HELP - big trouble with AA European Cover

[Chrisboraston]

HELP required please.
Has anyone been able to make a claim with AA European Breakdown Cover to get your car home from Europe after an accident?
I was involved in a nasty accident in Germany and my car is still over there.
Despite my cover policy stating
European Full Cover,
Type of insurance: Emergency Roadside cover in Europe as a result of a breakdown or accident
What is Insured? - Recovery to the UK

The AA (3 different people so far) have point blank refused to pay to get my car home and state thats "only for breakdowns"
and they only take to a nearby garage in case of an accident.

I have read the policy terms and conditions and nowhere at all does it state your not covered in case of an accident or that the cover is somehow different in any way between an accident and a breakdown.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[CraigyMc]

Chrisboraston said:

HELP required please.
Has anyone been able to make a claim with AA European Breakdown Cover to get your car home from Europe after an accident?
I was involved in a nasty accident in Germany and my car is still over there.
Despite my cover policy stating
European Full Cover,
Type of insurance: Emergency Roadside cover in Europe as a result of a breakdown or accident
What is Insured? - Recovery to the UK

The AA (3 different people so far) have point blank refused to pay to get my car home and state thats "only for breakdowns"
and they only take to a nearby garage in case of an accident.

I have read the policy terms and conditions and nowhere at all does it state your not covered in case of an accident or that the cover is somehow different in any way between an accident and a breakdown.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

I'm confused.

Are you saying you expect breakdown cover to repatriate your car after a crash in Germany?

[zsdom]

£5 says Someones binned it at the ‘ring & now are excreting excrement

Edited by zsdom on Saturday 6th July 11:23

[Abbott]

Just for info if you fail to get the recovery sorted by the AA then I have found Shiply.com to be very good at sourcing a transporter to recover the vehicle back to the UK

[MitchT]

I think they'll rely on the fact that it's called "breakdown cover" to get out of doing anything. Surely if you're a UK resident with insurance that covers you for European driving then the insurance should cover repatriation?

[Chrisboraston]

CraigyMc said:

I'm confused.

Are you saying you expect breakdown cover to repatriate your car after a crash in Germany?

100% I am because the policy clearly states cover as a result of a breakdown OR an Accident!

[Chrisboraston]

MitchT said:

I think they'll rely on the fact that it's called "breakdown cover" to get out of doing anything. Surely if you're a UK resident with insurance that covers you for European driving then the insurance should cover repatriation?

They arranged for a truck to get the car to a nearby garage after the accident but now they wont do anything about getting my car back to the UK.

[MitchT]

OK, having read it a little more carefully now the coffee has kicked in, I agree. It says "breakdown or accident" and includes "recovery to the UK". They're on the hook for it. Your apparent challenge is to find someone with more than four brain cells who agrees and gets it sorted.

I suppose the potential issue now is that it says "Emergency roadside cover..." and now they've recovered it to a garage they might now argue that it's no longer "roadside cover".

Edited by MitchT on Saturday 6th July 11:34

[Silvanus]

Have you contacted your insurance company?

[egomeister]

I agree the documents presented have ambiguity, but surely the first port of call if you have an accident should be your insurance company?

[Panamax]

MitchT said:

OK, having read it a little more carefully now the coffee has kicked in, I agree. It says "breakdown or accident" and includes "recovery to the UK". They're on the hook for it.

You haven't read enough. It says that page is a summary of cover which doesn't form part of the contract/policy.

We aren't shown the "small print" by OP but I'll bet cash money it says (i) recovery to UK after a breakdown and (ii) roadside emergency assistance after an accident.

[Chrisboraston]

Silvanus said:

Have you contacted your insurance company?

did it within an hour of the accident but seeing as I had paid for the special stand alone insurance policy from the AA to get me home in case of breakdown or accident I have been pushing them ever since to stand by the policy but I just cant get anywhere with them. They refuse to quote me the specific clause that denies me cover and just tell me its not covered - despite the fact the policy states that it is.
Monday morning ill be on at my insurers for sure!

[Chrisboraston]

Panamax said:

You haven't read enough. It says that page is a summary of cover which doesn't form part of the contract/policy.

We aren't shown the "small print" by OP but I'll bet cash money it says (i) recovery to UK after a breakdown and (ii) roadside emergency assistance after an accident.

have triple checked the policy document - relevant section here:

[Panamax]

I just had a go at finding the full Ts&Cs online. If I found the right documents it looks as though,
1. Roadside assistance and recovery to a local garage after breakdown or accident. In the case of an accident AA reserve the right to try to reclaim the costs of that local recovery from your insurer. There's no mention of recovery to UK.
2. If, after a breakdown (as opposed to an accident) the garage can't fix your car in a sensible timeframe AA will recover it to UK.

In summary,
there's nothing that says you get the option of immediate recovery to UK if a breakdown can be fixed locally.
there's nothing that says you get recovery to UK after an accident.

[Panamax]

Our posts crossed. You need to read that clause in the context of the whole of the T's&C's.

[KTMsm]

Chrisboraston said:

100% I am because the policy clearly states cover as a result of a breakdown OR an Accident!

I agree - the standard UK cover excludes accident but that clearly states it is covered

I'd ask to speak to a Manager and say that you want to raise a complaint and will be escalating to the insurance ombudsman

You can't say something is covered in one document and then exclude it in another

[Chrisboraston]

Panamax said:

Our posts crossed. You need to read that clause in the context of the whole of the T's&C's.

I get that but this is the thing Im relying on :

[Panamax]

Under Section 5 have a look at clause 21 (if I have the right document). That's where it says they have the right to negotiate with your insurer after an accident before agreeing to bring the vehicle back to UK. Presumably they will only do the recovery if your insurer agrees to pay for it.

[Panamax]

I agree that these weasel words come as a bit of a shock when you think you've bought a comprehensive package.

There was recently a thread on PH along the lines that RAC won't provide breakdown cover on private cars being used for a business trip. Similarly surprising.

[Chrisboraston]

Panamax said:

Under Section 5 have a look at clause 21 (if I have the right document). That's where it says they have the right to negotiate with your insurer after an accident before agreeing to bring the vehicle back to UK. Presumably they will only do the recovery if your insurer agrees to pay for it.

yes read that - it suggests that they certainly will bring the car back to the UK but of course where my insurance covers that they will reach agreement with my insurers as to sharing the costs. Thats all regular as often people are insured in 2 or more ways for X happening and all insurers then seek to share out the costs between them. Trouble is the AA has point blank refused to consider paying anything at all. I will get my insurance co to call them but im amazed that I am struggling here given what the policy states.

The AA are behaving like some back street dodgy used car insurer and I really dont need to have to fight all this having gone through what could easily have been a fatal accident.

Edited by Chrisboraston on Saturday 6th July 12:24