Breakdown Cover Discussion

happypuppy

Green flag is so limited, with a maximum of
1 hour of assistance
1 call per fault , so if you have the same fault you can't use them after the 1st time !
Just a useless policy, unfortunately I just called them for assistance to find out , otherwise would have never taken !

Chorlie

happypuppy wrote: »

Green flag is so limited, with a maximum of
1 hour of assistance
1 call per fault , so if you have the same fault you can't use them after the 1st time !
Just a useless policy, unfortunately I just called them for assistance to find out , otherwise would have never taken !

I wonder if this is in there Terms & Conditions, I've got a policy with GF and didn't know about this, just hope I don't have any breakdowns and then I'll be moving to a company that will be more use.

At least I got it cheap.

Bigsmak

Chorlie wrote: »

I wonder if this is in there Terms & Conditions, I've got a policy with GF and didn't know about this, just hope I don't have any breakdowns and then I'll be moving to a company that will be more use.

At least I got it cheap.

At least I got it cheap..

Sometimes you do get what you pay for though..

I had to use the AA yesterday for the first time. Took an hour to get to me as they were snowed under, due to the snow. But the got me home, and are taking my car to a garage this afternoon to solve a problem that couldn't be fixed at the side of the road.

Well worth the £9 odd i pay a month for me and the better half.

crispyduck_2

A question for you all, I currently have a First CallGB UK policy for my 06 plated mondeo, we are going on a five day trip at Christmas to Ireland and would like some temporary cover, FCGB suggested a full upgrade of forty odd pounds and would only be valid till the existing policy runs out (Feb), now it may be cheaper than a call out but still seems pretty steep, any ideas?

hannah29_2

i bought my son breakdown cover last year with rac and paid in full on my debit card. he had the renewal through at the beginning of december. i phoned them and told them to cancel it as we didnt want it anymore. the young lady on the phone took all the details and confirmed it was cancelled but thought she may need to call my son to confirm cancellation. she said she was unsure but would check. i gave her his number and left it at that. he never recieved a call from them and i find today the renewal amount has been taken out of my account. any advice?

Mrs_B

I think my brain is in pre-Christmas befuddledness - so hoping someone might clarify for me.

I need to renew the breakdown cover on my new-ish car - last time I purchased on the recommendation of this site and I was quite happy.

That company is no longer the cheapest, so I've now been looking at this again, but would now like to cover my husbands older (albeit reliable) vehicle too, which we've just bought from a family member and have no cover on.

I am wondering if I could cover both cars by using Autoaid - as in, take it out in my husband's name, but as his wife use it for my car if needed? Sounds too good to be true so perhaps I have misunderstood!

It is possible that my car may go abroad next year - but if I could get away with not taking out a breakdown policy to cover this until I definitely need it, it would make money saving sense to me. :-)

Any comments?

Frugalsharkey

I took a policy out with these guys earlier this year after reading about it on this site and thought I'd post a bit of feedback. This is a bit a tale but hopefully gives you an idea of what you get for your money.

I had to call them out to my non-starting car after work one evening. They turned up promptly and the chap was friendly enough. He poked about with my car a bit, squirted some stuff into the engine, banged it a bit and established it wouldn't start. I then had the choice to be towed home or to the garage but had I been towed to a garage I would have been left there. I should say that I'm a woman and I was on my own so, bearing in mind this was about 6pm, I didn't relish the idea of trying to get a taxi in an unfamiliar town let alone waiting for one! I chose to be towed home. Once there, I had to help steer the car into a safe place while the breakdown mechanic pushed it - I know this probably exposes me as the pathetic girl that I am but I hate doing things like this! Another point that came up in the journey home, I was offered the option of them doing any work on my car and they'd 'do me a much better deal' than the dealership which is where I was headed. I know this was probably meant in good faith but when you've broken down, you're stressed and worried a sales pitch is not what you need. Another minor thing was that he had a cigarette while he was getting my car onto the back of his truck - not the end of the world but not the most professional thing to do.

The next morning I had a 'light-bulb' moment and realised I actually have RAC cover through my bank !! So I rang the RAC who came out equally promptly, the mechanic ran his diagnostic computer on my car and for some reason it then started (although this was due to the transient nature of the fault and nothing to do with the RAC). The car went back into Ford where they did 'something' to it which 'may' resolve the non-start. You can probably tell from my sarcasm that the Ford fix did not work!

The following week I had the same breakdown after work! This time I called the RAC who again turned up quickly. The mechanic tried a few things to get my car started with no success. This is where you'll see the HUGE difference from Green...because my car wouldn't start and it would be too late to book it into the dealership, my car was left at work (in the secure carpark), I was taken home and an RAC tow was arranged for the following morning. No stranding at a closed garage, need for taxi or need to arrange a tow myself. I can't fault the RAC on their service.

Basically, Green are cheap and do the job if your car just needs recovering - you're not going to be stranded but the service is limited. I wasn't entirely comfortable with the breakdown mechanic, especially when he was then scouting for work. For me, a breakdown mechanic needs to be impartial. If you're a bit more confident than me with car stuff and looking for a good deal then Green Breakdown are definitely worth a go. However, if you're like me and are comforted by familiar uniforms and appreciate extra levels of service then I'd avoid them and stick with more established companies. The other thing I'd say (although I'll probably get lambasted for my lack of knowledge!) is that the tools and equipment the RAC had seem to be slightly more advance than Green - they even checked for electromagnetic interference because I'm near Heathrow! I should also say that I believe Green use a variety of local breakdown operators so I imagine the service received will vary depending on where you are - I may just have been unlucky!

Hope this helps

electric_fish

It would be useful in the description of what level of cover is provided whether motorcycles / scooters are included, as I don't want to buy a separate policy for my car and bike.

Can I ask that this is added next time the section is updated?

ta!

lero_2

Just a bit of feedback for people thinking about the Autoaid thing they are really hot on getting the exact claim in in time, I missed the deadline by one day and they did not give the refund. That was my fault but I just think you really need to be aware you need to get the paperwork to them ASAP.

LyndsayJ

I'm looking into getting breakdown cover as the cover I got when I bought my (second hand) car has run out and am very tempted to go with RAC as I had to call them out several times last year and was really pleased with their service, attendance times, knowledge and helpfulness. My husband thinks I should choose the cheapest but with 3 children and a car with no spare wheel, I want to be confident in the service I will get...

Just thought I'd add my RAC feedback!