Skoda breakdown assistance - not as comprehensive as I thought

[New8avia]

Following a recent incident whilst towing in my Octavia, where I had to ask for assistance from Skoda breakdown, I am throughly disappointed with the outcome and lack of cover provided from this service.

On 24/06/15, I purchased a second hand sailing dinghy and on my way home the wheel on the trailer collapsed, which meant I could no longer continue to drive. My car was perfectly ok but I needed the trailer to be recovered. On calling Skoda assistance, they categorically stated that no support would be provided in respect of recovering the trailer. Bearing in mind I have a manufacturers tow bar fitted, it would not be unreasonable to expect I may need assistance whilst towing. If my car breaks down and I am towing, both the car and trailer will be recovered. I can’t understand why if my trailer breaks down it cannot be afforded to same level of cover as the car. Obviously, if either car or trailer breaks down, it may be impossible to continue with the journey.

Why are these restrictions imposed on the Skoda policy?

It would appear that this product in not fit for purpose when I am towing.

If I had known this when I purchased the car ,I would have opted out and sourced my own breakdown cover. As it happens, I will now have the additional expense of purchasing a breakdown policy with a competitor that offers comprehensive cover in the respect of towing a trailer.

I could have posted this in general chat but as I have an Octavia, I thought it would get more coverage here.

[JamesVRSmk3]

It's the same with the RAC, AA and nearly every breakdown service......If your car breaks down while towing then they will tow both, if just the caravan then they won't as it is your car which is the 'insured' vehicle. Greenflag are the only ones who include both as standard but could be wrong.

Edited 25 June, 2015 by JamesVRSmk3

[SCH]

Also beware that if you do find breakdown cover that includes the trailer, if not fixable at the roadside it may only cover onward travel costs up to the value of the trailer.  This may be fine if you have a caravan, but with a trailered sailing dinghy your cover may me much less (as the boat is excluded from the value).  I believe Greenflag offer one of the best policies for towing, but you may need to be a member of the Caravan Club to get full trailer cover.

Best solution is to keep your trailer well maintained especially if regularly dunked in salt water.

I'm due to tow a boat through France later this year and am still searching for comprehensive breakdown cover as I know the cover offered by Skoda/AA/RAC are unlikely to be of much use.

[CapstanPlug]

I do see their point - Skoda made the car and covers it, someone else manufactured the trailer, so that would be that someone else's issue.

I thought most insurance was like that - house/car/travel insurance, where if there are specific add-ons (like valuables in the house, or modifications on the car, or potential health issues), they want to know the details at the start of the policy, and decide whether they will even accept that risk.

No?

[SC03OTT]

Can't see the issue myself.

[Dr Zoidberg]

Sorry, I realise that it's inconvenient for you, but your breakdown cover is on the car that you have bought, and not what you choose to tow with it.

 

I don't see that Skoda have done anything wrong here.

[Warkman]

No manufacturers breakdown cover will cover items attached to the vehicle, I.e. Trailers, caravans etc. it's up to the owner to ensure their trailer/caravan insurance covers it.

You cannot expect any manufacturer to cover what you decide to attach to the vehicle.

[Jigger72]

Seems folly not to carry a spare wheel for the trailer. I know I would. Surely caravans have to carry a spare too?

[blueR36]

Sorry if this may upset you but I am tired of makeshift bodged trailers full stop i was nearly killed by one where the wheel flew off bounced down the road and hit my foot, also see so many with no lights , also there is no regard for the lower speed limit ,i was overtaken by a caravan in France on the motorway  which further up the road flipped and disintegrated blocking all 3 lanes . if all trailers had to have an mot then I think breakdown companies might think different, plus a surcharge if you have a bar, after all you're putting more stress on your vehicle , but as I have said, many are not fit for purpose 

[Alfred54]

If you had a warranty on your tv, would you expect it to cover the dvd player attached to that tv? No! So why would you expect Skoda to cover the trailer you attach to your Octavia? Don't think you have a genuine gripe New8avia. Sorry not to be more sympathetic.

[Garnett]

I have had great experience withe Skoda Breakdown. I had an issue with my last car where the fan would come on and run the battery flat. It happened 3 times. RAC dealt with the first two. Third time VWs own mobile breakdown came out. The recovered me to the dealer and got me a hire car. They replaced the ECU costing £2500 which fixed it. It was an important consideration when I purchased my new Skoda this year.

[andyvee]

Sorry if this may upset you but I am tired of makeshift bodged trailers full stop i was nearly killed by one where the wheel flew off bounced down the road and hit my foot, also see so many with no lights , also there is no regard for the lower speed limit ,i was overtaken by a caravan in France on the motorway  which further up the road flipped and disintegrated blocking all 3 lanes . if all trailers had to have an mot then I think breakdown companies might think different, plus a surcharge if you have a bar, after all you're putting more stress on your vehicle , but as I have said, many are not fit for purpose 

I was almost flattened by an idiot in a chelsea tractor towing a twin axle caravan on the M5 a few years ago - it missed me by inches. I was doing a conservative 70 (ish) in the inside lane as it was 5am and I was on my way on holiday to Devon, and the M5 was pretty traffic free at that time. The chelsea tractor came up the slip road at a frightening speed, undertook me whilst joining the motorway and then proceeded to pull out to the middle lane on a clear motorway and absolutely floor it. It was at that point that the caravan started fishtailing like mad and a split second later the caravan was on its side and the chelsea tractor was on its roof at about 70mph. How it missed me I still don't know as I was convinced it was going to hit us.

