Tools ****** from my boot during AA tow

Item: Automobile Association
Rating: 1
Author: Robyn V

In August 2026 I had asked for AA assistance with a breakdown. It was a Friday evening so the vehicle was towed to our residential address. The vehicle was safely stored in our locked property over the weekend and then another driver towed it to the mechanic on Monday morning. On arrival, the mechanic notified us that the specialist lock nut for the mag wheels, and all of my other tools were missing from the boot. I flagged this with the AA, which has spent the last two months investigating. Despite inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the drivers' statements and their failure to follow standard operating procedures about inspections and photographs, the AA legal department has now notified me that they will not pay the claim for the loss of the tools because the onus is on me to prove that my tools were in the boot before the tows. As a client of about 30 years, I feel its an act of bad faith, especially since it would not have occurred to me to photograph the tools and spare wheel on the roadside lest they be ****** during the towing process. I'm sharing this as a warning that even if you follow procedure and remove all valuables from your vehicle, items that you cannot remove like tools and spare tyres may not be safe when the AA is in charge of the vehicle, and if a driver or someone else *****s these items while the car is in transit, they will not take responsibility.

Helpful (0)

Replies (1)

Robyn V's updateReviewer Update

16 Oct 2026, 18:37

AA threatens to sue over HelloPeter post Following my 30th September post, the AA contacted me to advise that if I did not delete my HelloPeter post within five days and send proof, I would face legal action. I responded that the post was both factually correct (I had tools in my boot before the tows, but not thereafter, and there were inaccuracies in both driver statements as well as procedural failures that could potentially cast doubt on the organisation’s safeguarding of the vehicle while in its care); and in the public's best interests (if I'd had evidence of the tool’s presence in my boot prior to the tows, the AA may not have repudiated the claim). Nonetheless, I asked them to please exercise their right to reply so that if I had said anything misleading or incorrect in the post, I could redress it publicly (given that the post was public). They replied that they would not be exercising their right to reply, that although the claim had not been submitted to their external insurance company, the decision to repudiate it was final, and that if I wanted to challenge their decision, I should obtain legal advice. Further, although they denied trying to bully or silence me, they reserved the right to take legal action against me if I continue to post about the loss here or in any other forum. In summary, it appears that I have no right to recourse, no way of escalating my disagreement about the outcome of the claim without legal counsel, and no way of raising these concerns publicly without risking legal action. This over an R895 claim from a long-standing client with no history of complaints against the organisation.

Robyn V's update16 Oct 2026, 18:37

Reviewer Update