Breakdown Cover (Repatriation Conditions) (1 Viewer)

[Braunston]

Hi,

I think this has been raised before, what conditions does your breakdown service work too for recovery from Europe, as i think it could be very helpful when you read some of the charges being made in France/Spain etc for repairs

At what point can you demand to be repatriated back to your home when you are in Europe.

(1) Is it based upon cost, if it is at what value

(2) Is it based upon repair time (ADAC)

(3) Is it at your request/whim.

(4) When you can't afford the repair costs

(5) Can you demand to be moved to a different Garage because your not happy with the service

(6) Can you demand to be moved to a Main Agent

(7) Can you demand to be moved to another garage to get a different/lower quote.

(8) Do any of them allow you to just demand to be repatriated without repairs being examined.

(9) Can you travel with your vehicle if an agreement is reached to repatriate it, or do you have to make your own way home with your luggage.

(10) Do they specifically spell it out in the small print

(11) Or is it just left open that they will make all of the decisions.

Be interested in the differences between companies, and what peoples expectations are, as I'm sure people sometimes have higher expectations than what is perhaps actually going to be offered

 

[Kon tiki]

It was when we called the breakdown company out we found that they take it to the garage (of their choice) & they decided if it is fixed there or not. If it would take a while to do we would be taken home then one of us taken back to collect the vehicle :Sad: One thing we realized afterwards was when they asked when we were due on the ferry we told them the truth which was a couple of weeks, if our ferry booking was imminent then it is possible they would have taken us there as it was on a Saturday.
So if we ever breakdown again & it's something serious, if possible I would change the booking to a much closer time then wait a day or so then ring the breakdown company telling them we were on route to the ferry terminal. :Blush:

What is clear is that not all breakdown cover is the same, it's only when you breakdown you read the small print. I would like the opportunity to be able to decide if I want it repaired or taken home but thats unlikely to happen.

 

[Braunston]

Hi,Kon tiki

I think we are all the same we don't read the small print, and sometimes I'm not sure that its always that well explained even if we did, I have only just started to check ours because of some of the repair costs and its quiet concerning that you don't have a lot of say in what really happens,

It would be very interesting and helpful if we could get an idea of what other breakdown companies offer.

It was when we called the breakdown company out we found that they take it to the garage (of their choice) & they decided if it is fixed there or not. If it would take a while to do we would be taken home then one of us taken back to collect the vehicle :Sad: One thing we realized afterwards was when they asked when we were due on the ferry we told them the truth which was a couple of weeks, if our ferry booking was imminent then it is possible they would have taken us there as it was on a Saturday.
So if we ever breakdown again & it's something serious, if possible I would change the booking to a much closer time then wait a day or so then ring the breakdown company telling them we were on route to the ferry terminal. :Blush:

What is clear is that not all breakdown cover is the same, it's only when you breakdown you read the small print. I would like the opportunity to be able to decide if I want it repaired or taken home but thats unlikely to happen.

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[pappajohn]

no gaurantee but i think most are...


recovery to the nearest suitable garage. no point in a village garage where the main business is fixing onion sellers pushbikes.

not repairable in reasonable time (say 8 hours) then recovery home.

supplied hire car to get you home or to port.
from what i'v read you cant travel in the recovery truck as it may be a few days before your van is recovered. OR

(your choice) local hotel for X No of nights, to a limit on cost, until fixed OR
one standard (cattle/pleb) class air/train ticket to return for van when it is repaired.

this is only what i'v read in various T + C's for different B/D policies.

 

[Braunston]

Hi, pappajohn

Regarding your second paragraph the 8 hours/same day appears to be the case in the country of origin i.e. the UK, and from previous experience you can normally just request the recovery back to your home if the patrol person can't repair it, you don't normally have to even go to a local garage.

But it appears those i have checked and specifically ADAC suggest the time before repatriation can be requested when outside of the country of origin is around 3 days (if the repairs can't be carried out within 3 days), albeit there could be a translation problem,

However, i would think the 3 days is probably based upon an estimate of the time so repatriation could in theory start very quickly if the estimate exceeds the 3 day period.

It does seem from what i can find, that in most cases, unless its very clear that the repairs could take a considerable time, (days rather than hours) when you are in Europe, you will be expected to get the repairs carried out in the country where the breakdown occurred, and the cost of the repairs is not a valid reason for demanding they repatriate you, even though it may be a lot cheaper in the UK.

