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Liam R

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Review of the AA, Breakdown cover:

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AA member for over 30 years, never again....

have been a loyal AA member for over 30 years, but today I cancelled my cover and will never return. I hold fleet cover for my business and, at its peak, have had 8–9 vans and cars insured under my policy. Over the years the AA has assisted us many times, and I have always had good experiences with their roadside drivers — until this incident. One of my vans broke down at 4am and was left in a lay-by on the M1. Unfortunately, the driver who works for me chose not to call the AA as instructed and left the van there, as he had an early start and didn’t want to wait. As a result, the Highways Agency collected the vehicle at 6:45am and moved it to a secure compound. I arrived at the M1 at 7am to contact the AA, so it was simply very bad timing. Further bad luck followed, as the van’s MOT had just expired and it was booked in for testing the following day. Because the MOT had lapsed, the AA would not collect the vehicle under my fleet policy, meaning I had to pay an additional £200+ to have the van moved from the secure yard to my mechanic. I was initially told collection was planned for midday, with arrival at my mechanic between 1–2pm. This time was repeatedly pushed back, to the point where I was paying my mechanic to stay late just to receive the vehicle. This pattern of missed ETAs continued for four more days. Despite calling the AA multiple times every day, I was repeatedly told, “We should be with you by this time,” only for nothing to happen. In total, it took over five days for my van to be collected. During this time, my costs continued to rise through hire vans, storage fees at the compound, and countless hours spent on the phone chasing updates. When the van was finally collected on day five, I was assured that the additional storage fees would be covered due to the delays being the AA’s fault. However, the AA then attempted to avoid paying these costs until they reviewed a recorded call where one of their advisers explicitly confirmed the fees would be covered. Only then did they agree to reimburse me and said they would send a cheque. Throughout this entire process, I spent hours every day trying to get answers. When I raised the issue of compensation or even a partial refund of the £200+ I had paid due to their failings, I was told the AA does not offer compensation and that I should submit a complaint form. When I asked how long it would take to speak to someone if I did that, the adviser replied, “I don’t think you will.” It appears that customer satisfaction is no longer a priority for the AA. I am genuinely sad to leave after more than three decades of membership, but being repeatedly misled, forgotten, and left in limbo has destroyed all trust I had in the company. If you are prepared to wait a very long time, the AA may be acceptable for straightforward breakdowns. However, the moment anything goes wrong, you can expect to be left completely in the lurch. Proceed with extreme caution if you are considering the AA for breakdown cover. Reviewed on: 16th December 2025

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