Story index
#ithappenedtome
Remarkable things happen every day, and our heroic Patrols and engineers rescue people from all sorts of strange situations.
In fact, some are so extraordinary they've even influenced our latest TV ad!
Browse below to read a wide range of those stories from AA customers and employees, and click here to submit your own. Or tell us about it on social media with the hashtag #ithappenedtome.
"This cat was an unwitting adventurer"
"Why did we nickname this cat Phileas Mogg?
Because he's an adventurer - albeit an unwitting one...
"A lot of AA Patrols have stories about rescuing animals locked in vehicles. But mine might be the most... eggstraordinary...
"Recently I had my new car serviced for the first time. Shortly after I drove to the supermarket, and in the car park another driver told me the rear lights weren't working on my car...
"I thought I'd seen it all - and I did!"
"As an AA Patrol you have to be prepared to encounter all types of scenarios - some of which can be rather unpleasant...
"The ice cream van was all at sea"
"The message flashed up on my screen: 'Tide coming in. 30 mins. Stuck in sand 6 – 7" deep.' I knew today was going to get interesting...
"Didn't know if we were coming or going"
"My colleague Darren Gough and I have seen a few things in our time, but this was a new one on us...
"I went to the rescue at Number 10"
"I got a call to say a car had had an argument with a rising bollard – turned out it was a Foreign Office car and the address was 10 Downing Street!..."
"My big battle with an army truck!"
"If you asked me what one of the worst places to break down is, I'd tell you it's the A27, at the junction for the A26...
"I was called to a breakdown in the centre of Sheffield where the Member had reported a hissing coming from her car...
"I was called to a breakdown at a farm in in Hertfordshire for what turned out to be a 1960s Land Rover. I took a look and found the condenser had broken...
"We've rescued cats, never adopted one!"
"I spent my summer working for The AA in Bordeaux, in the south of France. I lived on a campsite while I was there, where there were quite a few wild cats...
"Not every day you recover a TV star"
"I was out on patrol in the Northampton area when I got a job in to pick up a Pontiac Trans-Am near Luton. "Isn't that the Knight Rider car?" I thought...
"My job can be a labour of love"
"AA call handlers are our member’s first point of contact when they breakdown. Thankfully most breakdowns are simple problems such as flat batteries or running out of fuel...
"I was on patrol in Bolton and got a call from a member in the Bromley Cross area about at a probable punctured tyre. However, when I arrived, I noticed something odd...
"Don't wanna be... owl by myself..."
"My son has quite an unusual job: he works at one of only a handful of owl breeders in the UK. Sometimes when he goes to collect a new owl, he'll ask me to drive...
"My turning up was music to his ears"
"You may be surprised to know that AA Patrols don't always get called out to breakdowns on roads and motorways. There are times we find ourselves at more exotic and unusual places...
"Don't panic! It's only a different car"
"A lot of learner drivers have panic attacks at just the thought of driving a different car than the one they're used to - even if it's the same model. It's understandable really...
"I've been driving for almost 50 years, so people often ask me for advice on the big stuff, like who I trust in an emergency, or where to find value for money...
"Now I know black cats really are lucky"
"Last summer I got a rather odd call out to a woman member driving a Seat Ibiza. She had driven from her home in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, to the school where she worked in Earith...
"I wasn't going to fail this old beauty"
"Anyone who has a passion for cars loves the old classics – and I'm no different. There's just something about the way they look, sound and drive...
"I knew exactly what was needed"
"For AA Patrols like myself, school holidays are always busy as parents take to the roads with their children to catch flights, go on day trips or visit family and friends...
"The AA stopped me going nuts"
"Ok, I admit that this is a real trip down memory lane, but what happened to me all those years ago was the reason I joined the AA as a member - and I'm a mechanic!...
"Sorry madam, but I'm not a taxi"
"We were coming to the end of the lesson, so I told my pupil to pull into the side of the road and park - I wanted to go through a few of the theory questions before we finished...
"The AA turned my son into a filmmaker"
"It had been a lovely start to the day. I had taken my two children - 1-year-old Sully and 5-year-old Noah - to soft play and we then went for lunch with friends...
