breakdown cover news today

November 5, 2009

Emergency Services

Filed under: general — admin @ 2:53 pm

The best way to describe what breakdown cover is, could be to be to call it an emergency service for your car, for you and your passengers for those times when you have a mechanical failure, in better words when your car will not go anywhere. Wikipedia descibes the services as emergency road services, although that may be related more to the USA market, as the UK use the term breakdown cover more widely.

There are some main players in offereing this service throughout the whole of the UK, although local garages will do a breakdown recovery service, should you know their number. the main players are The AA, Green Flag and the RAC, which we will write about in more detail in further posts.

Their aim is to attend an emergency road call out, establish the cause of the fault, decide if they can fix it their and then and then finaly either fix the car or tow you to a garage that can. There are more advanced policies that will transport your vehicle back home, no matter where you liv eon the UK mainland and although the names for this service alter a bit, if you call these breakdown recovery services, you will be near the mark

You are in fact buying an insurance policy, so it is regulted by the Financial Services Authority, it is not surprising that the breakdown cover providers tend to owned by insurance organisations to add value to their exsisting car insurance policy base. More information on this subject in future posts

November 4, 2009

Why Should You Get Breakdown Cover For Your Car?

Filed under: general — admin @ 11:25 pm

Breakdown cover is becoming increasingly popular all over the world, as anyone who drives, knows that at some point of time they will encounter a breakdown situation. You cannot predict when you will face such a situation; it could be while travelling from your home to workplace or while on a road trip. If you don’t find a garage nearby, then at that moment you will feel stuck and wish you had a breakdown cover that will save you from all the hassles and difficulties that you will face in a breakdown situation.

One should carefully ascertain their requirements while buying breakdown cover insurance. For instance, if you travel to other countries frequently, then it is advisable to buy international breakdown cover insurance which will help you in a breakdown situation, even if it occurs beyond the borders of your home country. Many companies offer these services and while buying a car, you can buy it from the manufacturer itself. They have tie-ups with various service stations and ensure round the clock assistance to the insured.

It is advisable to get a breakdown cover as it offers the following benefits:
1.    It provides relief from the hassles attached with a sudden breakdown and you will not feel stranded and helpless in such a situation.
2.    Services like on road minor repairs, replacement of flat tyre, towing service, jump start and lockout assistance are provided to the insured.
3.    If an accident occurs, the insurance company may even provide for legal assistance and ambulance. This is policy specific, so see carefully if it is covered in your policy.
4.    If you travel frequently to other countries, then you should buy an international insurance which provides assistance in other countries as well.
5.    It is economical and can be procured at really low rates. In the United Kingdom, it usually starts from 25 pounds.

Getting a breakdown cover is indeed a very wise decision which every car owner must buy, but it does not mean that you do not need to be careful about preventing a breakdown situation. You must take care that your car is in a good working order and should get it serviced regularly. Also, you should keep the breakdown service phone number handy in your car as well as stored in your mobile phone.

The demand to avail such kind of services is increasing among the car owners, as in present day world people value their time and comfort more than the money and are willing to spend on something as valuable as a breakdown cover which will get them out of a breakdown situation without going through any trouble.

Summary- Getting a breakdown cover is recommended for every car owner as you never know when a breakdown situation may arise. It can be bought at prices as low as 25 pounds and provides various benefits like relief from hassles attached with a sudden breakdown, services like legal assistance and ambulance, assistance in foreign countries, on road minor repairs, replacement of flat tyre, towing service, jump start and lockout assistance.

Written by guest blogger Atul

November 1, 2009

The Theme Of Breakdown Cover News

Filed under: the aa — admin @ 11:25 am

Continuing the theme of bringing breakdown cover news or information to you, the AA wins hands down on this front. The AA press release page on their official site is by far the best from the top 3 breakdown cover providers. Of course the news goes beyond breakdown cover and focusses on just about everything teh AA does from insurance to raod safety and even news information aimed at cyclists or any road user, but just about everyday some news item is added to keep the press and possibly us here at breakdown cover today filled with news.

Last week we had stories on motoring authorities being sympathetic to the postal strike, new AA publications and the AA credit cards release, which has nothing to do with AA breakdown cover granted, but at lease it is news as it happens, rather than a half hearted attempt at publishing something. Other weeks the news could be totally dedicated to breakdown cover, so it is swings and rounabouts. Anyway, for us it is a shame the other 2 top guys don’t do it a s well.

October 16, 2009

the RAC Forum

Filed under: rac — admin @ 12:57 pm

Have you been to the RAC Forums recently, though not well may it is time you checked it out. It makes sense for a breakdown cover and motoring organisation to engage not just it’s customers but as many people who drive as possible. The RAC Forum is open to just about anyone and everyone that has a view on the motoring issues today. Not only is this a good service for you and me but also for the RAC, to understand peoples needs and wants.

Of course the main function is to offer RAC breakdown cover, but in the biger scheme of things there is so much more the RAC offers, from insurance to information on whare to sleep tonight maps and a lot more. the difference though, is all these services cost in some way, where the RAC forum is free and delivers substantail content to all who visit. Ironically though it is no where near in size to other motoring forums out there, probably because the perception is that the forum is oly about RAC breakdown cover, when the reality couldn’t be further away.

There are many other issues to talk about, from road safety, to speed cameras and car maintainence in general, but it needs to get away from the perception of what people think the forum is about before they visit, anyway I am a fan, a member and will be visting often..

October 6, 2009

Cars For Business Still Need Breakdown Cover

Filed under: business — admin @ 12:59 pm

Most of us are aware of the breakdown cover deals that are offered for our private cars to ensure we get from A to B as quickly and safely as possible. The situation can be much worse if you are a business and when you car is off the road your business grinds to a halt. An example fo this, is a driving instructor training school as so much of the course is based in the car, within the same enviroment as they will be in when they have finished their training.

