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Emergency Assist: Breakdown Cover reviews

Name: Breakdown Cover
Rating: 1 (22 reviews)

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1.00

Based on 22 reviews, last reviewed 10th May 2025

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DO NOT USE! DO NOT USE! Read the small print for their definition of ‘national recovery’ … it is very different to most companies! They seem to think that offer... Read more Reviewed on: 10th May 2025

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About this product

Looking for Emergency Assist breakdown cover reviews? Read on to see what people are saying about this company on Smart Money People. Our users comment on everything you could want to know in a breakdown cover policy − customer care, call out times, etc. so that you can make better decisions when choosing your next breakdown cover company - be it Emergency Assist or someone else.

Emergency Assist Breakdown Cover reviews (22)

Review of the Emergency Assist, Breakdown Cover:

NEVER USE @Emergency Assist Ltd Motor Breakdown

NEVER USE @Emergency Assist Ltd Motor Breakdown I put the wrong fuel in my car on Thursday at 6pm. I pulled onto the busy roundabout at High Wycombe above the M40 in the rush hour and came to a kangaroo halt. I was in the middle of the roundabout with cars hurtling up behind me for over an hour. I had my 86 year old mother with me who had just had a full knee replacement who I was bringing back from the hospital. I called emergency Assist and said I had a Premium contract and wanted to be towed home. I was told that they would only tow me 24 miles and my house was 27 miles away. I asked what alternative there was and they said I needed to give them a more local address. I asked them to recommend a local garage if there would be one open but they were not able to help me locate one - they told me to use yell.com ... from a packed roundabout above the M40 in the rush hour with my 86 year old mother. They said the alternative was that they could tow me home for a cash contract to be paid then and there - for over £440. I said that was no solution and they needed to come up with a solution. The guy on the phone said he couldnt help and that only a supervisor could and there wouldnt be one available until the next morning. They left us totally stranded. The police had to tow us off the roundabout and then the @Fuel Doctor team stepped in - and were amazing. Please, if you have your breakdown cover with Emergency Assist Ltd, change it - they will not rescue you. I didnt take out the policy for our cars. I didnt therefore check the reviews - which are all DISGUSTING! This is them: https://emergencyassistltd.co.uk/breakdown-cover?utm_source=google&utm_campaign=brand&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=EmergencyBreakdown&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz7C2BhDkARIsAA_SZKbJC-7_7eIQSmLsKAp6_KyKt8im7oZEQKfwTWVISLGuSnR7SyK5T2IaArCpEALw_wcB Reviewed on: 26th August 2024

DO NOT USE!

DO NOT USE! Read the small print for their definition of ‘national recovery’ … it is very different to most companies! They seem to think that offering recovery to a local garage on a Sunday of a Bank Holiday weekend, when garages are shut for 2 days, is an acceptable recovery option for national recovery as part of Premium Policy cover! One call handler even told me that it was unlikely they could help due to it being a Bank Holiday weekend and because I was towing a trailer. Eventual recovery home cost me £625. I made a complaint and this was unsuccessfully resolved but during this process I had a look at the reviews, particularly the one-star reviews, on Trustpilot. There are thousands of people with similar experiences and these include many vulnerable, disabled and elderly individuals. I have read a lot of these reviews and it seems that nobody is offered anything other than recovery to a local garage, but many do not even get this. Reading through these reviews it seems like EA will ask a series of questions to prevent having to come out at all - for example they will ask people who are phoning in with battery issues whether they had the radio on prior to calling. If they have then they don't go out. If people want recovery support for flat tyres if they can establish that they hit a stone or a pothole, then again, they won't go out as they say it's an accident and they are not covered. If people have used them previously, they will say it's the same fault, even with proof it's not, and again they won't go out. If people do get offered recovery to a local garage, many are saying they have to find that garage themselves! In an area they likely don’t know at all! EAs detail is all in the small print and people are missing this. As did I. I accept that legally they may be scraping by, but their advertising feels very misleading and disingenuous. Morally they are not fulfilling their commitment to customers. And the fact of the matter is they really do not care at all. It feels like the service is bordering on a scam. When you go on Trustpilot there are many five star reviews. However, if you look at these, they are mostly for purchase experience only including auto renewals. All of these people are yet to actually attempt to use the service! In addition, when I made my complaint, they sent me the call log with the full names of ALL the call handlers I spoke to, including the individual that part of the complaint specifically related to! Did they have consent to share this personal data with a complainant?! If not, then a breach of data protection can be added to the list too. Cheap breakdown cover is only cheap until you need to use it! While 2gether Insurance, who sell the policies, are regulated by the FOS, EA are unregulated. Other than a money claim in court, there is nowhere to escalate a complaint to, as I am sure many other people have discovered also. Give this company a wide berth and go to a well known company instead. Reviewed on: 10th May 2025

AVOID spend a bit more to get people not idiots

Would not come out to assist. Claiming a speed bump is a foreign object! claiming I must have been speeding and collided with ‘foreign object’ !!!! Nonsense staff members and managers Reviewed on: 2nd May 2025

Avoid isn’t the word.

