hi all, i need some help with solicitors fees. i took my civil claim for a used car i purchased to a solicitor as i was not getting anywhere with the car dealer i purchased from. long story short, the solicitor had my file for 3 years, ran the case into the ground, i paid £17k in costs, the solicitor then came off file when i refused to pay any further money. now the solicitors firm want another £8000. in the end the solicitor did absolutely nothing for me, i didn't win the case nor did i lose it. the dealer in the end repaired the car and gave it back to me, for the privilege i paid a solicitor £17k. what i don't understand is, if my case had no prospect of winning why did they pursue it down the fast track route, instead of offering me legal advice, i was always asked, what i want to do, it was extremely reactive in nature. there would have been a better chance to pursue the defendant for costs in relation to make the car road worthy, the repair would have cost between £2000-£3000 maximum and we could have pursued it smalls claims. they are threatening court action if i don't pay and i really need to know what i can do?? i have been bled dry and dont have any more money to pay another solicitor. really hope someone can help me

i think i am going to write to the ombudsmen, i do feel let down and conned by the AA.

AA did not cover it in the end. below is the reply i received. AA inspector came out and advised the same. no sufficient oil supply to the turbo, could not definitely say it was due to a blockage. this grey area is used to the advantage of the AA to get out of paying the full $465. i feel Conned. Dear Mr Hussain Thank you for your email to our Executive Chairman, Mr Andrew Goodsell. Further to our conversation today, I have reviewed the details of your claim with the information provided by the garage and by our technical team. The terms and conditions for your Breakdown Repair Cover set out what conditions need to be met in order to authorise a claim, please refer to page 2 of your po licy which specifies: "In order for the cover to apply the vehicle must: a) breakdown as a result of mechanical or electrical failure, and b) as a result be prevented from continuing its journey safely, and c) have been attended by the AA under your AA membership, and d) need the repair or replacement of part(s) to start or continue your journey." The definition for the words "Mechanical or electrical failure" is been provided on page 7 of your terms and conditions which states, "The sudden and unforeseen breaking or burning out (electrical) of any insured part(s) which prevents the Nominated vehicle from continuing or commencing (When Home Start cover is held under Your AA Member ship) its journey safely" We have liaised with your garage who have advised us that the Turbocharger siezed internally which has caused the part to fail. As explained above, the BRC policy covers you for a sudden and unforeseen mechanical failure. The seizure of the Turbo is not a sudden failure itt has happened over a period of time and as such is not covered under your policy. I note from our records that my colleagues have offered to arrange the attendance of an independent inspector, who would assess the fault with the Turbo and provide an analysis of why the part failed. This option is still available and if you wish to arrange attendance please contact my colleagues on 0844 579 0042. Based on the information that has been provided, I have upheld the re pudiation of your claim however, if the independent inspection provides more detail on why the part failed we will reassess this decision. I am obliged to advise you that this email can be considered my final response however, if you feel I have not fully addressed your complaint, please let me know by replying to this email. Alternatively, if you remain unhappy you may contact the Financial Ombudsman Service within 6 months of the date of this email. They can be contacted at South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR. Thank you for taking the time to contact us, I understand that this may not be the response you were hoping for though I trust my email has clarified our position on this matter. Yours sincerely Ben Gannon Special Investigations Executive Office of the Chief Executive

i only mentioned the previous claim after they had already advised they would not cover this repair. they advised that was under a different policy and were not really interested. he advised that if the cause of the turbo failing was an oil blockage stopping oil getting to the turbo then it wold not be covered as this is a new amendment in the T&Cs. any oil blockages in the engine are not covered. They have not advised when the inspector would call. each day is costing me money without my car as ai have to use public transport to travel, im not on the best of jobs and these unnecessary cost do not help at all.

thanks rebel, i have read the terms and conditions, from what i understand they should cover the fault. 1. Features and benefits of AA Breakdown Repair Cover AA Breakdown Repair Cover will cover The cost of repair and/or the cost of replacement of certain parts when your vehicle has suffered a breakdown and you are unable to safely continue your journey. In order for cover to apply the vehicle must: a) breakdown as a result of mechanical or electrical failure, and b) as a result, be prevented from continuing its journey safely, and c) have been attended by the AA under your AA Membership, and d) need the repair or replacement of part(s) to start or continue your journey. (Please see page 9 for details of parts covered) up to £500 for parts, labour and VAT per claim. all the above apply, however the technical advisor who refused to give me his full name wanted to know why the insured part failed. he was interested in the root cause of the failure. i watched the AA guy throughout, ll he did was plug his machine into the car, got an error code relating to the mass airflow meter. he cleaned it with contact cleaner, the car still wasnt driving properly so he towed me to a garage. i have written an email to the CEO. i will also forward it onto Andrew Goodsell. the thing that makes me angry is i had a turbo failure over 2 years ago and AA repaired it under the policy. why is it any different this time round?? thanks

from what i have learnt, if AA send out an inspector then they pay around£150, they would rather pay that than the full £465. i feel totally let down by the AA.

you can try email the CEO Chris Jansen

Hi, i was wondering if someone could help me. i am sure I'm not the first or last to report such a problem. i have been a member of AA for about 6 years and have the additional breakdown repair cover. i own a vw golf 1.9tdi 2005 model last week i broke down whilst driving, i lost total power however it was intermittent, even with the full foot down on the accelerator. i suspected it was the turbo or MAF as the warning light appeared on the dash board. i parked up in a safe location, called the AA and they sent a patrol, in favour of the AA, the patrol did arrive within 20 minutes. i explained to the patrol what had happened and he advised that most likely cause was the MAF, as the error code from his machine pointed to that. he cleaned the MAF (Mass air flow Meter) and the light went off. he advised me to drive to a garage of my choice so i did, as he followed me, more black smoke, he flashed me down and recovered me to the garage. the garage inspected the car and advised the MAF was faulty and also the turbo had failed. the garage called the AA and advised of the issues related to the breakdown and that it was a sudden mechanical failure. AA refused to give an authorisation number, i spoke to them today and they advised me they want to send an inspector out and based on his report they may overturn their decision to cover the repair. i hope someone can help me. just dont feel the warranty serves its purpose. thanks