Aria Assistance - www.aria-assistance.co.uk

On Friday 3rd June, my wife and I plus our two young children, aged 7 and 11, were travelling from London to Bude. We had just come off the M4 onto M5 when the clutch on the car broke, we had to push the car across 2 lanes of the M5 onto the hard shoulder opposite junction 18.

This occurred at 1540, we called Aria Assistance Motor Breakdown at around 1550 to inform them what had happened and would need to be towed home to Bude. We also informed them that we had two young children and that we were on the side of the M5 and felt that our need was urgent.

Aria informed us that it would take 140 minutes for us to be picked up and towed back to Bude. We were not happy to wait this long but understood the roads were busy etc. This time then passed and we had not heard from either Aria or the recovery service. We then phoned them back every half hour and were informed recovery would be with us within 20 minutes. But this did not happen.

The recovery team informed us that they were not informed of the recovery required until 1700 and were given the wrong information as to our location. We were not picked up until 1940 – almost 4 hours after our initial call to Aria. We did not arrive back to Bude until 2300.

Promised recovery within the hour - gradually increased bit by bit to nearly 3 hours on the side of the M18 - eventually told breakdown service next call would be 999 for hypothermia.Their systems to blame when eventually recovery truck came he said he only received call out 40 minutes ago - filed a complaint for full subscription refund + goodwill gesture "service not fit for purpose". All agents OK on phone - just hopeless service.Will look elsewhere when complaint sorted - paid £120 for the year.

Have rung and tried on three occasions to ensure that a renewal did not take place due to overprice. Received a letter to inform me that the new policy that I have taken out is of the same level as previous cover. Unbelievable.

Another phone call made and was informed that I had sent a letter requesting new cover. Again unbelievable. So glad that I never needed assistance when covered, dread to think what would have happened.

Volvo refused to start at filling station 9am Dunkirk, needed to be in N. Germany by 8pm.

Phoned Aria UK: Great service: Immediately provided breakdown truck in 20minutes. Fixed a Hire car and a taxi to collect it. Made German trip in time. Meanwhile Aria arranges Monday Volvo transport to Volvo Garage. Constant communication on status of repairs. Taxi arranged between hire return and Garage on return Thursday pm.

Aria paid for tow/2 long taxitrips/hire car/ : Holiday turned from disaster to pleasure.

Best feature was team's constant update on situation - never felt left hanging about or stressed re situation.

Waited for 6 hours for recovery for them to lose my car till 5 o clock the next day...........#Enoughsaid

This company Aria Assistance Vehicle Breakdown was Europ Assist.

We broke down on the A50 outside Derby on Sunday 28/7/13 at 5.30pm, the local agent arrived 1/2 hour later, identifid the fault quickly but couldn't complete a roadside repair so towed us to the South Derby services a few miles away for onward transportation to North Wales.

Over an hour later the breakdown truck arrived and advised us that the instruction was to take as far as the services off J16 on the M6 - the driver did not know why he wasn't completing the whole journey.

He called Aria enroute and they advised another company would be waiting for us - they weren't; he called again from the services and he was told they were just 20 minutes away and he left us - Big mistake.

By 11.30 that night, and after numerous phone calls, we booked into the Travelodge.

Monday 6am, we call them again, recovery vehicle would be with us within the hour, it arrived at 7.30am. That company was based just 10 minutes from where we were, in Crewe!

Delivered wife and belongings to home and then onwards to local garage at 10am.

Total time spent making the 3 hour journey from Derby, 16.5 hours.

Complained on phone July 29th and received acknowledgement letter dated 30th July stating they would investigate and contact us no later than 26th August - still waiting for that contact.

No acknowledgement to my email on August 7th proving additional background info (ie everything as written here)