Need good breakdown cover

andygb

My breakdown cover has now expired, and Tesco (who now use RAC) want to put it up to £89 for a very basic service (no European cover, 1 named car, 2 drivers).
Is there anywhere cheaper than this, and of course it must be just as reliable?

Klug

Hi
it may not suit you but we have subscribed to Auto Aid for a couple of years now. It's a sort of insurance. It costs around £40 for a year. What happens is that they send you a membership number and their phone number.
If you break down/can't start your car, you call them, they send out the nearest service to you (won't be liveried). They carry out the repair, you pay direct by credit card. AutoAid send you a claim form which you complete, return it to them with the the bill from the recovery and they recompense you in full.
There are other benefits they cover which I can't remember offhand but I think there is a website somewhere.

Hammyman

Use Tesco clubcard points to pay for RAC cover.

Hammyman

Klug wrote: »

Hi

If you break down/can't start your car, you call them, they send out the nearest service to you (won't be liveried). They carry out the repair, you pay direct by credit card. AutoAid send you a claim form which you complete, return it to them with the the bill from the recovery and they recompense you in full.
There are other benefits they cover which I can't remember offhand but I think there is a website somewhere.

All well and good assuming you have the money to pay...

At £150 recovery fee for just being recovered from the motorway, recovery costs can add up. What about if you need your car transporting home? At £1.50 to £2 per mile, it can cost £100's.

mikey72

RAC is £71 with £20 cashback, so £51 for named car, any driver with roadside and recovery.
Car must be under 10 years old.

Same sort of price with the AA, either car or personal cover after cashback.

andygb

Thanks for the replies guys. I have been looking at the RAC site, and I have just spoken to someone there, and I am a bit confused.
We want cover for my OH and me for both our cars with recovery (so that I am not at the mercy of some rip off repairer if the worst should happen). So, I looked at joint personal cover for £99 (including discount), which should cover both of us for any car which we are driving - and that is what I cannot get confirmed. We own two cars and swap them around. I then looked at vehicle cover, which came out at £104.50 (again including insurance) - so what is the difference, and how can I be sure that both of us will be covered regardless of which car we are driving?

davidlizard

As you say, you want "good" rather than "cheap".

My BIL had a policy which he paid less than £30 for. However when he broke down they make just a token effort to repair the car, then towed it to a garage. This garage was unable to get the bits needed for the repair for nearly two weeks, charged him £20/day storage and then charged him over 5 times the going rate for the job. He ended up not having much change from £1000. Furthermore, as the repair was not done by a Mercedes authorised garage, it invalidated his warrantee.

I use Autoaid, but as others point out you do need to have the cash (or rather sufficient credit on a credit card). I have used them twice - the costs for a 60 and 100 mile recovery to home were about £130/£170, both of which were refunded by the time the credit card statement came in.

The real benefits are that it covers you in any car regardless of age, and if you break down you can either get them to call someone out, or if you know a local friendly mechanic you can call him yourself without going through them. Ditto for home starts - you can get your mechanic mate out to give you a push and then send off the claim!

skodafabia

davidlizard wrote: »

As you say, you want "good" rather than "cheap".
. Ditto for home starts - you can get your mechanic mate out to give you a push and then send off the claim!

That equates to fraudalent use of an Insurance Policy submitting fake invoices. A breakdown policy is an form of Insurance. People like yourself whom try to get a few extra quid out of an insurer such as autoaid means others have to pay higher premiums. I have copied and pasted this in an email to Autoaid

davidlizard

skodafabia wrote: »

That equates to fraudalent use of an Insurance Policy submitting fake invoices. A breakdown policy is an form of Insurance. People like yourself whom try to get a few extra quid out of an insurer such as autoaid means others have to pay higher premiums. I have copied and pasted this in an email to Autoaid

I have already run this past Autoaid and they are more than happy with this.

Suggest you wind your neck in and check facts before posting such drivel.

skodafabia

Bull**** whom ever you have spoke to doesnt share the same opinion as the person i spoke with. I work in insurance so I suggest you need to familiarise yourself with the term ''fraud''.
What you are advising is to get any tom !!!!!! or harry to start your car and inflate the callout charge so you get refunded by an insurance company.
Call it what you like but it is fraud. I hope one day you get put on the CUE.
google that smart a***

Norman_Castle

From the Autoaid website,
With AutoAid you are free to choose the roadside help you need, without having to wait around for approval – or you can call our 24 hour helpline.

if you know a local friendly mechanic you can call him yourself without going through them.

This is not fraud. Falsely claiming or inflating claims would be fraud.
You may work in insurance, but you clearly have a lot to learn.