The AA renewal has just come through - a short call to them got the price down by £42 (grrr!!!) but the AA's charging policy annoys me so much that I rang my insurance broker to see what they could offer. They proposed "The Rescue Service" which seems to give the same cover as the AA for 2/3 the price. Has anyone had any experience of using them, or are there any other services that people want to recommend?
Never, ever just renew any any more - loyalty to customers went out the window long ago. Now they all just increase the premium each year, just as banks gradually lower the interest to their existing customers.
There is a breakdown cover comparison site, use that, then investigate their policies suitability. There is not much difference between them, other than the words in the small print.
PAYG is another approach. I think some of them will come out immediately if you join on the spot and are prepared to pay.
Lloyds bank have some scheme if you keep enough in your currrent a/c.
Do you actually need such a service in practice? If you do break down you can usually call out a service and join on the spot. Or pay direct to have the car taken to a garage, etc.
Lloyds Platinum was ?17/month and included amongst other benefits breakdown cover and worldwide travel insurance. Nationwide Flexplus offers very similar for ?10/month which covers both people on a joint account and I consider fairly good value (especially as it pays 4% gross on up to ?2500).
On 05 Dec 2014, Reentrant grunted:
+1: they recommend AutoAid, who operate in the same way as AA/RAC, but they use a network of independent local contractors who you have to pay directly (via credit card) when they come out to you, then you get claim afterwards and get reimbursed. I've been a member for years and had to use them twice; both times they were very good and I'd wholeheartedly recommend them. ?41/year for a couple, driving any vehicles, including vehicle transport.
It's possible, but worth checking the 'on the door' rates for this, because they're going to be substantially higher than the advertised ones. The normal policies have a 24 hour period before they take effect.
One other suggestion is you can get RAC with Tesco points, so if you have some of those it can work out reasonable value. Or synchronise your insurance and breakdown dates, as some insurance includes free breakdown.
Theo
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
Depends (as ever :-) ).
My wife would not want to be worrying about ringing up and joining the RAC, or having to get towed to the garage when broken down at 10pm on the M6 or whatever, with the kids in the car (frankly, nor would I). Or when the car won't start at 1am on her way back from work.
It's an insurance and for us it's worth it for the peace of mind and reduced stress when thing do go wrong.
Also, the assistance you get is more limited (well with the RAC, I assume other services are similar). For the first 24 hrs, you just get Roadside Assistance - repair or a tow to a local garage, no AA Relay type thing. The joining fee is higher, and there is also an emergency call out fee.
In message , AnthonyL writes
Yup, we have a Nationwide Flexplus account. So that gives us European car brakedown cover for both cars, also travel insurance for the family, and some other bits and bobs, so worth it for the £120 year
You can get the equivalent of AA Rescue with the RAC, but you pay extra.
In message , charles writes
Yes, I know, that's not what I meant.
If you call up and join the RAC when you have broken down, you can only get the roadside assistance service. You can't get the recovery home service for the first 24 hrs.
Yes- it's up to the individual if the cost is worth it for so called peace of mind.
Sadly, the various breakdown organisations don't always live up to their claims.
How often have you used it?
Most of the motoring organisations use a local contractor for rescue/recovery. You can arrange direct with them if you want the car taken home.
We (self and both daughters, so three policies) have been with AutoAid for years and have all used them a couple of times. More than pleased with the cost and the service:
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
Which? the breakdown or the travel insurance?
We haven't used this specific breakdown cover yet - we have only had it for a year and a bit I think. But we have used breakdown cover a number of times over the years. Including recovery home a couple of hundred miles.
Euro breakdown cover will get used most years as we tend to go to France quite often
Travel insurance will normally get used every year.
>In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
Indeed, like most things.
However, over the years we've been with different organisations, and every call out has been dealt with efficiently.
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
Of course - though I wonder home much a longish distance recovery costs.
I was just pointing it out as an exclusion if someone was comparing the costs
On 06 Dec 2014, "Dave Plowman (News)" grunted:
But if you break down on the M1 on a rainy Saturday night, how does that work in practice? All I can think of is hoping you've got a decent data signal on your phone and then googling for somebody or other, and then hoping for the best that you find someone who knows what they're doing and that you don't get totally stitched up. All while you're on the hard shoulder!
Is there actually a reputable organisation with a centralised number which does this (ie just coordinates the rescue, and the punter just pays the mechanic direct?) I'd be keen to know, as I'd go for it myself. As it is, I use AutoAid (see my other post in this thread), which does provide a central number for me to call and organises the call-out (and then reimburses me the call-out cost later. That laat part I wouldn't mind doing away with, for a much lower, or preferably zero, annual membership fee).
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.