15 replies to this topic

[shipbroker]

I now keep out of any of the multiple debates, on multiple Forums, on Overseas (and UK) Recovery as ground is well trodden........

However, something struck me reading the Mayday advert on the back of the latest Caravan Magazine.. insomuch as Mayday & Green Flag Retail will supply 'Special Equipment' for vehicle recovery in muddy or similar circumstances...on the upper membership grades.

Last year,when I 'lost' my caravan circumstances meant that car recovery was attempted using my Insurers nominated contractors...The RAC.........they would not leave the hardstanding to come 10 yards onto the field,solid and dry, and said that if  they couldn't start the car there then it would be up to me to arrange recovery. As it happens they were able to start it so problem didn't arise.

However, a couple of years ago a friends 'A' frame cracked on a rally field and the first vehicle called, from Mayday, got stuck....half an hour later a much larger 'wrecker' turned up and hauled both the first vehicle and the caravan out.......success.

Anyone else got experience of 'special equipment' with other UK insurers/recovery companies??

cheers

geoff

[RogerL]

A couple of years back I "parked" my Subaru in a hedge on the last night of a touring holiday - I called Mayday (Green Flag) the next morning and explained that the car was immobile following accident damage so they sent a flatbed recovery truck which was on scene in 30 minutes.

The guy had to do a lot of winching to get the car out of the hedge and then winch it up onto the flatbed - he did explain that the amount of winching involved counted as "specialist" services but he wouldn't log it as such because the wanted the job of taking us + caravan all the way home as his girl-friend lived not far from us.

What actually gets charged as "specialist" services depends very much on the mood of the recovery truck operator - I can't fault Mayday (Green Flag) for the service I got.

[bi6als]

Ive never had to use any but I had RAC for donkeys years and then I noticed that they didnt cover caravans (I think they had changed the cover).
I changed to Mayday

When the RAC phoned for a renewal I told them about the lack of caravan cover. They said it was covered if I took out membership of the C&CC

[TimBanham]

Caravans are covered as long as they are attached to the car under RAC

[Surfer]

TimBanham, on 31 July 2012 - 07:46 AM, said:

Caravans are covered as long as they are attached to the car under RAC

Not what we were told which is why we have Mayday.  If you are not a member of the C & CC no caravan cover.

[RogerL]

TimBanham, on 31 July 2012 - 07:46 AM, said:

Caravans are covered as long as they are attached to the car under RAC

That simply means it's included in the recovery and not left by the roadside - it doesn't mean that breakdown of the caravan is covered.

[indoors]

Hi all,
Many years ago, outside lane of M42 all the lights came on and engine stopped on my then new XC90 D5, luckily I cruised to hard shoulder and called RAC on mobile,Half hour later a chap turned up in Tranny van and couldn't fix it ( after taking out a injector to check fuel ) He towed me to the next exit where I was left for 3 hrs ( awaitng a flat bed to take me and car to my supplying dealer in leicester ) it was cold in january, there wasn't even a sausage wagon about, after numerous phone calls I was told by the RAC that it was down to their sub contractor as too how long they will be. Eventually a guy turns up and loads the car and me and we set off towards Leicester, we lived just off the M69 at Hinckley and I asked if he could drop me off and continue to deliver the car to said dealer, " No I can't it's one pick up and one drop off,either Hinckley or Leicester ". Needless to say I didn't pass the time of day the rest of the journey. On arriving at dealers,gaumless tech supervisor smelt the tank filler and asked if I'd mistakenly put petrol in, sooner than hit him I walk away !! anyways it turned out it was the sender unit that had gone and though the dial was reading half full the tank was empty and two days later was advised it would take two weeks to source and fit a new one from Sweden. I had contacts in Volvo at Daventry and asked if a sender unit may be on the shelf and was told one could be sent out this afternoon,this was then relayed to the boss at dealers as I wasn't a happy chappy. the car was delivered back to me and the first ime I drove it it went into limp mode. Back to the dealers again and after hours of investigation was told someone had taken out a injector and not tightened it up correctly. ( Well I'll be knocked down by a feather  )!!!!! Makes us wonder why we pay top price for RAC when they are only as good as their subby's and why we pay top wack dealer prices for total lack of service. Rant over. indoors.

[Blue Louis]

Ray it's not like you to have a rant !!

Totally agree with you, I have had many a lengthy rant with dealers and inept service managers, but so far throughout my very lengthy driving career I have never been stranded at the side of the road, possibly because I almost always carry a very complete tool kit and essential spare parts.

