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I've just received my AA renewal - £84 for Roadside, Relay and complimentary Home Start ('cos I never call 'em out I guess). Anyway, I like the idea of being covered (as opposed to the car) but could I do better elsewhere ? Don't want to join a cheap cowboy outfit so has anyone got any suggestions and experiences to relate on this topic ? Thanks in anticipation all !
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I can only comment on the AA. I've only been with them for about 2 years, during which i've had to call them out three times (that's what you get for buying crap cars) and they were excellent every time. Arrived quickly, got text messages telling me how long they'd be, and they did a lot more at the roadside than i'd have expected too. Overall, a very happy customer (it's not very often I say that, either!)
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I've been with Green Flag for several years. I've got their Personal Cover at about £120 a year. This covers both my cars with any driver (not just myself and wife) and also cover for any car my wife or I are driving. Service on call-outs (including a couple of long-distance recoveries) has been excellent.
I've looked at other options and can't find anything ellse that comes close. I vaguely remember the RAC gave similar cover but at a cost not far short of £200 and that was 2 or 3 years ago.
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Been with Green Flag - used them a couple of times with no problems. Now with Britannia who attended within 20 minutes following my car being hit by a joyrider, they are quite cheap at about £80 per year for my wife and I driving any of our two vehicles. Autonational Rescue were cheaper, but they don't attend to punctures where the car has no spare.
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I can vouch for Green Flag I was a member for years, called them out a few times and they were quick and efficient. I use the RAC now because as a new Volvo owner I can get full cover inc European free for the first year, then discounted for only £85 a year after that. Only called them out once for the Volvo, when my wife ran out of fuel!!! I called them out a couple of times for the Land Rover once for a dodgy starter motor connection which they fixed, and once for a mangled rear differential - had a tow to my local landie specialist on that occasion.
VD5D.
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We've used Green flag (now part of direct line ?) for years. Their breakdown service is excellent, their admin is appalling
My original policy came free when I bought a new Citroen AX. When I changed to a vw golf, I told them, and for 3 years got a membership card specifying 'VW Golf' on 'Citroen Assist' until I was abruptly told 'You shouldn't be doing that'
We had a joint cover for me and my partner, and we supplied details of both indivduals and specified whose' car was whose, expecting two membership cards with different names. What we got was two cards with her name on, so we rang up and said 'can I have one with mine on' - 'Yes' they said, and sent us TWO with my name on. After going round in this circle a couple of times, we said 'can we have one with my name and one with hers' - 'Oh, no, we don't do that'
Then she bought a new car with free cover with somebody else, and we told them we wanted to cancel the cover on HER car only. They said OK, and promptly cancelled cover on BOTH cars. I asked them to re-instate the cover on mine only, and they said if you want to do that, you'll have to pay for another 12 months !. After a bit of arguing, they reinstated it and gave me a new policy number, for a policy which expires today as was for my car only.
I now have a free breakdown cover with my car insurance, so I cancelled the 'paid for' policy which was supposed to cover my car only, and yesterday SWMBO gets a renewal form addressed to her and relating to her car but with the number of the policy that was supposed to cover only mine which i have just cancelled...
Confused ? I am
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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I can recommend GEM recovery.
They have been very efficient.
They are currently doing a special offer of £35 for roadside assistance and recovery.
See: www.roadsafety.org.uk/gem.html
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Brittania Rescue are good value and were quick and efficient the one time I called them out.
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Depends on the level of cover as to whether or not you've got a good deal - well worth hassling them on the phone for a discount, they're quite willing to do you a deal normally.
I've always used the AA and they've been excellent, you usually get their people and not the local garage turning up. If you like that sort of thing, which I do!
Lee
MINI adventure in progress
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I use the RAC and consider it expensive at about £250 per year. However, this is for 4 cars (me, wife, son and daughter) and it includes full European cover for all four cars. Extravagant I know but to be honest, £5 a week for peace of mind is only the cost of a couple of pints of bitter a week. I can only give you one example of their service and that was a Friday evening on the M1 when my daughter rang up to say she had steam coming out of her bonnet in a traffic jam - what should she do? I said ring the RAC and since she was only a short distance from home I would come out as well. When I got there 20 mins later the RAC bloke had already been there 10 mins, diagnosed a stone puncture in the rad, put some radweld in, and topped it up, and then followed us home to make sure we made it safely. Not bad on a chockablock Friday night.
Can't give any more examples of my nine year membership, but then the cars are a Xantia (W reg), H reg BX diesel (145k) and a K and L reg Clio both with 100k on the clock so you wouldn't expect many breakdowns would you!!!!
No doubt I'll be using the RAC this weekend after saying that!
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I've been with GEM for the last couple of years. I only had to use their service once. With them you pay the person who comes to you, then claim it back. The reclaim process was very efficient with a cheque through the post in only a couple of days.
Unfortunately the call-out was a complete waste of time. They sent a tow-truck driver who wouldn't tow me anywhere. He suggested I book the car into a garage then get a tow-truck to take it. He collected his £50 call out fee, which is the GEM home start limit. I reclaimed that, but it left me at square one with an immobile car and effectively no breakdown service.
The GEM service is a bargain though if you are stranded away from home or while at home you don't bother with their helpline.
James
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. They sent a tow-truck driver who wouldn't tow me anywhere. He suggested I book the car into a garage then get a tow-truck to take it. He collected his £50 call out fee, which is the GEM home start limit.
Did you break down at home?
If so, where did you want to be taken?
'Home start' is just that---assistance at your home address.
I don't think any company would tow you away from home.
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