Many organisations (including banks) give money off (or better rates) to attract new members and don't reward folk who have been long-time supporters.
We have "Gold" membership as I've been an AA member almost 40 years. We have Relay and it's got our old MH back home on several occasions after unexpected breakdowns (failed alternator, broken clutch cable, seized brakes...) But the upcoming renewal was going to be £50 more than if I just cancelled my membership and rejoined (albeit with the first year's "special offer"). I phoned and said so, and with no quibble at all we were given complementary Relay from now on, in recognition of many years membership. This has taken almost £70 off the direct debit, and I'm very happy with this.
Yes, but what a shame you had to ask for it. I have found this with telephone/broadband providers and Sky, so as a regular thing now I ring up and select the 'Thinking of leaving us' option. The advantages of doing this are:
1. You get through to a UK call centre;
2. you will normally get the same or a better deal than the 'new customer' deal; and
3. you can normally get the latest kit for nothing (e.g. latest Sky box).
Over they years I have saved a fortune. Also, some of our friends have been paying the 'insurance' for avoiding an expensive bill in case their Sky box failed; when I told them about the 'thinking of leaving us' thing they all got new equipment and immediately cancelled the worthless set-top box/dish insurance! One concession you may have to make is agreeing to extend your contract by another year, but if you were not going to leave them only then that is not really a problem
------------- Please do not adjust your mind... there is a fault in reality
To be honest, I can't see that the AA were rewarding loyalty by putting your membership up and then bringing it down at your request.
I was sent a gold card out of the blue a few years ago for being such a valued and loyal member then a few months later when the premium became due it had gone up to over £200, more than double what I'd paid the previous year. I rang and got it halved. Shows how valued I was.
One year I was told quite indignantly "well, you have used us". I thought that was what I paid for.
I have to ring every year and normally get it more or less halved.
Similar to Whatamess gold card issued for being a valued & loyal customer, home start given free. Only called them out twice in 20 years but premium increased every year, Greenflag offered same package for less than half of what AA wanted. Rang AA they offered to reduce by £30.00 for 1 year only, so much for being a loyal customer.
Same thing here Gold cards turned up last year Mrs Baggies complains price reduced by half . Now this year they send the same cards for double the price, so I cancelled DD and signed up with RAC
------------- yesterdays history, tomorrows a mystery today is a gift
thats why its called the present
I too did the same with the AA last year and they gave me Relay for free, like has been said its a shame you have to call them to get it. This year its not free and they have charged me for it
Keep thinking of just going back to being a new customer every year. I do the same with the van insure i only use a handful of insurers, but i do change every year as you get a discount for being a new customer
Every time I have my car serviced at my local garage I get a years free RAC membership. I also have a life insurance policy and £1.00 of the monthly premium pays for full RAC membership (£12 a year).
It is worth checking out things like your car insurance, bank accounts, and other things you use regularly as quite a few provide breakdown cover either free or very cheaply.
I recently got a rebate from the tax office...must have been for being such a loyal customer for years
Just had a similar problem with the RAC....big increase this year for family cover on Arrival (so we are covered when towing).
It was only when I threatened to take my business elsewhere that they magically offered a £53 reduction.
I don't call this good customer service. I call it milking existing customers because they hope you won't query the cost, while new customers get the discounts. I shouldn't have to keep phoning them up at renewal time to avoid being ripped off.
The AA used to give good loyalty years ago, I was a member from getting my first car at 18 in 1981 until around 2008 when they changed their policy regarding renewals.
I used to have Roadside and Relay for myself and they added HomeStart free of charge, always giving the same renewal as a new member but you got the HomeStart free.
When they changed their policy they deleted the HomeStart and tried to charge more than a new customer.
When I contacted them they said they could give a discount as a one off, I told them to forget it as if they could not offer the best price in the first place I did not want to deal with them so went elsewhere for the following years.
Loyalty should work both ways and if they cannot give a longterm customer the best price with out them having to phone up then they don't deserve any sort of loyalty back.
If you look at the AA terms and conditions you legally have 14 days to cancel and any money paid during this period you are entitled by law to a full refund the same as most companies. I paid one monthly payment over the phone prior to setting up the direct debit but after a week I found that the RAC was a better package and slightly cheaper so I phoned up and cancelled the AA agreement and asked how they would refund my payment. The response was, "I'm afraid sir, you won't get your money back".
I referred to the 14 day cancellation period and they still refused saying that I would have to log it as a complaint with their customer services which I did stating how unprofessional their service was. After answering a few questions they agreed to refund me in full saying that the staff I spoke to should have known better and offered a full apology.
I then had to wait a further few days for a cheque to arrive and a few days more for the payment to clear at the bank which could have been dealt with instantly if their employed uneducated staff were not so incompetent.
Basically if they can't get the first bit right I dread to think what the service is like in time of emergency.
The AA gets a thumbs down from me I'm afraid.
Green flag give brilliant service and value for money, we have had them out 4 times recently due to flat batteries both on the car and the caravan, they quickly diagnosed the fault in the car, a switch had been accidentally left on after the dash had been polished, and continued to drain the battery even though the car was locked and the ignition was switched off.
Then we discovered that our caravan battery was on its last legs, despite being charged regularly over winter, it did not have enough power to work our motormover, so we were stranded on the drive with a fully packed car and caravan parked nose in and no way that we could move it ourselves as im registered disabled, and my OH is elderly.
Within an hour, Green flag turned up, attached their power pack to the caravan's battery terminals, and we were able to use the mover to hitch up as normal. The service man then told us to give them a call again when we returned home, and they would do the same again for us to get the caravan back on the drive until we could get it sorted out with a new battery, which we did, they were well worth their subscription, kind helpful people who made our first trip out this season possible, well done Green Flag!
Julia
------------- Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
I have to go through the phoning up process every year with the AA, which is a pain, but on the whole find them pretty good. I rarely have to use them (touch wood) but last year in former East Germany, my starter motor burnt out. I rang them asking if I could take out overseas cover (a bit late I know, but I was in a fairly new Land Rover) but they said no, not once you are abroad. However, they did say that as a Gold member (snigger) they would not leave me, and agreed to recover me to a garage, on the assumption that I paid for my own repairs, which I thought was pretty good. They sent out a mechanic from ADAC the German recovery firm, who agreed with my diagnosis, and as it was late in the evening, arranged to send out a low loader in the morning to recover us, which they did, taking is to the nearest Land Rover dealer.
------------- Euro-leafing to infinity and beyond!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: credit to AA for rewarding loyalty
