I have everything with the aa, roadside relay onward travel and breakdown.

Car is serviced regularly too.

The car is adapted to carry a ventilated child, thus the reason for the over the top cover.

We had to call them on Saturday as we traveled to pick our son up from the hospital, we also had another disabled child in the car. Response time 24 minutes. - Bike AA rider. Nice guy took 3 trips to the shop for parts to fix, Sadly not resolved. 1.5 hours now sat on main dual carriageway with no pavement.

Relay arranged and AA gave choice, pay up front with a VAT registered garage or use there repairer they would pay upto £500 per claim and i have to pay £35 excess.

There repairer was Halfords Auto Centre. Sorted car for 3 days and they took my car without me to garage.

Call back later from garage stating the car may have a blown number one cylinder after thaey ran diagnostics

Asked to repair with AA Cover. Intially AA forgot who i was and could not find my car....... mmmmmmmm

They they did, car repaired 6 days later.

Collected car and was given a bill to pay of 495.00.

This was in addition to the payment they claimed from AA.

Looked at invoice from Halfords and found the following:

Credit AA £465 (£500 - Excess £35.00)

The charge from Halfords Insurance Excess £35.00 + VAT (£42.00)

charged twice then as AA had also take the £35 excess from there payment........

I then look a little closer at the charges.

Diagnostic Charge £49.99 + VAT

Online you can submit a quote request giving your registration and garage you want to go too. I did my car that was repaired and named the garage conducting the repair

The cost would have been £39.99 Incl.

so that's another (VAT and Extra Charge)

Fluid top up - Antifreeze £35 - They would charge me £20 if i book it in (Dont forget the VAT)

In total I feel they have increased the charges between 15 - 30 %

Knowing the car is needed to carry the disabled child, i feel they have done me over knowing i need the car urgently as it is adapted to carry my son ventilator.

Complaint with AA - Nothing to do with them,

Can i speak to a manager - No was first answer, then i insist, but sadly they not answering there telephone.

Halfords had shut ............ Grrrrrrrrrr.

Is this a contract breach. HELP

Hello sbfid, sorry to hear you are unhappy. This is something that we would like to address. Please email the details to [email protected] including your full name, membership number and address with Reference FOR52087. Kind Regards, The AA

Many thanks for the reply have sent the information to you.

Have already spoke to AA customer services seems although they towed car to the recommended repairers and now they deducted the excess it nothing to do with you......

Sadly - I feel as you sorted the garage, paid the garage it has lots to do with the AA. Why are AA members charged more than it would be if i took it in and why have we been double charged excess.

Feel there is some serious issues here. Is it because its a car adapted for a disabled person?

Update:

Halfords / AA now have admitted overcharging on this invoice. A refund on the three items I found has been offered.

As they do not seem to have checked the other 12 items on the invoice I am now checking these the overage over charge is around 20-40%

To add to the insult, my renewal from the AA has also landed, double the premium from last year.

The car was adapted for a disabled child and was urgently required back, it would appear that the preferential rates offered by Halfords for AA customers would in fact cost you a lot more.

Halfords have not even had the courtesy to offer an apology for the garage staff arguing with me.

The car is also not running well with fuel consumption up considerably. but will be back in two weeks for warranty check.

Halfords have today contacted in relation to the overcharging and mistakes on the invoice. A full refund of these and goodwill gesture has been accepted. This should have been resolved at the centre, however that is something that Halfords will address.

The AA have jumped my premium up and this has arrived. Not so good after the service received and unless they match last years premium will find they loose another member to the RAC. (some £100 cheaper too).

Enjoy all.

You have had your car repaired using the AA Breakdown Repair Cover. You have options with this, however you must use a V.A.T registered garage. The AA's preferred ( but not exclusive ) repairer is Halford's. This is due to the nationwide warranty offered, and the fact that they will deal with all the admin with the AA so that when you go to collect your car, you only hand over £35 ( assuming the total invoice doesn't exceed £500 ). Some garages will want you to pay them in full before you take the car away. In this case you have to pay, then claim your money back from the AA. This may not be convenient if you don't have the money to pay. Also, if you live in a different part of the country and the repair fails when you get home, you have to get the car back to the repairing garage and the AA may not recover it again. I'm glad you got you money refunded, now speak to AA Member Relations and see if you can get your subscription reduced for next year.

sbfido

Occassionally check my accounts, many suppliers offer discounts to new customers, but not old. AA seem to have been consistently one of these. Really cheap for a year, then fees aren't mentioned too much. Always shop arround, if such practice is common we should all keep flipping. Fact is most of us are just too lazy to check. Four years with the AA, queried my subscription, instantly offered 50% reduction. Thought about it for a minute, checked RAC, so gave them 30 day cancellation notice. So if you are still with the AA.... There again do the RAC do this?

Thread is 4 years old. OP has not posted on the forum since October 2013.

Thread is 4 years old. OP has not posted on the forum since October 2013.

The AA actually stepped up and sorted the issue out including recovery and repairs needed.

Still watch my thread!

you have to remember these organisation are profit oriantated these days, belonging to corporations not as we use to have members associations/clubs, gone are the real good old days of service within fee and no commisions by companies who have an agreement to repair etc etc with possible back handers, hence increase prices for insurance claims and repairs>????

even over 50s organisations etc are Insurance companies owned like SAGA etc etc, the theory went out of the window years ago as acting as agents not corporations, get car insurance quotes and there is no difference in prices much anyway.