A friend who's broken down
Poll: A friend who's broken down
Total Members Polled: 271
Discussion
king pestTheBALDpuma said:
Worst thing is, by the time I'd got there last night a passer by had stopped and was helping them out! So I got all the hassle and time wasting of going, but none of the glory for helping! Literally the worst case scenario!
Ah but neither of you knew that a 3rd party was going to stop and help. You'll get glory for going to help, but had none of the hassle of getting your hands dirty. You did the right thing, good Karma will come your way at some point.
Yes.
I have a mate who's old van often needed a jump, he was only around the corner so it wasn't a big deal. He wasn't really that confident with car stuff and was scared to put the jump leads on. Worth it just to see his reaction when i stood behind him and shouted BANG in his ear as he did it.
I have a mate who's old van often needed a jump, he was only around the corner so it wasn't a big deal. He wasn't really that confident with car stuff and was scared to put the jump leads on. Worth it just to see his reaction when i stood behind him and shouted BANG in his ear as he did it.
A few years ago I had a friend call me with a complete wheel bearing failure about half way down the Foss Way so off I trundled with the trailer to pick him and the car up to take them to his parents (where he was headed). Must have been a good 300 mile round trip in all towing a bloody great car transporter trailer. It took ages. 
Edited by kambites on Monday 24th November 09:42
I'd have told him that I wanted to go to bed and to find someone else. But if he can't and he's truly stuck I'll come sort him out. I do that quite a lot 
I couldn't leave a friend stuck because I fancy an extra hour in bed, I don't think I'd be able to sleep if I tried to do that tbh.
I couldn't leave a friend stuck because I fancy an extra hour in bed, I don't think I'd be able to sleep if I tried to do that tbh.
OpulentBob said:
I tried this. I was told that I couldn't join, and then use the service immediately, I would have to have a call-out charge regardless. Over £100 too. You can't join and then call them out if your car has a pre-existing condition which means it's undriveable.
They have you over a barrel.
They must not like the sound of you, I joined whilst broken down last week.They have you over a barrel.
mikerons88 said:
OpulentBob said:
I tried this. I was told that I couldn't join, and then use the service immediately, I would have to have a call-out charge regardless. Over £100 too. You can't join and then call them out if your car has a pre-existing condition which means it's undriveable.
They have you over a barrel.
They must not like the sound of you, I joined whilst broken down last week.They have you over a barrel.
Green Flag... I go to help.
It's very rare, and I feel good about myself. I've got some colleagues I consider friends. I don't really give out contact details to anyone I wouldn't be willing to help as a one-off.
I once bought 2 plane tickets at 1am for a friend and his fiancee after they missed their Ryanair flights home from France after the train driver stopped half-way to the airport and walked off on strike and they had no means to pay that much on them. They paid me back a week later - all good. Recently got some free legal work done.
I don't think proper friends count costs between them. If you know someone who's always taking the piss, then just biff them out of your life. There's not enough time to spend between family and real friends to waste on gits who are just out to grab things for themselves. All IMO, of course.
It's very rare, and I feel good about myself. I've got some colleagues I consider friends. I don't really give out contact details to anyone I wouldn't be willing to help as a one-off.
I once bought 2 plane tickets at 1am for a friend and his fiancee after they missed their Ryanair flights home from France after the train driver stopped half-way to the airport and walked off on strike and they had no means to pay that much on them. They paid me back a week later - all good. Recently got some free legal work done.
I don't think proper friends count costs between them. If you know someone who's always taking the piss, then just biff them out of your life. There's not enough time to spend between family and real friends to waste on gits who are just out to grab things for themselves. All IMO, of course.
OpulentBob said:
mikerons88 said:
One can buy breakdown cover whilst broken down
I tried this. I was told that I couldn't join, and then use the service immediately, I would have to have a call-out charge regardless. Over £100 too. You can't join and then call them out if your car has a pre-existing condition which means it's undriveable. They have you over a barrel.
So I needed the car recovering... cue phone call to the AA. First off they said they wouldn't class it as a breakdown. (What happened was I was at a very rocky beach car park and there was some little bumps that where almost like driving over curbs between parking rows, and as I went over one at about 5-10mph there was a huge bang and the car jolted to a holt and was just revving it's brains off due to the shaft being out the box.) They said I was basically involved in an accident. Argued with them for a bit and he eventually went to speak to his managed and agreed to treat it as a breakdown and I could have it recovered. This is where they screw you over. Because I was taking out the cover in an emergency situation the price was inflated and I had to pay the premium for the year in one go, I couldn't pay it monthly. So that was £240 over the phone, and also because of the situation If I was being recovered I could only have it taken up to 50 miles away luckily was only 20 miles or so away from home.
