A MUM has told of her “disgust” after the AA left her family stranded with no food for 24 HOURS when they broke down.
Charlotte Leach-Le Planche, her partner Dale and their one-year-old Florence were heading home from a family holiday when they broke down.
Their Ford C Max had an engine malfunction – leaving them stuck in the searing-hot Welsh countryside with no food nor nappies for Florence on August 14 around 6.30pm.
The family – who were miles away from home in Alrewas, Staffordshire – called the AA to rescue them and were told there would be a three-hour wait.
But when help did not arrive for 24 hours, Charlotte’s parents made the arduous journey to Wales pick them up.
Charlotte told Staffordshire Live: “We were left vulnerable, stranded and without basic necessities.
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“This situation simply shouldn’t have happened. How do they think this is acceptable?
“This is disgusting – there’s a huge safeguarding issue, a lack of human decency and ultra-rubbish communication between departments; they need calling out immediately. We need to stop this happening again.”
A mechanic – who arrived at the car around 9.40pm – said the engine could only be fixed at a garage.
The AA said a recovery truck couldn’t arrive until the next morning – meaning Charlotte quickly called bosses at their holiday cabin to book another night.
A truck finally arrived at 1.30pm – but the driver said he could only take the car, not their family, meaning Charlotte, Dale, Florence and the family’s three dogs would be abandoned in the countryside.
Another truck was promised for 6pm but it never showed up.
Charlotte’s parents had to pick the family up.
An AA spokesperson said: “We have investigated the incident and are deeply sorry to find that the customer experienced an unacceptable delay for service and onward travel, with poor communication, which fell below our usual high standards.
“We have found there were communication failings with the customer in our own teams, as well as with the external company we liaised with to arrange the hire car.
“Unfortunately, issues with the hire car were exacerbated by the remote location of the breakdown.
“We have been in contact with the customer to apologise and provide compensation for the inconvenience caused.
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“We will also ensure they are reimbursed for the costs incurred from their overnight stay.
“We would like to extend our apologies once more to the customer and we will be reviewing our internal processes to ensure it does not happen again.”
