Autoaid Breakdown svs and the like: Pay first and claim later

Hominu

One thing that makes me wonder is most breakdown companies state "Vehicle must be maintained and operated within manufacturer’s guidelines.". I can understand them saying this, but it sounds like a get-out clause to me. Less so with companies that come out to fix rather than pay up.

Has anyone ever had an AutoAid (or similar company) claim declined?

mad_rich

I've only made 1 claim, and that was paid quickly and without fuss. They certainly didn't do anything to check my maintenance records. And that was on a 15 year old car with 200k on the clock.

I doubt they would worry if you'd missed a service by a couple of months, for example. And I don't think they would even check for a small payout. But if it's a large payout for something that was obviously maintenance-related, they might do a bit of digging. Fair enough.

Basically, I wouldn't worry about it, as long as you generally look after your car.

colino

The great thing about AutoAid (no I don't have any connection with them, but yes, I am a convert), is that they have stripped down the offer to what they are all selling. They are peace of mind insurance that very few users actually avail themselves of. No fleet to finance and maintain, just a call centre with connections.

forgotmyname

If just covers them from you driving an unroadworthy wreck a few hundred yards then claiming it broke down and you just started out on on a 400 mile trip to scotland.

Tow a 5ton trailer with your 1L hatchback and burn the clutch out, They wont recover you.
Never been asked for a service history. Lots of people wont have one. A receipt if your lucky.

scotsbob

I have been with Autoaid for seven years, my family are with them and the majority of the people in the car club to which I belong.

I have never heard of them checking any service histories, nor refusing help.

I have had to call them out 3 times and never had any hassle.

Hominu

So the question is, which is best:

AutoAid - pay up front and claim back, but you have the choice of the garage

QDOS - they pay for you but they have the choice of garage, but you are not out of pocket whilst waiting for claim to be processed.

scotsbob

Hominu wrote: »

So the question is, which is best:

AutoAid - pay up front and claim back, but you have the choice of the garage

QDOS - they pay for you but they have the choice of garage, but you are not out of pocket whilst waiting for claim to be processed.

You are ignoring the cost element.

QDOS is £110 a year to provide all the cover that Autoaid offers for £39.

Hominu

I asked for a quote from Qdos and it was stated the total would be £47.50, which included rescue, national recovery and home recovery. Maybe Autoaid offers some stuff I didn't see. Its just the "Pay first and claim later" makes me nervous as I know how expensive asking someone to tow me off the motorway costs!

One thing I don't like about QDOS is that they take the "Vehicle must be maintained and operated within manufacturer’s guidelines." even further and state in bold: "Keep proof of regular servicing in Your vehicle, with Your handbook or travel documents.". I don't service my car every year for the simple reason that I don't do that many miles in in (4 - 5K per year, mainly at weekends), but I do keep it in good condition and have a mini-service along with every MOT.

Must say, AutoAID is actually sounding better, the more I read into the T&Cs of QDOS!