I did get a bit more use out of it though so wasn't quite as painful about 5 months down the line when I went with a mate to pick up a Saxo VTs he bought that decided to commit suicide on the way back in a black spot on Snake Pass, that was a long day. What really took the piss though was when I had the renewal through at the 12 month period they came back with a quote of about £55 for the year instead of the £240 I'd had to pay 12 months prior.
LeeThr said:
Who was that with? I was left in a situation where I had to do this once. About 2 & a half years ago, in my little 1.4, the bottom ball joint decided it no longer wanted to be part of the wishbone at some silly time at night, cue whole strut being as far away from car as the top mount could travel, with the wheel pushed up against the wing, and pulled the drive shaft out the gearbox. Was somewhere I really didn't fancy leaving the car overnight due to security reasons, plus lots of signs saying no overnight parking. Had it been somewhere more secured I would have left it where it was got a lift home and got a lift back as soon as the motor factors opened in the morning with tools & a new bottom arm and just changed it there and then.
So I needed the car recovering... cue phone call to the AA. First off they said they wouldn't class it as a breakdown. (What happened was I was at a very rocky beach car park and there was some little bumps that where almost like driving over curbs between parking rows, and as I went over one at about 5-10mph there was a huge bang and the car jolted to a holt and was just revving it's brains off due to the shaft being out the box.) They said I was basically involved in an accident. Argued with them for a bit and he eventually went to speak to his managed and agreed to treat it as a breakdown and I could have it recovered. This is where they screw you over. Because I was taking out the cover in an emergency situation the price was inflated and I had to pay the premium for the year in one go, I couldn't pay it monthly. So that was £240 over the phone, and also because of the situation If I was being recovered I could only have it taken up to 50 miles away luckily was only 20 miles or so away from home.
I did get a bit more use out of it though so wasn't quite as painful about 5 months down the line when I went with a mate to pick up a Saxo VTs he bought that decided to commit suicide on the way back in a black spot on Snake Pass, that was a long day. What really took the piss though was when I had the renewal through at the 12 month period they came back with a quote of about £55 for the year instead of the £240 I'd had to pay 12 months prior.
£240 is mental! I've just paid £95 for personal cover for myself and my other half with the RAC. Doesn't include homestart, but does include recovery to anywhere in the country and roadside assistance.So I needed the car recovering... cue phone call to the AA. First off they said they wouldn't class it as a breakdown. (What happened was I was at a very rocky beach car park and there was some little bumps that where almost like driving over curbs between parking rows, and as I went over one at about 5-10mph there was a huge bang and the car jolted to a holt and was just revving it's brains off due to the shaft being out the box.) They said I was basically involved in an accident. Argued with them for a bit and he eventually went to speak to his managed and agreed to treat it as a breakdown and I could have it recovered. This is where they screw you over. Because I was taking out the cover in an emergency situation the price was inflated and I had to pay the premium for the year in one go, I couldn't pay it monthly. So that was £240 over the phone, and also because of the situation If I was being recovered I could only have it taken up to 50 miles away luckily was only 20 miles or so away from home.
I did get a bit more use out of it though so wasn't quite as painful about 5 months down the line when I went with a mate to pick up a Saxo VTs he bought that decided to commit suicide on the way back in a black spot on Snake Pass, that was a long day. What really took the piss though was when I had the renewal through at the 12 month period they came back with a quote of about £55 for the year instead of the £240 I'd had to pay 12 months prior.
You did the right thing OP - hope your mate is going to sort you out with a few beers at some point.
I would, however, make it quite clear that you expect him to buy some form of breakdown cover now he has experienced being stranded. He may well be a mate, but he can't expect you to be his personal recovery service.
I had a mate many years ago who would only ever put 3 quid's worth of fuel in his car (this was back in the late 1990s and he'd only just started driving) and was forever running out of petrol. Went out to him a couple of times with a can of fuel, but after that I told him to do one and to "PUT MORE BLOODY FUEL IN YOUR CAR NEXT TIME!" as I slammed the phone down.
He got the message after I left him stranded a couple of times at 3am when I had work the next day. This was before mobile phones became commonplace and the people I lived with were getting pissed off with being woken up at all hours by the house phone.
On average he'd run his tank dry 3 times a week… the silly sod!
I would, however, make it quite clear that you expect him to buy some form of breakdown cover now he has experienced being stranded. He may well be a mate, but he can't expect you to be his personal recovery service.
I had a mate many years ago who would only ever put 3 quid's worth of fuel in his car (this was back in the late 1990s and he'd only just started driving) and was forever running out of petrol. Went out to him a couple of times with a can of fuel, but after that I told him to do one and to "PUT MORE BLOODY FUEL IN YOUR CAR NEXT TIME!" as I slammed the phone down.
He got the message after I left him stranded a couple of times at 3am when I had work the next day. This was before mobile phones became commonplace and the people I lived with were getting pissed off with being woken up at all hours by the house phone.
On average he'd run his tank dry 3 times a week… the silly sod!
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