AXA Breakdown through Dolmens Insurance. Shocking

Max H

Beware those of you, you are covered for a Maximum of 650 euro and thats if they can be bothered to send anyone out, which in this instant, they didn't. AXA have contacted me re the below complaint, and have offered a derisory 100 euro compensation.

On Wednesday 29th May 2024, at 1720 hours, I called the included in our policy, the AXA Breakdown number 1800 333 393. This was because our motorhome had been billowing black smoke, and we were on the M1 near junction 20, County Louth. I pulled off the motorway into the Circle K Petrol station, and on stopping saw that our motorhome was leaking diesel fuel from its high pressure diesel fuel filter, onto the hot exhaust.
I called the breakdown number, explained where we were and what our problem was. The female operator I spoke to said they would not send out a mobile mechanic, and would only tow us to a nearby garage, which I had to nominate myself. I explained i didn't know of a nearby garage, so couldn't nominate one, plus i explained that we had to get a ferry at 0230 in Belfast to the Isle of Man, and if we missed it, there wasn't another ferry until Sunday, which as it was TT week, would probably be fully booked. The female operator spent more time telling me how much financial cover i had through the policy than attempting to help. When i said that the policy states that a Motor Trade Professional would attend and if not able to get us mobile, they would then tow us to a garage of our choice, she said no MTP was available and they would only tow us, she then said she suggested we call a mobile mechanic ourselves. 


 So we called a mobile mechanic who came out at our own expense and fixed the issue at a cost of £165 sterling, this got us to the ferry at Belfast, onto the ferry, and all the way back home to County Wexford.
Our complaint is, that the help and support from the breakdown cover through AXA was non existent, we were left to find a mobile mechanic ourselves, and pay for them ourselves, if we had gone with the AXA solution, we would have missed our ferry to the Isle Of Man TT, which had cost over £1000 sterling.
The breakdown policy you ( Dolmens ) sent us with our insurance, specifically states it will dispatch a MTP ( Motor Trade Professional ) and attempt to get us going with up to 1 hour labour. If not then we would be towed to a garage.
However on this occasion we were told that no MTP would be dispatched and only a tow to a garage was available. Despite it being 1720 on a Wednesday evening, no garage would have been open to help us, plus I was asked to nominate a garage in an area of Ireland I am not familiar with. Basically the breakdown cover you supply through AXA is not worth the paper it is written on. We were left to our own devices in a stressful situation. I will be copying this email to AXA complaints as well, and i would expect some form of compensation and redress of £165 that we had to pay, as your AXA policy failed to do what the policy states.
I await your prompt response.

whiterebel

Arachas using Aviva were no better for me, a year or two ago. Coming back from Wexford to Cork about 8pm, there was a loud bang, and the power started to fluctuate. I got the van into a safe place and rang the insurance. Seeing I was a couple of kms after the Waterford roundabout they offered a local mechanic or tow it to a garage of my choosing. I asked for the machanic and he came out in about and hour. He tried putting the hose back on, but accelerating blew it off again. He said there was no more he could do, and offered to tow it to his place, or a place of my choosing. He took the van and left me on the side of the road and 10pm. My wife came down for me.

I got a call to collect next day, and a bill for €100+. It needed one jubilee clip which cost about €1.50, which the mechanic knew the previous night - "But didn't have one……."

I got on to Arachas and put in a complaint. The garage got a call out fee, didn't fix it, got a towing fee, and then fleeced me for a repair that they could easily have done the previous night.

Aviva didn't care much.

spaceHopper

I think you are being harsh, it's not their fault you broke down, it is a tow away service and you could have had them tow you home to Wexford or Cork and had your own mechanic fix it. I did that once with Dolmen. And I think they offer assistance to get you accommodation or home. You aren't paying for a clip you're paying for the mechanics experience time and his overheads.

I put the wrong fuel in my car once, a guy came out and fixed it for a fee, he didn't use any parts should I have refused to pay them?