AA Warranties devious and dishonest. Unfair client treatment.t,

AA Warranties lack of interest highlighted in my latest email to them where they underquoted for repairs for a Mecedes Vito alternators where they quote R4k for a new part + labour and total less excess is +-R6.5k against top of the range titanium (double warranty cover) sold to ne on the premise that it will cover any incident up to R100k. I gave no issue with their quote but Nercedes nor AA Warranties approved dealer are prepared to fix for the amount. AA Warranties won't send ne to the dealer that they based their quote on. I can't go anywhere else otherwise the warranty will be affected. AA Warranties instructed their approved repairer to replace with a pirate part (no name brand) and advised repairer not to let ne know about this. No win situation.Content of my most recent email to AA Warranties Complaints dept and still waiting their response.to email extract below. Quote "Also for Urgent Attention AA Senior Management and AA Claims and Complaints Snr Management – re-claim against AA Warranty Policy number 229138 – your silence on this matter is deafening, as Snr Management, despite my outcry of unfair treatment as a client or is this complaint being blocked from reaching you as there are no credentials of the person/writer below..just Complaints Dept or is it a Robotic response. Thank you for your response albeit somewhat delayed and more so my vehicle is still not repaired after almost 2 months, even after complying with AAs requirements and moving my vehicle, at your AA Warranty Claims Dept’s instruction, from Mercedes to your approved repairer and they even provided the details. Please advise if this in response to ‘Hello Peter’ or is that matter still under investigation.

It appears the you have missed the gist of the complaint and I implore you to read the email trail since inception. Whatever your quote is, I don’t really care as long as my vehicle is repaired by your authorised dealer to manufacturer standards, with relevant guarantees and no shortfall payments required from myself as my policy adaqutely covers such situations, I am guided by you to the appropriate repairer considering that you failed us with 2 prior quotes, one being Mercedes and the other your approved dealer that you referred us to. This is not an unreasonable request but I will take it to the level warranted as a matter of principle as consumers of South Africa are now tired of thieving corporates who hide behind fine print, after their marketing plot. A stated previously, I have no objection for the repair of my vehicle for whatever you quoted but send me to your authorised dealer who will do it at the price quoted as the AA approved repairer that you sent me to, refused to repair on your terms and he is willing to attest to this. I have never refuted your quote either but it appears that you are undercutting the repairers at my expense i.e. I will invariably and unfairly be saddled with whatever shortfall for your dishonesty as proven and more so with a top of the range and double cover Warranty Policy (Titanium Double Cover up to R100k per incident). Replacement is less than R10k according to your quote but you are still haggling to point us to your repairer who gave you the quote to fix the problem. The fault is legitimate in terms of your policy wording, however, almost 2 months later, the manufacture nor does your recommended repairer concur with your quote and you then resort to inferior parts – this is underhanded and ludicrous. So where must I go now…to a backyard mechanic for a vehicle with 28 000 on the clock and fully serviced by Mercedes and if this route is followed then any legitimate claims will be refuted by yourself from a warranty perspective..are we as clients in a no-win here?

We had no issue with Mercedes not repairing the vehicle as you were not prepared to meet their quote but you conveniently omitted, in your response, the deceptive behaviour of AA Warranty Claims Department as outlined by your approved repairer and please refer to the recording of the contact made by your claims dept to the manager in which he was told not to let us know that an inferior part is to be used to reduce costs. The workshop manager’s refusal to proceed with pirate part (no name parts) for fear of further damage that may arise later by using an inferior part is commendable nor was the use of an inferior specified in your warranty contract nor in my conversations with Francois Frazer or Rengani from claims who confirmed that a genuine Bosch part will be used with no mention of a no name product. The workshop manager is willing to attest to this.

You will recall that I have had to arrange for my vehicle to be towed by AA (free tow required an own contribution from myself too) from Mercedes to an AA Warranty approved repairer, Autoworx Bosch, near to my home, as instructed by your claims dept – refer to recorded calls. Despite this your approved repairer could not meet your quote or pay out terms either. So where did you obtain your assessment quote from, without inspecting the vehicle? Send me to this repairer and we can resolve this matter as my vehicle is now out of commission for 2 months because of incompetence on your part. I do have a right to the basis and validity of your quote to ensure that I am not being treated unfairly or ****** and as protected by legislation as a consumer.

I will gladly accept your quote as I had no objection to repairs being effected by your approved repairer as recommended so please refer me to another approved repairer of yours who will replace within the ambit of your quote as you must have got the latter from one of your dealerships to quote as such. I am happy to proceed on this basis on the proviso that the part is genuine and not pirate as your policy does not state this and that I receive the necessary guarantees. I will be referring the vehicle to Mercedes (at my cost) after the repair for inspection but you don’t even other to check the recordings and just stick to your decision without proper assessment. I this how it is going to be with claims of a more serious note or are you just hoping that we pay the premium that you sold to us and just don’t claim? I raised all of the above in my discussions with your claims dept and their lack of basic client service principles let them down.

From a professional and client service perspective, your prompt response will be appreciated this time around and not 2 to 3 weeks later as my vehicle is still standing and please be considerate for a change, after all I am still your paying client. I will not be bul**** into submission and will revert to the Ombudsman and appropriate consumer bodies, depending on your advices to all of the aforementioned. Not a threat but exercising my consumer rights as my request is simple and reasonable as stated.