First time poster - I just got a years free breakdown cover from Be Smart, please note it does not include breakdown at home which is £1.33 extra per month. Hope this helps a few HUKD members.
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Edited by a community support team member, 5 May 2023
BUDGET Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery excess £49 Home Assist excess £39 Mis-fuel excess £69 Repeat fault (same fault within any 90-day period) excess £79 Pre-existing fault (fault that existed before the membership plan was in place) £79 excess.
Observations: The non-budget "Roadside Assistance, Local Recovery" and non-budget "Roadside Assistance, Nationwide Recovery" are implied not to have an excess (on the basis that an excess is not a "benefit"). Titles of "Home Start" appear to refer to "Home assist". Probably best to check those observations prior to commitment.
Just found it was previously posted last year, reading the comments, they charge a £35 callout fee hotukdeals.com/dea…844
They charge £49 call-out fee if car is older than 10 years old. If you need the car towed 16 miles, they charge you £75 for the extra six miles. This is for one call-out using the so-called FREE Roadside Assistance and Local Recovery. Fees applied on 07/05/23. Very misleading proposition, so save yourself the complaints process that I am now pursuing! You won't know about these fees during the sign-up process, even when you input your vehicle year.
I think "Auto Aid breakdown cover "is the best in terms of money & service as of now.
I once had them tow me from Liverpool to London at no extra charge beside the membership 🙈
From what I can tell in the terms and conditions is that £35 is charged if you have opted for home assist and require assistance at your home address.
Then having "BUDGET Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery" results in a £49 charge before anyone is sent out to help.
I'm not sure if the free cover is the budget option or if it is the normal non budget roadside assistance which doesn't require a fee (minus the few generic excess fees).
Author
I took it that they would pay roadside after reading this:
Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery The Following Service Is Provided With ALL LEVELS Of Membership: Roadside Assistance In the event of a breakdown within the territorial limits (UK), which occurs more than a one-mile radius/straight line from your home address and during the Period of your membership, WE will arrange and pay for a recovery engineer to attend the breakdown and where appropriate, spend up to 60 minutes to try and repair the vehicle.
Local Recovery If, in the opinion of the recovery operator/ engineer, if they are unable to repair the vehicle within 60 minutes at the roadside WE will assist in the following way:
Either:
Arrange and pay for your vehicle and the passengers to be recovered to the nearest suitable garage which is able to undertake the repair within 10 miles from the scene of the breakdown. Or:
If the above is not possible at the time or the repair cannot be made within the same working day, we will arrange for the vehicle and the passengers to be recovered to your chosen destination up to 10 miles from the scene of the breakdown.
BUT Then there's this..
BUDGET Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery If you have opted and paid for our Budget Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery Membership Package there is a £49 Excess fee. it includes the same benefits as Roadside Assistance and Local Recovery, but a £49 excess payment will be due before any assistance can be organised.
Sounds like a Contradiction in Terms (edited)
Be smart and think before joining ! I tried them on the boiler breakdown and thought they were rubbish !
Was it roadside?
Cheaper than having to get a tow arranged independently I suppose. But I think I'd rather pay for the aa and know that I'm set if something happens rather than have to mess around on a roadside having to make payments to get someone out.
Had to get it towed few times and never payed more then 50 tho it was never more then 15 miles
I think this is an excellent idea... the BIG boys take hours to arrive, and are geared to up selling. Most folk have break down cover and never use their services, so on the odd time you NEED them, then pay ! The police will arrange a tow off a motorway at £200 + so this is a bargain imho.
Hi , What a great deal to share for your first, I can see quite a few members have thanked you already with the beta reaction feature. I just came here to say thank you too, we really do appreciate you sharing your first deal, If you ever need anything from me or the team, feel free to drop me / us a message, and well be happy to help! Without members like yourself who take the time to post their finds, our community wouldn't be the same.
Author
Thank you Adam - very much appreciatethe input, cheers
don’t skimp on breakdowns. Trust me. When you need it you need it. RAC or AA always. Doesn’t mean you have to go direct to them but make sure whoever you chooses use one of them.
Is it any good the company?
Author
Sorry, just got it - haven't yet had to use it. I'm hoping that it saves money in the sense that a lot of folk pay for breakdown cover without using it and (although there might be an excess to pay if it's used) it's free until then - so if I don't break down for 20 months, I've saved a years fees. (edited)
Could be good as a backup option if you are broken down and the RAC are going to take 10 hours to attend
And the first 20mins on the phone trying to get them to come out to a breakdown will be spent listening to ads. (edited)
I always use rescue my car dot com you pay a small excess if you need them snd it’s cheap as chips 🍟 lus good Quidco too
How much do you pay annually? I'm looking to buy a breakdown cover for my first car
john.coote 5 h, 45 m ago I always use rescue my car dot com you pay a small excess if you need them snd it’s cheap as chips 🍟 lus good Quidco too
seems cheap. add home cover and the price goes down. Doesn’t make any sense how is this only £22 a year?
Breakdown cover is only good value when you actually need it and they recover you in good time.
25 Comments
sorted byBUDGET Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery excess £49
Home Assist excess £39
Mis-fuel excess £69
Repeat fault (same fault within any 90-day period) excess £79
Pre-existing fault (fault that existed before the membership plan was in place) £79 excess.
All listed within t&c at
besmartuk.com/ter…wn/
Observations:
The non-budget "Roadside Assistance, Local Recovery" and non-budget "Roadside Assistance, Nationwide Recovery" are implied not to have an excess (on the basis that an excess is not a "benefit").
Titles of "Home Start" appear to refer to "Home assist".
Probably best to check those observations prior to commitment.
Then having "BUDGET Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery" results in a £49 charge before anyone is sent out to help.
I'm not sure if the free cover is the budget option or if it is the normal non budget roadside assistance which doesn't require a fee (minus the few generic excess fees).
Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery
The Following Service Is Provided With ALL LEVELS Of Membership: Roadside Assistance
In the event of a breakdown within the territorial limits (UK), which occurs more than a one-mile radius/straight line from your home address and during the Period of your membership, WE will arrange and pay for a recovery engineer to attend the breakdown and where appropriate, spend up to 60 minutes to try and repair the vehicle.
Local Recovery
If, in the opinion of the recovery operator/ engineer, if they are unable to repair the vehicle within 60 minutes at the roadside WE will assist in the following way:
Either:
Arrange and pay for your vehicle and the passengers to be recovered to the nearest suitable garage which is able to undertake the repair within 10 miles from the scene of the breakdown.
Or:
If the above is not possible at the time or the repair cannot be made within the same working day, we will arrange for the vehicle and the passengers to be recovered to your chosen destination up to 10 miles from the scene of the breakdown.
BUT Then there's this..
BUDGET Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery
If you have opted and paid for our Budget Roadside Assistance & Local Recovery Membership Package there is a £49 Excess fee. it includes the same benefits as Roadside Assistance and Local Recovery, but a £49 excess payment will be due before any assistance can be organised.
Sounds like a Contradiction in Terms (edited)
I tried them on the boiler breakdown and thought they were rubbish !
Most folk have break down cover and never use their services, so on the odd time you NEED them, then pay !
The police will arrange a tow off a motorway at £200 + so this is a bargain imho.
I'm hoping that it saves money in the sense that a lot of folk pay for breakdown cover without using it and (although there might be an excess to pay if it's used) it's free until then - so if I don't break down for 20 months, I've saved a years fees. (edited)