Anyone know any different, as it would be helpful

no gaurantee but i think most are...


recovery to the nearest suitable garage. no point in a village garage where the main business is fixing onion sellers pushbikes.

not repairable in reasonable time (say 8 hours) then recovery home.

supplied hire car to get you home or to port.
from what i'v read you cant travel in the recovery truck as it may be a few days before your van is recovered. OR

(your choice) local hotel for X No of nights, to a limit on cost, until fixed OR
one standard (cattle/pleb) class air/train ticket to return for van when it is repaired.

this is only what i'v read in various T + C's for different B/D policies.

 

[Bulletguy]

Hi,

I think this has been raised before, what conditions does your breakdown service work too for recovery from Europe, as i think it could be very helpful when you read some of the charges being made in France/Spain etc for repairs

At what point can you demand to be repatriated back to your home when you are in Europe.

Rather than demanding to be repatriated I think in many cases most people prefer, if possible, to continue their journey. So a repair is usually preferential to repatriation.

In my case my breakdown company supplies multi lingual operators who will deal with the matter directly by phone on your behalf. They contact a garage to sort the problem, arrange for the vehicle to be collected, pay for taxi fares to and from Garage to Hotel, and pay Hotel costs for bed and breakfast (you pay your own drinks and any other meals).

For this service I pay £59 a year which includes european cover. On the one occasion I did break down in Germany a couple of years ago, the Hotel and taxi fees came to almost £50 so i reckon i more than got my moneys worth there. Plus......I was back on the road the following day.

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[SpongeBobsDad]

Rather than demanding to be repatriated I think in many cases most people prefer, if possible, to continue their journey. So a repair is usually preferential to repatriation.

In my case my breakdown company supplies multi lingual operators who will deal with the matter directly by phone on your behalf. They contact a garage to sort the problem, arrange for the vehicle to be collected, pay for taxi fares to and from Garage to Hotel, and pay Hotel costs for bed and breakfast (you pay your own drinks and any other meals).

For this service I pay £59 a year which includes european cover. On the one occasion I did break down in Germany a couple of years ago, the Hotel and taxi fees came to almost £50 so i reckon i more than got my moneys worth there. Plus......I was back on the road the following day.

Hi Bulletguy sounds like a good deal you had can you recommend the breakdown company .I am with Safeguard insurance with the breakdown cover through AA Fleet rescue . I must admit i have used their services on numerous occasions both in the uk & abroad and have been happy with their service :thumb:

 

[rainbow chasers]

You would think they would always go for the cheapest option - not always!

It's a long story - but to put it briefly. The garage makes more money if they send you home in a loan car, and take your vehicle back at a later date - usually with another! This can net a tidy profit, often in the thousands, without even lifting you bonnet - far better than £65 for a roadside repair - anyone been sent home in a loan car for a misfire? Electrical fault?

If you go with the vehicle, you have to be relayed every 100 miles - takes forever! Not good, you are better off getting a loan vehicle! In most cases, UK garages that have large recovery units wont want to repair it as they make more in transporting it home.

Having said that, in europe - they make more money from repairing the vehicle - it's the same scenario but other way round. Repair bills can be frightening, and it is often cheaper for them to collect the vehicle and repatriate it - but only if it is in one journey! Which either means you fly/ferry /drive home and the vehicle is collected later or they attempt to find a UK driver willing to do europe for a few days - which is quite rare!

 

[pappajohn]

i thought they'd all given up on the relay malarky...except the AA.

we used to recover, in one leg, anywhere on the mainland from john o' groats to landsend...and that was for the RAC, Greenflag, Mondial, equity redstar and many lesser known clubs plus private.

relay was so long winded and unreliable. you could be stuck at a relay point for hours waiting for the next truck to arrive.

at the time the drivers hours regs didnt apply to recovery drivers, but i believe it now does, so you could drive all day and night if neeeded.

one driver did scarborough to inverness and back in 20 hours....then had 2 days off.
totally dangerous driving that long but the bosses view was....the truck aint earning when its empty and not available.:Angry:
that was the main reason i quit...profit over life.

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[Bulletguy]

Hi Bulletguy sounds like a good deal you had can you recommend the breakdown company .I am with Safeguard insurance with the breakdown cover through AA Fleet rescue . I must admit i have used their services on numerous occasions both in the uk & abroad and have been happy with their service :thumb:

Certainly can.

You can get to them via this link; http://www.quotelinedirect.co.uk/?INRN

Click on the tab for vans then proceed to fill in the detail. There is a limit to the european cover of 25 or 30 days at any one time, but that can be as many times as you wish in a year. If you break down abroad, though they will ask what your departure and return dates are, they don't ask for the proof. Breakdown callouts are limited to five in a twelve month period.

For the price....the major plus point is they accept campervans and motorhomes up to 20 years old. Not many breakdown companies will.