Useless breakdown recovery service... any recommendations?
Discussion
Quick rant: Over half term I had a day off to take my lad to Chessington. Which started badly when the car wouldn't start, and in fact was so dead that the NOCO jump-starter couldn't even detect the battery*. Couldn't use the wife's car as she needed it, and the third car was stuck in the garage behind my immobile daily. s
t.
OK, no problem...this is what I pay the boys in orange for. Called them...got directed to an online form, filled it in, got a text back saying "ETA 4.30pm". For a call-out lodged before 8.30am!
First time I've needed to call them out in >>10 years, and they were fking useless. It's not even like it was likely to be a bad day - the storms had been and gone, it wasn't raining, wasn't foggy/snowy/icy, it was just a normal early-Autumn morning. Found out later from one loose-lipped call handler they were short on staff, but 8 hours is still taking the fking piss...how much have they cut their costs by to have that lead-time??? Some business model - keep increasing prices all the while keep cutting costs. 
So I've just cancelled my membership with them in disgust...and haven't even had the courtesy of a call back to apologise / try and keep my business, which shows how much they care.
...and I'm now after recommendations from those in the know on here. Who is 'least st' out of all the recovery providers? We can get AA through the wife's bank account, which is probably the cheapest option, but wanted to check that wasn't going to be equally fking pointless.
Footnote: Local Honda dealer came up trumps - came out to me in less than an hour. Above-and-beyond service there.
* Turns out, I found out later that evening, that my lovely young daughter has discovered the roof switches to courtesy lights, and must have been messing around in my car on the Saturday before.
t.OK, no problem...this is what I pay the boys in orange for. Called them...got directed to an online form, filled it in, got a text back saying "ETA 4.30pm". For a call-out lodged before 8.30am!
First time I've needed to call them out in >>10 years, and they were f
king useless. It's not even like it was likely to be a bad day - the storms had been and gone, it wasn't raining, wasn't foggy/snowy/icy, it was just a normal early-Autumn morning. Found out later from one loose-lipped call handler they were short on staff, but 8 hours is still taking the fking piss...how much have they cut their costs by to have that lead-time??? Some business model - keep increasing prices all the while keep cutting costs. So I've just cancelled my membership with them in disgust...and haven't even had the courtesy of a call back to apologise / try and keep my business, which shows how much they care.
...and I'm now after recommendations from those in the know on here. Who is 'least s
t' out of all the recovery providers? We can get AA through the wife's bank account, which is probably the cheapest option, but wanted to check that wasn't going to be equally fking pointless.Footnote: Local Honda dealer came up trumps - came out to me in less than an hour. Above-and-beyond service there.
* Turns out, I found out later that evening, that my lovely young daughter has discovered the roof switches to courtesy lights, and must have been messing around in my car on the Saturday before.
What use is a jump start pack that wont juice up a totally dead battery?
Are you sure you dont have to do some button pressing to force it to wake up on a totally dead battery?
Glad i didnt buy a noco now, my aliexpress one is still working well 4 years later. I need to fit a low battery shutoff relay in my van, the inverter has killed the battery a few times when a job takes longer than expected.
Are you sure you dont have to do some button pressing to force it to wake up on a totally dead battery?
Glad i didnt buy a noco now, my aliexpress one is still working well 4 years later. I need to fit a low battery shutoff relay in my van, the inverter has killed the battery a few times when a job takes longer than expected.
In the past I used Tesco breakdown who were basically Green Flag and the few times I called they were there within the hour and either got me in my way or took the car to the nearest garage. With my relatively low mileage now I have a PAYG service but not had to use them so far!
My experience of the AA was when our Corsa was overheating and the chap/f**kwit who came out claimed it was a knackered clutch and revved the nuts off the car with the clutch slipped to show us it generated a burning smell.
Chris
My experience of the AA was when our Corsa was overheating and the chap/f**kwit who came out claimed it was a knackered clutch and revved the nuts off the car with the clutch slipped to show us it generated a burning smell.
Chris
Edited by ScoobyChris on Monday 6th November 22:45
OldGermanHeaps said:
What use is a jump start pack that wont juice up a totally dead battery?
Are you sure you dont have to do some button pressing to force it to wake up on a totally dead battery?
Glad i didnt buy a noco now, my aliexpress one is still working well 4 years later. I need to fit a low battery shutoff relay in my van, the inverter has killed the battery a few times when a job takes longer than expected.
