Breakdown cover?

fred246

When I started work I borrowed money for a newish car. With the loan they gave free breakdown cover. It didn't include recovery but I thought it was worth using as it was free. I called them late one night when it was pouring. He wouldn't even look at the car. Just wanted to recover me. When he found out I didn't have recovery they wanted mega money to get me home. I would be wary of cover that doesn't include recovery.

AdrianC

fred246 said:

When I started work I borrowed money for a newish car. With the loan they gave free breakdown cover. It didn't include recovery but I thought it was worth using as it was free. I called them late one night when it was pouring. He wouldn't even look at the car. Just wanted to recover me. When he found out I didn't have recovery they wanted mega money to get me home. I would be wary of cover that doesn't include recovery.

There is no such thing as breakdown cover that doesn't include ANY recovery.

The question is whether it's local recovery, to the nearest signed-up garage, or national, to your home or destination.

Norman_Castle

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

fred246

AdrianC said:

fred246 said:

When I started work I borrowed money for a newish car. With the loan they gave free breakdown cover. It didn't include recovery but I thought it was worth using as it was free. I called them late one night when it was pouring. He wouldn't even look at the car. Just wanted to recover me. When he found out I didn't have recovery they wanted mega money to get me home. I would be wary of cover that doesn't include recovery.

There is no such thing as breakdown cover that doesn't include ANY recovery.

The question is whether it's local recovery, to the nearest signed-up garage, or national, to your home or destination.

Yes when you break down in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere you really want to go with your broken down car to the nearest garage. Even the idiot that came out didn't suggest doing that.

AdrianC

fred246 said:

AdrianC said:

fred246 said:

When I started work I borrowed money for a newish car. With the loan they gave free breakdown cover. It didn't include recovery but I thought it was worth using as it was free. I called them late one night when it was pouring. He wouldn't even look at the car. Just wanted to recover me. When he found out I didn't have recovery they wanted mega money to get me home. I would be wary of cover that doesn't include recovery.

There is no such thing as breakdown cover that doesn't include ANY recovery.

The question is whether it's local recovery, to the nearest signed-up garage, or national, to your home or destination.

Yes when you break down in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere you really want to go with your broken down car to the nearest garage. Even the idiot that came out didn't suggest doing that.

They take the car to the garage. It gets left outside. Or it goes back to their base, then delivered to the garage next day.

It happens many, many times every day.

twopenny

Still following..........asked a local recovery guy, used to own a garage, today but to be retrieved from S Devon, Cornwall will probably cost the same as the AA but always worth having a couple of numbers.

I've looked at StartRescue but I need to investigate further. They whip you from select to buy without giving T&Cs. Somewhere people are getting extra charges and they have in recent months got some bad reviews where they didn't have before. I'll keep ploughing through

I did find the previous threads on here comparing Breakdown companies when I did the search for SR so that's a bonus. Ditto the others.

Because I live rurally and travel at night for cinema and theater I always have a blanket, walking boots, flask of coffee, water, food and a sleeping bag just in case I'm stuck. But these days the same applies. You can't ring a friend for a lift.

Norman_Castle

twopenny said:

Still following..........asked a local recovery guy, used to own a garage, today but to be retrieved from S Devon, Cornwall will probably cost the same as the AA but always worth having a couple of numbers.

What puts me off going without cover is knowing who to call when in an unfamiliar area. I live in Birmingham but holiday in Cornwall, Devon, Lake district and different parts of Wales. If you're travelling only in south Devon and Cornwall contact details for recovery there might suffice.

Autoaid use local garages so the service should be the same.

Not sure who was being referred to earlier but autoaid used to be pay and claim but no longer are.

AdrianC

Norman_Castle said:

Not sure who was being referred to earlier but autoaid used to be pay and claim but no longer are.

GEM give you the choice of pay-and-reclaim or not. They won't be alone.

Biggus_Dickus

twopenny said:

Still following..........asked a local recovery guy, used to own a garage, today but to be retrieved from S Devon, Cornwall will probably cost the same as the AA but always worth having a couple of numbers.

I've looked at StartRescue but I need to investigate further. They whip you from select to buy without giving T&Cs. Somewhere people are getting extra charges and they have in recent months got some bad reviews where they didn't have before. I'll keep ploughing through

I did find the previous threads on here comparing Breakdown companies when I did the search for SR so that's a bonus. Ditto the others.

Because I live rurally and travel at night for cinema and theater I always have a blanket, walking boots, flask of coffee, water, food and a sleeping bag just in case I'm stuck. But these days the same applies. You can't ring a friend for a lift.

Used Startresecue’s 3-star (Nationwide recovery) policy for all our family cars for years now.

Their prices have crept up a bit in recent years but they are still very completive;...I always check the various breakdown quotes from other companies and I’ve yet to be tempted away from Startrescue. That’s not to say I couldn’t be!

They do offer discounts to existing customers every year;... my son has just renewed his 3-star policy ...£29 last year,...£36 this year, but the full price if he was a new customer would have been £42. His policy insures his car for any driver.

FYI: I’ve just entered the reg no. from a 21 year old BMW 3-series and they quoted £54 for their 3-star Nationwide recovery policy.

As for bad reviews,....all the breakdown companies get their fair share of bad reviews and I don’t believe their ‘average’ is any worse or better than most of the other companies.

Good luck whichever company you choose;...as the old saying goes “you pays yer money and you takes yer choice”

https://www.startrescue.co.uk/

 

twopenny

That's all great information, thanks a bunch.

It's the sort of detail you can;t easily find in a search because there's so much old stuff and the sites have a lot of fluff. Drag you in with carefully worded or directed bumph.

I saw as ad on TV for AA offer though I have a feeling that was slightly misleading when I come ot investigate.

My friend was saying when he rang to cancel/not renew a recovery policy they kept dropping the price until it was half!

Interesting idea Norman. Hadn't thought of that. I was planning my first venture across country for the first time in yonks this year so a recovery policy was on the cards anyway. Obviously not this year now. So maybe I could look at local this year and give me more time to explore nationwide for, hopefully, next. We'll see.