AA

Well it could of been a complete breakdown if The AA had not been so helpful.

I received my AA breakdown cover free when I purchased my car, and to be honest never really thought anything of it, just another thing to renew in a years time!

However recently it has proved to be worth its weight in gold.

I currently hold the Option 100 membership, which basically provides me and my wife with roadside assistance a quarter of a mile or more away from my home address. And if they cannot repair my problem there and then they will get me to either my home or nearest garage whichever is closest.

Due to our wild weather conditions of late particularly in the North East I have had problems with my car on three occasions where the AA where called out to assist me. And it was a pretty basic faults namely a battery, which pretty much had it. And as usual it is one of those things which are on the to do list but way down that list.

The three times I called the AA I was pleasantly surprised by their customer service teams on the phone. At 6am/4am in the morning they where very polite and more than willing to help me with any query I had and most importantly made a point to make sure I and any passenger(s) where safe and okay.

The time for arrival of someone was always set at 1 hour from reporting the breakdown and except for one occasion he was there on time or before. The last time they where called out, he was 20 minutes longer than expected but I am not really going to complain, we all get stuck in traffic and why should they be any different.

Again the guys driving through all conditions seemed pleasant and very helpful getting my problem fixed (although relatively minor compared to some) and back on the road in a matter of 15 minutes or so.

There was one downside, which put me off a little. I was more than aware the battery needed replacing, and before they came to me the third time I finally got to the point where I was going to replace it and had called Kwik-Fit who are not the cheapest of places to go and they quoted me £49.99 for a new battery to be fitted.

When the guy from the AA came out he tried his hardest to sell me a battery for £67.00 with a shorter guarantee than with Kwik-Fit.

I mean I can understand in many ways when they go out some people may not have any option but to buy the part they need or facing not getting to their destination, but it is taking advantage of a poor situation. I was fortunate and once started did not need the battery there and then, but other people in other circumstances may not be so fortunate.

Overall since April when I joined I have been more than impressed with the help which was given to me by the AA, which I will be renewing and upgrading very shortly.

More than anything with this is the peace of mind knowing that whatever the situation may be there is somebody on hand to come out and not only help me get going again but my wife if she is on her own.

And for what really is a fairly inexpensive amount of money.

Joint cover on Option 100 is currently £61.

Other options available to you are Option 200, which is described as Roadside (same as above) Relay, Five Star 72-Hour European Cover.

Option 300, which is Roadside, Relay, HomeStart, Five Star 72 Hour Eropean Cover.

And finally Option 400 which fives you Roadside, Relay, Home Start, Relay Plus, Five Star 72 Hours European Cover.

The prices obviously vary but the so does the cover. Making a continuous payment will save you money on your membership as does ordering through the AA website.

For more detailed information visit: www.theaa.com

Well worth the money, and although I have not tried any of their competitors I would recommend them to anyone.

Safe driving!