Many of these car are expected to do a high mileage, even when they are on a leased contract over 3 years. High mileage means there is a higher chance of a car breakdown down and every day that car is not moving is a day lost for training. A solution is to first check that your car leasing contract includes breakdown cover and they know the car is doing business miles. If not it may be sensible to consider buying business breakdown cover even though sometimes it is called fleet breakdown cover. Sometime we assume the word fleet means a hugh amount of cars, when in most cases it just  means business use.

If you are keen to keep your driving instructor training business moving no matter what, then you should look at a breakdown recovery service, which will get your car back to your local dealership or garage to be repaired in the quickest time. Of course the breakdown cover service would do its best to repair the vehicle at the roadside first, so we are just talking worst scenarios here.

October 3, 2009

Breakdown Cover India Style

Filed under: the aa — admin @ 1:28 pm

No this is not a lot of camels pulling a tractor, or 2 guys rolling over a van that we see on you tube, but the Western India Automobile Association just like the AA here at home. It was founded in 1919 just after the first world war when Brtian pretty much ruled the country still and with it so left some customs and ideas. In 1919 the Western India AA was set up with the same ideas as the Automobile Association had back here in the UK, inspired by the french equivelant organisation. Even now there badges look the same as back here in Blighty and although is a far bigger country (even just the western bit) there is also a need for breakdown cover out there too.

As india develops into one of the Super States it should be no surprise that organiastion like the AA will expand to the same amount of resourse than elsewhere in the world. The need for breakdown cover will explode as more and more Indians are now buying newer cars that justify the expense rather than the tractor and run down vehicles they may have used. Communications, newer cars and a corproste lifestyle is what teh avaerage Indian is looking for and  breakdown cover is likely t grow with its economy and who but the established AA will have a the best opportunity ot capitalise on it.

September 21, 2009

Business Lease New Car

Filed under: general — admin @ 10:09 pm

If you do some miles in your business car there are things to consider. First you have to make sure you get from A to B with the minimum of fuss and second if you do have a breakdown, you need to get it sirted and on your way ASAP, as it is not just the inconvenience but the money lost with the business contact, it is for this reason that many SME’s choose business car lease as an option.

Yes it is more expensive than buying the car outright, but having a brand new car has its advantages. First all new cars come with breakdown cover, with some covereing more than the first year. Next is the fuel consumption of the modern engine. In recent years and even months car manufacturers have put huge focus on fuel consumption because of the recent economic situation.

Business car lease is not for everyone though. If you do a huge mileage, you may find even buying a car and adding the breakdown cover policies several times will be cheaper than leasing a car. There are extra features to breakdown cover, in that teh car does not belong to you, so your lease provider would have the responsability of getting the car fixed, if it is not your fault.

September 18, 2009

Green Flag Rapid Cover Advert

Filed under: green flag — admin @ 11:48 am

Out of all the recent breakdown cover TV adverts arguably the Green Flag rapid cover one is the best. There is no singing, no cars emerged in water just facts and figures backed up with clever animation. The facts are quiet impressive also with breakdowns being attended to with about a half an hour.

But the biggest message is that currently Green flag are offering breakdown cover from £20 a year for their basic roadside service. This is backed up by saying tha 86% of breakdowns are fixed by the roadside, pretty much telling people that is all they need. Of course this is not always true, but I am sure they are getting serious business from this offer. Of course it is the Royal Bank Of Scotland that owns Green Flag breakdown cover and with so much TV marketing occuring with all their insurance products, there is a good chance that the Green Flag TV campaign is cost effective.

As we know the Green Flag engineers are all self employed garage owners and recovery agents, so even though response is quick you are really dealing with a lot of small businesses. Anyway here is the TV advert, you can make up your own mind.

RAC Advert 2009

Filed under: rac — admin @ 11:35 am

It makes sense to show the RAC breakdown cover advert being shown on TV at this present time, to understand how the RAC sees the market. The music is Close To You, to represent the RAC not being far away in times of trouble, especially in the cold, dark and lonely places the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) has chosen to film cars that have broken down or are not that well.

The first thing that many notice is the amount of carbon emissions comming fomr these vehicles, when filmed in cold conditions. The point of the adverts is to show how they can get to you quick and get you on your way, with their breakdown cover service. But for many watchers, you wonder why these cars ever returned to the road and why they aren’t scrapped straight away to save the planet.

So you end up thinking that carbom emissions are close to you and almost depressed by the end of the advert. We have to admit, it is better than signing patrolmen, that  the competitors have used in the past, but it risks deleviering a different message than planned.

The AA Back In The 80s

Filed under: the aa — admin @ 11:26 am

If you want to know how the AA (Automobile Association) used to market themselves back in the 80’s take a look at this old advert. The first thing you will notice is the Ital vans (not the best decision) and the AA patrolmen used to wear uniforms similar to the army. In those days the AA was still seen as a motoring club rather than an insurance policy as it tends to be now, but you get the idea.

Ironically the price of an AA breakdown Cover policy was not that much different than it is today, when you take into account inflation, wage rises etec, it is quite astonishing how cheap breakdown cover has generally become. Your paper bill for the month is likely to be moer expensive that a full years roadside policy. This is the main benefit of running your business online and using the economies of scale of an insurance company. cars today are mor reliable and most of its problems tend ot be human related, such as flat batteries, locking themselves out or clipping a kerb and damaging the wheels. What is sure, even from this old TV advert, is even with more reliable cars, there is still a need for breakdown cover for mosts motorists.

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