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 Topic: warning about AA European breakdown cover in Germa
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14/8/2015 at 3:32pm
Location: Cambridgeshire
Outfit: Icarus 500XL & Swift Baronette
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Hello,
I wanted to share our experience of AA European breakdown cover after our car broke down in Germany at the weekend.
I had travelled there with my husband, 2 kids (8 & 11 years old) & 3 dogs for the European Flyball championships which were being held at a local football field at Emtmannsberg which is the far side of Germany. We were camping on a farmers field next to the ground and the agreement was that we would leave Monday morning.
On our second day of travelling to the venue (Thursday) it was really really hot and the last 2 hours of the journey involved some really big hills, which we think was too much for the engine. The engine warning light came on and it went into limp mode, which enabled us to get to the site late that evening but wouldn't have got us home again.
We had bought AA European Travel Insurance when we booked the tickets with Eurotunnel which included caravan cover so we thought it would be ok.
We called the AA people on Friday and the car was towed away. Later that day we were told the engine was dead and not repairable there. We were then told we would get a hire car that would tow our caravan home. This was an enormous mistake as it's very hard to get a hire car that can tow, even harder if you're in the middle of a car killing heatwave during the summer holidays.
Saturday lunch time we were offered a Fiat 500 or a smart car to get us home. Just a reminder we have 2 kids, 3 dogs and a caravan. My husband explained this to them and they said they would get back to us, all the time assuring us that we would get a car that could tow.
After numerous phone calls chasing and being fobbed off again and again that it would be ok, I finally was told Sunday lunchtime that actually no there was no chance of getting a hire car that could tow (this was after I asked them to check as everyone we were with were very surprised that they were even trying and the few with Internet access had been looking for us as well with no success).
When I then asked what plan B was, how were they going to get my caravan home they had no clue and had to go and find out. By this time I was also being told that all of the rental agencies in Germany were closed until 9am Monday morning so that had to wait until then to try to get us a car to get us home.
I am sitting in a field, in 35 degree heat, with 2 kids (who by now were starting to realise that something was going wrong), 3 dogs, surrounded by the rest of our team who were all going early Monday morning, with no internet and a rescue company who at one point told me in a cheery tone to have a lovely evening meal and relax as they would sort it all Monday morning.
Thankfully one of our team mates offered to take the dogs with them (which we informed the AA of), added them onto their ferry crossing which cost them and then drove through the day and night to get them home as quickly as possible (there were 3 adults and six dogs in their car on the way home).
Monday morning we packed up the caravan, took a full inventory and took photos of everything, packed off the dogs, farmed out our clothes with anyone who had space and packed the bare essentials for our trip back. The caravan was picked up at 10am and even the rescue guy couldn't believe that we still had no car and even tried chasing it up for us.
Everyone else left as they all had 7 hour plus journeys that day and we went and sat in the shade under a tree for the next 5 hours. At midday we were told that a hire car was available but we couldn't have it til 8.30 that evening, so they told us that they would arrange a hotel and a taxi to get us there. At 2pm we got the details of the hotel, but found out that the reason no taxi had arrived was that they still thought we had the dogs and so were trying to arrange us 2 taxis that would take the dogs. At 3pm one of the lovely Germans who were packing away all the stuff left from the competition called an English speaking friend to ask us if they could help and they then ended up giving us a lift there and explaining to the receptionist at the hotel what had happened.
By this point we were very very stressed, hot, sweaty, knackered and p**sed off. My daughter at one point that afternoon had asked what would happen if it got dark, would we be sleeping there and I couldn't answer her which broke my heart.
The hotel were brilliant, I think they realised how strung out we were and made sure we ate and made a few calls for us to check on the caravan (the AA didn't seem to know where it was and so it took a couple of calls to track it down).
We got the car at 9 Monday evening and then decided to drive through the night to get to Calais as our crossing was 3.50pm Tuesday. Again we told the AA we were going to do this as we had to swap the hire car in Calais, so asked them to make sure the second car was there in the morning as we wanted to try to get an earlier crossing (we all just wanted to go home). Again we were told of course they would do this and everything would be fine.
We arrived in Calais early the next morning and called the AA to check our car would be ready (I wasn't prepared to give up the German car until I had a car to go home in as I couldn't face wandering around with our bags while we waited). We were then told that the car had been booked for 8 that evening, 4 hours after our crossing. How I managed to keep my temper I do not know, but he obviously realised that I was at the end of my tether as he hastily said he would re-arrange it for earlier.
We finally swapped over the cars at 9.30am, drove straight to Eurotunnel who got us on the next crossing. I have never been so glad to see Kent in my entire life and I truly do not think I will ever leave the country again.
The next day I called the AA and insisted on speaking to a manager as I am now very concerned about what is happening to our car and caravan. I've been told that they will be returned in 2-3 weeks and they can't do it any more quickly (but will believe it when I see it). Once they are back I will be putting in a complaint as I think the way we were treated was appalling.
So if you are planning on going to Europe with your caravan do not use AA European breakdown cover. If you have already taken out a policy do not let them waste time looking a tow car to replace your car as they don't seem to exist (unless you use a 4x4 but they go over the £750 per day limit the policy has). We think that if they had realised this straight away on Friday and told us this instead of promising a tow car we would've taken the car we were offered Saturday which wouldn't have been ideal but at least we would've been able to leave as soon as the caravan was picked up and spread the journey back over 2 days as planned.
If I ever leave the country again with my caravan I will be getting specific caravan breakdown cover and I am starting to think about doing the same for our UK breakdown cover as this has really shattered my trust in the breakdown services if you have a caravan.
