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I'll second AutoAid, best value by far. I had a breakdown, called their number gave them my location they arranged a pick up which towed us home . I paid the bill with a credit card and sent Auto Aid the receipt which they reimbursed speedily. Auto Aid cover the policy holder not the vehicle so with 3 motorbikes and two cars I'm doing handsomely! Surprising that the AA and RAC still manage to price their services so high, shows the power of marketing, I guess.
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I think AutoAid and AutoNational are the same company, aren't they?
Also, I think the AA have got a cheek calling themselves the 'fourth emergency service' - I'm surprised that the real emergency services didn't try to block that.
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I agree completely - it's terrible this profit making organisation feels it should be classed alongside the real emergency services. I've always thought it a little arrogant to advertise as the "fourth emergency service". I wouldn't use them for this reason alone. (Plus autoaid is great and much, much cheaper!)
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my wife was insured with the fourth emergency service (on my recommendation) and they never alerted her to the fact that it had run out the following year,when i questioned them at our local branch which is where she paid,they informed me they dont send out postal reminders as such.As you can imagine i was very annoyed and have NEVER recommended them since,something that i did do often previously.
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I understand that the coastguard service was very annoyed at the AA calling themselves the 4th emergency service, as they in fact regard themselves as having a stronger claim. I have used the RAC for a number for years now for both myself, SWMBO and the girls when they were still at home and have always been very pleased with the quality of service.
MGs
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I belonged to the AA for years until my car broke down in Hammersmith with my 2 kids inside and pouring rain outside. They took absolutely ages to get to me then towed my car to some
place miles away in North London.
When the tow-truck driver arrived (contractor)I said I had been waiting ages and he said he received the call 15 minutes before he got there, so the AA lied when they said they would send someone out within the hour. (It took 3 hours). I cancelled the next day and joined the RAC. I must admit I have never heard of the other breakdown services mentioned in this thread.
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I used AutoNational for many years. Very cost-effective, particularly with more than one vehicle. Unlike the AA/RAC of old, they don't really attempt any roadside repairs just get you back to their garage where they can charge for labour as well as parts.
AA Recovery as part of Vauxhall's warranty was pathetic - 3.5 hours waiting to be towed 0.5 mile to the dealership.
Now use Green Flag, through the Caravan Club Mayday scheme, because the cover includes recovery for the caravan, the others don't!
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Following on from my email, link below taken from BBC website. When will these companies learn.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/458042...m
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One of the reason that I now run older cars is that THEY Can be fixed at the side of the road. When the 7V8 broke down 1,200 miles from its major rebuild I & the AA patrol were pretty convinced it was the condensor, AA guy said " we don't carry them any more but searched his van and found a shiney new Bluepring Jap one in a box. Lashed it on and it's errrr still running now.
Turned out Mallory had a duff batch in the US, guess who got one.
And AFAIK AA still cover trailers & caravans as my brothers 6 wheel Range Rover is over length for the RAC but the AA are happy to accept it & whatever monster van or trailer he's towing at the time!
Jim
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Following on from this, I recently asked for a full copy of the 4th Emergency Services' Terms & Conditions (mainly to see if my TR7 is covered under 'Personal Membership', which it is). Having no grief with them in the past 15 years that I've been a member, I found the following interesting...
from the section on "Relay", under "What is not covered", the 11th bulletpoint on p6 reads
"Recovery following an accident (see General Terms of Contract, clause 13, page 9)"
turning to the above-mentioned clause 13 gives :
"In the event that you require vehicle recovery following an accident, the A* can, if you require, provide this for you but will not be responsible for meeting the costs involved. If the A* does agree to provide recovery in these circumstances you will be responsible for, and required to pay, the AA's charges for this service..." and so it goes on.
My renewal is up at the end of the month so I intend writing to the above-mentioned recovery service for them to clarify. Other than having 2 component failures on cars in 15 years, the other reason I have had cause to call them out is due to people crashing into me. Now I haven't had this happen for over 6 years now but maybe their T&C's have changed in this respect.
Obviously, as I own a Primera, it is unlikely that it will break down, so the main reason for keeping cover is that if I am involved in an accident, the car will get recovered FOC.
I'll get the letter done to them tonight....
cheers,
Stu
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If you are involved in a colision needing recovery your insurer may well cover the cost if you are fully comp. This was recently the case for me. The AA have been very good in terms of break down asistance and for this reason I am loyal.
Paul
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What about the terribly sad but at the same time grimly amusing tale on the BBC of the breakdown organisation, which, when its member died on a journey, told his relatives that, sorry, his coverage had unfortunately died with him!
Of course when the news got hold of the story they came out with the usual grovelling apologies.
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turning to the above-mentioned clause 13 gives :
"In the event that you require vehicle recovery following an accident, the A* can, if you require, provide this for you but
will not be responsible for meeting the costs involved. If the A* does agree to provide recovery in these circumstances you will be responsible for, and required to pay, the AA's charges for this service..." and so it goes on.
I understand this is causing issues amongst the biking community - a bike can easily be immobilised following a small accident (eg the gear lever broken off). This could easily be because someone dropped the bike in a car park at zero miles per hour. You'd never want to claim on your insurance for a £4.50 part so then have to pay for your breakdown recovery.
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Although I'm based in the UK, I'm with the German ADAC. My ADACPlus cover costs 78Euros per year. With regard to the latest discussion above, I'm covered for up to 200Euros should my vehicle require recovery after an accident. To quote the ADAC's website:
"Your car breaks down or has an accident and requires towing - Costs covered up to 200,- EUR. Storage and security will be reimbursed (also, if the vehicle is found after a theft)"
The key reason I chose this service is because the cover is pan-European and covers any age of vehicle (with UK organisations, there's often a vehicle age restriction of 20yrs) and I have a '76 camper van which I sometimes take to Europe. In the event of a breakdown in Europe, in addition to the local services the membership covers repatriation of you and your vehicle back to your home address.
For my circumstances the ADAC offers a far better value for money than I could get from a UK organisation. Ironically, they have a reciprocal agreement with the AA so should I need assistance in the UK it's actually the AA that comes out to me.
The only negative aspect of the service is that it helps if you know a little German come renewal time and their correspondence is in German too.
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Just looked at the ADAC website again and it looks like I may be selling them short by saying I'm covered for 200 Euro towing costs after breakdown or accident. It looks like the 200 Euro relates to additional cost such as securing the vehicle and storage. The cover for recovery after a breakdown or accident appears to be unlimited.
"Your car breaks down or has an accident and requires off-road recovery - Unlimited cover (also after theft)."
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