What recovery services?

[dobbslc]

Any recommendations for a GOOD recovery service for my two boys?
The eldest boy hit a curb on Wednesday night and wrecked a wheel and tyre (no spare as that was distoyed by a pot hole the week before)
The AA turned up with a flat bed truck but then refused to take him home and left him stranded, we had bought them full recovery home start etc etc.
I'm fuming about this and the required emails are being sent.
So any recommendations for a decent recovery service that will at least get them home if (when) they break down?
Ta.

 

[sako243]

I've had minor issues with the RAC but then I've only needed them in silly situations.

First - snapped a crank on the M4. Membership had lapsed so was just expensive recovery.

Second - air leak in RR suspension so although I could continue it was unsafe. I was in a services and it was just a case of service station hopping as they didn't have a driver with enough hours left to do it in one hit.

Third - getting hot towing a 20ft trailer on the M4. Stopped at Cardiff services because I still had the big hills to do. That RAC guy showed up in 30 minutes, I explained the situation he said I'll see if I can sort something. He then told control the engine had exploded and he'd been picking up bits of it down the M4. He said that was a sure fire way of them sending a recovery truck. Had to wait for a class 1 driver as he had to tow the trailer and then the third party company lorry broke down but that wasn't the RAC fault.

That being said I do all my own work on the vehicles and know them inside out so only involve them when it's undriveable and so far I've been able to convince them just send the flatbed straight away.

 

[Kram]

The AA turned up with a flat bed truck but then refused to take him home and left him stranded, we had bought them full recovery home start etc etc.

I wont name the company (it was a contractor although my policy was RAC) but one tried that with me. Loaded my bike upto flat bed, I told him my address and the excuses started coming. It was 1 or 2am and he said they cant check my policy which was arranged through insurance, who were also shut. He damanded £130 at the roadside to continue to 25 miles back.
He pulled over at petrol station and had another go at fixing it. Luckily for him, a combination of flat battery and running out of fuel at the same time, easily solved.

Or he would have found himself waking up in a ditch minus his truck!

 

[Matchless]

I hardly every use recovery services as a retired garage owner but when I or my family have used both the AA and RAC in the last few years they have BOTH come up very short! The AA took over 12 hours to get my daughter home with her car from I think Cheltenham (family wedding) her BMW E30 touring failed to start in a multi-storey car park, it was an ongoing issue that turned out to be a bad earth to the in tank fuel pump, I had a quick look and said to call the AA and make sure to give them the exact location and that it was on the third floor, they sent three vehicles that were too high to get into the building, the third guy reluctantly agreed to push the car 10 feet so it could roll all the way down to the ground floor (against the rules) then as they do not run with tachographs they could only take her about 50 miles to a motorway service area where the next crew was supposed to be waiting, they turned up hours later and promptly got a puncture in their van, then the trailer dolly thing got a punctures but they don't carry a spare for it, .................................. and more recently I was towing my new to me caravan back from our first weekend away, we had collected it on the way, our old faithful BMW X3 had suddenly started loosing coolant, it got to the point of having to stop every 8 miles and so we decided to abandon the journey at the Orwell bridge services just before the M11, called the AA, they told us that as our new caravan was 10" longer than our old one it was over the size limit and would have to be left, then they said it would be the next day before they could recover the X3, parked the X3 next to the kiosk, left Mary sitting in our new caravan in the lorry park and got my son to drive 60 miles to pick me up so I could drive back in the Iveco to get the caravan, the X3 turned up 3 days later....................... 1. they refused to take the caravan even though I offered to pay extra, 2. they did not suggest that I renewed my membership on the spot through the caravan club (it was due in a week) they would then have taken the caravan so it was not an actual size issue just rules is rules,

 

[qwakers]

Brittania rescue. Good as gold when I've used them.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

in the last few years they have come up very short

Same here...my last callout was 5+ hrs quoted...it was quicker to borrow tools and fix it myself!

I think I've had about 6 calls outside in 30 years...not with anyone at moment!

Interest to hear of better experiences as I do need to be with someone I think.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Interest to hear of better experiences as I do need to be with someone I think.

I too have had run ins with AA recovery. Like refusing to come out to 'indoors because she was in a (weight compliant) Transit with a flat battery.

I have had a few incidents dealt with through RH Insurance though, including a breakdown in France and each one was hassle free until the last... Coming back from Holland in a heap, I got it as far as Dover then threw in the towel. I got the 50 miles a time hop with delays between each, which took forever. It doesn't justify the term "recovery" really.

