Green Flag Bike Breakdown Cover

[madcockney]

My car is covered by Green Flag and when this was renewed early October they quoted to cover the bike (SV650s K3) for £18. Didn''t take them up as yet to pass my Modules 1 and 2, but in anticipation that this may be forthcoming phoned today and found that for an extra £6 per annum I can be covered in any car under 16 years old, and that the bike is covered as well. This, I am advised, is a special deal that they are running at present.

Limitations: cover is exactly the same as that you already have for your own car, and the combined car and bike mileage is no greater than that specified on your current green flag documentation. Awaiting to see if this is fact when I see the documentation.

Thought others may find this interesting.

[timwilky]

I would advise you read the policy document. You will then find this



21.We can arrange to recover you following a road traffic accident
but you will be responsible for any costs involved. However,
you may be able to recover these from your motor insurer.



I would like to think that should I have a slight spill I could get transported home using my recovery service without charge.

[Dave20046]

yeah as tim mentions that's something you have to get round however, bearing in mind greenflag are renowned for just shoving bikes in the back of the van - you're in with a chance they may well not notice it's been crashed!

I took them up on the same deal last year but only as I was already with them for the car. This year i went with nci for the both for just a bit cheaper.

[madcockney]

I would advise you read the policy document. You will then find this



I would like to think that should I have a slight spill I could get transported home using my recovery service without charge.

I actually asked this question though said accident rather than spill, and they say that they will not collect you after an accident as they say that they are not geared up to it. I think that this possibly comes from the car side where it is more difficult to handle than with a bike. Having said that if a car goes off the road, rather than crashes, then they tend to recover the vehicle under the breakdown cover, and get you and the car home and you would think that a spill is similar. If your car breaks down and cannot be fixed at the roadside or locally quickly then they will take it, depending on the level of cover, back to your home or your repairer so what's the difference. Me thinks that this needs further discussion with Green Flag. Anyway for £6 you can hardly refuse it and especially as it will cover your partner as well assuming that they live at the same address.

[petevtwin650]

A few years ago, a mate had an off when we were in Truro. He called Green Flag who duly turned up and took his bike. He declined to travel with it cos he wanted to spend the rest of the weekend down there, so they organised a hire car that turned up on the campsite first thing Monday morning. It was excellent service I thought, but it now seems as if they have changed the type of recovery they will do. That is a great loss IMO.

[Dave20046]

They picked up my bike on the way back from the GM2 within an hour and took me over 50 miles home. Damn that faulty clutch.......lever. Driver was great (but possibly drunk) and gave me history lesson all about the battles in scotland.

[xXBADGERXx]

They picked up my bike on the way back from the GM2 within an hour and took me over 50 miles home. Damn that faulty clutch.......lever. Driver was great (but possibly drunk) and gave me history lesson all about the battles in scotland.

Bargain service then , inhale the fumes and learn something . On a side note , you could have asked them to bring you 4 cans as well seeing as you weren`t riding :)

[dizzyblonde]

They picked up my bike on the way back from the GM2 within an hour and took me over 50 miles home. Damn that faulty clutch.......lever. Driver was great (but possibly drunk) and gave me history lesson all about the battles in scotland.

:clown: feck that- drunk jock in charge of pick up vehicle bad enough but history lesson too:confused:
Even Pegs rolling his eyes:D

[Juju]

FWIW, I don't think either RAC or AA will recover you after an accident free of charge either. The AA might, but charge iro £90, which they ask you to pass to the insurer.

The clue is in the words "breakdown cover" and an accident isn't a breakdown. As someone said, if theres glass and oil over the road, lots of bent jagged bits of metal, and blood over the upholstery, thats more than any breakdown van can really cope with and you need a proper recovery.

Indeed, whils't I've never used them myself, don't forget that Greenflag are owned by RBS Insurance, and therefore do end up picking up damaged vehicles for insurers and delivering them to approved repairers, so your chances of finding a helpful GF man are possibly (and I can't quantify this statement at all) better than for the others.

[madcockney]

FWIW, I don't think either RAC or AA will recover you after an accident free of charge either. The AA might, but charge iro £90, which they ask you to pass to the insurer.

The clue is in the words "breakdown cover" and an accident isn't a breakdown. As someone said, if theres glass and oil over the road, lots of bent jagged bits of metal, and blood over the upholstery, thats more than any breakdown van can really cope with and you need a proper recovery.

Indeed, whils't I've never used them myself, don't forget that Greenflag are owned by RBS Insurance, and therefore do end up picking up damaged vehicles for insurers and delivering them to approved repairers, so your chances of finding a helpful GF man are possibly (and I can't quantify this statement at all) better than for the others.

