Best vehicle recovery service?

[Count Steer]

Finally decided that the RAC will get dumped at next renewal. Been with them since the 1970s but the annual game of 'quote a hugely increased price and hope the customer doesn't haggle' + they've double debited me this year and are being tardy with the refund has finally done the trick.

So, AA? Green Flag? etc.....what's your experience with 'em?

(I want one that'll include dealing with problems at, or near home, not just x miles+ away. ie 'home start' as the RAC call it).

(Or should I just buy a new car that comes with 3 years cover included?

[weeksy]

USed RAC or AA for last 30+ years like yourself, but not had to use them, so no clue who's best.

[Dodgy69]

Many secondhand cars come with 12 months AA breakdown cover. I'm with Eversure but never needed yet.

[Horse]

EV owners should consider provision for roadside charging.

[Count Steer]

Many secondhand cars come with 12 months AA breakdown cover. I'm with Eversure but never needed yet.

Wife's last car and current one came with 3 years breakdown cover and we needed to use it once - flat 'little' battery on a hybrid and, for some reason I couldn't jump start it*. Response was and I should have noted who it was that turned up because it wasn't the same name as the cover in the car documentation.

Chap turned up and introduced me to the wonders of NOCO. So I bought one.

* It had happened before when the car valet managed to flatten it and I jump started it with my car, no problem.

[v8-powered]

Both our cars are covered under our bank account, however all the kids cars are with Autoaid and RescueMyCar - have used both and always got pretty good service, just as good as the bigger expensive companies.

[Taipan]

AutoAid personal cover. They cover me for any vehicle i'm in and cover me for my bike, car and campervan. Renewal just came in...

Last Years premium
£ 81.14
(Inclusive of £7.50 Key Cover premium)
This Years premium
£ 54.64
Spouse Premium
£ 10.00
Key Cover premium
£ 9.75
Total Payable
£ 84.89

[Yorick]

I always used Green Flag. Recovered bike from Pryrenees to UK and gave us a hire car.
Recovered camper in UK and southern France

IIRC we paid for a year, then cancelled when we got home. Much cheaper way

[Count Steer]

Ooh...reminds me. I took out AA insurance to cover a 2 week bike trip in France. Tried to contact them about something, non-supercritical*, while I was away.


None of the contact numbers worked from abroad.

* ie didn't actually need urgent rescue.

[MyLittleStudPony]

I go on a comparison site and they give a good overview IMO.

The last one I took out was Green Flag, with an excess for each call out. I think the policy was less than 35 quid for the year.

[Cousin Jack]

I have been happy with Britannia (now rebranded as LV). Faster response and better service than the AA that was attached to the car.

[636mick]

Good move to drop RAC, on the motorway we regularly experience missed eta’s or non arrival by them. This leads to statutory removal by us at a cost, the AA are not a lot better, but they are better. Green Flag would be my choice if the Beemer didn’t have cover already.
Mick

[IccyV2]

RAC are incredibly bad, I think they must be on the way out.

I tried to renew online after many years of membership but never using them and it kept freezing on the payment. So I emailed their customer support and eight weeks (yes eight) later got a reply to say there were no issues with their system and so they’ve closed my enquiry down with no fault accepted at their end.

That was it, they don’t care if I renew, so I’m assuming they’re being bought out or all know it’s being run to failure/closure.

[Count Steer]

RAC are incredibly bad, I think they must be on the way out.

I tried to renew online after many years of membership but never using them and it kept freezing on the payment. So I emailed their customer support and eight weeks (yes eight) later got a reply to say there were no issues with their system and so they’ve closed my enquiry down with no fault accepted at their end.

That was it, they don’t care if I renew, so I’m assuming they’re being bought out or all know it’s being run to failure/closure.

Yup. If you log a complaint the spiel says something along the lines of 'we aim to resolve all complaints within 8 weeks'..

8 weeks!

The ownership merry-go-round of both the AA and RAC makes interesting, rather sad, reading.

[MrLongbeard]

RAC response / recovery times suck, I've only had cause to use them twice in the past dozen years but both times it was hours n hours n hours of waiting.

I really should jump ship next go around, but they are cheap(ish) for 3 personal memberships.

[crust]

AA for me.

My old XR400 was forever breaking down for some reason or other, they kept recovering me, in one case the poor blokey had to give me a push down a fair length of muddy lane.

[636mick]

Did 18 years with the AA, watched Centrica destroy it so I moved on, staff morale is now even lower than when I went!! Real shame!
Didn’t stop the patrols putting in the effort for customers though.
Mick

[Count Steer]

Did 18 years with the AA, watched Centrica destroy it so I moved on, staff morale is now even lower than when I went!! Real shame!
Didn’t stop the patrols putting in the effort for customers though.
Mick

When Centrica got hold of it their mission statement was 'Own the Home' - they thought they'd do energy (gas and electric), appliances - maintenance/insurance, cars* and who knows what else? Phones?! Funny really, they dismantled their appliance retailing network to focus on 'core business'. That 'mission' fizzled out quite quickly and they sold the RAC on again.

* I know some bright spark worked out that they had a very large vehicle fleet that they maintained - so, obvs, they could offer vehicle servicing. That never got off the ground. It was all like a 3 year long fever dream.

[Count Steer]

Oh, and as an aside, when AA patrols were by smart, uniformed chaps on motorbikes they'd salute if you had an AA badge (proper solid, chromed things) on the bumper.

If they didn't salute it was a warning that there was a speed trap ahead.

Logic being that they couldn't be prosecuted for warning drivers....because they'd done - absolutely nothing.

[ZRX61]

That *at home* deal is handy. We had AAA show up at the house & install a new battery in the Explorer ST, only charged us for battery & saved a lot of ball ache.