The AA Employee Reviews
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Working at the AA has its pros and cons but I feel the pros outweigh the cons. I feel there is a strong support structure between the staff and parts of management. The pay is decent and if you work on retentions or sales you also get incentive pay. With it being a call centre you will experience days where it is non stop call after call but in this environment it is to be expected. All the staff are friendly and most of the team leaders are friendly and supportive unfortunately not all are.
Pros
Good pay, varied hours, friendly atmosphere
Cons
Can be extremely busy, systems are constantly down or having issues
poor management is the biggest issue. Management have no people skills, compassion or understanding. Workload is unmanageable and targets are unreachable.
Pros
Canteen is ok
Cons
Poor management
Best job I've ever had and the shift were very good and easy to get on with and so we're the other staff who worked there before had the job going there way and didn't like new comers
Pros
Easy job
Cons
Odd shift pattens
Please whatever you do don't apply for a job with The AA, the experience I had working there was horrendous. From no support from management to poor training experiences, the entirety of my time at the company had such a detrimental impact on my mental health I had no other choice but to leave. If I could give 0 stars I would!
Pros
Nothing at all.
Cons
Everything.
Fundamentaly flawed management system, more & more the patrol is on their own when out on the road. It's still a great feeling to help people, but those feelings are norlt worth the antisocial hours & corrosive attitude of the management.
Pros
Feeling valuable to the Members
Cons
Feeling worthless to the business
Almost everything that was appealing about working as a recovery patrol at the AA is long gone. Almost every shift you are made to work overtime and you have no say in this. New contracts get preferential treatment over patrols on older contracts. The shift pattern is a 28 day roster with dayshifts,nightshifts and 2 random weekend backshifts as well.I wouldn't recommend this job to anyone as long as the current shift pattern is in place.The pension is just a run of the mill pension plan now aswell. Good parts of the job are helping people in a very stressful time, Getting out and about to different places everyday. Helping new patrols is also a highlight of the job as many people come into this job without any experience of recovery work.My managers to be fair to them have no say in all this and are actually really good guys so I have no axe to grind with them at all.
Pros
Free membership, helping people
Cons
Forced overtime, terrible roster pattern
Only work here if you don’t care about your mental health or getting spoken down to & rudely at least once a day. For such a well known company I was absolutely shocked at how poor they treat their staff. As working in a call centre I knew it wouldn’t necessarily be a fun job however if I thought for one second it would be how it was I would never ever have applied for in the first place. The four weeks of training are completely different and you get told different information about the job than what you actually do on a day-to-day basis. To say management management have been there for 5+ years is an absolute joke they need to learn people skills and how to talk to the staff in a polite manner. You get marked on absolutely everything and I fully understand they are a regulated company with potential easy detriment to the customer however that level of intensity is ridiculous. You get timed for absolutely everything such as you have 20 minutes of personal time which is obviously to use as and when you want however to be included in that 20 minutes is your toilet breaks so if you’re someone who smokes that gets taken off there as well as needing to go to the toilet which everyone has to do obviously. They should either increase or 20 minutes to allow for toilet breaks or not include them at all. When you’re in gradbay which is basically the place that you go to after training for more help if needed that’s not the case as the trainers and team leaders are unhelpful and they don’t all know the system that you’re working on therefore when you have a system problem they - more...
Pros
Pay & holiday booking system
Cons
Everything else
Overworked and underpaid, many changes were made since I started working for this company they even forced us into a new contract which the union could not do anything about and worked out to be less money than what I started off on. Company does not consider employees work/life balance 11-12hr shifts with a 40 minute over finish time rule which you can’t avoid some days I was working 13 hours when scheduled to work 11 hours due to the 40 minute rule and getting stuck on your last job. Shift patterns were messed around multiple times which is not good for your sleeping pattern and it will take its toll on you physically and mentally. Staff were not treated fairly and our opinions never really mattered, the company does a good job of promoting the job to make it seem great but you are in for a trap. Worked here for two years and very glad that I’m making the decision to leave feel a lot less stressed out since making this decision. Be careful.
Pros
No good factors about this job
Cons
Long hours no work life balance over worked and underpaid
Poor management and training. New job role for myself i had worked in retail 12years and changed to something new. Home work was alot harder learning in training no extra support or help expected to know everything within 3 weeks. Knocked my confidence with my speech and speaking over the calls it was never what you did correct always what was wrong. Not allowed to have conversations with customers apart from 19page guide had to leave with my anxiety and lack of support after asking for extra training felt as if i wasnt allowed anymore help then i was giving. Need to be tough as customers can be awful and no training how to manage dealing with this
Pros
Can work home for covid
Cons
Long shifts no 9-5, long shifts full week 12-8
Official response from The AA
3 March 2021We’re sorry to hear you didn’t have a good time with us. We make a lot of effort to make sure our training is of a high standard, so thank you for bringing this situation to our attention, this is something we can look in to. We’d also like to thank you for your time at the AA.
Wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to deal with the new management structure. They say one thing and do another. Scolded for making the right decisions given the specific situation your faced with.
