First Call GB - Recovery options

crankup

Glad I found this thread - I thought I'd do a quick check in this forum before I forwarded Martins link recommending this company. They sound terrible.

fox2319

crankup wrote: »

Glad I found this thread - I thought I'd do a quick check in this forum before I forwarded Martins link recommending this company. They sound terrible.

They are! I'd avoid them and avoid recommending them to anyone in future

countrymouse

I was driving my MGF and was about 80 miles away from home and I hit a road hump at 30 mph as there were no warning signs or markings, my radiator cracked, I think it was due to being on the way out and the jolt finished it off. I phoned and explained what happened and they said it was classed as an accident and it wasnt a breakdown and told me to phone my insurance company. I phoned my insurance company who said that they were trying to pass the buck and to ring them back an insist that they come out to me which I did. They said they would come out and take me home but I would be sent the bill, when the truck arrived the chap said that it was a radiator rupture due to corrosion and he would recommend that I didnt get the bill so 3 hours later I was taken home and I never did recieve the bill. So if you phone them just say you have broken down and you arent sure what the problem is, it caused me a great deal of stress because I thought I was going to be left high and dry 80 miles from home, I am going with Green Flag when this one runs out.

milkybars

I have been recovered by FirstCall three times (I now have a new car!) and experienced no problems at all.

They turned up within 1 hour and towed my car to my usual garage then took me home each time. On one occassion I was over 100 miles from my home and on all three occasions, my local garage was not the nearest but they were happy to take me there. They were always polite and reassuring on the telephone.

beckywright

I've just been reading what is written here about First Call as I am currently looking to change my breakdown cover. I am with the RAC (through my car insurer NFU) and pay approximately £80 a year for the full ball which I thought would cover me against all situations. I was wrong. On my return from a holiday in Devon recently (I had left the site just 20 minutes earlier) the turbo went on my Discovery. Being unable to go over 15 mph I decided to ring my breakdown. At this point it was about 8.45pm and I was 7 months pregnant and with my other two children aged 3 and 5 years. Knowing my husband was good with cars so would be able to fix it and being very conscious of my lack of supplies for another night with the kids away from home, I had to argue my case for transport back home as we live in the Midlands (hundreds of miles away from where we were). Eventually, they agreed to despatch a towtruck. I emphasised at this point our need to be prioritised and also reminded them that I had two car seats to consider. However, I ended up wishing I'd gone for the hotel, as after FIVE follow up phone calls asking where they were and being told they'd be there in half an hour they finally arrived at 3am!!!!! Six hours we were left stranded. And then I discovered the tow truck had no seat belts either. Phoning the RAC in disgust they offered to send another truck out but could not guarantee what time it would arrive. Exhausted and faced with another six hour wait, I felt forced to travel the journey using only my arms as restraints. We finally arrived home at about 7.45am, ELEVEN HOURS after we broke down. So it just goes to show that nothing is what it seems with even the dearer option. Having just spoken to First Call my primary question was whether they could guarantee that seat belts would be available in their vehicles. Confirming that all of their vehicles had three point harnesses and agreeing to put that in writing, I have just decided to go with them. I realise this means taking a chance on the quality of their service, but after what I went through last time, I figure that's a chance you take anyway without paying through the nose for the privilege. Good luck to you all anyway, and sorry for the rant. I feel better now!

Dime_Bar

Its a tricky place to try and save money in my opinion. I love cars and am constantly buying wrecks for me to play with.

For the last 3 years I have been with the AA for the 1st 2 years on the full package ( through work ) and last year I removed home start. I would also remove Relay Plus / Stay Mobile if it actually saved money through the deal I used.

anyway my point for the Roadside + Relay options the current online price is £70 whilst this is a bit dearer that some out there my experience with the AA has been fantastic. Within the last 3 years I have had 3 cars recovered home, one of them ove 200 miles. Tyres changed as the side of the motorway at 4am. A full health check of my car at the roadside after someone had gone into the back of me. I have also had them out for a couple of flat batteries and a few other odds and sods.

The advantage with the AA is that is is personal cover so on top of my incedents I have had them out to my friends cars 3 times.

In total it must be 15 times in the last 3 years, I have never had to wait longer than 1hr, I have never had to wait for a tow truck, all the staff have been fantastic and they have never complained about my cars :rotfl:

All in all I would highly recommend them.

niceguy1

I am 26, was looking to cost save, have been with First Call UK for three years and this was the first time i needed some help.
Basically i discovered that i had a coolant expansion tank leak when i was in London which was 60 miles from Southampton which is where i live and also my local garage location. I called their operator who worked for a contractor who informed me that he couldnt fix it and recommended that he send it to a local garage. The problem is that it was on the Saturday after Xmas and that no garages are open till the Monday! So he would have to send the car to the local pound and then get it transferred on the Monday to a local garage!! So i spoke to First Call and asked nicely that it was in my interest not to send my car to a local garage in London but one in Southampton as I had to go back to work. They informed me that I had no choice but to send the car to a garage in London, and get a hire car to go home and come back again when the car was fixed. They then carried on on said that the only place i could get a hire car from was from an airport!! Ok, i was stranded in the middle of London without a clue how to get to an Airport!! What a Joke!! I could not believe what this woman had been saying and she actually shouted at me, how bad is that!?
I managed to "negiotiate" a tow truck company to take me and my car home for £132.50!!!! I am now writing a letter of complaint to the marketing director of this cowboy company!! Please do not give this company your hard-earned money, they deserve to go under!!! I found this company with www.moneysupermarket.com and the latest news is that the owner has sold the website for £168million!! So wont really be taking that website seriously at all anymore!!

Conor_3

You get what you pay for which is why I get the £130 RAC option which I then pay for with Tesco clubcard points.

Butterfliesarepretty

I phoned first call this morning at 11.10am. They took £40 off me from my card because the policy does not cover home assistance which i agreed to when I took it out. At 11.25 they phoned a few mins later they said it will be 90 mins so at 12.59 I rang them again, they put me on hold for 2 mins and came back and said the driver was stuck in traffic on the M60. So they said should be within 20 mins. Just got a call now from the mechanic who said he was stuck in traffic and that he would be here in half and hour (its now 13.15)he said he was sorry but he was trying to please every body today, then he said can I have your postcode, and I said so they did not give you my postcode? He said yes but its not coming up on satnav, so i said it never works on sat nav, so told him to look for street next to it. So I had already told the company I was going to complain about paying £40 for a slow service.

the thing is it seems the battery terminal is loose and maybe I could have got a local garage round the corner to take a quick look for less money!
I will post later as to what the outcome is. he should be here by quarter to two. Complaint going in to company by letter today.

'Update' Guy phoned three times saying he was stuck in traffic, I believed him but it as 2.25pm when he turned up the battery terminal was loose and he tightened it up and the car worked ok.

But my question is 'was I ripped off?' Should the help have arrived sooner? 11.10 I reported it and its was 2.25pm when it was sorted and the tow trucker only lived in bolton yet was returning from other jobs. I shook his hand and thanked him very much and it seemed he had had a hard day.

Its just that I paid £40 for quick service and did not get it (could understand it if there was ice, etc and it was like 7am in the morning)????

steven504

This is probably the worst company i have ever dealt with.