Car Breakdown Cover

bleachqueen_2

I've been buying breakdown cover since I began driving in 1980. I've just renewed to a company I hadn't heard of, assume it's one of the smaller ones, but it came up via a well-known comparison website and the price was good at £27.50 including Homestart. However, when I got my confirmation and documents, and read through them, I was annoyed to see (first time ever) a list of additional charges, including £9.99 for a change to personal details. I've heard warnings about this but never seen it, and it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the comparison or sign up info. I'm annoyed about this because 1. it isn't common (as far as I know), 2. the buyer should be told up front, and 3. £9.99, whilst not a huge amount, is over a third of the cost of the premium itself, and 4. I object to paying for something which I would do on my computer and their (already set up) systems would do the rest. Other charges include £9.99 to cancel within the first 14 days - so the statutory cooling off period seems to have gone out of the window!, £9.99 to cancel after 14 days, and £60 if the policy's declared void due to misrepresentation or fraud. But an important point for me is that it left me wondering whether they would be reliable in a breakdown situation, basically my trust in this company evaporated. If they're going to treat me like a cashpoint, and hide relevant info until you're caught out .... not for me. I cancelled the policy at a cost of £9.99 and went to a service I know I can rely on to have my back in an emergency. I don't know if I should post the name of the company so I won't, just a warning to other people, if you don't already know, this is now part of the insurance environment. Also posted in the 'praise, vents and warnings' forum.

AdrianC

When you buy on price, companies try to minimise the price. They do that by charging for things that used to be included...

Less than £30 for a year's breakdown cover is unsustainably cheap. One call, and they've made a loss on you.

tacpot12

I think you made a sensible call in cancelling the insurance. 

[Deleted User]

AdrianC said:

When you buy on price, companies try to minimise the price. They do that by charging for things that used to be included...

Less than £30 for a year's breakdown cover is unsustainably cheap. One Call , and they've made a loss on you.

 One Call - that's a company to avoid in Motor Insurance, for that very reason !