AA Approved Garage Network  Reviews 

Didn’t tell me the mOT was completed until 3 days after the event.

The garage was great and the car was well looked after. The issue was with AA acting as go-between and failing to keep me up to date with progress.

The car was collected on Wednesday morning for its MOT and service. On Wednesday evening the garage contacted me directly to ask if I’d heard from AA as the garage had submitted its report at lunchtime and was awaiting my authorisation to carry out the necessary additional repairs.

It wasn’t until Thursday morning that AA emailed me to detail the additional work required and the extra costs, which I approved and paid immediately knowing that the garage had been waiting to start work since the day before.

By Friday lunchtime I still hadn’t heard from anyone, so I called AA to ask when my car might be coming back as we were now halfway through my third day without it. The agent on the phone had no notes on the system about my car, so made a call to the garage and came back to tell me, “the garage has the parts and when the car is ready we’ll let you know”. I asked if it would be that day, and he repeated, “when the car is ready we’ll let you know.” That was it.

Whilst I was out later that (Friday) evening, the car was returned to my driveway and the keys and documentation put through my letterbox.

On Saturday morning I received a text from AA which read, “The garage has completed the additional work needed on your vehicle. We'll get your car back to you between 4pm and 6pm today”. I was already driving my car when I received that.

Whilst the work on the car was excellent, and the collection and drop-off service very handy, all of the communication from AA seems to have been a day late in arriving. Which is not the kind of service I would expect having paid a bill close to £1000. I also think that being without my car for three days was excessive for the relatively simple work that had to be done, and had AA been quicker at getting in touch with me to approve this work, the garage might have had the car back to me a full day earlier.

The garage was absolutely fantastic BUT AA smart care was awful!!

I was charged twice (£34.99 each time) for 1 MOT and they have been impossible to contact since.

I was told that my original slot was not available and that woman on the phone from AA told me to take it at 1.30pm on the Monday afternoon - I did this and the garage said they had told the same woman they had said any day was fine other than the Monday. I then had to rebook for later in the week.

So days wasted, very difficult to contact and still owed £34.99

Very poor

The configuration of the driving seat position had been completely changed when the car was returned to me. Not just the seat pushed back. The seat had been lowered the back rest was altered, even the steering wheel position was changed. For a person with arthritis this is most vexing. It takes a long time to get your seat just right, so driving is not too painful. The driver who collected my car must have spent longer altering my driving position than it took to drive the couple of miles to the garage!

Excellent job by two creditworthy mechanics: Adam and Taz. Much appreciated. Thanks guys

AA approved Garages supplied me with the cheapest quote. I easily ordered and paid online. I took my car to the approved garage and the repairs were completed within 2 hours.

The initial contact arrived on time and that was fine. Steve surmised that my alternator was not charging the battery. I opted for a mobile repair that was booked in on the following Tuesday at about 9:30. This was fine. When the old alternator was taken off it transpired that the wrong part had been supplied. The Aa man did his best and ordered the correct part. This turned up at about 3:30pm. It was a long day. He fitted the part and all seemed fine. I took my car home. Next day I tried to start my car up. No joy! I’ve since bumped it and took it to the local garage. They can’t review what’s wrong with it until next Monday. So this will cost me a second bill of undetermined amount. I’ve been without a car for a fortnight now and it’s becoming a problem. I accept it’s an old car but the initial problem wasn’t fixed.

I booked an MOT and service. The garage collected my car a little late, but they brought it back in the evening with the MOT and servicing perfectly done.
​My only concern was that they picked up the car around 12:00 PM, but AAsmartcare did not update or acknowledge it until nearly 5:00 PM, which made me a bit nervous.

Communication - late opening (45 mins) with no apology and no paperwork given for full service (garage said AA would send/AA didn't).
Security - car left with key in ignition, MOT certificate on passenger seat and driver's window down. Multi business unit area - anyone could have taken it. Complained but given a wishy-washy reply from the business (I'm insured) and the AA, not taken seriously. Neither accepted that the customer would be caused serious inconvenience and money to replace the car.
Possibly the service has been carried out well, I don't know.
I wouldn't trust them again and didn't expect this poor service from the AA and an AA approved garage.

Garage did not turn up within time frame. Did not update me on delay. Finally turned up 4 hrs after agreed window.
AA were difficult to get hold of. I called them no fewer than 8 times in total. On the 3 occasions they did answer I was met with indifference.

Brilliant service. Expert, helpful and kind AA man. Very grateful for this excellent organisation:

They did servicing to my car then engine started making funny noise, when reported they said it was there before and need to pay for diagnostics checkup, whole point of servicing was to highlight existing issues which wasn't highlighted. AA stick to what you good at roadside recovery, don't try to pretend to be a garage when you take cars to dodgy garages

Sent my car for MOT and service and having failed the MOT and the garage knowing they would be unable to get the relevant parts to fix the car, still went ahead and supposedly did a “full service” on instructions of Smart care without consulting me first. Lesson learnt - next time deal directly with the garage. I wasted £250 on a car that was subsequently scrapped and smart care has still not bothered to respond to any of my emails or refund my money.

The initial text confirming that the car had been left at the garage did not say that any further communications would be by text rather than by phone; these were missed as were not expected and the car had to remain at the garage for a second day.
The text confirmimg that the car was ready for collection arrived 2 days after the car had been already collected (on its 2nd day in the garage)!!

I booked my MOT and received confirmation message and email with booking time at 8:15AM. I dropped my car around 8:00AM but was told my appointment should be at 11:45AM. I were very confused with the error message. So disappointed!

Booking was easy and straightforward Then I drop the car off at garage for MOT and two Hours later it was ready for pick up .
💯. “ Excellent. “ Service .

Well …..
1 the mot place did not check and done on the spot I mean on there own garage
2 your response didn’t happened until few hours of waiting time response
I have to call you and check what was going on
3 you did not tell me or mail me that mot was done and passed in the right time
4 please next time have look your customers I never left my car for mot over a day or night as you asked me and I drove up and done for 2 days never happened to
5 but thank you for the service next year I will give you one more chance
Thank you
Regards
Domenico Brillante

The booking process and information prior to dropping off my car at the nominated garage for its service went without a problem.
The garage completed the service on the day and informed me in plenty of time that the car was ready for pick up.
The issue I have is that the garage identified some faults that need to be rectified, and informed me they were waiting for prices on some parts, and would then send a quote through to the AA for them to forward to me with an option to book the car in to have the work done. This was nearly two weeks ago and so far nothing from the AA!