My Noco has such a button which you press for a few seconds.Are you sure you dont have to do some button pressing to force it to wake up on a totally dead battery?
Glad i didnt buy a noco now, my aliexpress one is still working well 4 years later. I need to fit a low battery shutoff relay in my van, the inverter has killed the battery a few times when a job takes longer than expected.
That's a bit of a worry OP as I'm an orange van member, and have been since about 2000!
I used them in September 2018 when my electric water pump died and they got to me in about an hour and a half and towed my car about 10 miles to my usual mender. Then in January 2019 the battery in the same car was dead when I tried to use it, but as I had Home Start they came, confirmed the problem and fitted a new battery in about 2 hours while I sat indoors!
So I was really pleased. I wonder if service has gone downhill since then? And whether the yellow vans are any better?
But your jump-pack should have worked however dead the battery was - my Amazon cheapy did the trick for me in 2021 when the battery on my other car was completely knackered! (I only bought it because of the previous failure).
I used them in September 2018 when my electric water pump died and they got to me in about an hour and a half and towed my car about 10 miles to my usual mender. Then in January 2019 the battery in the same car was dead when I tried to use it, but as I had Home Start they came, confirmed the problem and fitted a new battery in about 2 hours while I sat indoors!
So I was really pleased. I wonder if service has gone downhill since then? And whether the yellow vans are any better?
But your jump-pack should have worked however dead the battery was - my Amazon cheapy did the trick for me in 2021 when the battery on my other car was completely knackered! (I only bought it because of the previous failure).
I have a cheapie china job that has worked for last few years, voltage is there as it's basically battery's and a charging circuit.
Arr the RAC, pursuing them for recent 160 odd quid auto renewal they had a pre-emptive letter not to charge for on being too busy to take attempted cancelation calls, having found they had been renewing an ill relatives RAC for four years having been written to at the time due to the we are busy, call back later game and other half having paid for insurance and RAC over the period leaving them with a double bubble and never having been needed.
Arr the RAC, pursuing them for recent 160 odd quid auto renewal they had a pre-emptive letter not to charge for on being too busy to take attempted cancelation calls, having found they had been renewing an ill relatives RAC for four years having been written to at the time due to the we are busy, call back later game and other half having paid for insurance and RAC over the period leaving them with a double bubble and never having been needed.
In response to the OP, I swear by the AA. Bit expensive, mind! £170pa!
As for charging up a car, my CTEK is great for this: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintena...
You'll get another £27 off IIRC.
Just leave it connected for 30 minutes and it should be good to go. It's not a jump starter (I understand that most jump starters need the main battery to have some kind of charge) - it actually charges the battery up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRvtwXgGhg0
As for charging up a car, my CTEK is great for this: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintena...
You'll get another £27 off IIRC.
Just leave it connected for 30 minutes and it should be good to go. It's not a jump starter (I understand that most jump starters need the main battery to have some kind of charge) - it actually charges the battery up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRvtwXgGhg0
Edited by Hoofy on Monday 6th November 23:25
Nickp82 said:
OldGermanHeaps said:
What use is a jump start pack that wont juice up a totally dead battery?
Are you sure you dont have to do some button pressing to force it to wake up on a totally dead battery?
Glad i didnt buy a noco now, my aliexpress one is still working well 4 years later. I need to fit a low battery shutoff relay in my van, the inverter has killed the battery a few times when a job takes longer than expected.
My NOCO has such a button which you press for a few seconds.Are you sure you dont have to do some button pressing to force it to wake up on a totally dead battery?
Glad i didnt buy a noco now, my aliexpress one is still working well 4 years later. I need to fit a low battery shutoff relay in my van, the inverter has killed the battery a few times when a job takes longer than expected.
(...and it does work...but the manual doesn't tell you to do that)
Mr Tidy said:
That's a bit of a worry OP as I'm an orange van member, and have been since about 2000!
Same here. Well, up to this weekend it was c.20 years.I am now hearing lots of noise about how useless they've become.
I've got a CTEK on the weekend toy, but at the time, not knowing that the battery had been drained by the courtesy light and having only used the car 3 days before, I assumed I'd dropped a cell or something equally 'terminal'
, at which point a CTEK would also have been useless.One trick that might be useful- I had a completely dead battery recently that was so flat the CTEK wouldn't recognise it. I connected a jump start pack to the battery which the CTEK recognised- disconnected it after a second but the CTEK continued charging and rescued the battery. I imagine jump leads onto another car would have the same effect.
