Then he was a very lucky chap indeed! I was once caught in a similar situation but with a semi-automatic car. I now know differently but in my naivety I assumed an automatic did not have a clutch as such but a semi-automatic does and as others have said, clutches are considered to be consumables. The car was bought in Reading and we had to take it all the way back there to be fixed. A very expensive outing all round.
Moral(s) of the story: 1. Don't buy a semi-automatic car. 2. Always buy locally if you can.