"My daughter's car became a 3 wheeler"
"Not long after my daughter Victoria had passed her driving test, she bought a little Citroen AX that she christened Daisy. It was her pride and joy...
"Fixing a panto car wasn't a giant job"
"I like a laugh as much as anyone. Which is just as well in this job, as you never know what you're going to come up against from one call-out to the next...
"AA puts magic back into Santa's sleigh"
"I was part of the team that organised the Buckden Christmas Fair to raise money for Buckden pre-school in Cambridgeshire. The event took place this week...
"I'm no hero - I was just doing my job"
"One of the reasons that I love being an AA Patrol is that no working day is exactly the same. In fact, situations out on the road can change in minutes, if not seconds...
"We went for a walk - it took 35 years"
"My wife Ann and I have always had a love of walking. So when we got married in 1978 we bought a copy of the AA's 'No Through Road' book...
"The problem was staring me in the face"
"Why was the car's dashboard warning light constantly on? Well, that's what the member wanted to know, and of course that's what I was tasked with finding out...
"My partner's car a classic? Not quite"
"As my own car had been making a worrying rattling noise recently, my partner had let me drive his car for my commute to work from Redditch to Birmingham. It was made in the 1980s...
"The member made me an attractive offer"
"Of course, in this job you meet people from all walks of life - some of whom are rich or famous, or both. But whoever our members are, they are all very grateful when we turn up...
"An AA van rescued me - in France!"
"I was in the small French town of Villedieu-les-Poêles in Normandy (which was part of the D-Day tour I was on) when I accidentally locked my keys in my car...
"I informed the police about one caller"
"A few years ago, during one of my shifts, I received a call from an elderly gentleman who wanted to join the AA. Everything was going smoothly and he was answering all my questions...
"My shortcut made the journey longer"
"A few years back, when I first started dating my wife, she asked me to pick her up in town after she had finished work and take her home. Naturally I was more than happy to oblige...
"3 is definitely not my lucky number"
"The number 3 is supposed to be lucky. However, last year it certainly wasn't mine, because that was the number of times I managed to lock myself out of my car...
"I helped get her to hospital on time"
"Even though AA Patrols like myself are highly trained and skilled mechanics, there are the very rare occasions when we can’t fix a vehicle by the roadside...
"I had a vision of a Tuk Tuk on the M1"
"Some years ago while I was working on the AA website, I got a rather strange email. It was from a gentleman in India who was asking for some advice on planning a sponsored drive...
"We reached new heights of cooperation"
"As an AA Driving School Instructor I’m more or less my own boss, which I like. However, I also like knowing that the AA will be there with help and advice when I need it...
"The AA got our tour on the road again"
"When I was in a band called Last Man Down, we did our first UK tour in 2004 to promote our recently released single "Killing Time"...
"I knew the member didn't have man flu"
"Like most men, when I get a cold I automatically assume that I'm about to die at any minute - yeah I admit it, man flu right? One member I got called out to last winter...
"The AA looked after me and the kids"
"I work as a childminder and I absolutely love my job. And naturally it goes without saying that I it is my duty to make sure that the children in my care are safe...
"I got a cheeky call one night"
"Working the night shift a few years ago, I took a call from an AA member, asking if we could help him get his keys from inside the car – nothing so unusual about that...
"I kept my cool in a hot situation"
"I've been a patrolman for 8 years now, and have been in a fair few interesting situations. A few years back, I was called to help a member in a dire emergency...
"It was the closest I've got to fame"
"Everyone who works at the AA gets to spend a few days every year out on the road with a patrol, meeting customers and getting a feel for 'life at the coalface'...
"I broke down but the AA got top marks"
"When my son graduated from Newcastle University, my wife and I decided to take our elderly mothers to the ceremony with us and make a day of it...
"My faith in people was restored"
"Naturally the first anniversary of my father’s death was going to be a sad and difficult day. So my sister and I decided to take our mum out for lunch and shopping...
"My trouble gene went into overdrive"
"I’ve come to the conclusion that I must have flaw in my genetic makeup, because things always seem to go wrong for me. My extra ‘trouble’ gene I call it...
