Breakdown cover: Get the cheapest roadside recovery

Chaufeurse1956

Happy_Shrimper wrote: »

Oooh, that'll be me then
Haven't had to call them out for a good few weeks now. Hopefully won't have to again in a hurry.
You won't regret it. I can't praise them enough in the excessive way I have used them in my first year, with no claims penalties etc
Just a shame that they had to pay out and not the AA who I must have given £1000s over the years.
You will never look back as long as AutoAid keep going!
And no, I don't work for them!

Right Shrimper - if Auto Aid increases their prices dramatically I am blaming you for your 4 breakdowns! Seriously though it is the feedback from people such as yourself that swayed it for me - odd how I have seen nothing but praise for Auto Aid but not for the 'big boys' on this forum. We have not had breakdown cover for years as we are mainly local but a few weeks ago hubby's Renault threw yet another blasted ignition coil (you know, one of those infamous 'coils' that have major faults that everybody knows about except Renault!). The Renault runs on single feed LPG and as he pulled away from the lights it caused a massive blow back (a blow back at 8 o'clock in the morning, grounds for divorce was my first response!) that completely blew the plastic cover on the head to smitherines where the accelerator cable runs thro totally imobilising the car. Ray said it went off like a shotgun and I was really shocked at the damage it had caused when I stuck my head under the bonnet. Our local garage are friends and were out within 45 mins to tow poorly Renault in. That was the final straw for continued use with the single feed LPG, due to the unreliability of the coils and made me realise we had to get breakdown cover - especially as Ray has to drive up to Glasgow airport in May.

Thanks for your feedback and I hope your bad luck with breakdowns doesn't continue for this year's subscription.

judderman62

Chaufeurse1956 wrote: »

I have seen nothing but praise for Auto Aid but not for the 'big boys' on this forum.

Then allow me to reiterate from within this thread ( ) :

Judderman62 wrote:

I want to be able to make a call, they arrive (quickly - AA are tops for this)

Judderman62 wrote:

I may well go back to the AA next time, dependant on cost, as their service is stunningly good.

Judderman62 wrote:

I have had to use the AA 3 times in my time driving - every time it was an AA patrol , every time it arrived in 20 minutes or less, every time they've sorted me out.

Judderman62 wrote:

I was with the AA until a couple of months ago (oh and no I don't work for them) and I had to use them late last year.

I dialled the number, finished dialling and a human voice answered straight away, the patrol arrived in 17 minutes !!!! and i received a text message about 4 mins before it arrived advising it would arrive in 8 minutes.

My actual , personal experience of them has been outstanding.

OK all from one poster but that has been my experience

Happy_Shrimper

In my time with the AA I did have some excellent service, but more laterly, it was poor, hence my reason to try Autoaid. As the paper article suggests, it seems to tie in with the sale of the members club.
I'm sure if I was with them, there is a good chance of getting recovered within the hour, but if not, I just have to wait for them - no choice.
With Autoaid, if a company is busy, I simply use another - autoaid done this on my behalf and kept trying until a suitable one was found.
I'm sure they all have their merits, such as not having to claim back, big nice shiney yellow trucks (if its not contracted out which happens more and more now) but Autoaid exceed my needs and I'm staying well a truely put unless they kick me out

Chaufeurse1956

judderman62, You obviously misunderstood my quote so allow me to make myself more clear.

I meant that I had read nothing but praise for Auto Aid - nothing negative. Whereas I have read negative, and positive, for the other breakdown services.

Coupled with my own bad experience with the AA I decided to take the option of Auto Aid especially as I am happy to pay whoever attends should I break down and then claim the costs back. My personal opinion is why pay more for a breakdown service especially as it appears often enough it is one of the 'big boys' that attends anyway.

Hope that claifies the point I was making.

Christine

judderman62

OK clearer now thanks

Chaufeurse1956 wrote: »

judderman62, You obviously misunderstood my quote so allow me to make myself more clear.

I meant that I had read nothing but praise for Auto Aid - nothing negative. Whereas I have read negative, and positive, for the other breakdown services.

Coupled with my own bad experience with the AA I decided to take the option of Auto Aid especially as I am happy to pay whoever attends should I break down and then claim the costs back. My personal opinion is why pay more for a breakdown service especially as it appears often enough it is one of the 'big boys' that attends anyway.

Hope that claifies the point I was making.

Christine

hpuse

I think AutoAid is good idea especially for those who promptly look after and maintain their cars.

I have been driving for the last 6 years, so far there has been only one occasion that I had to call roadside recovery (touch keys!)