Thank you for reading this and please share as I wouldn't want anyone else to go through what we went through this weekend.
Theresa
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14/8/2015 at 4:31pm
Location: Lichfield
Outfit: Coachman Amara 450
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I really sympathise with you as we had a similar situation in 2013 but luckily we were still in the UK about 190 miles from home. We took out the the RAC Arrival package which covers both car and caravan in the event of a breakdown and even if the caravan is pitched on a campsite and you break down in the car away from the campsite they promise in their terms and conditions to collect both providing the car is within a 75 mile radius from the caravan. It's not a cheap breakdown cover as you can well appreciate but it was peace of mind knowing that we were fully covered.
I towed the caravan to a C&CC temporary holiday site in Wareham, Dorset and decided to go to Poole shopping the next day to buy some food shopping for the week. However, our car broke down about 3 miles into that journey and had to return to the campsite in limp mode. The RAC were called out but didn't come till the next morning. After connecting the computer diagnostics up to my Volvo, the patrol man said that there were about 11 faults which the car needed to go to a Volvo dealer and that they would offer a courtesy car whilst the car was in for repair. We wasn't given a choice of whether we wanted to go home or have the car repaired. The car was taken away on the rear of the patrol van and told they were taking it to 'Snows' Volvo in Poole. The next day, by 4.30 pm. I hadn't heard anything from 'Snows' so I gave them a call to see how they were progressing. The reply was that they had a brief look at my car but they couldn't fix it as the job was too complex basically. I asked what the alternative was which they said that the RAC needed to collect my car and provide a full rescue to get us home but after contacting the RAC customer services they refused saying I was only allowed the one tow which I already had. There we were totally stranded on a campsite and couldn't contact the C&CC headquarters because it was on a Friday evening and didn't open again till Monday morning.
I threatened to sue the RAC when I returned home for not adhering to their terms and conditions, that we were not given an alternative for repair or rescue and that they were full of broken promises.
Finally, their team manager said he will speak to the patrol man that came out but it wasn't till then that they agreed to return us home but then they wanted payment for transporting our caravan back the 190 mile journey back home. Well, I was fuming to say the least as I said if anyone understood what ARRIVAL was it covers both car and caravan. He said he would get back to me but by this time both my wife and I were resulted to tears of desperation.
They finally agreed to take us home at no extra charge and a pick up time was arranged for 12 noon on the Saturday lunch time but was told that we have to be ready so the caravan could be hitched up immediately. It was a baking hot day and at 11.30 am we were all packed up ready for pick up. No gas on, no water connected, toilet emptied so all we had was made up squash and a couple of folding chairs with no shade. At 11.40 am. a lady from the RAC called to say that she had the message and are trying to organise a contractor to pick us up. I was totally fuming by this time and asked what had happened to our rescue for 15 minutes time. She replied that she don't know who organised it as there is nothing on her computer screen. So there we were another 3 hours later munching on crisps and snacks drinking squash in the baking heat.
Finally at 3 pm. the contractor arrived with my Volvo on the flat bed lorry and hitched up our caravan. When he seen our little dog he said that he couldn't take him in the cab and that we would have to leave him in the caravan with the windows open for fresh air. I argued that it wasn't allowed to open a window or skylight whilst in tow so he said that the little dog will have to go in the car then. My wife was about to throw some verbal abuse when I said, "Come on, let's do it otherwise we are never going to get home at all".
I did complain to the RAC and all they said was that they would pass my comments on so I contacted the Camping & Caravanning Club and their reply was that had numerous complaints about the RAC Arrival cover.
Having gone through an identical situation ourselves you think....Why Me! and think you are the only ones till you read that someone else has had the same soul destroying senario which I can fully appreciate because the journey back to England was far more critical by far that's why I fully appreciate how you were feeling through all of this.
Ours are both a long drawn out stories but the purpose is to warn others about the AA and RAC breakdown cover as they can fail miserably when you really need them most.
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14/8/2015 at 4:51pm
Location: Ilkeston. Derbyshire
Outfit: Disco 4 Unicorn Barcelona 4
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Hi My RAC Arrival is due to be renewed next month. So is it worth it or not i wonder. I fell out with the RAC a number of years ago while camping in Lincs, the water pump went on my 110 defender. this was the friday and said they could not recover until after the BH. Good job i had mates in lincs who got me the parts and i fixd it my self on site, but he RAC where total T**ts. The only reason i have it now is because i take the grandkids with us.
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Cheers
Ray
Discovery 4 & Bailey Barcelona 4
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10/8/2016 at 6:31pm
Location: West - North Yorkshire
Outfit: Swift Speedbird 490 Mondeo Estate
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Just to share another side of breakdown stories from the AA, a few years ago we had AA cover, our clutch went, with three teenagers, a roof box, and five bikes, on the autoroute near Vierzon.
One call to breakdown services, they rerouted our call to the AA call centre in Lyon, and they arranged for the breakdown company to take the car to a local Citroen dealer in Vierzon. We told the AA whilst on the phone, that there were five of us, five bikes and a roof box (fortunately we were camping at that stage and didn't have a caravan). They arranged a nine seater crew bus, which was a few miles from Vierzon, and organised a taxi to take OH to pick it up. This was the only vehicle which had room for all our gear, plus the bikes, and we kept it for the entire length of the holiday. At the end we went back to pick up the car, which had had the clutch replaced, and the AA paid the bill as OH's credit card wouldn't work.
When we got back we reimbursed the AA and discovered that the replacement clutch had cost considerably less than it would have done to have it replaced in this country.
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