"No way could I fix this tyre"
"It’s not unheard of for AA Patrols like myself to get called out to jobs where a vehicle has been damaged by an animal. In fact, a mouse chewing through wires is more common...
"The AA was part of my planned holiday"
"I’ll never forget the family holiday to Zaragoza in the north of Spain – and not just because it was our first one in Europe. My wife and I had decided to drive there...
"My accent reduced a member to tears"
"I first started working for the AA as an emergency breakdown call handler. This meant that I had to work hard to water down my strong Black Country accent...
"A member tweeted us for a wife"
"I work as part of the AA’s Social Media Team. This means that as well as sending emails, text messages and tweets on behalf of the AA to our members and customers...
"I delivered the right solution"
"Obviously, as a Service Quality Consultant at one of the AA’s Call Centres I come into contact with our members over the phone every day...
"I taught triplets to drive drive drive"
"As a driving instructor, it’s not unusual to find yourself teaching different members of the same family to drive, such as siblings for example. However...
"I put my back into helping the lady"
"The great thing about working as an AA Patrol is that I get to deal with our members face to face. So I really feel like I’m helping them and not just fixing a car...
"Why did the box need security guards?"
"When I got the call, it sounded like a routine AA Fuel Assist recovery job. The driver of a Renault on its way to London inadvertently topped up with the wrong fuel...
"The AA helped my husband – in Italy!"
"My husband’s an Italian accountant and we have an office here in the UK and one in Livorno, Tuscany. We specialise in providing ex-pats with advice on buying property...
"A second opinion got her to hospital"
"In January this year a patrol was sent out to an elderly French lady who had broken down. The patrol ended up recovering the vehicle...
"On one job I ended up in hospital"
"A couple of years ago I attended a lady whose 4x4 wouldn’t start. I was told that she was on her own and that she was nine months pregnant, so I made sure that I got to her as...
"What I saw in the boot made me blush"
"You get to see all kinds of things as an AA patrol, some of which are quite amusing. For example, a few weeks before Christmas last year, I got called out to attend to a puncture...
"One day I really did get hit by a bus"
"I'll never forget what happened on that fateful April afternoon, three years ago. After all, it’s not every day you get hit by a bus. Nor will I ever forget the AA patrol who...
"My nightshift ended in a nightmare"
"I had just finished a very busy night shift at the hospital, and, to put it mildly, I was dog tired. You can imagine just how I felt when, on pulling out of the hospital car park...
"I helped a member – then a snowplough"
"The winter just gone was a very busy one for myself and the rest of the AA Special Operations Response Team – or SORT to use our acronym. When it wasn’t flood-related incidents...
"The AA Patrol had me in stitches"
"I’m a guerrilla knitter (aka a yarnbomber) and my work has appeared on TV programmes such as ‘The One Show’ and ‘The Alan Titchmarsh Show’. For those of you who don’t know, guerrilla...
"The AA made the school run a pleasure"
"I often drive my eight-year-old daughter to school on my way to work. Although it’s a relatively short distance from home, it does give us a few extra minutes together on weekdays...
"My friend Caroline has a huge garden in which she keeps a large number of beautiful laying chickens. One day I took her in my car to a farm just outside Preston to get some more...
"The AA saved me a huge garage bill"
"One night last year, when my car wouldn’t start, I called the AA. Even though the weather was atrocious (it had been snowing and the wind was bitter) the patrol got to my home well...
"Can you see my house from up there?"
"I was recently sent on a job that I’d never come across before, which was to bring a member back down to earth – literally. Lorraine Whitehead at our call centre called...
"The AA made sure our day didn't go flat"
"On Easter Monday a couple of years ago, we were preparing to go out for the day when we discovered that our car wouldn't start. My wife rang the AA at 10am and was told that a patrol would...
"I found the leak. Where's the cat?"
"Obviously, my job involves going into people's homes. That often means coming into contact with their pets. Normally it's the dogs that are the scary ones, but on one job it was a cat that...
"Being off duty didn't stop me helping"
"It was about 6am and I was driving home on my day off when I passed a car with its hazard lights on, just off Shepherds Bush Green in London. Inside was an elderly lady...
