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Can anyone reccommend a good breakdown company?

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andrea
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Joined: 26 Feb 2006
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PostPosted: 17:21 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Can anyone reccommend a good breakdown company? Reply with quote
It would be for two vehicles - car and bike to cover me and OH. Not bothered about European cover but cover at home and nationwide would be good.

Thanks Smile
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Stevep
Scooby Slapper



Joined: 22 Aug 2007
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PostPosted: 17:24 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
The RAC covers the person not the bike or the car so you could break down on the bike one day and in the car the next and they would recover you to wherever you wanted to go
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andrea
World Chat Champion



Joined: 26 Feb 2006
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PostPosted: 17:37 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeah have looked at RAC but they want £130 for joint cover... seems a bit much really Confused

I've had a look at the moneysupermarket site, cheapest quote I got there with everything I wanted was £60 with First Call but I've never heard of them and not sure if theyre any good
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kawakid
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Joined: 15 Mar 2005
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PostPosted: 18:01 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
Stevep wrote:
The RAC covers the person not the bike or the car so you could break down on the bike one day and in the car the next and they would recover you to wherever you wanted to go


As long as you don't drop the bike.

They told me where to go when I overbalanced doing a U-turn. (Engine casing broke).

Luckily I was also in the AA (long story) , who came.

Won't touch the RAC now, I view them as scum.

AA is okay as it comes out as a direct debit.
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G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
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PostPosted: 19:02 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
AA and RAC depend on the policy, however I wouldn't take either by choice.
I have the RAC through lazyness - signed up to the 'premium' bank thingy which gave you top-level greenflag cover ages ago. They changed that to RAC Sad.

Had to use them yesterday.
Me - Can you send something that can recover a bike
Operator - No, we will send a patrol to assess the situation.
Me - The engine is making noises that mean I will have to be recovered.
Operator - Our policy is to send a patrol in case we can get you going.
Me - Well, you can't get me going; can I talk to the person who makes the decision?
Operator - I have noted it on your file, they will consider it.

Patrol turns up a while later- Start your engine so I can have a listen.
Me - *Starts engine*
Patrol - yep, you'll need recovery, I'll get that arranged for you.

So they wasted my time and theirs. If they'd just let me talk to someone competent, I could have explained the situation and they could have made it a lot less painless.

As it was, I was waiting for over three hours at a lone petrol station on the A340. Luckily they randomly had a very reasonably priced second hand books bit, so had something to occupy my time.

In hindsight, what I should have done was hitched home and got my van to collect the bike myself. Would have saved a lot of time and got the other things I wanted to do that day done.

Do look over all the details of any policy you consider - personally I'd say go for 'personal' cover and make sure they recover after an accident. Always make sure they send a flat-bed.
Used to recommend internationbreakdown, but they no longer do good policies. Always recovery to your home address - some cheaper ones will recover to closest garage only.
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Skudd
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Joined: 01 Oct 2006
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PostPosted: 19:08 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
Look at your vehicle insurance, sometimes you can get good deals by tagging it onto your vehicle insurances.
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LeeR
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Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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PostPosted: 20:25 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
I use Britannia Rescue, they give discounts for union membership and the like.
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MattEMulsion
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Joined: 29 Aug 2004
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PostPosted: 22:01 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
G wrote:
Operator - Our policy is to send a patrol in case we can get you going.
In fairness most breakdown companies have a policy of sending a technician out first to try to get things going before they will authorise recovery. A lot of people don't actually have much of a clue what is wrong with their vehicle when they break down and often they self diagnose something completely different than what is actually at fault.

I have done loads of daft recoveries over the years but just one example off the top of my head was a Merc truck that vibrating and banging as it travelled along the motorway so the driver arranged for a straight recovery rather than a technician to look at it. And all the problem actually was, was that the rubber windscreen trim had become dislodged at the top of the screen and was vibrating and drumming on the cab roof at motorway speeds. So the total cost of that little episode would have been hundreds of pounds for the tow initially, and then about 5 minutes of work by a mechanic to refix the trim.

Also you can find that some people will try it on in order to get their vehicle towed when there is nothing wrong with it. People who are pissed and are too drunk to drive are one example, and another a bit closer to home can be motorcyclists, who say may have attended a rally or something a couple of hundred miles away and its come to the time to ride home but its pissing it down with rain. So what do they do if they are feeling a little devious - make out that their is a fault to get a 'free' dry ride all the way home in a recovery truck. Trust me its happens!!!


G wrote:
Always recovery to your home address - some cheaper ones will recover to closest garage only.
Generally you do get what you pay for and you should always check to see what you are actually getting for your money. The cheap basic policies that you see, normally a bit shy of £40 are roadside assistance and recovery up to a maximum of about 30 miles.
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sickpup
Old Timer



Joined: 21 Apr 2004
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PostPosted: 22:35 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
Not got a bad word to say about the RAC. They recovered me all the way home Cornwall on Saturday morning after I damaged my chain all the way to East London.

They also recover for free in the event of a crash and when I say I need relay they don't bother to send a tech just a wagon.

I always give a concise run down of the problem and the steps I've taken to fix it so they can make a quick decision on how to go forward.
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G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
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PostPosted: 23:14 - 04 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
MattEMulsion wrote:
In fairness most breakdown companies have a policy of sending a technician out first to try to get things going before they will authorise recovery. A lot of people don't actually have much of a clue what is wrong with their vehicle when they break down and often they self diagnose something completely different than what is actually at fault.

That's why I several times asked to speak directly to the person who could make the decision, rather than just have what I said noted down.

Oh and after losing my keys at a track-event and getting recovered home when totally knackered (was actually genuine) I have wondered about blagging it other times, but have never done so.
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scootabk
Nova Slayer



Joined: 17 Oct 2005
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PostPosted: 01:17 - 05 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
andrea wrote:
I've had a look at the moneysupermarket site, cheapest quote I got there with everything I wanted was £60 with First Call but I've never heard of them and not sure if theyre any good


First call GB don't have a fleet, and use a network of local agents.
Do a google etc, I've heard bad reviews on them, but I've also heard plenty of bad stuff about all the other big companies

As above go though t&c's with a toothcomb
https://www.firstcallmotorbreakdown.co.uk/
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hmmmnz
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Joined: 22 Aug 2006
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PostPosted: 08:18 - 05 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
in nz i would say aa without a shadow of a doubt, but over here i made the mistake of being with them, i had full recovery, and when a chain broke, it took them 6 hours to get to me, and they only took me a few miles down the road to a hotel and refused to recover the bike to my home, the hotel was 4 miles from the nearest bike shop which wasn't open on sat afternoon or sunday, so basically they cost me a days wages and 2 nights in a hotel, and made me walk 16 miles in toal and didnt fix a thing Thumbs Down
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monkeynuts
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 03 May 2008
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PostPosted: 00:47 - 09 May 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote
im with green flag.... it cost me £130 for my car and bike if thats any good to you Very Happy Very Happy
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