AutoAid Car Breakdown Discussion

Swordkat

Paid £60 for Autoaid but happened to find better deal elsewhere - tried to cancel within an hour later of purchasing but was told I'd only receive £39.99 refund due to admin costs and a service charge. Taking £20 for unknown admin costs (I did all of the admin as far as Im aware when I did all the inputting of my details and supplied my bank details to buy it) seems unreasonable to me. Secondly - they never actually provided me with any documents of policy to have done any admin on. The only thing I received was an automated email saying thank you for purchasing with us. Thirdly - they re not exactly quick on picking up the phones. Their customer service, although I did ultimately achieve a refund, was far from pleasant and they take an unbearably long time to answer their phones. I spent far too much time out of my day on hold just to speak to someone. Not impressed. 

eeyvrcs

Glad I saw Swordkat's post on a better deal elsewhere. I typically always look to MSE's Breakdown Cover guide for the best price each year and I've used AutoAid since it was it was like £36/yr, barring one year where I tried a cheap GroupOn deal. In the 8+ years with AutoAid I've used them three times, two dead batteries at home and, most recently, a burst coolant line/hose, which left me on the roadside needing a proper tow truck. Although the waits were typically 45-60 mins, the experiences were all good...especially my last breakdown (May'19) with the burst coolant hose, because I had gambled 6 months without cover hoping to get the 15 months for £48 offer and was barely 3 weeks into my new cover when the car broke down! I really have had nothing bad to say of AutoAid, at least until now...

1. First bad thing is the "autorenewal offer" that they so cheekily implemented. Fortunately for me, my credit card got renewed during the year so they couldn't process the charge. I didn't even realise they did this halfway through my policy. 
2. The second bad thing is the price...at £59.99 they are no longer the cheapest around. Once again, thanks to Swordkat's comment, I decided to check a price comparison website for a like-for-like and found not only could I get the same coverage for £50.86 with CoverMy Breakdown but even more, there is a £10 off TopCashBack offer for them right now (ending in 2 days). I swear I don't work for CoverMy Breakdown or TopCashBack. 

All-in-all, I've had a VERY positive experience with AutoAid but now, unless I've overlooked something, they are no longer the best value around. I'm open to being corrected.

eeyvrcs

One oversight, AutoAid's cover does include a spouse too, so it actually may still be the best value for many. I don't need spouse cover so at £59.99, AutoAid isn't the best value for me anymore.

JGB1955

One oversight, AutoAid's cover does include a spouse too, so it actually may still be the best value for many.

It's certainly value for money for us - 3 cars (including a classic, over 20 years old) and two drivers.  When we had to call them out for a 'Home Start' sort of problem, the company who turned up were the same as Green Flag etc etc would have used.

eeyvrcs

JGB1955 said:

It's certainly value for money for us - 3 cars (including a classic, over 20 years old) and two drivers.  When we had to call them out for a 'Home Start' sort of problem, the company who turned up were the same as Green Flag etc etc would have used.

True, true...AutoAid is still top value for couples. For single people, not so much anymore. AutoAid would still be top/worth it at last year's price, £48.31...but at £59.99 (versus CoverMy breakdown £50.86, with or without £10 topcashback), not anymore.
Fyi, just noticed TopCashback increased their CoverMy breakdown offer to £11.50 so, gosh darn it, could have been £39.36! XD 

pamelabarr

I was wary of joining this organisation, which I hadn’t heard of, after many years of RAC membership but after a 3 hour response time twice last year followed by a £300 renewal bill it was time for a change. I had to call for Auto Aid’s assistance with a flat battery after not using my car during lock down. My call was answered almost straightaway and the assistance from Ladyroyd garage in Bradford was with me in less than half an hour and I was soon on my way. Excellent service for a fraction of the price. Thanks for the tip MSE.

pritchah

Along with many others I guess, I had trouble starting my car after lockdown. By coincidence, I'd just had my renewal notice from Autoaid
Very smooth experience. A bit of a wait on the line but operator was helpful and clear. I had to email a copy of my car tax acknowledgement mail through, as I had just un-SORNed my vehicle. They called back, set up a local mechanic. Texted me to say who and when he would arrive - said an hour but was actually about 20 minutes. He got the car started in no time, I had to digitally sign something I think once the job was done.
Had a followup call from AutoAid a couple of hours later to check that I was happy
Pretty good experience
They have jumped their prices about 2 years ago, but I suspect they'd been undercharging for many year, and IIRC you had to pay by cheque
Still pretty good value I think, and cover my wife and me, whatever cars we're driving

greyteam1959

eeyvrcs said:

JGB1955 said:

It's certainly value for money for us - 3 cars (including a classic, over 20 years old) and two drivers.  When we had to call them out for a 'Home Start' sort of problem, the company who turned up were the same as Green Flag etc etc would have used.

True, true...AutoAid is still top value for couples. For single people, not so much anymore. AutoAid would still be top/worth it at last year's price, £48.31...but at £59.99 (versus CoverMy breakdown £50.86, with or without £10 topcashback), not anymore.
Fyi, just noticed TopCashback increased their CoverMy breakdown offer to £11.50 so, gosh darn it, could have been £39.36! XD 

That's all well & good but cashback is NOT guaranteed. 

orrery

pritchah said:

... They have jumped their prices about 2 years ago, but I suspect they'd been undercharging for many year, and IIRC you had to pay by cheque ...

... and they started out being simply insurance based. You arranged your own recovery with a local contractor (they did give you the phone number) and you then claimed the cost back from them.

lisyloo

startyourown said:

I've no issue with AutoAid.  I've been with them for 12+ years and called them out for the first time last December.  (My catalytic converter was stolen.)  Breakdown truck arrived within 15 minutes and my car and I were taken directly to the local garage of my choice.  However, their prices have gone up and a price comparison site gives plenty of choice ('Rescuemycar', ''covermybreakdown', 'greenflag' etc) at about half of Autoaid's price.  Your thoughts would be appreciated!

Depends on your circs.
were a couple with 5 vehicles so I don’t think that’s cheaper elsewhere.