Car Breakdown Discussion

Molly4

Hello
Thank you for posting the link to the forum about car insurance/breakdown cover. It was through the link I came to this forum. I'm tempted to go for Green Flag but there seems to be other companies recommended on here that I have never heard of. So not sure at all.

2010

Quentin wrote: »

MSE article on breakdown cover:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/car-insurance/breakdown-cover

Remember this was written last Dec. and the cashback rates have changed since.

tonymmm_2

Hi there, I'd love a bit of advice from someone here, My girlfriend has just been given a car by her grandparents, really nice of them, so she was heading home to see her family and the clutch went, she called the RAC to get immediate breakdown cover, happy to pay at the time, annual price 145 quid, but whatever, she had no real choice, the joke thing that was before she signed up they told her that it would be 1 hour 30 minutes, so she paid and went ahead with it. 7 hours later they turned up, after calling twice to chase after them not showing twice. Called today to complain to be told that its unlikely to get anything back, its not the time its the fact that they lied to get her to sign up. ANY ADVICE WOULD BE REALLY APPRECIATED!

murphydavid

Green Flag - I noticed a slight change in the wording of the recovery option, but does it mean a big change in my cover? I would be grateful if someone with a talent for reading the small print would comment.
The change in wording is from: “if we can’t fix your vehicle the same day” we will transport it to your home etc;..to “if your vehicle can’t be repaired locally the same day” we will transport it to your home etc.
Previously; if the mechanic could not get me going at the roadside I could ask for my car to be returned home where I could choose who to get to repair it or do it myself at my price. Am I now correct in thinking that, with the new wording, if the mechanic can not get me going at the roadside he will now be able to say “no I don’t want to take your car home because I know a local garage (his) that I can take you to who will repair it today” and once at that local garage I get to foot the repair bill? Thus not allow me to shop around for a better deal.
The word local is not defined explicitly in the policy wording, but there is the following in the previous level of cover.
“Local recovery
If we come out to your vehicle but can’t get it going, we’ll take you, your vehicle, and your passengers to one of our repairers.”

I then compared CBC and noticed they say something similar.

I'm rather skeptical about having someone I don't know having the choice of taking my car to a garage I don't know.

connected123

Just got my Green Flag renewal for Recovery Plus cover.

Last years cost: £59.40

This years proposed cost: £75.04

That's a 26.33% increase with a so called 'No Call Out Discount', presumably because I haven't had to use them during the year. That kind of increase repaying me for my loyalty and no claims during the year - fantastic business model!

How can any company expect to keep business when there's that kind of hike in the rate when inflation is what - 3%?

I bet the mechanics don't get a 26% salary increase do they?

Here we go again, another product we buy where we have to go searching all over the place filling in endless comparison sites and insurers to get quotes. At 70 yrs of age every hour taken up doing all this is relative to how long I've got left!

What happened to KIS & Keep it Simple?

connected123

Following my above post, I just went onto Green Flag website to see what it said there and I went for a quote on-line - quoted £61.40 which is £2 increase on last years price for full UK cover (Not personal cover - I didn't need that). I can live with that!

Why do they put you through this paper nonsense and hike up renewals wasting everyone's time?

Okay for another year then!!

murphydavid

connected123 wrote: »

Following my above post, I just went onto Green Flag website to see what it said there and I went for a quote on-line - quoted £61.40 which is £2 increase on last years price for full UK cover (Not personal cover - I didn't need that). I can live with that!

Why do they put you through this paper nonsense and hike up renewals wasting everyone's time?

Okay for another year then!!

Yes I agree Green Flag don't inspire loyalty. I don't know if you have recovery included but if so you might want to note my post just above yours. In the end I could not agree to their change of wording and looked through MSE article again and found under point 5 Autoaid and got what I thought was a better deal at £43.31. Think you have a 14 day cooling off with Green Flag so its not too late if you want to loose more of your valuable time and change your mind.

System

My renewal quote from RAC was £122. Rang them up and got that down to £89 and with 3 months free cover.

ptlshooper

Just haggled my AA family renewal and got it down from £378.43 (ridiculous!) to same price as when I joined £219.00 (which was what I was aiming for) I refused a couple of other prices he offered. Very pleased.

Elbrus-72

Hello I have VW Golf 2009 - for social use mainly and Mitsu Lancer 2008 - used to commute. Pls suggest the cheap roadside assistance? Are parts and labour included?