Beware Green Flag. They leave old ladies in the street.

FuzzworthGreenington

My mother has been a member of Green Flag for many years. She is 87 years old and widowed. This morning she called me, distressed not knowing what to do, because she has just got out of hospital and needed some supplies so drove to the local Co-op to get bread and milk. Upon finding she had a flat tyre when she came out she of course called Green Flag as that is what they are for.

Apparently whilst she was in hospital her MOT had lapsed so Green Flag completely refused to aid her saying it was against policy. So Green Flags policy is to leave a frail 87 year old woman stranded in the street and remain immovable about it because the MOT was out by a few weeks; an oversight at best.

It was a flat tyre, not a mechanical issue and the car is only three years old, as would be on their records. The fact they think a small lapse should be treated as an MOT failing and thus is too dangerous for a call out means they simply do not listen to situations on the ground where a judgement call of customer service and personal safety far outweighs what was clearly a "computer says no" response by their call handlers. Simply not good enough.

I have followed up with AA and RAC policies to see where the personal safety of a very senior citizen would be better prioritised for her and whilst they are are averse to cars being out of MOT (and I do appreciate the basic concerns) they do however make it clear that they remain open to reading the situation and the personal safety concerns as the exact issue is one of all vehicles being "roadworthy" which a 3 year old car only driven by a solitary pensioner is unequivocally going to be.

I find this absolutely monstrous behaviour by Green Flag making them unfit for purpose in an emergency and will be making sure that she cancels her policy immediately as showing such an utter lack of humanity to someone so aged is beyond ethics. Corporate inhumanity like this must not be tolerated and I am disgusted.

Green Flag can frankly GF.

Emmia

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6664970/beware-green-flag-they-leave-old-ladies-in-the-street

Of more concern should be that with an expired MOT your mother shouldn't have been driving to the shops at all (she should only have been taking her car for a pre booked test) - and the expiry would also mean her insurance is almost certainly invalid.

I appreciate that for your mum it's an "oversight" but there is an MOT regime (with potentially hefty penalties for not adhering to the requirements) for a reason.

Exodi

Sorry to hear what happened. I accept this is an emotional time for you, but I have to say driving without an MOT is perhaps a tad more serious than a 'small lapse' or 'oversight', it is illegal and typically invalidates your car insurance. It could have been significantly worse had she been involved in an accident, you could look at it that she's been incredibly fortunate that the issue is only a flat tyre while she was parked.

I'm not sure there's a question here so I've requested this thread to be moved to https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/praise-vent-warnings

Edit: Emmia beat me to the same point.

Unfortunately I'm not sure if blaming Green Flag is reasonable, as I suspect most breakdown cover companies would act in the same way. I appreciate you say AA and RAC would help on the assumption the car is 'roadworthy', which you've concluded it is based on the vehicles age and who drives it, but I expect that it wouldn't be seen as roadworthy as that is entirely the point of an MOT. I suspect they would have acted in exactly the same way in the same scenario. Even if they were willing to change the tyre despite the breach of their terms, should they allow her to drive home after?

GrumpyDil

Although to be clear, whilst lack of MOT isn't great and does carry a fine, the impact on insurance has been discussed multiple times, with individuals linking to ombudsman decisions making it clear that a lack of MOT, even if included in the policy terms does not automatically invalidate insurance.

That said, a quick Google search suggests major breakdown companies will not cover a car with an expired MOT so I would be very wary of any suggestion otherwise.

Grumpy_chap

What is the basis for concluding that a 3yo car driven by a solitary pensioner is unequivocally going to be roadworthy?

If an individual can have a lapse and fail to obtain the MOT, what other oversights has the individual in the care and maintenance of the car?

Does the individual know and take note of all the various warning signs that may be displayed on the dashboard?

Does the individual check the fluid levels, tyre pressures, etc on a regular basis?

Emmia

Also, an expired MOT can be flagged by ANPR cameras, so she could have been pulled over by the police. I wonder how she would have dealt with that?

I appreciate your mum probably relies on her car, but perhaps now is the time to consider if she should still be driving.

FuzzworthGreenington

All valid points, I accept that. The car is well maintained and serviced. In saying unequivocally I meant that it wouldn't have been taken drag racing or doing doughnuts down the local Tescos car park. Genuine case of only used to go shopping and other short journeys since purchase.

And whilst the letter of the law is indeed from midnight of the expiration date, there is permissible discretion by both Police and insurers, especially if hospitalisation can be proved, which it can in this case. My umbridge remains with the inflexibility demonstrated by Green Flag; that other roadside assisters make more clear to be understanding about the fact that situations vary.

And again, it was merely a flat tyre.

oldernonethewiser

This site can be of use to help avoid any "oversights"

https://www.gov.uk/get-stop-view-mot-reminder

Emmia

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970538#Comment_81970538

The law doesn't distinguish between your mum and a racer doing doughnuts. She doesn't have a valid MOT, so is liable for the consequences.

Was this the first time she'd driven since it's expiry?

Herzlos

It's unfortunate but it's in the policy that the car needs an MOT and presumably needs to be in good shape before the journey.

Did the flat only happen at the Co-Op, or was it flat the whole time and only just noticed?
Given it's a flat tyre and could potentially have been fixed by the compressor in the car, she'd have had a much quicker response phoning a friend/family or asking in the store if someone could help than waiting for a breakdown vehicle which could have taken hours.

In any case, make sure the car is thoroughly checked over since it's been idle for a while, and get it booked in for an MOT.

paul_c123

The reason they all have a clause to not cover cars with no MoT is because people take advantage of it, driving a basically unroadworthy car into the ground until it can no longer move, then using the breakdown services as a "get out of jail" card and free onwards taxi service once they become stranded. Not saying your mum is doing this, but they have the rule in place so it needs to apply to all.