Recently my wife’s six-year old KIA Picanto would not start, so we called the AA. The patrolman who turned up diagnosed a dead battery. He said that he had a replacement in his van and would we like him to fit it? As we were in a hurry and late for an appointment, it seemed to be the simplest solution and we agreed. It wasn’t until after he had fitted the battery that he handed us a bill for £103. We did not at the time have the faintest idea of how much a new battery would cost but expected to pay full price for the convenience. It was not, however, until after we had made a few enquiries that we realised that we had been grossly overcharged. The most expensive price that we could find from any of the local garages or accessory shops was £67 and the cheapest online quote was £51 with free next day delivery. I wrote to the AA to point this out to them, but they were not prepared to enter into any discussion and said that I had been charged the correct amount.