Automobile Association Renewal

[badpenny]

So my roadside breakdown & vehicle recovery renewal arrived, now last year for two of us passenger or driver in any vehicle in Great Kingdom it was around £100.
This year I was astonished and delighted to read it was a mere £158 for exactly the same standard of cover. This is what they call "popular prices" in other words they like them.

I've always been with The AA however that's a load of handbag, consequently I went on line and looked up The RAC.
I've never considered myself to be worthy of The Royal Automobile Club before however they came in at £125.
£33 buys a lot of that cough medicine you shouldn't take more than twice a day but makes you sleep even in the queue at The Post Office.

So I phoned the AA and spoke to a very nice young man to whom I explained I was cancelling my renewal and would be most irritated should they go ahead and take the money out of my asthmatic bank account as per the Direct Debit.
He read his script about how they were the leading blah blah blah ...... Attended more than blah blah roadside breakdowns ...... Had the Yellowish Vans blah blah and then asked if a colleague could call me back later.

They were as good as their word for exactly later o'clock Mr Colleague phoned and was quite beside himself with glee at being able to give me the good news that they were so horrified at losing my custom they would on this occasion match The RAC price.

I was so choked with their generosity and humbled by their offer I immediately gulped back my rising emotions and declined.
He was half way through the next line of his script and had reached the bit about getting written confirmation out to me of the new price when he realised what I had said, I think the word Goodbye was the clue.

"Err .... but ..... ummm" He confidently parried. This guy was no push over and I could see that I needed to up my game somewhat!

I explained that all he had done was match their price, I didn't want match I wanted better than. Otherwise there was nothing in it for me, only them, consequently I intended to continue with my plan to join The RAC.

Without a moments hesitation he told me he was authorised to lower my renewal to last year's price of £95.

The cheeky, arseholing greedy bastards! They think so highly of their existing customers that they rely on them being compliant and polite enough not to challenge a hike in price of a third.

Although I have been with them on and off for forty one years, and I admit they have gotten me out of the soft and smelly on many occasions I did have a disconcerting experience with them last year.
I saw in the paper that AA were having an open night locally so I popped along. I have to say I came away more than slightly concerned at the thought of letting any of them work on any vehicle of mine, they were all self admitted drunks.

Badpenny

Edited one times as even I got bored reading this twaddle and started typing with thumb up bum and brain in neutral.

[jimmy55]

Its the same with house insurance or car insurance, utilities etc etc. Every year you have to go through the price comparison sites which inevitably give a cheaper quote with the same company! Then its on the phone to haggle.....its a wonder anyone ever gets any work done as its so time consuming. I ended up with my house insured through the AA and my car through Marks and Spencers ....bizarre

[john t peterson]

And don't even get me started on the cable company...You do have cable over there, don't you?

[bryans fan]

Its all bonkers! As you say loyalty counts for nothing these days,in fact you are penalised for staying with a company, the deals being for "rand new customers only" It is wierd this shopping around , we get our gas from the milkman and our electricity from the veg shop on the corner, water from Amazon!
Ok I lied about the last 3 things, but you get my drift!

[operator bell]

And don't even get me started on the cable company...You do have cable over there, don't you?

The problem with cable companies is finding out the real price in the first place. All they advertise is the "introductory price", carefully obscuring in the small print the duration of said price - is it two weeks, a month? Who knows. Even on the web site of my local cable co, where you sign up for service, they do not tell you the real monthly price once the special runs out.

What I discovered by trial and error, though, is that if the real monthly price is (say) $50, the actual invoice will be about $85, the balance being made up of fees and taxes to (allegedly) wire up some rural village that doesn't have any computers or televisions.

[bandito]

"The cheeky, arseholing greedy bastards!"
spot on again......

[banditboy]

Quoteline direct.com I`ve been with them for 4 years, full breakdown cover including; full european cover, Home start, Hotel if required-waiting for vehicle to be fixed-, Flat tyre, Run out of fuel, Locked out of vehicle, etc, etc, etc and the price....................................................................... £59.00 PER YEAR