Which European Breakdown with recovery for boat

mustmakealist

Let me tell you a cautionary tale of my experiences last year. I thought I had every insurance angle covered. I was towing a trailer with a couple of boats on it. I had european breakdown cover and had paid additional premiums for having a car over 10 years old and for towing a trailer. The boats were also insured.

On my return journey and still 500+ miles from home I had a problem with the trailer. It was Saturday lunchtime and the garages were about to close for the weekend. The garage that /i was towed to said that they could not repair the trailer. I understood the word 'kaput' if little else!

To cut a long story short my insurance only covered the trailer. The insurance company liability stopped at getting the trailer repaired. As the garage said that it couldn't be repaired they were not willing to bring it home and the responsibility for getting what was on the trailer home was my problem as they weren't covered on the policy. I did find a company here that was prepared to repair the trailer and was then up against the fact that the value of the trailer (not including the contents ie the boats) was less than the cost of repatriation so thay still wouldn't bring it home.

Eventually, after many weeks and multiple phone calls and emails the on line broker through whom I had taken out the policy intervened and arranged for them to repatriate the trailer and contents with me having to pay the difference between their repatriation costs and their valuation of the trailer. It wasn't ideal, but a pragmatic solution that saved me the time and expense of an 1100 mile round trip plus at least one nights accommodation and the cost of eating out for 2 days and ferry costs for at least 2 people.

All I can recommend is that you talk to someone and get a policy that will cover you for all eventualities.

Have a good trip.

blued

I'm going to start another non ADAC thread!!