Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Achilles Last Stand]

Do any of the car drivers here use the AA/RAC or similar?

Just got the AA renewal in and decided there must be a more competitively priced equivalent out there somewhere... I've done a quick comparison search on moneysupermarket.com which has highlighted a couple of possibles but as nothing ever beats word of mouth...

If you have roadside recovery cover, what company do you use and are you happy (or not) with their service?

TIA

[UncleUB]

I,m with the RAC,always been good.I once had the exhaust go coming back from heathrow,pulled into newport pagnell services and phoned the RAC.They came very prompt and took me to a local garage where I got a new exhaust fitted .Green Flag are very good as well.

[oldfogy]

My friend uses Green Flag, (unfortunately for them) within the first 6 months of joining she called them out at least 5 times (that I know of) for different things, such as car wont start, puncture, locked herself out, filled up with petrol instead of diesel  and a couple of other things.

What amazed me was the fact unlike some other organisations (I believe the RAC & the AA) there was no comment as to withdrawing the service because of over-use.

Some companies will cancel your agreement if called out more than 3 time in a year.

[Achilles Last Stand]

Thanks guys, it's all useful 

[guest]

I ditched the AA years ago - after the scum at Permira bought them then the service went down the tubes. I guess 2000+ jobs going at the sharp end does that to a business.

RAC is owned by Aviva (they own Norwich Union, amongst others) so dependent on who you have your insurance with then you might find you already have RAC cover.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/roadside-recovery has some options you might want to consider - especially if you have a Tesco clubcard (£14.25 for RAC Roadside; £27.75 for RAC Roadside at Home).

[Achilles Last Stand]

Thanks Rizla 

You can see how my lunch hour is shaping up for tomorrow   

[jazz]

I'd endorse the good comments about Green Flag.  I was with them for years and they were always very, very fast to turnout and helpful in their service.  I'm now with AA as it comes "free" with the car.  They're ok but if I was paying for service it would be Green Flag every time

[oldfogy]

 

I want my money back.
With having paid for motoring cover for the last 10 years, I have never called them once. 

(Maybe I should not of said that.... touch wood... throws salt wherever one throws salt ... etc etc)

[kitz]

I used to have green flag for several years - cant comment on their service though since I never used them.

Now I'm with RAC through my car insurance.  Had to call them out once when the brat left the car radio on and I ended up with a flat battery...  iirc they came out pretty quick.


--------------------

About 10 years ago - had plenty of experience with the AA and ended up being on 1st name terms with the AA guy lol.   
We'd bought a brand new car which  turned out to be a "bit of a lemon" and did some pretty weird stuff. 
Like you could lock the car, go shopping and come back and find all the windows wide open..  and no matter what you did they just would not close again.
I remember driving down the M55 once in pouring rain with wide open windows :/
Despite Vauxhall putting new electrics in a couple of times - (one time it was in for about 4 days for a total new electrics system)  it still had a mind completely of its own.  Talk about a car named  "Christine"     Vauxhall swapped it for another one in the end.

[edited RAS > RAC]   

[roseway]

[guest]

Talk about a car named  "Christine" 

Heh I bet the odometer didn't run backwards though

[kitz]

Was actually weird spooky...  used to call AA out - engineer would look at it scratch his head.. 
Mutter "this should not happen"..  mess some more - put car on back of a transporter - take to main dealers.
Got to the point where we'd ring up say" us again..  best send a transporter rather than man in a van".
Was a good way to test several new cars/models too..  and Avis got to know us..  since it got to the ridiculous stage of having a hire car to drive more than our new one.

The funniest (?) was the time we were given a Ford TD Mondeo as a hire... which then broke down on my way to work.  So out came the AA - and it was the same guy ...  who looked at me and said...  What the hell is it with you and cars? 


>>> Heh I bet the odometer didn't run backwards though

lol it never got chance to
- I think it had only done about 500 miles (it for sure was less than 1000 by the time it was changed). 
We probably had various hire cars to drive as often as we got to drive the new one.


-----
Sorry steph for taking your thread a bit OT. :/

[Achilles Last Stand]

-----
Sorry steph for taking your thread a bit OT. :/

No worries - makes me realise what a charmed life (car?) I have, I've only ever had to call the AA out once and they fixed it in 5m 

[grumpy old man]

I'm with the AA, my wife is with Green Flag.  Purchased Green Flag through top cask back website and got £20 off, so years cover was just over £30. 

No experience of green flag in action but neice has used them alot in past when the car she seemed to break down daily.  Never as far as I am aware any problems with over use.

As rizla has suggested look at moneysavingexpert for information.

gom

[Achilles Last Stand]

Well, tempt fate at your peril  my clutch cable snapped yesterday.  It was lucky that I'd just pulled in to park so no danger to anyone thankfully.  Called the AA, they came in half an hour, couldn't do a roadside fix so towed me to my usual garage and offered me a lift home, the garage were able [unusually] to fix it straight away and gave me a courtesy car in the meantime so as dramas go, it was all over pretty quickly.

Everything else was a disaster though, I'm usually in and out of Asda first thing but this happened before I got there for my shopping so by the time I got there in my borrowed wheels and visited a couple of other shops, it was so busy I was still standing in the queue 30m before the garage closed and it was 20m drive so I abandoned the full trolley in an aisle and scarpered... collected the car, went to a closer supermarket and started again, and forgot half a dozen things because I kept thinking I'd got them already... doh!

Back out again this morning then...