AA South Africa On the 24th September 2013 at 19h34 I called the AA requesting a new battery since mine had been stolen while parked at Kalafong Hospital. The area is very unsafe. Two men parked next to me were behaving very suspiciously. I informed the AA that I suspected they were responsible for the theft. The AA agent was informed that I would wait at the main entrance since I was afraid of being harmed. I was told ADT would be dispatched immediately. After a short while a gentleman who tried to assist me suggested we stand where my car was visible since he felt it would be stolen. Prior to the arrival of ADT I was able to unlock the door using the key, however while away from the car someone had tempered with the door, hence the key could not be used. The ADT guard found a wire which had been used to open the bonnet. After several calls inquiring about their rescue service, it arrived at 21h04 (I was shown the call logs and the dispatch call was made 45 minutes after my initial call). I was livid since my car had been damaged. Refusing for the AA to benefit from their incompetence, I did not purchase a battery but was requested that my car be towed home, instead. After placing details of the incident I received several phone calls from a lady in the “Service Recovery” division. I informed the lady that while I was waiting for the ADT there was an attempt made to steal the car. In the process the locking mechanism and the electric window was damaged. From discussions she apologised for their delayed response. She also admitted being misled during her initial investigation. I was told more vehicles were assigned to key areas to avoid future delays. Since I did not think much could be done to remedy the situation I requested an official apology. The official correspondence reverts to their initial stance – they were not at fault. I was offered a 20% discount upon renewal of my membership. What the AA fails to realise is that they are a service orientated business with a dwindling membership – many insurance companies offer the same service they do at no additional cost (with a much better response times). Under the circumstances I would imagine that everything is done to retain members. When the official correspondence does not reflect discussions I am inclined to believe that customer complaints are handled as a nuisance and not a means of improving the service delivered to the customer. The response was tantamount to spin doctoring. I realise that they are very careful to avoid a clear-cut apology or admission of inadequate service since this could have legal ramifications. However, this is also a very unambiguous indication of the integrity of the company and the disdain with which they treat their members. Thank you very much for your most generous offer after my traumatic experience, but I will not be making use of the 20% discount. I have required the services of the AA approximately once a year. Hence, I paid approximately R900 for this tardy service – calling the towing service directly would have been cheaper and quicker.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 16:03:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015