Breakdown cover

[Pearls not a Singer]

Having been with RH for 38 years I'm nervous about changing insurers but renewing another policy for 2 more modern classics  with A plan has been a painful process due to their errors and communications.

My A7 policy is for 2 sevens and 2 other classics and despite reducing the limited mileage for each vehicle is still the same as last year. All these factors have combined to lead me to obtaining quotes from Hagerty which would save me  £90. The actual policy offers similar cover but the breakdown cover is with the RAC and I'm concerned that they would not be very good with older cars, the youngest being 50years old.

Has anybody experience with RAC when needing breakdown help?

[Chris KC]

I heard from a female friend who waited many hours beside a busy road for the RAC to come and fix a puncture (yes, I know...)
They have not been covering themselves in glory lately. 

I'd have to check the small print but I think my RAC cover is only for the UK, whereas RH covers the whole of Europe - that's worth paying a few quid more for (well, to me it is!)

[Nick Salmon]

Debs (wife) and friends (all ladies) broke down on the M25 a year or do ago. Driver was with RAC. They waited 6 hours for a recovery. Pays yer money, takes yer choice. I have twice in about 20 years had to use RH recovery (one abroad) and they were great both times.

[Peter Naulls]

I noticed when my renewal documents came through from RH just a couple of weeks ago that recovery is now "to the nearest garage or repairer". I would be interested to know if this is the case in practice. With the assumption that the nearest repairer wasn't able to fix the car it could leave you with a significant recovery bill to get the car home.

[RH Insurance]

Hi Peter,

With regard to RH's breakdown/recovery service - there haven't been any changes to terms. I can confirm that clients are still entitled to select their 'mechanic/repairer of choice' - which is often close to home - when being recovered. Whether you're in Spain, Scotland or Cornwall.... we will take your vehicle to wherever it needs to go.

Kind regards,

Emma Airey, Head of RH

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Having been with RH for 38 years I'm nervous about changing insurers but renewing another policy for 2 more modern classics  with A plan has been a painful process due to their errors and communications.

My A7 policy is for 2 sevens and 2 other classics and despite reducing the limited mileage for each vehicle is still the same as last year. All these factors have combined to lead me to obtaining quotes from Hagerty which would save me  £90. The actual policy offers similar cover but the breakdown cover is with the RAC and I'm concerned that they would not be very good with older cars, the youngest being 50years old.

Has anybody experience with RAC when needing breakdown help?

  

Hi David,

Thank you for sharing your feedback.  I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this year's renewal with you - and you're welcome to call me direct on 07956 232758.  

For everyone's benefit re mileage on vehicles aged 40+ - this isn't generally used as a rating factor under the RH scheme. However, ERS - insurer of the RH scheme - prefers mileage to be limited wherever possible as it 'contains risk'.  In reality, very few Austin Sevens cover more than 1,000, 3,000 or 5,000 miles per annum - unless you're Gez's 'Poppy'!  In which case, unlimited is probably the best option!  

With regard to breakdown, I have personally used RH's breakdown service on many occasions for my own classics over the past 12 years.  On each occasion the recovery agent was with me within circa 40 minutes.  Call Assist (the company which coordinates a network of independent recovery agents) always provides regular updates to our clients, too.  For example, they will call and/or text to advise how long the recovery agent is going to be - and provide updates if they're delayed. They also call after recovery has been made to ensure you're happy with the service.

I can also confirm that I've received countless testimonials over the years from extremely satisfied clients.  Yes, we might have received a couple of grumbles ie delayed arrival at the breakdown scene - and all cases which are brought to either mine or ERS' attention - are dealt wtih / compensation offered if it's deemed appropriate.

As always, members are encouraged to call or email me direct in the event of any query relating to their policy cover or service as I'm always on hand, and delighted to assist.

With regard to competitors' rates.  Please check the small print very carefully as the vast majority will offer salvage 'buy back' as opposed to 'nil deduction'.

To summarise, these are examples of 'buy back' vs 'nil deduction' settlements - both based on an Austin Seven insured on an Agreed Value basis at £10,000:

Buy-back
Circa £6,000-£10,000 settlement plus salvage

Nil deduction
£10,000 plus salvage

Some competitors also have a capped limit on the value of spare parts (RH has a generous allowance which is up to vehicle sum insured), windscreen replacement and cost of recovery in a 12 month period.  I can confirm that RH doesn't have any value limit on windscreen replacement or recovery.

RH clients are also entitled to many, many, more benefits - which form an intrinsic part of the policy wording - the subject of continuous development/enhancement since 1977.