In the last 6 years, together we must have paid more than £700+ for sure to AA for a joint cover(basic). But now I'm starting to think after reading this thread, is it really worth going for that service?.
Uniformed AA or RAC patrol, of course trained to greet a customer with a big smile might possibly offer a great service when compared with that local lad who is most likely to be in his sullied tesco jumpers. Big question to ask is, how often do we need them ?

More than names like AA or RAC, I think what is important is peace of mind of a recovery service when you are on the road. We would have certainly saved £400 had we been with AutoAid.
If your car breaks down, the consider it as a bad day, and then prepare for the worst case scenario - a bad recovery service, because you have paid a cheap price.

Same like the yearly car insurance cover quotes - I keep going for the cheapest every year, happy with them as they are cheap and I don't care about their name, brand or even if they go bankrupt, as long as they issued me a cover note and policy !

Similar ways, AutoAid sounds like a good option to people like me. Those who know little about car, maintain them, at the same time, peace of mind from a breakdown.

Folks, I don’t generalise that AA or RAC is bad, each person has to put their on situation into play before making the decision. Thanks MSE

jumpingjimminy

Long story, cut short but imagine this........

On a wet Friday night 18 months ago, myself and my wife got rammed on motorway by lorry. Fortunately we walked away relatively unscathed, but very shaken and shocked. I phoned the AA who I have been a member with for over 15 years, only to be told that they do not recover from accidents!!!!!!!!! Wet, cold, 100 miles from home, 100 mile to destination, wife crying uncontrollably, the last thing that you want to hear is that you could be stranded too!

I couldn't believe it,:shocked: I tried to explain that I'd seen a TV advert that very afternoon promising "onward travel to any location in mainland UK", but I could tell that the operator had heard this reaction too many times before, and all she could say was that this exclusion was in the terms and conditions.http://www.theaa.com/breakdownrepaircover/terms-conditions.html

We eventually got towed off the motorway, to a hotel, by a recovery firm organized by the police. The next day we had to catch a train home whilst trying to carry a car boot full of luggage and both nursing whiplash injuries.

Their current advertising campaign states "95% of our customers would recommend us". I’m guessing that the other 5% have rang them up after having an accident……..and then like me and my wife, never used them for recovery again.

judderman62

Do other companies not have the same clause then does anyone know ?

jumpingjimminy wrote: »

Long story, cut short but imagine this........

On a wet Friday night 18 months ago, myself and my wife got rammed on motorway by lorry. Fortunately we walked away relatively unscathed, but very shaken and shocked. I phoned the AA who I have been a member with for over 15 years, only to be told that they do not recover from accidents!!!!!!!!! Wet, cold, 100 miles from home, 100 mile to destination, wife crying uncontrollably, the last thing that you want to hear is that you could be stranded too!

I couldn't believe it,:shocked: I tried to explain that I'd seen a TV advert that very afternoon promising "onward travel to any location in mainland UK", but I could tell that the operator had heard this reaction too many times before, and all she could say was that this exclusion was in the terms and conditions.http://www.theaa.com/breakdownrepaircover/terms-conditions.html

We eventually got towed off the motorway, to a hotel, by a recovery firm organized by the police. The next day we had to catch a train home whilst trying to carry a car boot full of luggage and both nursing whiplash injuries.

Their current advertising campaign states "95% of our customers would recommend us". I’m guessing that the other 5% have rang them up after having an accident……..and then like me and my wife, never used them for recovery again.

MarkyMarkD

Autoaid, the subject of your constant criticism, judderman, DO recover from accidents. Other MSE'ers have posted the relevant part of their terms and conditions which describes a breakdown as any incident INCLUDING an accident.

I had a car recovered 150 miles by AutoAid after being written-off in an accident. I've also had a different car recovered from almost the same spot by AutoAid after a mechanical breakdown. In both cases, the recovery operatives were absolutely wonderful and the service nothing to question in any way. Incidentally, after the mechanical breakdown the mechanic spent a lot of effort diagnosing the fault before deciding it was better to get his colleague to recover us, rather than towing us to his own garage to repair us the next day (it was a Sunday breakdown).

If I'd been with the AA, I'd have been told to sort it out myself (in the first instance).

I know which sort of service I'd prefer.

By the way, judderman, if you want to be pedantic as in your signature, it should be "damned" annoying, not "damn".

judderman62

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

Autoaid, the subject of your constant criticism, judderman, DO recover from accidents.

They may well but Auto Aid are not for me - so more interested in other providers stance on this area.

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

By the way, judderman, if you want to be pedantic as in your signature, it should be "damned" annoying, not "damn".

From the online Oxford Dictionary:

damn


• exclamation informal expressing anger or frustration.

• adjective informal used to emphasize anger or frustration.

Not that I'd ever want to be pedantic or anything