Thank You AA

[Geoff Stainer]

My wife and I decided to spend the Christmas and New Year period in Preston, Lancashire so she could visit various members of her family over the festive period. We travelled up from Devon in my Volvo V70 with our three dogs on the 14th December planning to return home on the 4th January. On Saturday 21st we visited her brother, but upon going to leave at 5.30pm the Volvo failed; no power steering and the battery light on. AA called, they attended within half an hour and discovered the alternator mounting bracket had broken. Had this happened at any other time of the year I would have had the car recovered to a local Volvo garage to get it fixed ASAP, but with the prospect of being unable to get it fixed until after Christmas and possibly New Year and being in need of being able to get about over this period I opted for the AA to relay me the 290 miles back home, (with the border collie), so I could return in my other car, (a 1996 Lada Niva). The AA were absolutely fantastic. The chap who initially attended took me as far a Keele Services then I was relayed four more times home, (Keele to Frankley, Frankley to Michaelwood, Michaelwood to Sedgemoor and Sedgemoor to home). That might sound like a horrendous journey, but the longest I was kept waiting between handovers was 15 minutes and all the chaps involved were jovial, polite and totally professional and to be honest in a weird way I quite enjoyed it. It was a new experience after all.

After a mornings sleep on Sunday 22nd, I drove back to Preston overnight in the Lada having a trouble free journey. We visited one sister on the 23rd and on the 24th, were on our way to visit another when bu*ger me if the clutch didn't go on the Lada! Another call to the AA and again the service was first class. First patrol arrived within 40 minutes. He had a look, confirmed the clutch had had it, (suspected the release bearing), and arranged for recovery vehicle. (Couldn't do a front suspended tow as it is a permanent four wheel drive vehicle.) The driver very kindly took my wife back to our holiday home so she could at least be warm and dry and with our dogs while I waited for the flatbed.

The reason for posting this is basically to say that if anyone who isn't a member of a breakdown service I cannot recommend the AA highly enough. Absolutely fantastic service at a busy time of the year and, in the Volvo's case, on a foul night with bitter winds and heavy rain. I have had cause to call the AA before in my 46 years of driving and the have never let me down, but the past week they excelled themselves and have been absolutely brilliant. Thank you all chaps.