[Rodge]

I'm not sure why so many people are going on about warranties and insurance when the complaint is about breakdown recovery.

AutoAid do appear to cover repair or recovery of caravans and small trailers and are recommended by MoneySavingExpert as giving the cheapest fully comprehensive breakdown cover.

[blueR36]

Breakdown recovery is just an insurance policy anyway

[Rodge]

For me the valuable bit is access to a phone line which will send people out to get me home 24 hours a day nationwide.

[Minimoke]

I'm not sure why so many people are going on about warranties and insurance when the complaint is about breakdown recovery.AutoAid do appear to cover repair or recovery of caravans and small trailers and are recommended by MoneySavingExpert as giving the cheapest fully comprehensive breakdown cover.

Skoda Assist is provided by the AA. The AA scheme is an insurance backed contract. This is not an uncommon approach.

The terms and conditions regarding recovery of trailers and caravans is clearly set out in the Skoda Assist terms and conditions. There is no ambiguity.

[susi]

Following a recent incident whilst towing in my Octavia, where I had to ask for assistance from Skoda breakdown, I am throughly disappointed with the outcome and lack of cover provided from this service.

On 24/06/15, I purchased a second hand sailing dinghy and on my way home the wheel on the trailer collapsed, which meant I could no longer continue to drive. My car was perfectly ok but I needed the trailer to be recovered. On calling Skoda assistance, they categorically stated that no support would be provided in respect of recovering the trailer. Bearing in mind I have a manufacturers tow bar fitted, it would not be unreasonable to expect I may need assistance whilst towing. If my car breaks down and I am towing, both the car and trailer will be recovered. I can’t understand why if my trailer breaks down it cannot be afforded to same level of cover as the car. Obviously, if either car or trailer breaks down, it may be impossible to continue with the journey.

Why are these restrictions imposed on the Skoda policy?

 

 

Please say you're just have a small joke with the forum. You know, just for fun

 

Skoda made the car, over which they have a certain amount of control. The breakdown service also has the technical expertise, and maybe the parts, to help a car breakdown get on its way. Where I live, they also have breakdown trucks with enough room for a car (not a car + trailer + boat). Skoda has no control over the quality of your trailer.

 

It's possible to mount a roof box on an Octavia, using the factory rails. If the roof box's own mounting brackets failed, and the box could no longer be safely attached to the roof rails, would it be up to Skoda to recover the box home for you?

[Rodge]

Skoda made the car, over which they have a certain amount of control. The breakdown service also has the technical expertise, and maybe the parts, to help a car breakdown get on its way. Where I live, they also have breakdown trucks with enough room for a car (not a car + trailer + boat). Skoda has no control over the quality of your trailer.

Here, breakdown policies commonly include trailers and caravans as standard, including the cheapest policy on the market.

[Ootohere]

Here, that being the UK,

Breakdown Services often have T&C's and you need to read them.

They might have Exclusions or Conditions involving Vehicle Length, Class and Trailers. 

 

Some charge a very small extra charge to cover Longer Vehicles / Vans-LGV's / Camper-Motorhomes/ Trailers-Caravans.

 

Breakdown Cover, even the cheapest might cover towed trailers in the event of a Breakdown or need for Recovery of 

the Vehicle and Trailer, but not the Breakdown of Trailers where the vehicle has not had a Breakdown.

Edited 26 June, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[Rodge]

Breakdown Services often have T&C's and you need to read them.

I did, right before posting about them. Many of them cover you in any car rather than just one particular car.

https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/documents/AutoAid-Full-Policy.pdf

[Minimoke]

I did, right before posting about them. Many of them cover you in any car rather than just one particular car.

https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/documents/AutoAid-Full-Policy.pdf

 

I don't understand where we are going with this.

 

Auto Aid is also an insurance based scheme (Equity Red Star) and cover trailers etc when the vehicle has broken down.  This is exactly the same cover as Skoda Assist where the trailer etc will be recovered to a single destination along with the broken down vehicle.

 

As far as I can see Auto Aid do not provide recovery if the trailer is the "cause" of the "breakdown" which is what the OP was complaining about regarding the Skoda Assist service.

[decuk]

I'm afraid I'm with the " not Skoda" St fault side. The cover is basically a throw in so that if a failure occurs on the cars, it saves them having to operate a 24/7 call system. Most manufactures do this. But some only cover part of the cars warranty, ie 1or2 years.

[susi]

Here, breakdown policies commonly include trailers and caravans as standard, including the cheapest policy on the market.

 

Did you check RAC? Because they don't cover trailers and caravans "as standard". I didn't check any others, but feel free to comment and link, if they do.

 

We can also arrange for your caravan or trailer to be recovered but you'll need to meet any additional costs yourself.

 

source:  http://www.rac.co.uk/uk-breakdown-cover/more-information

[New8avia]

Here is an answer from AA customer services about the recovery of a trailer if it breaks down but not the car whilst towing.

SR No. 1-23714494

Dear Mr xxxxxxxx,

Thank you for your email. It has been logged against the above Service Request Number

If the trailer has broken down and not the car we would recover the trailer as long as it meets the specifications.

Maximum weight 3.5 tonnes

maximum width 7ft 6inch

If you would like to speak to an operator to discuss this further please ring our new member unit on 0800 0852721.

If you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

Helen

Customer Advisor

www.theaa.com

If you wish to respond to this email, please ensure that you use the 'Reply' button on the toolbar. This will link your response to the original email.

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[Jigger72]

^^^^^^

 

I would want a second opinion on this. I also susepct this level of cover will be prohibitively expensive.