[Surfer]

Blue Louis, on 31 July 2012 - 09:52 AM, said:

Ray it's not like you to have a rant !!

Totally agree with you, I have had many a lengthy rant with dealers and inept service managers, but so far throughout my very lengthy driving career I have never been stranded at the side of the road, possibly because I almost always carry a very complete tool kit and essential spare parts.

I guess you need to carry spares and a toolkit if driving a Landrover!  

[shipbroker]

................this is actually veering away from what I asked.....not unusual in this Forum!............

However, as we are talking about UK breakdowns I will relate a story that the Recovery Agent in next village told me.........I had just had a tyre changed by them and he said "it was well that I had a proper tyre and was a Mayday customer".......they acted for a number of different organisations most of which would only allow them to change a tyre for a tyre......so if you had a tyre that had exploded and only had a sealant available it was up to you to provide a suitable replacement...which may not be too difficult with a car but what about the vagaries of caravan sizing?............I asked him what did they normally do?......varied but if it was 'normal' hours they would run the driver to a dealer to purchase one.........the big BUT being so many of their punctures were now on specialist vehicles i.e. BMW's/ Audis etc etc with special spec.rims/tyres which often cannot be sourced via high street dealers...

geoff

[indoors]

Hi all,
Sorry Geoff,!!! A mate of mine was a "Service Technician" manager at a main dealer,he was basically in charge of half a dozen kids who's job it was to remove and replace parts after being identified by " the computer" as being the problem. He ended up so pxssed off by the pressure from above re: targets and the like he left and now drives coaches for a living.
indoors.

[Beejay]

shipbroker, on 30 July 2012 - 06:38 PM, said:

However, something struck me reading the Mayday advert on the back of the latest Caravan Magazine.. insomuch as Mayday & Green Flag Retail will supply 'Special Equipment' for vehicle recovery in muddy or similar circumstances...on the upper membership grades.


Anyone else got experience of 'special equipment' with other UK insurers/recovery companies??

cheers

geoff

It's a case of reading the small print.


Most breakdown policies will specifically state that off road recovery is not covered.  However, most will recover outside the terms of the policy if the customer pays.  Perhaps Mayday/Green Flag are making the terms clearer in this respect.

I am with Britannia Rescue  whose T&C's state

Service limitations and exclusions

1.7 Any costs in moving your vehicle into a position where we can try to repair or transport it

1.9 Services for vehicles ..........involved in leisure off road events unless we have specifically agreed this with you........

[shipbroker]

BJ.fair comment..........

Interesting that at one time my,then office, car was covered also with Britannia as part of manufacturers 'pack'........I found smoke coming from the dashboard,albeit briefly,one Bank Holiday in Scotland................I rang Mayday and when the contractor arrived he asked did I want to be rescued by Mayday or Britannia...............this was a roadside (motorway) event...I said Mayday had contacted them..fine he said  I can get you back on a lorry and take you home to North Yorkshire no problem................driving back I asked what would have happened if I had said Brittania....he told me he would have moved me to a Peugeot dealer in Edinburgh for further action..........

Things are probably different now.

geoff

[Rodders]

shipbroker, on 31 July 2012 - 12:23 PM, said:

or Britannia....

Things are probably different now.

geoff

I believe there are , I have "Delux " cover with Britannia, and when my MX5 suffered a front brake seizing ( not uncommon on cars that do a low annual mileage  I later found out) I was offered Home or dealer the choice is yours,as the job was diy I went home  , My son was on his way to a specialist engine  tuning  company near Fleet in Hants from Southeast london , his VR32 Golf suffered a MAF failure near Swanley , Britannia again offered to either take him to Fleet or back home , no guesses where he went , car fixed , the job the car was booked in for done and he drove home . saved him a bucket load of fuel
I do always call before a French trip and confirm I am out of the country WITH the caravan , just to be sure

[RogerL]

I'm not sure if any of the operators "guarantee" that a recovery will be done in one trip, even Mayday/Green Flag won't "guarantee" it although it's been my limited experience that they have.

I'm also not sure which operators insist on attending with a "mechanic" and then organising subsequent recovery from there rather than accept the owner's assessment that repair is impossible and recovery inevitable - again from my limited experience Green Flag will try to send a mechanic to assess the situation first but if you hammer home the fact that it's being done through Mayday, rather than Green Flag direct, they do agree to sent a flatbed straight away.

Accidents and breakdowns can be trying enough without the added stress of waiting several more hours for the correct truck to arrive and I'd loose it completely if I was dumped several times in a long journey to await the next relay vehicle.