Breakdown cover (AA, RAC, Green Flag, others) - Share your stories!

DaveF327

Hi All,

I - and many others, I'm sure - am currently in a quandary about purchasing breakdown cover having heard many horror stories over the years.

Perhaps it's prudent to start a thread to discuss the virtues of the various companies out there offering cover, both to sing their praises and warn the unwary, as appropriate.

Points of particular interest to readers will be:

• Companies out there other than the "big three": AA, RAC, Green Flag
• Current "bargain on the decade" special offers
• Problems experienced with cover and call-outs
• Concerns and actual problems with renewals and auto-renewals (this is of particular interest to me)
• Pricing tactics of companies - do their website prices resemble (or even state) the cost of cover from the 2nd year onwards?
• Payment options and problems - are monthly payments worth the cashflow convenience when compared with annual payments?
• Contractual issues when cancelling cover. Is cancelling straightforward and simple? (This could be a hot topic!)
  

I look forward to reading your experiences!

linsali

Make sure you don't pay them on a credit card as they will have you on a continuous membership.
The RAC have just charged my card £141 for renewal and my car isn't even on the road.
To make matters worse, that is double last years premium and they are refusing to give me a refund.
I am furious but don't think there is anything I can do about it.

vax2002

I pay the extra for AA, I have had them come out, diagnose the fault, go away, come back with the part and fit it (egr valve). Then only charge trade cost for the part.
That level of service is worth paying for in my opinion.
When you break down, the AA send a mechanic of many years experience, the cheaper options often send a spotty 19 year old with a tow truck who will take you to his dads garage........
When many years ago on holiday in Devon.. 300 miles away the wifes head gasket went, they took the car 300 miles to our own garage and before it was even on the tow truck they had us a hire car in its place we could drop back off in Leeds.
Thats service.

On renewals, dont pay on credit cards as loyalty costs, dont let the auto renew, call back up and join again...

fishingcinema

DO NOT purchase green flag european breakdown insurance.

Unless of course if the unfortunate instance that you do breakdown and call upon them, you want to be picked up from belgium at 2am in the morning by an agent in a tow truck, nearly in two accidents one cutting up another car missing it by millimeters, then to come off the motorway at 70mph onto the mud nearly having an accident again, then to be dumped in a field at 3am and told greenflag will call you in the morning.

Next day no call from green flag, then to call them back yourself only to be told we will call you back someone is looking into it at the moment, again no call, this goes on and on untill.

You have to send a friend over to recover your friend at 2am in the morning who tows your brother home.

Add on a £100 mobile phone bill and a £40 landline bill because of incompitence on green flags part who can not call you back when they say they will, and ask for the receptions phone number when your brothers mobile phone is running out of battery. surely they know fields do not have receptions.... mind you how could they, they do not even know where my brother is..

I could go on but do not wish to bore people anymore with the countless mess ups from them.

sujman

I am using Autoaid this year. http://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/

£38 per year.

As far as I can tell most of the things covered by the standard policies of the big 3 are covered, for the fraction of the price.

Had a breakdown recently. Due to over heating as I ran out of water.

Called autoaid, they arranged for recovery to my house. I had to pay £50.40 to the recovery company direct but then within 2 weeks of claiming, I got a cheque back from autoaid.

Best value service I've had so far.

DaveF327

sujman wrote: »

I am using Autoaid this year. http://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/

£38 per year.

As far as I can tell most of the things covered by the standard policies of the big 3 are covered, for the fraction of the price.

Had a breakdown recently. Due to over heating as I ran out of water.

Called autoaid, they arranged for recovery to my house. I had to pay £50.40 to the recovery company direct but then within 2 weeks of claiming, I got a cheque back from autoaid.

Best value service I've had so far.

They sound very promising. How quick were they at sending the recovery truck? Could you pay for recovery by credit card at the roadside?

Igol

My dear old mum was in the AA since around 1967 and got complementary home start as a result, I was tagged on as an additional driver and would give her a cheque each year for around 40 quid and didnt think much of it. She was in fact paying well over £200 that had increased each year as they helped themselves to the payments off her card.

I had a crash on my bike caused by diesel on a wet road and had to call them.
RTA we wont come but we'll arrange a garage to come out and recover you and you'll have to pay them.

Not what I wanted to hear 40 miles from home and with a bruised body. AA Patrol turned up and he agreed that their policy was stupid and then took me home saying he'd write it up as a defect caused the crash so no charge.

Slipped into a ditch on ice in the car and needed pulling back onto the road, no damage apart to my confidence.

Called the AA and guess what 'Its an RTA we wont come but will arrange a local garage to collect you'.

Local recovery firm show up and help themselves to what they like from my credit card, assisted by the fact that both my battery on the car and fob decided at that moment to give up so it wouldnt jump start thanks the immobiliser and I had to be recovered home.

The AA then informed my insurance company I'd had a 'crash' and they see the chance to knock off a years NCB.

I joined Autoaid last year as they do attend RTAs.

sujman

DaveF327 wrote: »

They sound very promising. How quick were they at sending the recovery truck? Could you pay for recovery by credit card at the roadside?

When I called, I was initially quoted 1hr 15mins but the guy showed up in about 35 mins. They sent regular text updates on the ETA of the recovery truck.

I paid by CC, after I was taken home. I was told by Autoaid when I first signed up that they would never leave you stranded, if you had no immediate means to pay.

Mrs_Ryan

OH had RAC cover, and he only had cause to call them twice - once when the tyre knackered, but luckily he limped into my works car park (handy that its a hospital so very easy to find, plus this was a Sunday morning so very quiet - he said they turned up and sorted him out within about 25 mins of me ringing them) then when he ran out of petrol on the A50 and had no money on him.. the guy turned up pretty quickly and was happy to wait until I showed up in a taxi to pay him!
OH gets cover now through Club Toyota though at a massively reduced rate, I think that's RAC as well but touch wood we've not had occasion to use it.

Ypaymore

DaveF327 wrote: »

Hi All,

I - and many others, I'm sure - am currently in a quandary about purchasing breakdown cover having heard many horror stories over the years.

Perhaps it's prudent to start a thread to discuss the virtues of the various companies out there offering cover, both to sing their praises and warn the unwary, as appropriate.

No need to start another thread.:D

There is already a long established Breakdown Discussion thread here;)

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2851438

skiddlydiddly

My AA was up for renewal at more than double the introductory rate so I cancelled the auto renewal due to them not informing me they were going to make the charge within 2 weeks(some direct debit law).Two weeks later I have joined them again through quidco for £96(covered as driver/pass in any car and includes recovery) with £40 cashback to come and got my partner on the policy too as it worked out only £1 more than to have just me on once you messed about with the different options and cashback offers.