Something I was not aware off..and maybe of some use to someone.. European Bike breakdown cover will not recover your bike to the UK if you have an accident..only mechanical failures! So if you planing on heading out..will be worth double checking..
I went into this in some depth a while ago. My conclusion was you really need fully Comp insurance. Mike.
Some provide cover, e.g. European Breakdown Cover Benefits "If, following a breakdown or accident, your vehicle isn't roadworthy by the time you are due to return home, we will pay for suitable transport to get you, your passengers and luggage home. We will also pay up to £150 towards alternative travel costs in the UK while you wait for your own vehicle. We will also pay for transporting your vehicle home or your chosen repairer in the UK or the cost of a single rail / sea ticket for you to go and fetch your vehicle once it has been repaired or found"
This is the conversation I had with the AA, if you can be bothered to read it all, as it goes on a bit, it may throw some light. Mike. AA Call centre 17.02.2014. 11:09:18 : System: Josh has joined this session! 11:09:18 : System: Connected with Josh. Your reference number for this chat session is 603575. 11:09:23 : Josh: Hello. This is Josh, How can I help you today? 11:10:46 : Customer: Hi if my bike is involved in a crash will aa bring the bike back to uk if not derivable or I'm injured? 11:12:08 : Josh: Yes, If the vehicle cannot be repaired within time for your planned return home, we will recover the vehicle back to the UK (provided this is no more than the vehicle’s current market value), this will be back to your home address. 11:12:38 : Josh: We also offer a compassionate recovery if you are injured and unable to drive your vehicle back to the UK. 11:13:31 : Customer: Is compassionate recovery an extra? 11:14:48 : Josh: No, it's not an extra we would take into account what has happened and then arrange recovery accordingly. 11:16:48 : Customer: I was told that after an accident the AA won't touch the vehicle for legal reasons and only recover it back to UK if it has broken down ... Is this wrong? 11:19:17 : Josh: If you have a road traffic accident, you must supply your motor vehicle insurance details to us when we ask for this information. You must report the accident to your insurer as instructions for the repair or recovery of the vehicle can only be taken from them. If you do not supply us with the details of valid motor vehicle insurance when we ask you for this information, we reserve the right not to arrange assistance for you 11:22:34 : Customer: If I only have third party insurance the insurers won't pay for recovery, but if they say its okay by them to recover it you will do that... Is that correct? 11:24:14 : Customer: I mean at your cost 11:25:21 : Josh: As with any accident, you would need to contact your insurers first. We would only take recovery instructions from your insurance company, so if your policy does not cover you for vehicle recovery, then I'm afraid we would not recover your vehicle as a result of an accident. 11:27:39 : Customer: so I have purchased recovery from you but after an accident you won't recover the bike unless my insurers pay... is that what you are saying? 11:29:05 : Josh: Yes that's correct. 11:30:17 : Customer: that's not what you had me to believe in answer 11:12:08. 11:32:59 : Josh: Before you purchase the cover you are presented with the full terms and conditions to read and accept. There is a check list at the start that advises you to contact your Motor Insurance before travel, this would give them the opportunity to discuss your third party insurance with you. 11:35:35 : Customer: So we are not in doubt, AA only recovers in the event of a breakdown and will not recover after an accident unless someone pays you. 11:37:58 : Josh: Our cover is for breakdown assistance, it will extend to road traffic accidents provided the vehicles insurer is notified and they give us instructions for the recovery of the vehicle. 11:40:56 : Customer: You are not fully answering my question after an accident do you recover with no extra payment from me or my insurer? 11:42:27 : Josh: If in the event of an accident, your insurance company has approved the recovery of your vehicle, then there would be no charge to recover your vehicle. 11:44:06 : Customer: So answer 11:29:05 was wrong? 11:45:26 : Josh: The information I have provided you with is from our Terms and Conditions. Is there anything else I can help you with today? 11:46:08 : Customer: Yes was 11:29:05 wrong? 11:48:50 : Josh: All the information I have provided you with is from the Terms and Conditions of the policy. I can send you a link to the Terms and Conditions if you would like to read through them? 11:50:49 : Customer: I hoped that was what you could do. and put it into terms simply so I can understand. Can you put me through to your senior Thanks. 11:51:50 : Josh: Sure, please hold. 11:54:19 : System: Sam M has joined this session! 