"I owe my life to the AA – literally"
"I'm a self-employed courier delivering large parcels for a local company. One September morning a couple of years ago, I was in my van when I started to experience very bad...
"One job was nearly a bridge too far"
"As the AA's Special Operations Response Team (SORT) we are deployed when members find themselves in very tricky, sometimes dangerous situations – such as floods or severe...
"Her dog was key to starting the car"
"There are times in this job when you have to really think out of the box in order to solve a problem. I remember one call out I had a while ago which required me to enlist...
"One caller literally praised me"
"This happened a few years back but I'll always remember it. "A policyholder rang up with a routine enquiry about her AA motor insurance policy. It was pretty simple...
"Whistle while you work? I had to sing"
"I remember a cute little story from a while back that still brings a smile to my face. A family of four – mum, dad and two children – had broken down on the motorway and were...
"I couldn't drive my car so the AA did"
"I took my car into town to do a bit shopping. It was a really cold day and the snow was so compacted on the pavement that it was like an ice rink. After parking the car, I had...
"The day I got something for nothing"
"As my parents are elderly, I decided to give their car a quick check before they drove to Hastings for a funeral. I discovered that the front wipers were totally perished...
"The scouts' sponsored ride went ahead"
"When I'm not out on the road helping our members, I spend some of my spare time helping out at my local scout group in Leicester. One Saturday morning 25 of us were about to...
"The AA went out of their way to help"
"Even though I'm a student, I still manage to run a car. It's my first one and it's my pride and joy. I was driving to university for a lecture when the clutch suddenly...
"Car stuck in water? AA SORT sorted it"
"You should never drive through a flooded road, as you can't be sure of just how deep the water is. Sadly, a lot of people still take the chance and end up stuck...
"My name caused us to get crossed wires"
"Every call handler has a different way of answering calls and introducing themselves. It’s like a verbal signature and it’s what we're comfortable with – most of the time.....
"One job I got was barking mad"
"On the face of it the job looked like a straightforward lockout. Routine stuff really, or so I thought. I arrived at the hair salon where the car was located and went...
"Here's why I'll never ditch the AA"
"One October evening, while driving down a narrow country road, I had to swerve to avoid hitting a deer that jumped out in front of my car and I ended up in a deep ditch...
"One call got off on the wrong foot"
"Obviously, when you work in a call centre and take hundreds of calls a day, you’re bound to get the odd wrong number. Usually it's just a matter of the caller saying "Oops...
"Thanks to the AA, the show went on"
"My partner and I are a Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers tribute act – and we’re very good, even though I say so myself. We're very busy putting on shows up and down the country...
"We fished the keys out of the drain"
"As an AA Patrol, you often have to deal with call-outs involving car keys. Usually they have been accidentally locked in the car or lost in some other way. One such situation...
"We were legends in our own lunchtime"
"I work at the AA headquarters in Basingstoke, Hampshire. As it’s an office job, and I’m a keen cyclist who likes to keep fit, I often go out for a ride in my lunch break...
"The AA rescued our weekend away"
"Although I live in Northern Ireland, I have a very good friend who lives in Newcastle upon Tyne. Last August, I decided to visit her for a weekend and took another girlfriend with me...
"I managed to float a member's boat"
"It was a lovely summer's day when I got called out to fix the engine of what I at first assumed was some kind of kit car. It certainly wasn’t a make or model that I had come across before...
"An AA patrol gave up his coat for me"
"On a freezing cold winter’s morning, whilst en route to my daily session in the gym before work, my tyre decided to burst. Dressed unsuitably for the occasion, I regrettably got out...
"The AA saved me from a burger joint"
"When on a diet I had a relapse and thought about having a big greasy burger with fries. I was vulnerable and gave in to temptation, making the journey to the nearest drive-through...
"The AA does patch-up with nail varnish"
"I was driving to work one morning when I crossed a very deep puddle. After coming out of it, the car was juddering with a misfire. I managed to get to the nearest lay-by and had a look...
"Customer makes claim against a monkey"
"I took a call from a customer who’d travelled to Gibraltar on holiday and couldn’t help laughing when he told me the source of his claim. He’d been relaxing in the sun when a group of...
