Screwed by the AA

[E55MO]

So on Thursday night the rear neaside Tire had a flat on my E55k. Came to a stop and could smell burning rubber. had a look around and it looks like the the inside of the Tire was split.

I did not have a spare wheel so called out the AA

they arrived in good time. I asked them to just recover the car to my home address no more than 20 miles away. Instant response, na we can get you a new tire, if we cant we will recover.

they got a mobile tire fitter to come out. The only tire they could source was a nexen. if i refused the tire aa would have done nothing further and left me :-(

£195 later they have fitted the tire, not balanced it and im on my way home.

the tire is £80 tops.... Fuming!!!!

 

[wemorgan]

why was it not balanced - vans usually have the facility to balance a tyre?

 

[bob6600]

Is this because some say rears do not need balancing? I am not sure I agree.

How can they force you to buy a tyre??

 

[geraldrobins]

I'd be fuming as well!! No doubt its in the AA small print but worth checking. I would have expected a similar tyre was available or recovery.

 

[E55MO]

will have to call the customer services department.

the aa guy was not rude or pushing a sale. If i had not i would have had to leave the car on a jack, call a friend take the tire to be replaced the next day and hope the car is still in one piece..

Just ordered a set of Bridgestones for the rear 230 fitted... hopefully i can sell the nexen for 8£80 seeing as only 20 miles have been driven

 

[Dryce]

they arrived in good time. I asked them to just recover the car to my home address no more than 20 miles away. Instant response, na we can get you a new tire, if we cant we will recover.

We had this happen a just a few miles from home several years ago with 2 punctures in the middle of the night.

The AA insisted on trying to find a fitter rather than just recovering the car and wasted the best part of an hour before giving up .. and recovering the car after they couldn't get a fitter with stocks of the right tyre.

My view at the time is that the AA were putting us in a position where we would get badly ripped off.

I'm sure there is a conflict of interest here where the AA will get the tyre fitter of their choice out likely at no cost to themselves - possibly even a referral fee - and save themselves the cost of a recovery (which may be contracted to a third party). This isn't necerssarily in the best interests of the customer and they should let the customer have the choice as to the response.

 

[grober]

Ah----- remember the good old days when manufacturers actually gave you a spare wheel and tyre with every new car. Terribly old fashioned I know.

 

[Dryce]

Ah----- remember the good old days when manufacturers actually gave you a spare wheel and tyre with every new car. Terribly old fashioned I know.

TBH I have mixed views.

If I had aging parents or relatives looking to buy a new car I'd suggest they chose a model with RFTs over a spare, space saver, or sealant kit.

 

[E55MO]

i just bought a set of bridgrstones total cost 220 25 more than they charged for the crappy nexen tyre...

seriously feel aggrieved and have no idea where to start with this......

any advice???

one point is that the tire they replaced was totally gone there was no way back and it only had 1.6 mm of depth left so would have required a change.

 

[wemorgan]

IMHO take it on the chin. You're £100 out of pocket, move on. Just consider it when your renewal is next up.

 

[renault12ts]

IMHO take it on the chin. You're £100 out of pocket, move on. Just consider it when your renewal is next up.

...and get a spare.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

i just bought a set of bridgrstones total cost 220 25 more than they charged for the crappy nexen tyre...

seriously feel aggrieved and have no idea where to start with this......

any advice???

one point is that the tire they replaced was totally gone there was no way back and it only had 1.6 mm of depth left so would have required a change.

Start with reading up on the T&Cs that you signed up to.

 

[grober]

TBH I have mixed views.

If I had aging parents or relatives looking to buy a new car I'd suggest they chose a model with RFTs over a spare, space saver, or sealant kit.

I can appreciate that sentiment but increasingly evidence would indicate that many RFT tyres are trashed and incapable of re-inflation.
In terms of a driver physically incapable of changing a spare wheel due to a lack of strength or simply not knowing what to do [ possibly more common than we might like to think] my suggestion would be - call the AA /recovery service and get them to change it for you.

 

[E55MO]

IMHO take it on the chin. You're £100 out of pocket, move on. Just consider it when your renewal is next up.

yes, good advice mate.. best move on

 

[chrisdean]

If you're going to let your tyres run down to 1.6mm then there's more chance that you'll get punctures.

 

[davidjpowell]

the boss

Aa Corporation Limited
Mr Bob Mackenzie Executive Chairman
Email [email protected]

Twitter too. @TheAA_UK

Also make sure you know the list price of the nexon

 

[Howard]

Have they billed £195 just for the tyre or does that price include the fitters 'call out fee' and mileage etc.

Surely you could have stated that the handbook recommends X tyres , and you aren't prepared to have a budget tyre put on such a powerful car.

To be fair though , no spare or space saver is always going to end in expense if you get a flat. Just like if you run out of petrol you can expect a fat bill from the AA.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Ah----- remember the good old days when manufacturers actually gave you a spare wheel and tyre with every new car. Terribly old fashioned I know.

Ah, good old days when it was an association and not a company always trying to flog insurance etc. I recall my Dad about fifteen years ago refusing to renew his membership, he saw the writing on the wall.

 

[geraldrobins]

If you're going to let your tyres run down to 1.6mm then there's more chance that you'll get punctures.

That maybe the theory but all of my punctures over the years have been on newish tyres, unfortunately.

 

[E55MO]

If you're going to let your tyres run down to 1.6mm then there's more chance that you'll get punctures.

Point taken... We can all learn from mistakes