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Advice on breakdown bill!

nova
nova Posts: 351 Forumite
Hi All,
l wonder if anyone could give me any advice please, my son has breakdown cover and in october had a flat tyre so he went to change it at the side of the road but the wheel didnt fit so he called out his breakdown service. This morning he recieved a bill from them for £190.00 as an exclusion in his cover is that he must have a sevicable spare wheel, which to his knowledge he had, as he'd read this and he'd only recently bought the car with this wheel with it.
Do we just put this down to experience?
Any advice greatly received.
«1

Comments

  • Hintza
    Hintza Posts: 19,420 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Read the fine print again...thoroughly.

    But assuming it says that then looks like your stuffed. What was the £190 for? I assume they did something for that or was that just the towing fee?
  • nova
    nova Posts: 351 Forumite
    HI, Yes he did read the small print and knewthis was an exclusion, he knew he'd got the spare with the car and he checked the tread and that was fine just never thought that it would'nt fit. The £190.00 was for rescuing car and taking him about 3 miles home.
  • ArsenalFC
    ArsenalFC Posts: 1,095 Forumite
    Did the wheel not fit or it is of a different size? A smaller wheel can be use temporarily to drive usually <50mph (not sure if applyed to bigger wheels).
  • Hintza
    Hintza Posts: 19,420 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    It does sound a bit steep, might be worth a pleading letter. I once drove home in car with a wheel that didn't have the same stud pattern and only two bolts were on......was very scary and illegal!!

    Just another thought where did he buy the car from? If a dealer might be worth a fight! But really I guess he should have checked it (but who does)
  • nova
    nova Posts: 351 Forumite
    Thanks ever so for the advice,l think it was a different stud pattern it just would'nt go on, he bought it privately so not really any come back, the annoying thing is l've been caught out by small print myself so l made him read it all with a magnifying glass!!! He's had an expensive week, earlier this year he got a section 59 so has been really careful since but the other evening he pulled up outside his friends house and the police seized his car as they'd had a report of a car fitting his descrition was driving to cause annoyance and they assumed it was him!! There is no comeback whatsoever apparently they can do that so he had to pay £150 to get his car back!!
  • Its easily done. A VW wheel looks identical to a MB wheel, but the centre does not fit and they are not interchangeable.

    My advice to your son would be that it is a lesson in life, and that he should stop being an idiot on the roads. S59 is a bit contentious, but I know who I'd believe.
  • i would write a letter explaining everything on the off chance they might wave the fee

    but dont be suprised if they dont
  • nova
    nova Posts: 351 Forumite
    Its easily done. A VW wheel looks identical to a MB wheel, but the centre does not fit and they are not interchangeable.

    My advice to your son would be that it is a lesson in life, and that he should stop being an idiot on the roads. S59 is a bit contentious, but I know who I'd believe.

    You dont know my son, and if you cant be helpful keep your opinions to yourself , He knows he cant be an idiot as you so nicely put it and that was the lesson learnt but if they can just go on here say it's not really teaching them anything, but thanks to all the other people who gave helpful advice.
  • Its funny isn't it, how most people who get a s59 are young males, newly qualified.

    It must be a conspiracy.
  • what he has or hasnt done has no relation to him having the wrong tyre
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