A WOMAN motorist has praised Farnworth Asda staff who helped when a broken key left her stranded.

But Anna-Marie Hampson, a 29-year-old training consultant in customer care, claims their "Good Samaritan" act was in total contrast to the AA, who refused to get her home.

The key snapped in the lock as Anna-Marie, of Bank Street, Darcy Lever, tried to open her boot. Asda staff put her shopping in cold storage and allowed her to phone the AA. She asked if some-one could be sent out to help her get home where she had a spare key.

But she was told she could only be offered roadside assistance because she did not have Relay cover.

Anna-Marie said: "I was disgusted. They offered to send a locksmith but all I needed was to get home for a spare key.

"I realise that I only had roadside cover but I was willing to pay for a tow and they still refused. I was quite worried, because I was on my own and it was dark."

Security guard Mike Holloway drove Anna home and back again in manager Alan Short's car. And Anna-Marie said she was so impressed she contacted the store's head office to nominate Mike for an award.

She said: "The people at Asda were marvellous. Their level of customer service exceeded all my expectations. But I found the AA less than helpful. The main reasons I switched to them was because of the publicity promoting their services to women on their own."

An AA spokesman said: "We offered this lady the services of a locksmith who would make a key and we would pay for the call out. She would have waited the same amount of time for a patrol as for a locksmith and if we had towed her home she would still need a locksmith to remove the key. She said she would make her own arrangements and we cannot understand why she refused our offer."

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