be contacted via telephone on 01788 538318.

The AA has subscribed to ADR (mediation) with NCS, and you can access this service, free of charge, provided you do so within twelve months of the date of this correspondence.

Should the National Conciliation Service take on your complaint we are obliged to send them your file in full. Therefore, you do not need to make a separate request for your file under your rights of access.


Thank you for taking the time to make us aware of your concerns, your feedback is important to us.


Customer.Solutions@theAA.com <mailto:Customer.Solutions@theAA.com>


now, having paid out £330 to the garage to make good the wheel, hub, provide new studs etc I sent a reply:

Good afternoon

Thank you for your detailed investigation and upholding all aspects of my complaint.

However, I have now settled the garage bill for the repairs to the vehicle - caused by AA staff / team members and that came to £337.83.

I also must make you aware that the repairs to the vehicle took some time, and led to being unable to use the motorhome for several weekends including a planned excursion to Ely.

I have been able to transfer the full booking to an alternate date later in the year at no cost.

I am not minded to accept the offer of compensation as is - I feel that that offer covers the traumatic events of the day - in the cold light of day we could have endangered the lives of our selves and other road users by losing a wheel on the motorway…… I will accept the figure of £500 that covering the cost of repairs plus the inconvenience caused.

Please do advise me if that is possible, or if not I will proceed as per your information vis a vis NCS
Best wishes
Pete

today I got an email back:

Dear Mr Dean

Thank you for your recent email.

I’m sorry you have had to contact us again regarding the outcome of your complaint.

I have reviewed our records and found that you do not hold our Parts and Garage Cover upgrade, therefore, I am unable to consider the costs incurred for repairs. I have also discussed the compensation awarded with my Team Leader, and I confirm that we cannot consider increasing the amount awarded; I appreciate that you will be disappointed with this response.

Please be assured your feedback is important as it allows us to continually review our processes.

Please refer to our final response issued on 02 July 2025 advising you can contact the National Conciliation Service (NCS), a competent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider, through its website: https://www.nationalconciliationservice.co.uk/ <https://www.nationalconciliationservice.co.uk/>

The AA has subscribed to ADR (mediation) with NCS, and you can access this service, free of charge, provided you do so within twelve months of the date of this correspondence.

I will close by thanking you for the time you have taken and advise you with respect, that this letter can be considered our final response.

Customer.Solutions@theAA.com <mailto:Customer.Solutions@theAA.com>

before I submit something to NCS - would welcome peoples thought.


oh - and would I recommend the AA - based on this crock of rubbish - I would rather recommend Putin to run a creche....

 

[Jonno1103]

It's why Comfort no longer use them, they received too many complaints.

 

[starquake]

The AA has subscribed to ADR (mediation) with NCS, and you can access this service, free of charge, provided you do so within twelve months of the date of this correspondence.

The nuts thing is when you take a org to an ADR provider, AA pay the ADR fees (which on many ADR providers are in the region of £250).

So you can look at raising the complaint with ADR even if it doesn't result in an enhanced payout to you as at least having cost the AA more than they offerred you.

 

[Ernesto]

So there is video evidence of someone tampering and loosening off your wheel bolts?

A first breakdown with noise but no symptoms of wheel vibration/bolts being loose. AA patrol didnt double check your wheel bolts were tight (I wonder if that is included in their fault diagnosis checklist?).

Second breakdown - all wheel bolts now off and wheel only held on with corrosion and bodywork?

I would guess you most powerful argument in appeal, is that the first patrol should have checked bolts but you didnt experience any vibration. Have you reported this to the police? Someone vandalized your van on a busy campsite used by many funsters, putting you both at huge risk?

 

[AladinsaneUK]

So there is video evidence of someone tampering and loosening off your wheel bolts?

A first breakdown with noise but no symptoms of wheel vibration/bolts being loose. AA patrol didnt double check your wheel bolts were tight (I wonder if that is included in their fault diagnosis checklist?).

Second breakdown - all wheel bolts now off and wheel only held on with corrosion and bodywork?

I would guess you most powerful argument in appeal, is that the first patrol should have checked bolts but you didnt experience any vibration. Have you reported this to the police? Someone vandalized your van on a busy campsite used by many funsters, putting you both at huge risk?

The footage was not clear enough to identify anyone
The police didn’t want to know as there clearly evidence
The campsite have I believe made some changes to camera placement and security over all (where our van was parked made it easy - the near side was against a hedge that was the end of the site - and there was a gap in the hedge so….)

No, there was no juddering on the steering wheel- my first thought was a bearing had gone from the noise and how it changed as speed changed.

NCS have asked for the receipts so will see what they say