I have poised the questions already to GF in an e-mail and going on past experience where the response actually came from RBS it can take some time. Incidentally in the documentation it states that the cover is underwritten by Direct Line insurance so I don't know if GF is operated under it's own steam, as part of RBS, or as part of Direct Line. I do have Recovery Plus for the car and GF stated with the personal cover deal that I got the same level of cover, for the bike, and any other vehicle I am in, up to the level of cover prescribed for my own vehicle.

Years ago, on the M62, I hit a jay walking dog doing about 70 MPH, (the car not the dog :smile:). It took out the front wheel, part of the suspension, the radiator, part of the front wing, etc. The police attended and GF's predecessor National Breakdown with whom I had cover with came out loaded the car on to their vehicle and took me back to their depot. They then took me the 90 miles or so back to my selected garage, dropped the car off so that the insurance assessor could view, and then dropped me off. As mentioned earlier I have recovery included on my current breakdown cover and trying to discover if the level of cover as I saw in the M62 incident still appertains for cars, and also for bikes. This is all part of my earlier mentioned e-mail to GF.

I think Juju that you are right and that many get breakdown and recovery mixed up. I have recovery for which I pay extra for, but even if I don't use it for three years or more the time I do need it will be money well spent.

[ophic]

Who owns Direct Line? RBS of course...

[madcockney]

Who owns Direct Line? RBS of course...
All are one and the same group, why I questioned who is operating Green Flag. Anyway I have had a response from GF; well in fact Direct Line! http://forums.sv650.org/images/icons/icon7.gif They have said that the question is too complex for them, huh, and to phone or write to GF and provided GF's postal address. I think it will be the latter as I would like to see it in writing.

[Juju]

I do think fundamentally, all the recovery services are much of a muchness.

I recall having had the AA out to fix a busted chain on a bike, and being surprised that they refused to even look at it, and simply called a motorcyle recovery company to pick it up and take it to a fairly expensive franchised dealer in the middle of nowhere, wher eI got saddled with a pretty large bill for a chain and sprocket.

But on another occasion, similar that chain had come off (this was when I wuz a noob on a 125) an RAC man came out, sorted it out, and then showed me what to do, with my own toolkit, if it happened again, and insisted on following me down the road for a couple of miles til I got my confidence back!

Then I have had on cars similar "variable" service, from an AA man who was "delighted" to open up the points on my MG Midget, as he hadn't had to do that job in years - again, showed me what to do, and the AA man who was determined to sort out my Alfa 75, that I thought had run out of petrol, but in fact a balance resistor in the FI had failed when I was really low on petrol. After putting in a spare gallon and it still wouldnt start, he went at it for 1.5 hours, finally calling in the AA database of breakdowns and finding that once before, they had a dodgy Fi on an Alfa 75 and to try that part - and lo - it worked.

99 % of the time, they are brilliant, enthusiastic guys, but sometimes when they hear its a motorbike rather than a car, its real "oh no" territory for them.

I've never tried Green FLag though.

[madcockney]

You're not going to believe this at long last I have not just had a holding letter, but an actual reply to my query. It's only taken 6 months. Anyway the response came from Green Flag in Leeds:

They said that the cover I received on my bike was the same as in my car, or any vehicle I am travelling in. They then went onto to say "In the event your breakdown would involve another vehicle, it is in those circumstances that we would not be providing this service and that you would have to claim off your bike insurance."

I think I'll hold onto this letter. I hope that RBS/DirectLine are a bit quicker in sorting out their claims.http://forums.sv650.org/images/icons/icon7.gif In fact I know they used to be quick when I had a cage insured with them, but that was 8 years ago!

[TazDaz]

I ended up going with this company: http://www.rescuemycar.com/Breakdown/Motorcycle/

I think it was about £23 and they will recover if my bike is in an accident, as I phoned them to ask.

Extract from my policy wording.

Incidents covered under this contract
Mechanical or electrical breakdown, accidental damage, vandalism, fire, theft or attempted theft, flat battery, or accidental damage to tyres, occurring during the Period of Cover, within the Territorial Limits.
In the case of key breakage, keys locked within Your Covered Vehicle, the use of incorrect fuel, flat tyre, or puncture, We would pay for the roadside assistance and local recovery if appropriate. However, you will be responsible for paying any incremental costs such as lock replacement, new keys, drainage of tank, disposal of wrong fuel, any replacement fuel, and any replacement or repair of tyres.