My Car Broke Down and Police Recovery Took It To Compound

TH71

Furious with this

The car broke down (clutch went) on Thursday evening on a busy 'A' road not far from our house or our local garage

The car was not causing any problems to traffic as it was pushed into the side to allow the traffic to flow

So as I have breakdown recovery with my insurance, I was about to ring them but then a police officer turned up, who just happened to be on the same road as me. She allowed me to call my Breakdown Recovery on her phone. After I came off the phone to them, the officer then asked how long my recovery would be, so I said up to 1 hour. The officer says that it was not good enough so I had to us the polices own recovery service as it would be here within 30 minutes, I said I would rather use my own, but the officer said no I could not as they wanted my car off the road as quick as possible, and I had no need to worry as even though I may be given a recovery fee (£150), I could claim back the fee through my Insurance and their breakdown recovery would take my car to my local garage or my home

Here is were things go belly up. When the recovery service turned up (1 HOUR LATER), who are Richford Motoring Services Ltd in Alfreton, Derbyshire, the guy said he cannot take the car to our home address or our local garage, and that it has to go straight to Richford at Alfreton

WHAT:mad: He would have driven past our local garage and close to our house on the way so why could he not have dropped it off at any of these???

Not only that, they charge a £20 per day fee for storage as well as the £150 'release fee' as it is called, and it cannot be claimed back through my insurance

So my car quite simply broke down or as mentioned the clutch went. No abandoning of the car, accident or driven illegally, just broke down

After getting nowhere over the phone yesterday morning at 9am with Richford Motoring Services. Our own breakdown company was told they were not allowed to turn up to pick it up so we rang Richford and said we would go down yesterday to try to get our car back. We got there at 10.30am and nobody was there to help us, apart from another 'department' who said they could not help us. So as it stands our car today is still in compound since Thursday evening

• £150 Release Fee
• £20 a day Storage Fee
• Cannot claim any fees back through my Insurance
• They drove past my local garage and home with my car on their recovery truck
• Took it to a compound 15 miles away
• The Police Officer said it would be dropped off at our garage or home address
• The Police Recovery was 1 hour, the same wait as ours would have been

And all this because my car simply broke down. It feels like I am been treated like a criminal

I have never heard of anything like this. What is this law? Why am I getting penalised for my car simply breaking down. Why is my car locked up in a compound when I have done nothing wrong

Can I fight for these apparent fees? I would understand if I had not my own recovery service, but even if I did not, why can't they drop it off at my home or local garage

Furious

Warwick_Hunt

They'd have taken it anywhere you liked, if you'd paid them the £150 at the time.

Sorry but your insurance won't cover a breakdown and you were misinformed about being able to claim it back.

You say it was on an A road, was it lit and what was the speed limit?

TH71

Yes it is lit and the speed limit is 50

Nothing was said about pay up and take it where we want

We have reluctantly come around to accepting the £150 fee, but this 30 minute rule is garbage, especially when it took 1 hour to turn up, the same as our breakdown would have took

And Richford are no help what so ever. They are earning £20 a day from us with the car still in their compound. As I said, we drove 15 miles down to their compound yesterday with £150 in hand and nobody wanted to help

Warwick_Hunt

TH71 wrote: »

Yes it is lit and the speed limit is 50

Nothing was said about pay up and take it where we want

We have reluctantly come around to accepting the £150 fee, but this 30 minute rule is garbage, especially when it took 1 hour to turn up, the same as our breakdown would have took

And Richford are no help what so ever. They are earning £20 a day from us with the car still in their compound. As I said, we drove 15 miles down to their compound yesterday with £150 in hand and nobody wanted to help

Given you didn't take enough money I'm not surprised your cars still there.

TH71

I did have the £150 plus the storage fees ready, plus Id's and documents ready

But why have they taken it 15 miles away and locked it up in a compound?

It was just a car breakdown. Not abandoned, in an accident or illegally driven or anything

If the police had not turned up then the car would be sat in out local garage waiting to be repaired tomorrow. The information the officer gave when she turned up about the recovery process was false. We have even complained to the police but are not bothered. We even rang the police yesterday and told them to get involved as it was them who got this recovery service on us

Warwick_Hunt

TH71 wrote: »

I did have the £150 plus the storage fees ready, plus Id's and documents ready

But why have they taken it 15 miles away and locked it up in a compound?

It was just a car breakdown. Not abandoned, in an accident or illegally driven or anything

If the police had not turned up then the car would be sat in out local garage waiting to be repaired tomorrow. The information the officer gave when she turned up about the recovery process was false

For safe keeping and because that's where they're based.

TH71

Warwick_Hunt wrote: »

For safe keeping and because that's where they're based.

It would have been better in our local repair garage, which remember, they drove past to get to the compound, or even our house

Or better still. The police leaving it down to our Breakdown Recovery as theirs took 1 hour to arrive...the same as ours would have

dacouch

Warwick_Hunt wrote: »

They'd have taken it anywhere you liked, if you'd paid them the £150 at the time.

Sorry but your insurance won't cover a breakdown and you were misinformed about being able to claim it back.

You say it was on an A road, was it lit and what was the speed limit?

The OP states they have breakdown cover with the vehicle Insurance.

Plenty of Insurers offer breakdown cover as an optional extra

Warwick_Hunt

dacouch wrote: »

The OP states they have breakdown cover with the vehicle Insurance.

Plenty of Insurers offer breakdown cover as an optional extra

So you're saying his insurance will cover a third party recovering his car?

TH71

dacouch wrote: »

The OP states they have breakdown cover with the vehicle Insurance.

Plenty of Insurers offer breakdown cover as an optional extra

That is the annoying thing. We have our OWN breakdown recovery that would have done the job.

This so called rule seems to be a case of break down on a A road and be prepared to pay out if the police get involved

Wig

Have you made a formal complaint to the police?

Ask them for the name of the officer and make a formal complaint against that officer for giving false information to you and mentioning all the other stuff... and that both services would have taken the same amount of time.

Meanwhile, I would ask to speak to a senior officer at the station and explain they did not let you take the car when you went there with the money...etc...

I don't know what the law is on this sorry, but maybe ask on pepipoo ?

if nothing else a formal complaint should stop the officer from dishing out incorrect information to the public, and knowing the innocent motorist will not be covered by their breakdown or insurance and knowing that the police service can take just as long to show up...will, hopefully stop this officer from doing the same to another innocent motorist. And she will in future be able to quote what law she is working under if she insists that the police do the recovery and charge £150 plus storage fees and that it will NOT be taken to anywhere but the storage compound...