Kind regards,

Emma Airey, Head of RH
07956 232758 / emma.airey@rhspecialistinsurance.co.uk

[Chris KC]

Emma, for what it's worth, your direct personal interest in these insurance-related forum discussions is greatly appreciated and helps to give confidence that RH have a genuine interest in the satisfaction of their clients (by all means quote me when someone tries to shrink your PR budget!)

Plus a clarification please - does recovery to a "mechanic or repairer of choice" include the possibility to return the car to one's own home address? I wouldn't normally contemplate sending my car out to a "repairer" and of course the cost to RH is then only that of transportation.

[Howard Wright]

Hi All

Just renewed with RH, cheaper than last year. Excellent service from agent (when you finally get through).

I have used RH breakdown just once and was amazed to be given a courtesy car to return home, the Austin following a day or so later! Most probably because the breakdown occurred late Friday of a bank holiday weekend!

Cheers

Howard

[JohnD]

If you have been with them for 38 years, hapily, and they have offered you good service etc, and you are happy with the breakdown service etc - then i am sure if you change, and a problem occured you would most likley be kicking yourself, probably at the side of the road, for not paying that little bit extra for a service you know and trust.

Costs for everything are going up i agree, and we are all guilty of buying / paying for the cheeper one - only to be disapointed.

Regardless of who the breakdown company are, the chances of them sending someone out who have previously worked on a pre war car would be slim - these companies exist to serve the masses - that being modern cars, so i wouldnt be upset if they send out a guy with a laptop who was probably born within the last 25 years but couldnt fix it as chances are they have never seen one before - priority would be to get you off the road and home / to a specialist.

[Stuart Giles]

The issue I have experienced with RAC is that the call handlers insist on sending out a patrol, regardless of the reported problem. I phoned them up requesting recovery  following a comprehensive engine 'blow up' on a three lane A road.  The call handler -probably from a script on their screen- told me that "90% (IIRC) of problems are fixed by our technicians at the roadside". I replied that they would need to send a magician, not a technician if my car was going to be driven home when some important inside bits of the motor were now on the outside. So, when the technician eventually turned up, I opened the bonnet, and he called in for recovery and I waited another hour at the roadside.

Simple roadside fix?




For comparison, Not a problem we had when needed RH recovery a few years ago.  Sue's Fiat 500 Giardinera melted its contact breaker points -the only ignition component that turned out not to be in the on board spares kit -  on the M3 returning from Beaulieu. We phoned for recovery, I stated the problem and the probable non-availability of the relevant spare part anywhere nearby, a recovery truck was dispatched and turned up about 40 minutes later.

[andrew34ruby]

The issue I have experienced with RAC is that the call handlers insist on sending out a patrol, regardless of the reported problem. I phoned them up requesting recovery 

Stuart I understand your frustration with the RAC not sending recovery straight away, but having worked for the AA for over twenty years I can assure you that the idea of sending a man-in-a-van first often makes most sense. I'll give you a few examples from memory.

A chap in a 45 year old Morris very late at night knows he has lost his crankshaft front bolt. Pulley was adrift but not lost. It might make sense to send recovery, but I was sent instead. I took a look at the engine and offered to give the chap a 5 mile ride in my warm van to go to my house and take the bolt off my spare engine. Returned and fitted it and he was on his way, with another 250 miles to go.

Nearly lunchtime and a gang of 3 fitters knew their Transit engine was totally not repairable. They expected a recovery of 150 miles back home, dreading doing the same miles in a different Transit next day. I was sent in a van. After a bit of discussion I towed them the 25 miles to where they wanted to be to fit the specialist stainless steel panels they had brought in the broken Transit. They got on with the job, I went to the next breakdown, and I had arranged a recovery truck to pick them up and take them home later in the day. Bending the rules a little bit but it made sense.

Farmer was certain we couldn't repair his Land Rover and asked for recovery. I was nearby in a van and arrived in minutes. He'd forgotten to mention he was towing a trailer, or that the young pigs had to be at a nearby slaughter house urgently. I took the trailer behind my van and delivered the pigs, and got back to the Land Rover just before the recovery truck that I had arranged was also at the Land Rover.

Side of the A1 late at night a gentleman calls up to say his engine has lost power and is making dreadful noises. He wants recovery but instead I arrive in a van. A quick look under the bonnet and I see that one spark plug has unscrewed all the way out and is hanging on the end of the HT lead. You wouldn't believe the noise. Screw the plug back in and send him on his way.


Yes there are cases where a truck straight away is best, but on balance it makes sense to send a local chap in a van first.