UKC

My daughter was involved in an accident on the M4 yesterday (no-one hurt, car written off), and was left waiting by the AA, on the hard shoulder with her passengers, for 6 hours.

During that time a driver stopped, put on a hi-vis jacket, and came to check they were ok. Said he was a mountain rescue person, and asked good questions about the broken windscreen and people's heads.

If you're reading, thank you so much!

Heartening story! Can't somehow imagine it happening in reverse (climbers stuck for 6 hours in a Cairngorm whiteout waiting for the MR, and the AA happen to drop by and offer help ...). 

Living up to MR's strapline of 'so much more than mountains'

In my (admittedly limited) experience of callouts I've had long waits with AA and RAC in the past, and much quicker, better service after I switched to getting cheaper cover through Green Flag or insurance company, who work through local garage partners instead of their own branded fleet. I think AA slashed about half their fleet when they were taken over by private equity a few years ago.

Each to their own. Green flag completely left me in the lurch in terrible conditions and a burnt out vehicle a few years back. Compensation paid in the end. Would not touch them with a barge pole.

My usual suggestion: go with Auto Aid.  They cost half as much as AA/RAC/GF, and because they just use the network of local tow trucks rather than trying to coordinate a centralised branded fleet, they are generally much quicker to get to you.  They have never left me waiting for more than an hour.

Admittedly they make no attempt to fix anything - they're simply a 'get my car to the garage and get me home' service, but I'm not sure in this day and age that there are many repairs that can be effected roadside any more?

I think they all mainly use local tow trucks, but that can be a problem on a long journey - they only take you so far before dumping you to wait for the next recovery operator. It can take several tow trucks and many hours waiting to get you to where you want.   

Incidentally it was my understanding that you call your car insurer to arrange recovery after an accident, as your breakdown company might charge.  

Autoaid relayed me from South Wales to Sussex. All one driver, no changing involved. It was a bit slow, but on the plus side it saved me £50 in diesel compared to driving back myself

I have only had to wait for more than 1 hour once with Green flag and that was fair play seeing as it was snowing hard.

I worked for the AA for a while and would regularly turn up to someone ranting they had been waiting hours and hours when I only got the call 30 minutes previously.

My new van is covered by Citroen who use the RAC. Twice I needed to call them because the engine light came on (software update in the end) both times I was told it would be at least a 4 hour wait. I also rescued my mum after she was left for 11 hours by the RAC at the side of the road in winter despite telling them she was 70 years old, alone and without her heart medication. Being of the self sufficient generation it took her 10 hours and 30 minutes to ring me.