Why Are The AA Suggesting I Contact Them First?

Hussman

Hussman

Hussman

Associate
Joined
1 Nov 2003
Posts
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Location
Maidstone, Kent
Hello Folks,

This is probably really obvious, but I can't work it out...

I recently purchased AA breakdown cover, and have just received the paperwork. For clarity, be aware that I am not insured with the AA, never have been.

It includes a windscreen sticker which says "Remember to Contact the AA first", then gives two numbers, one for breakdowns and one for accidents.

I know AA does insurance too, so thought nothing of it. However, in the documents there is a leaflet which states, "If you have a car accident, we'll take care of everything. Just contact the AA first, whoever your insurer" (emphasis mine).

Why would I want to contact the AA first if I'm not insured with them?

What benefits do I get (I assume none) what benefits do the AA get?

Any ideas?
 
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Thanks for this, but I'm still confused.

For example, it says the AA will liaise with my insurer. In other words, I speak to the AA, they speak to my insurer on my behalf, they get a response from my insurer and speak with me, etc etc.

Surely, it's less hassle to talk directly with your insurer? It just seems like an extra layer of hassle with no benefit to me?

Am I missing the point?
 
It depends on the insurer - loads of them are painful to try and work with, a claims management company can help smooth things through, but will increase the cost of the claim by claiming their fees. The AA want that business so want you to call them first rather than talking directly to your insurer.
Most of the time i'd avoid using a middleman to be honest.
 
That makes sense. Thank you.

I agree, accidents are stressful enough without additional interference. Of course, I would assume the other party's insurance would challenge the additional fees added by the "Middle men" too?
 
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Hussman said:
I agree, accidents are stressful enough without additional interference. Of course, I would assume the other party's insurance would challenge the additional fees added by the "Middle men" too?
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Yes they can do if you end up racking up £1000's of things like hire car fees when they could have supplied one for half the price if given the chance for example.
 
That settles it.

The leaflet is going in the bin. The AA will only be called if my vehicle experiences a breakdown.

Thank you, chaps. Most enlightening. :)
 
They want you to use them as an intermediary so they can fleece the at fault insurer for exorbitant hire care costs, £200/day for some naff hatchback or whatever. Then probably pressure you to pass details to get a personal injury firm involved regardless of the fact that you were fine "oh but at that speed you might have whiplash, we can get you ££££££ in compo!!!". As someone who worked in this sector for some time I'd say it's one of the worst things about insurance, it's classic ambulance chasing stuff.

You can end up in a situation where the insurer refuses to pay and it gets a bit messy, just hassle you don't want really.
 
You really only go the claims management route if you don't get anywhere with your insurance.

I'm actually amazed insurance companies haven't added a clause in their contracts to insist that they are contacted before any claims management companies are - and any costs incurred will make you liable.
 
Semple said:
You really only go the claims management route if you don't get anywhere with your insurance.

I'm actually amazed insurance companies haven't added a clause in their contracts to insist that they are contacted before any claims management companies are - and any costs incurred will make you liable.
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The insurance companies are the ones mostly running these rackets encouraging their customers to go that route when it is clear fault doesn't lie with them. I drove into a colleagues car in the company car park (not my finest hour...) and on hearing the circumstances he was persuaded by his insurer to go with their claims management company. He did, and ended up with a nice BMW 540i M Sport until his IS200 could be assessed... which took 6 weeks before it was written off the second the assessor saw it.

I believe the subsequent battle between the insurance companies went on for 3 years over the hire car costs. Luckily for me I was driving a company car so didn't really have to get involved but it all seemed pretty unnecessary.
 
This seems such a scam. Not sure why it hasn't been outlawed.

The additional charges surely must put up the cost of everyones premiums?
 
AA insurance, and their management team are a complete shambles! Don't use them! My partner was insured with the AA when someone drove into the side of her writing it off.

The management team dragged it out as long as they could, because they charge everything to the other insurer. Their priority wasn't to sort this out ASAP.
 
I had a similar experience with my insurance company, as soon as they heard the accident wasnt my fault they (my insurnace broker) gave me the number of there "accident management company".

They straight away got my car booked in for repairs and a hire car on the way, this is where it gets a bit awkward. They then send over paperwork they want me to sign that gives them access to my bank statements!

If you've had an experience like this please chip in with your experience. So as I understand it, there was a case once where a guy with multiple expensive cars had a non fault accident and insisted on an equally expensive car as a hire car, like £100k expensive, even though he had other cars he could use and wasn't short of money. So now you have to show you cant afford to pay for the hire car yourself and havn't got access to another car you can use. This was a bit stressful for me as I have another car but not a car I really want to daily (GT-R) and I have a few quid in the bank.

I spoke to them and they said this was routine and that they wouldnt expect me to use another car that was on a limited mileage or for me to be inconvienienced by paying for the hire car then claiming the costs back. When the management company hire the car for you they pay for it then treat that money as a "loan" until the at fault insurers pay, again something else they can charge them for. They said unless I had millions in the bank it wouldnt be a problem. Either way letting some company I had never heard off have access to my bank statements for the last 3 months just felt a bit wrong.

Next thing my cars taken away for assessment, its a fiesta worth £5k, with a small ding in the back quarter where a Yodel driver caught it reversing out of the space next to me. They assesed it as needing £3k worth of repairs...... it was a £700 repair at most. They had the car for 2 weeks and I later saw the bill, they had claimed for parts they never changed like bumper irons, paint from ford for £700 etc, it was crazy.

So everyone involved just tried to rack up as bigger bill as they could for the at fault insurance company.
 
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