My car was towed away by the AA … then it went on a 15,000-mile journey

After six months I only got it back after I’d reported it stolen

In January my car wouldn’t start and I called the AA. The patrolman diagnosed a faulty engine control unit (ECU) and towed it to an AA-approved garage, RCS in Deeside.

I didn’t receive it back until July and, only then after I reported it stolen to the police. It was coated in bird dirt, with a missing number plate light lens and faulty digital display, and there were 15,000 extra miles on the clock.

The garage claimed that fiddling with the ECU can alter mileage and denied driving around in it. However, I have received a £70 penalty charge notice (PCN) from the council for an infringement in June when the car was in the garage’s possession. The MOT had expired in February, a fortnight after it was taken in.

I am a disabled carer for my elderly mother and have had to rely on my mobility scooter during the six months I was without my car. I’ve had to cancel hospital and dental appointments because I couldn’t afford the taxi fare. I liaised with the AA throughout and every time it had a different excuse for the delay.