"The AA saved my engine – and me money"
"One Friday night, after a stressful day at work, I stopped to fill up my car with diesel. As I had a supermarket money-off coupon to use, I thought I’d make the most of the offer so I...
"I helped a piggy get all the way home"
"When details came in for a breakdown simply referred to as ‘blue pig, size of a small car’, I thought someone was having a laugh. But as it turns out, it was no...
"My last job? To catch a thief"
"I was driving to a job when I noticed someone struggling by the side of the road. At first I thought it was kids playing, but I then noticed a young lad running off...
"The AA saved my son from a locked car"
"Last Christmas Day I was making the long journey from Leicester to Taunton with my 3-year-old son. He slept for most of the trip but around 30 miles into the journey...
"The AA helped dad find his way home"
"My 90-year-old father has Alzheimer’s and on a Thursday afternoon in July he set off in his car to pick up my mum from the hairdresser. As this is just...
"One customer wanted an AA key"
"I took a new sales call from a man in his nineties. He had previously been a member with us for years. At the end of the call, having given him his membership number...
"The AA had our rescue in the can"
"My sister and I were on our way home from visiting a friend when we broke down on the busy A55. We called the AA for help. When the patrol arrived he took one look at the exhaust...
"I took the call then took them lunch"
"I'm a real people-person. It’s why I enjoy working as an AA Teleworker. That, and working from home. And even though I never meet any of the members I speak to, I still...
"The worst flooded engine I'd seen"
"A while back we had some really bad floods round here, which made all AA patrols very busy – including me. But one call-out proved to be the toughest I've ever had...
"One man wanted his false leg insured"
"You hear some funny things working in a call centre, but I’m not sure anything can top the time when a customer asked if we could insure his prosthetic leg. I advised that...
"One customer was a Mr – and a Mrs"
"Once when taking a membership call, I asked to speak to the customer’s wife as she was the main member. As I heard him put the phone down, I was then met with a very...
"My next job? To catch a frog."
"I've dealt with a few croaky sounding engines in my time, but it's not every day you’re called out to look for a frog in a member's car. Apparently the little critter had jumped in the...
"I helped to reunite long lost cousins"
"I work in an AA Call Centre in Newcastle, and being from the area I naturally have a Geordie accent. So I wasn’t surprised when one caller, who needed a wheel change, asked me if...
"I fixed a van right next to some lions"
"As an AA motorcycle patrol, most of my call outs are for breakdowns in town centres. (Although naturally I’ll go wherever I’m needed.) So the only animals that I usually come across...
"My shining knight was from the AA"
"A while ago I was driving to work when my clutch disengaged. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the traffic was incredibly busy and I was on a bridge coming up to a roundabout. Urgh! So...
"I helped Santa get to school on time"
"It was just before Christmas, which is a busy time for us, when I got a call to go to Kingston in south-west London, as a member had a puncture. I set off for what I assumed would...
"The AA rescued us from the 1960s"
"It was New Year’s Eve and my partner Tom and I fancied popping out somewhere a bit special before going back home to see the new year in. So I put on a vintage dress...
"The AA opened my car before her feed"
"Some time ago I attended my uncle’s funeral. As befitted the occasion, the weather was absolutely awful with rain coming down in buckets. During the service, my four-month-old...
"It was definitely the drive of my life"
"I was called out to help a member who had got stuck in icy snow between two steep hills. What I didn’t know until I got there was that it was a very expensive sports car...
"The AA got there despite the ice"
"It was just a few days before Christmas, during that very bad winter we had a couple of years ago. My son and his wife had taken their baby twins to the doctor for inoculations...
"Strangely, this job has put me off DIY"
"Don't get me wrong, I love this job, After all, I'm fully qualified in electrics, plumbing and gas, so I'm doing what I'm good at. The thing is, I've had to repair...
"It's always nice to be appreciated"
"One of the reasons I work as an AA Patrol, and not as a mechanic in a garage, is that I really like meeting people. That, and the fact that in this job I actually get to see...
"Things aren't always what they seem"
"What I like about this job is that every day is different. In fact, there are times when even routine jobs can turn out to be anything but. One call-out that springs to mind...
