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Fri 11 Mar 2022 11:32

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - catsdad

This comes up periodically but there hasn’t been a thread for a while. And I don’t recall discussion on using an excess to reduce cost. Spoiler alert, that’s where I ended up but my journey was a learning experience.

Our renewal for two of us for personal cover with Britannia came in today. It’s now £127 which includes £29 for my wife’s CSMA/Boundless membership. It seems a bit steep as we don’t make use of any other membership benefits.

I began shopping around based on previous recommendations on here.

I liked the idea of Xileno’s choice in an old thread, Start Rescue at £30 for my 2018 but unfortunately another £48 for the wife’s 2012 Mazda. I thought I would try elsewhere.

However Green flag were £98 including a £25 arrangement fee, bit of a cheek charging me for their cost of sale.

Auto aid looked promising at about £60 with free spouse cover according to their ad. This sounded good but their online quote didn’t offer it. Ten minutes waiting for their call centre to answer. It turns out it’s a free extra you can only get after you’ve paid. “We get a lot of queries on this” she said. This hardly inspires confidence.

I then used a comparison site. On that Start rescue offer an option for both cars , with a £30 excess, for £47. I don’t see this on their own site so I guess it’s a special for the comparison sites. I will rerun for personal cover but so far it looks as if they will get our business.

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Fri 11 Mar 2022 13:46

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - _

As I have said previously, out of free cover with new cars, I always return to Start.

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Fri 11 Mar 2022 14:09

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - KB.

The only reason I'm a member of CSMA/Boundless is it offers Legal Protection. I've never used it but then that's what insurance is all about ... you pay for it but hope not to use it.. The anuual CSMA fee is roughly equal to the optional Legal Protection you get when renewing your insurance every year on two cars.

I don't think I've ever bought CSMA breakdown as AutoAid has been unbeatable in terms of cost for the Mrs and myself - with a car each. And on the very few occasions I've needed their breakdown service they've been fine.

In the same way that Start breakdown suits ORB's circumstances, AutoAid suits mine, and has done since 1984 (I must sound like a broken record).

I have called their Customer phone line for the occasional routine enquiry and had similar responses to catsdad ... but they've always answered and rather than being abroad somewhere they're in Romford, Essex - perhaps that's the problem :-)

There's no catch regarding the spouse. They're not out to catch you out, if they were fly by night cowboys I'd have worked it out a long time ago and been gone ... but I'm still with them.

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Fri 11 Mar 2022 15:59

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - Steveieb

I’m with ORB and go with Start.

I notice that Nationwide Flex plus now offer breakdown cover with A A and previously with Brittania.

Boundless does offer 5% off LV insurance and some of the breaks look good deals

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Fri 11 Mar 2022 17:12

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - catsdad

Thanks for the comments.

I don’t think Auto aid are trying to catch anyone out on the spouse thing. However I was irritated that they leave a confusing customer experience in place that they admit generates a lot of queries and call hold time. They wasted my time and it doesn’t suggest that they care about a quality customer experience.

I have since rerun my details on a personal cover basis (rather than our specific vehicles) via the comparison site. On that basis Start would be too much at £125 with no excess. They don’t offer a quote with an excess for personal cover. So I will go with them on the original vehicle based quote if the boss is happy.

Incidentally the CSMA insurance discount with LV no longer gives my wife the competitive rate they used to give her. This despite her full NCB, being nearly 60 and having job in education. Their sort of customer you’d think. On the other hand, as a non CSMA member I have been with them for 10 years and they are one of the cheapest of the big name insurers each time so it’s not worth changing. Funny old world.

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Mon 14 Mar 2022 14:25

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - Steveieb

Something strange happening at LV , Boundless if you get a better deal not being a member ? LV still come out the top motor insurer inWhich but may the changes are due to their new German ownersAllianz.

Boundless members are an absolute safe bet . Mostly civil servants who are naturally cautious drivers who park their cars on safe government car parks.

LV ought to realise what a valuable commodity they have on their books !

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Mon 14 Mar 2022 15:49

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - sammy1

There needs to be some levelling up about discounts given to employees in certain jobs mainly civil service and NHS. This has got to be at the expense of those not fortunate to work in these sectors. The comment about civil servants being naturally cautious drivers and safe gov car parks is an insult to the rest of us. The last I heard they were swigging it back in No 10

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Mon 14 Mar 2022 16:22

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - Xileno

I can't see they're getting any special treatment. To get the 5% discount you have to be a member of Boundless which costs something like £30 a year. Like all these discounts, it depends what the starting figure is.

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Mon 14 Mar 2022 20:43

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - Steveieb

Apologies Sammy if I appear insulted you. But I’m not talking about Whitehall staff who by and large commute to work by train but the run of the mill Civil Servants and Local Government and NHS staff who use the restricted car park at their work. Which is often covered by CCTV and where drivers maybe have more of a conscience if they damage a car belonging to a colleague .

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Tue 15 Mar 2022 12:37

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - Bromptonaut

Apologies Sammy if I appear insulted you. But I’m not talking about Whitehall staff who by and large commute to work by train but the run of the mill Civil Servants and Local Government and NHS staff who use the restricted car park at their work. Which is often covered by CCTV and where drivers maybe have more of a conscience if they damage a car belonging to a colleague .

These discounts are not directly paid for by other customers. Rather a case that the company thinks it can generate more volume by offering them.

I'm a former civil servant but never an inhabitant of Whitehall. I worked for practically my entire career within a quarter mile of the Law Courts on the Strand in various managerial, casework and senior admin roles. My car was safely on the station car park from 08:00 to 18:00.

I suspect plenty of other white collar jobs outside the public sector can access discounts through a trade union or professional body. The CSMA (now Boundless)/LV link up goes back decades to Frizzels who made a specialism of links with Unions and professional bodies. IIRC my Mother got a good deal from them in the sixties/seventies as a School Teacher.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 15/03/2022 at 12:38

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Mon 14 Mar 2022 16:47

Any - Breakdown cover again - excess discounts - catsdad

To be clear on LV I get a good deal from them as a non member compared to most comparison site offers, i assume I would get a bit more off if I was a member but it’s not going to outweigh the CSMA/Boundless membership fee.
My wife has been a CSMA member for nearly 40 years but has now cancelled her renewal as she can get better deals elsewhere on breakdown, insurance and legal cover (“free” from Churchill). The numbers will be different for other people of course.

Edited by catsdad on 14/03/2022 at 16:48

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