 

[Welderpaul]

Does anyone have any positive stories about the AA?

 

[qwakers]

I've been rescued in a timely manner by the aa several times.... on the company policy that is Pay-per-use. Go figure they are always going to be happy to make extra money

 

[arther dailey]

pay per use ? thats a new one on me , whats the rules /charges?

 

[GRW]

OH with AA, recently had a battery flat outside a rural doctors surgery where she'd driven her 87yo disabled mother for an appointment. This was about 11am.

She called, explained situation. RAC said they were too busy to get there till after 1pm earliest. Shortly afterwards another call revised the attendance estimate to 5-6pm soonest.
What a total waste of time & money.

I ended up having to take an impromptu half-day at work, and drive 25 miles each way with jump leads & get her going, then follow her to return her mum home, to make sure there were no further issues.
Add up the lost earnings for both of us, and the fuel etc, and the wasted fees for a non-service, and it adds up!

I need cover really for my 3.5t (gross) camper, and thinking maybe Green Flag or Brittannia. I feel neither the AA nor RAC are worth it any more - they are trading on a past where they actually did provide the service.

 

[qwakers]

pay per use ? thats a new one on me , whats the rules /charges?

No idea. Its the company policy

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

No idea. Its the company policy

I suspect a company policy caller would get to the top of their list.

 

[bricol]

Check your small print before getting too aggravated with the AA - it used to say if you haven't got a serviceable spare, they will call a mobile tyre company for you, unless your car doesn't have one as standard. Came to light with Caterhams - some have them, some don't.

 

[Dave-sparks]

The AA turned up with a flat bed truck but then refused to take him home and left him stranded, we had bought them full recovery home start etc etc.

Something along the lines of 'thats an accident not a breakdown and you've only got breakdown cover' I assume?

I had the same bull from them when I hit a pothole and snapped a leaf spring on an L200.
The first AA patrolman to come out and look at it didn't even know what a leaf spring was and had to phone for advice!

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I refused a recovery by the AA. Disco broke down on m61 with a collapsed boost hose, about a mile from the services. Could get tickover but not a lot more. AA came out and deemed it needed a flat bed. Flat bed turned up and the bloke got out and his first words were “I don’t know what you’ve opened the bonnet for, I’m not going to do anything”

He then proceeded to declare it couldn’t be driven on the truck, it had to be winched up and wrapped a strop round the axle and connected the winch line so that as it pulled tension it was bending my steering bars. I told him to stop and use the hefty recovery points on the bumper and he refused as “it’s against company policy, and anyways they’ll pay for any damages caused”

I point blank refused to allow him to continue and just limped it in low box along the hard shoulder to the services, and waited a couple of hours for a mate to drop me a new hose off

 

[JOEPRO]

Does anyone have any positive stories about the AA?

I have one.

They jump started my Dad's S500 many years back and blew every ECU in it.

£8k ish bill from MB dealer IIRC for the repairs. My Dad took AA to court and won so they had to pay for the whole lot and apologise.

 

[Mick Annick]

Does anyone have any positive stories about the AA?

No, and things are no better over here either.

 

[dobbslc]

The last few posts are interesting regarding accidents and no spare!
But why send a lorry out then leave him? I doubt the phone monkey would know what cars have a spare or not.
The more I hear about the AA the more I'm certain they'll not be getting any more money off me!

 

[m_c]

I refused a recovery by the AA. Disco broke down on m61 with a collapsed boost hose, about a mile from the services. Could get tickover but not a lot more. AA came out and deemed it needed a flat bed. Flat bed turned up and the bloke got out and his first words were “I don’t know what you’ve opened the bonnet for, I’m not going to do anything”

He then proceeded to declare it couldn’t be driven on the truck, it had to be winched up and wrapped a strop round the axle and connected the winch line so that as it pulled tension it was bending my steering bars. I told him to stop and use the hefty recovery points on the bumper and he refused as “it’s against company policy, and anyways they’ll pay for any damages caused”

I point blank refused to allow him to continue and just limped it in low box along the hard shoulder to the services, and waited a couple of hours for a mate to drop me a new hose off

That's AA flatbed recovery procedure.

By driving a vehicle on, you're relying on the vehicle handbrake being good enough to hold the vehicle until you can get the wheels strapped.
All vehicles have to be winched on, with a secondary breakaway strap attached in case the winch rope fails.

Also they're not allowed to use towing eyes, as quite a few towing eyes aren't strong enough to winch a vehicle up the bed incline, so they just have a blanket policy of not using towing eyes for flat bed recovery.