"She was calling the AA when I arrived."
"After a busy day I was on my way to Aldershot when, as I entered an S bend, I saw a car in front of me that was side-on across the road. As it was a particularly nasty night...
"The VIP's flat tyre was on his bike."
"In this job you occasionally come across some well-known faces, and a while ago I got called out to attend a VIP (I'll say no more than he was involved with the England rugby team)...
"They wanted Alton, but with towers."
"I was once called out to help a member and his family who’d managed to get lost in Alton, just down the road from the AA’s headquarters in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
"Dealer says 3 weeks. AA takes 45 mins."
"I totally rely on my car, so when one December morning last year it wouldn’t start, I was at a bit of a loss. Anyway, as it’s a rather expensive sports car, I was sure...
"A tiger in the tank? No, a ginger tom."
"When I first got the call, I couldn’t believe my ears. What? A cat has got stuck tight in the engine compartment of a car? But when I got to the scene I saw it for myself...
"I got my golf swing down to a tee."
""One of the great things about being an AA patrol is that you meet people from all walks of life. And there’s one encounter that I’m still benefiting from four years later...
"Some jobs are dirtier than others."
"You have to expect the unexpected in this job. And sometimes it’s not very pleasant – especially where toilets are involved. I’ve found all sorts blocking...
"I was expecting a car not a tractor."
"Once when I was called out to a customer, there wasn’t a car in sight. Then he pointed to a barn a few yards away and there was his regular form of transport...
"The customer named her baby after me."
"A little while ago I was called out to assist a pregnant lady whose boiler had not just broken down, but it was also spraying water all over the place. As if that wasn't bad enough...
"The AA put me up in a hotel overnight."
"Earlier this year I bought a campervan from someone in Gloucester. Simple enough you’d have thought and so did I (ignoring the fact that I am 64 years old...
"A brace of pheasants? How pleasant."
"As I’m based in a rural area, I often get called out to members who are farmers. Not only to fix their cars, but also farm vehicles such as tractors...
"I rescued a lady wearing a bikini."
"One of the great things about being an AA patrol is that the job can be full of surprises. Some call-outs that sound routine can in fact turn out to be anything but...
"On one job I needed a head for heights"
"I’ve attended some very unusual breakdowns during my time in this job. One involved a broken down mini-digger. So by and large, we’re prepared for anything that comes our way...
"I fixed the pipe – then the ceiling."
"Having a water leak in your home is not a laughing matter. In fact, it can be quite stressful. However, on one job I went to involving a burst pipe, I literally had...
"When I first got the call about a raccoon that had climbed into the dashboard of a car, my first thought was that it must be a wind-up. After all, I was just a trainee AA patrol...
"I fixed the tractor then ran like hell"
"You know it’s not just cars and motorbikes that we get called out to fix. If it’s mechanical we can usually help. On one occasion I got a call from a farmer...
"New car keys cut for £150? Bargain!"
"My partner and I had gone away to a hotel for the bank holiday weekend. As we didn’t use the car while we were there, we left the keys in the room – or so we thought...
"I can help. But this isn't your car."
"The driver was running late and getting a bit cross. She was also confused – how could her car key no longer unlock her car? She was keen for me to magically open the door...
"I also do an impression of a Xmas tree"
"Being called out to a breakdown in Cardiff on Christmas Eve was no big deal. After all, the AA is on call 24/7 – every day of the year. The recovery itself was a different matter...
"I found the leak. Where's the cat?"
"Obviously, my job involves going into people's homes. That often means coming into contact with their pets. Normally it's the dogs that are the scary ones, but on one job...
"Do I take this problem? I do."
"What do you do when the happiest day of someone's life stalls before it's even started? I had two options: fix the car and have a flustered bride arrive at the church 30 minutes late...
"My car's not the problem" "No problem"
"When Verity Jepson sustained a flat tyre as she arrived at the Devon County Show, she made straight for the AA stand. Trouble was, it was a flat tyre on her baby’s buggy...
"The AA got my rock band rolling again"
"I manage the indie band Shields. They were on their way from Newcastle to an important gig in London when, two hours from the venue, the van conks out...