Pros
Can earn slot of money
Cons
You have to live in the van make the money
Official response from The AA
3 March 2021We’re sorry to hear you didn’t have a great experience with us. We like to encourage our colleagues to do the right thing by our customers, so this isn’t reflective of our training. Thank you for bringing this t our attention, we are listening to your feedback. Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review.
Jobs at The AA
Management poorly run, and everything they say is contradictory, offered me extra training but then penalised me for having extra training, the manager went through the same training I did at the same time and didn’t have a clue how to run anything properly and chose to pick on my for everything I did even though I was following why he told me to do
Pros
Experience
Cons
Management, hours, most coworkers the job in general
Official response from The AA
3 March 2021We’re very sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience with us. We want our colleagues to feel supported in their development and to be treated fairly, so this is disappointing to hear. We’re taking the time to listen to feedback like this in order to reflect on ways we can improve. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and for your time at the AA.
No company backup believe members before employees,most of the time we were a truck down would have to wait for up to 3 hrs in depot with no facilities until a truck became available,pl showed favouritism and would not get involved in stamping out the atmosphere from other drivers,
Pros
More time at home
Cons
Stupid weekend start time
Official response from The AA
3 March 2021We’re sorry to hear that this was your experience. We believe in treating our colleagues and customers fairly, so this does not reflect our values. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and for your time at the AA.
Well recommend the job nothing difficult in any day to day working nice new van everything you could ever ask for. Paid training they pay for everything witch is good they definitely look after you unlike other companies
Pros
Pay, van, uniform everything
Cons
None
Official response from The AA
22 January 2021It’s great to hear you’re having a good time working with us. We’re very proud of the training and support we offer, so we’re very pleased that it’s been reflected in your experience. Thank you for leaving us a review.
I left the AA after 4 years, no work /life balance, always late home, having to put standby on rest days. Unachievable targets set, managers are awful and give no help or respect to their staff. Wouldn't tell my worst enemy to apply. Don't bother it will only stress you out and wear you down.
Pros
Your van is on your drive
Cons
Long hours, no respect from managers, no one listens
Official response from The AA
3 March 2021We’re sorry to hear that this was your experience with us. Work/life balance is an important issue and treating our colleagues with respect is ingrained in our values, so it’s disappointing that your time at the AA didn’t reflect this. We’re currently taking the time to listen to our colleagues, past and present, in order to learn and improve. Thank you for your review and thank you for your time at the AA, we genuinely appreciate it.
No regard for employees work life balance. Shift system disgraceful. It's the AA way or no way. 3 days on 2 days off then 3 nights on. Unable to function with regards to sleep pattern.
Pros
Meeting interesting people
Cons
Disgraceful shift system
Official response from The AA
3 March 2021We’re very sorry to hear you didn’t have a great experience with us. Work-life balance can be a difficult issue, and one we take very seriously. The wellbeing and safety of our colleagues is important to us, so we’re taking the time to listen to your comments and take them on board.Finally, thank you for your service with the AA, we genuinely appreciate it.
Hard work strange shift patterns not the same job any more great new kit to use latest technologies good trainers and knowledge tobe learnt jobs ok if your single or divorced
Pros
None
Cons
Dont know
The AA is a great workplace, the management try their hardest to balance staff needs and business needs. You have to remember that this is a call centre so can be very busy at times, and being able to work under pressure is a must, along with the ability to talk to people from all walks of life.
Pros
Good wage, work life balance, onsite canteen
Cons
Busy, target driven
Be warned tacho infringements strictly actioned strictest company I’ve ever worked for don’t get involved in the politics and u been fine try carry out all online training in work time not your own
Pros
Good pay left to get on with job
Cons
Long hours weekends bank holidays tacho policy
Your imed on your personal breaks and can be taken into a 10 minute meeting because you were 1 minute late off your break, also you spend your whole day lying to customers about them getting a call back in 72hrs but they won't
Official response from The AA
3 March 2021We’re sorry to hear this. This is not the kind of treatment the AA condones of its colleagues or customers. Thank you for bringing it to our attention, we will look into this. We genuinely appreciate your time with the AA. If any current colleagues experience anything like this, please feel free to address it with your line manager or contact HR at hr.operations@theaa.com.
I joined the AA as a recovery driver with lots of recovery experience. I quickly learned that the AA had recently suffered a mass exodus of experienced recovery drivers as they had attempted to change the contracts. The recovery staff are very inexperienced with maybe one or two experienced staff per depot, that means you are more than likely going to be rescued by someone who has no idea what he is doing and is a danger to you, himself and other road users. I have worked at 3 other recovery companies and the AA are by far the worst company for trained staff and I hate to say that they are going to hurt someone seriously if this continues....
Pros
good pay and equipment
Cons
Poorly trained staff and very poor management
Official response from The AA
3 March 2021We’re sorry to hear that it wasn’t a good experience for you. Our training team is committed to making sure our colleagues can thrive in their role and be prepared for whatever they may come up against. However, we’re taking the time to listen and take feedback like this on board. Thank you for your review and for your time at the AA.
Look up the phrase bad manager and you get the AA. They dont have a notion what is going on and are 2 faced. Typical brit office attitude. Only good thing free membership after 2 years
Pros
free tea coffee
Cons
long hours