I cannot recommend LV Breakdown enough
They were the only ones who would include my trailer when I went abroad with the Landy and race car, been with them since.
Had to use them a couple of times
Last year was when I was at Loch Ness day before my 40th birthday, the clutch went on my A3
I live down south Kent so was not exactly close to home
I contacted LV breakdown, early afternoon. told them the clutch had gone, I just needed to get the car home as I was going to hire a car
They didn't even question it, collected the car within an hour
Then they phoned me back to say I was covered for the car hire and they would pay for it
As it was my 40th and 4 adults in the car, I upgraded the car ( i paid for the upgrade) but they covered me for a Corsa collecting Inverness and dropping off 4 days later at Ashford)
I paid the extra for a C class just to have something a bit nice on my Bday rather than cramped in
Told them what day I would be home, they got the Audi there the next day
They are quite a bit cheaper the the two big names as well
They were the only ones who would include my trailer when I went abroad with the Landy and race car, been with them since.
Had to use them a couple of times
Last year was when I was at Loch Ness day before my 40th birthday, the clutch went on my A3
I live down south Kent so was not exactly close to home
I contacted LV breakdown, early afternoon. told them the clutch had gone, I just needed to get the car home as I was going to hire a car
They didn't even question it, collected the car within an hour
Then they phoned me back to say I was covered for the car hire and they would pay for it
As it was my 40th and 4 adults in the car, I upgraded the car ( i paid for the upgrade) but they covered me for a Corsa collecting Inverness and dropping off 4 days later at Ashford)
I paid the extra for a C class just to have something a bit nice on my Bday rather than cramped in
Told them what day I would be home, they got the Audi there the next day
They are quite a bit cheaper the the two big names as well
My sister last week waited 28hrs from initial call out visit to the wonderful RAC actually replacing her duff battery. Apparently as it’s an “old” car,they were struggling to find a suitable replacement. This ancient relic is a 12plate Focus 1.6Tdi!!! Pathetic. I have the AA through my bank account,don’t want to tempt fate,but on the odd occasion I’ve had to use them,they’ve always been excellent.
Dumped the tedious AA annual renewal discont dance a few years ago for Start Rescue at half the price. Not the absolute cheapest but a Which? recommendation that has turned out well.
They give a discount to existing customers at renewal, and while I've only one call out so far - to my daughter with a flat battery in a car park after she left the lights on - they turned up in under an hour.
They give a discount to existing customers at renewal, and while I've only one call out so far - to my daughter with a flat battery in a car park after she left the lights on - they turned up in under an hour.
My recent experience....this summer....is with Start Rescue.
They offered me the choice of attempted repair at the roadside or recovery.I chose recovery,the truck arrived an hour later and I was home soon after.
I'm now with the AA because I change every year chasing the cheapest price.Time will tell if they're as good
They offered me the choice of attempted repair at the roadside or recovery.I chose recovery,the truck arrived an hour later and I was home soon after.
I'm now with the AA because I change every year chasing the cheapest price.Time will tell if they're as good
Home start would be very low priority, but not to the extent of 8 hours! There are stranded broken down cars often with vulnerable passengers who would jump up the line.
I reluctantly went with one of the big companies (AA) last year, personal cover, due to the age of some of my vehicles. The cheaper companies often have a vehicle age limit (often 15). When I needed them, they were there within an hour and got me going.
I reluctantly went with one of the big companies (AA) last year, personal cover, due to the age of some of my vehicles. The cheaper companies often have a vehicle age limit (often 15). When I needed them, they were there within an hour and got me going.
I have cover with AutoAid after recommendations from people on here. Only had to use them once when I broke down in Leicester, but they sent local recovery/Mechanic out after logging the breakdown through the app, here within 90 minutes and fixed at roadside and back on my way.
It's an insurance policy that covers the person and not the car, so can use even if your a passenger in someone else's car. Think it costs around £65 per year.
No complaints in the one time I have needed them so far.
It's an insurance policy that covers the person and not the car, so can use even if your a passenger in someone else's car. Think it costs around £65 per year.
No complaints in the one time I have needed them so far.
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