11:54:30 : Customer: Hi 11:54:42 : Sam M: Hello, you are speaking with Samantha, Josh's manager. How may I help? 11:55:52 : Customer: I'm confused, can you read the conversation and tell me what I need to know? 11:56:34 : Sam M: Of course, please hold one moment whilst I read this information. 12:01:23 : Sam M: I have read the transcript above and can confirm the information provided is correct. It may help you to contact your insurer in advance of travelling as it is them who will be able to answer your question about whether we will or will not recover the vehicle after an accident. As Josh explained, we rely on the insurer to approve this, it is unfortunately not something we can guarantee. 12:05:20 : Customer: It's not the insurance company agreeing the recovery I'm worried about. I'm sure they will be happy for you to recover as it will save them paying for it. The question is after an accident will you recover without more charge 12:07:12 : Sam M: I will find out for you now. 12:12:26 : Sam M: We are unable to answer this question as there are many different factors to take into account depending on the scale of the accident. We cannot advise where the cost will be recovered from, as this is something which will be arranged at the time. 12:15:19 : Customer: To put it simply, I ring you 'I have had an accident in Germany can you bring my bike home for me ... My insurer will not pay as im only insured third party and the accident is my fault no one else involved.... will you recover without more charges? surely this must happen all the time? 12:16:37 : Sam M: Are you currently in this situation or is this example theoretical? 12:16:56 : Customer: theoretical 12:20:22 : Sam M: I will see if I can get this information for you, I would need to ask you to hold for a few minutes, is this ok? 12:21:57 : Customer: yes, I'm not being difficult, I'm trying to decide if I need full comp ins or I will go with TP/Ft 12:22:47 : Sam M: ok, please hold. 12:31:42 : Sam M: It the bike has been in an accident, and the damage is cosmetic but the bike is still ridable, we will not recover. If the bike has been in an accident and repairing the damage will cost under £400, we will not recover. If the bike is a write-ff (beyond economic repair) we will not recover. Apart from these specific instances, we will be able to consider repatriation. Providing the bike is not ridable and will be costly to repair (over £400), the European Cover will apply. There will be no cost to yourself. 12:32:20 : Sam M: If the police are involved, we do have to work with the police to make sure they are happy for us to remove the vehicle as in some cases they may wish to use the vehicle as evidence. 12:35:40 : Customer: Thanks, I am not looking for a club to hit you with, I'm just attempting to make a sensible decision, its very expensive to insure my bike f/comp.... Thanks I can make a sensible decision based on the information .... Mike. 12:36:07 : Sam M: Thank you for contacting the AA, goodbye. 12:36:17 : System: Sam M has left this session! 12:36:17 : System: The session has ended!
It was a bit of a trilogy, but at the time I only had TPF&T on the old BM and I was off on a bit of a run. I needed to find out the score. It was one of these text chat things. So I was doing other things at the same time. That's how I got the transcript. Mike.
[Thats what you pay your insurance premium for. Breakdown and recovery is exactly what it says on the tin. Recovery in a breakdown situation if non fix. Not accident!!!!QUOTE=Barstewardsquad;337273]They won't even do a recovery on an accident in the UK these days.[/QUOTE]
Thing is they used to recover after an accident as part of the cover. It was breakdown and recovery cover so they would mend a breakdown and/or recover you, now it's an example of paying more and getting less. Anyway the point of my original post was that it does not just apply to travel in Europe.
Are you saying use the insurance company to recover...? That would mean every little fall..would be on file and on record...even if no one else was involved... I did not claim for my last fall..
[/QUOTE] But that's not what it's saying on the 'Tin' or policy. Once you insert an 'And' between the words you separate them and make them two separate functions. Breakdown. 'And' Recovery. Two separate functions. 1/ We will attend to your vehicle and attempt to repair it, in the event of a breakdown. AND 2/ We will recover your vehicle if it needs to be recovered. The first does not have to happen for the second to apply. That's how I understood it. But wriggling is an insurers best friend. If the insurer wanted to be clear its easy to say recovery after breakdown only. We will not recover your vehicle after an accident. Mike.
European Breakdown cover that includes accident recovery Breakdown Cover - Car & Motorcyle Roadside Assistance and Recovery I've actually claimed after an accident in Germany and they flew me home the next day no problems. Didn't get the bike brought back as it was obviously a write off. UK cover that clearly includes accident recovery. Breakdown Cover, Car Breakdown, Vehicle Recovery, by startrescue.co.uk Much cheaper than RAC or AA and I've never actually had to use them. Maybe I'll regret it of I ever do.
