several years ago after shopping around for competitive motor insurance i took out a policy with red star,part of the boncaster insurance group.
as part of the service they offered a separate insurance policy to cover breakdowns,auto aid.
having a motor car of the unreliable variety 2 or ... Read review
Advantages: brilliant service and value for money Disadvantages: paying upfront for the call out
...took out a policy with red star,part of the boncaster insurance group.
as part of the service they offered a separate insurance policy to cover breakdowns,auto aid.
having a motor car of the unreliable variety 2 or 3 breakdowns or non starts per year was,and still is, normal.experience had shown that getting towed to a garage or calling somebody out to start a flat battery is expensive.so although i had never heard of this service before,i ... ...you give them a try,
call them on 01277 235500
ps. you do not need to have their motor insurance to take out this policy,i transferred to another company after a couple of years with red star but obviously maintained my auto aid policy. ... more
several years ago after shopping around for competitive motor insurance i took out a policy with red star,part of the boncaster insurance group. as part of the service they offered a separate insurance policy to cover breakdowns,auto aid. having a motor car of the unreliable variety 2 or 3 breakdowns or non starts per year was,and still is, normal.experience had shown that getting towed to a garage or calling somebody out to start a flat battery is expensive.so although i had never heard of this service before,i thought that i would give it a try.for the princely sum of £21 per year how could i lose? and i havent lost since! whenever your car is immobile you can give them a call,breakdowns, non starts or accidents. they use the system that most srvices use nowadays,they call up a local garage to provide assistance rather than use ther own mechanics.you get all of the services that other more expensive organisations offer, roadside repairs, recovery of vehicles and passengers, alternative transport to your destination, overnight hotel accomodation, home breakdown, recovery after theft or vandalism, etc.etc.
the annual premium has now gone up to £28,still more than a bargain. what you are expected to pay for,(and this is the catch,you generally have to pay upfront,card,cash or cheque),is the fee that the garage operative charges for being called out and repairing or moving your car,or for any of the other above services which may require payment on the day. you collect an invoice for payment,fill in a simple form,post it back to auto aid and they send you a cheque to refund the cost,usually,in my experiece,very promptly.
of course as with all,(to my knowledge),of these services, you have to pay for any work and parts that a garage might need to do to repair your car once it has been recovered.
however,how about this as an example of service? last year i broke down in chester,about 120 miles from home.i called auto aid and a mechanic arrived within the hour.he spent several hours trying to repair the car without success.after another call to auto aid it was agreed that he would tow me home.the quote for this days disaster £900!! auto aid agreed for the garage to invoice them directly in this case so i didnt have to pay anything. two days later my car had been repaired by a local garage,the problem was a faulty relay switch,cost 25 pence! i was so embarassed that i wrote a letter of thanks to auto aid.
they havent struck me from their books as a liability,they are always courteous and polite.
i strongly recommend you give them a try,
call them on 01277 235500
ps. you do not need to have their motor insurance to take out this policy,i transferred to another company after a couple of years with red star but obviously maintained my auto aid policy.
Advantages: Long-established company, member of GISC, comprehensive cover Disadvantages: Deal through brokers/intermediaries, use outsourcers for payment, can be pricey
and building up my no-claims discount entitlement were my only concerns. That was before I had an accident or two. Many brokers and intermediaries seem to assume these are still the only concerns of their customers.
By the time I started insuring with Equity RedStar (not sure exactly when but sometime around the mid 1990?s), however, I was actually more concerned about the level of service I could expect from the insurers in the event of needing to make a claim. I was fortunate enough to be buying a brand new car, so I needed comprehensive insurance before I dared to drive it off the garage forecourt. I was guided towards a policy to suit my needs by a salesman at the car dealership. I knew that it was not the cheapest insurance I could get but I wanted an established firm with a good track record and a key point of interest for me was ...
Discerna 28.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Equity Red Star
Advantages: Cheap Disadvantages: Customer Service, slow settlement of claims
Whilst overseas I was burgled. The thieves forced entry to the the house causing about £2k worth of damage and stealing about £3k worth of electrical goods. The police were called by a neighbour, and they pursued (and lost) the burglars. You would think this would be a pretty straight-forward claim.
4 months later and my claim has STILL not been settled. My claim has now been handed through two external companies. The last - a loss adjuster - recommeded that my claim be settled. However, Equity RedStar are now querying their own loss adjusters findings. They apparently think the settlement was for too much! Meanwhile I have no TV or other electrical goods and I've had to pay myself to fix my busted front door.
Equity RedStar have been appaling. Their "emergency" helpline is open 9-5 Monday-Friday. Customer "Services" are rude ...