Avoid isn’t the word. All the reviews on here are same as mine. They did come out 1 time for flat tyre. I had my car vandalised windows smashed and asked for recovery. No surprise, they’ll make excuses. They hang up phone. Few days ago flat battery, called them, they state similar issues as last call. Definitely avoid. 1000%. Zero conscious. They’ll burn in hell. Reviewed on: 23rd February 2025

TERRIBLE SERVICE!

Terrible customer support. Demanded extra money as I mentioned the engine light had come on a week before and I didn't know the reason. Didn't even bother to ask how I was or for my location. When I asked to speak to a manager I was told there was no manager available. So I was left in the middle of nowhere in freezing conditions. As a pensioner with mob ility issues tEmergency Assist basically callously abandoned me, despite having paid for their so called 'breakdown' cover. This company should be BANNED by Trading Standards! Reviewed on: 17th February 2025

Perhaps the worst company I have ever dealt with...

Perhaps the worst company I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. After a motorcycle accident I was told the company do not cover accident recovery, but as the accident wasn't my fault they would recover the bike as I had 'insurance cover' with them but it had to be taken to their 'secure facility'. What they actually did was call another recovery service to pick up the bike, for which they charged me the princely sum of £550 on top of the recovery service's charges when I tried to have my bike returned to me. Their 'insurance cover' was some dodgy 'no win no fee' company who wanted 25% of my claim for their services. After refusing their insurance it cost me £900 to have my bike returned to me a week after the accident and i have currently spent hours on the phone trying to get them to send me an invoice for this 'service' which I have still not received (i'm currently on hold as I write - 53 minutes and counting...). I would advise you to AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS. Reviewed on: 10th February 2025

BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY. You will be trapped

I took out my policy on 10th October and thankfully having it in place, I had to call for assistance concerning a flat battery, on 29th October. One of their nominated vehicle technicians attended and helped me to get the car started via a jump-start. When I drove off and in the direction of the garage where I have my vehicle serviced/repaired (4 miles away), I was no more than 1.5 miles into my journey and had to stop in a line of traffic that just reached back to the exiting lane of a large roundabout. As soon as I came to a stop, my car immediately shut down and I was once more unable to start it. I was not informed before starting my journey, that I should have isolated ALL engine management systems, including the start/stop system. Being stranded in a very dangerous position that was now impeding oncoming traffic, I called Emergency Assist once again to explain my car had broken down and still unable to use my car. I was then told that as I had used the service that day, I COULD NOT request a further call-out concerning the same fault and would have to pay £192.50 for an additional attendance. With little choice at my disposal and their adamant unsympathetic nature to my dilemma, I chose to pay the cost to be rescued. It took the same service technician 30 seconds to assist me when he arrived some 45 minutes later. Since the incident, I have written to Emergency Assist to request their help in assisting with a refund for the additional charge. They have flatly denied my claim, with a ‘full and final email’ simply placing the blame upon myself and, copying and pasting terms from their Membership Policy, telling me they are not responsible for the same fault on the same day. Having spent most of my life working in the service sector and recognising a fault that cannot be blamed on the customer, I have discovered that this Company are sadly one of those who sell their service cheaply to attract new business but, have no care or concern for their members once they are locked into a policy. I warn all drivers who are considering using Emergency Assist. Pay a little more with a reputable company. You will not be sorry when you need ‘emergency assistance’. Reviewed on: 9th December 2024

I realised I had a puncture I called out EA being my...

I realised I had a puncture I called out EA being my recovery for past 5 years (which I didnt need to call them) the agent arrived saying I am not going to do this job its to hard after hard work day he then said it looks like I touched the curb when I parked and that it looks to him that I damaged the suspension and therefore he cannot change the wheel, I called EA who said that for a reason I still dont understand that hitting the curb is considered an accident which is not covered, which I dont understand where this is stated in the terms & conditions I called the local car tyre company who confirmed that nothing is wrong with the suspension-it was only an excuse from the agent I have all this recorded via cctv and my mobile phone, shockingly I received in the post that there is an outstanding of 98.40 stating the assistance was subsequently cancelled....my advise step away from this company Reviewed on: 10th November 2024

Avoid at all costs!

Avoid at all costs!!! Called breakdown in June as car wouldn't start, mechanic arrived confirmed it was a flat battery and battery needed replacing, paid mechanic for a new battery that they fitted. Fast forward to today.....battery light came on, stranded in a layby on a dual carriageway, phone breakdown....they won't come out unless I pay upfront as we have had a starting issue before and this could be due to the same issue!!! We had the battery replaced by them......how on earth could it be the same thing!!! Female on my own and they wouldn't come out unless I paid upfront and then for every mile if they had to recover the car!! I could then claim it back if it wasn't the same thing.....not a chance. Do yourself a favour save your money and get decent cover not from this joke of an organisation Reviewed on: 11th September 2024

Buy elsewhere

I have had long running issues with this company, they are APPALLING. They have lied on a number of occasions to cover their back, most recently they LIED IN A SUBJECT ACCESS REQUEST RESPONSE and have failed to respond to requests as to why they lied. I had Premium cover (still have as they have failed to cancel my policy following my request to in February) - they refused to send assistance when I got a puncture unless I paid a minimum of £125 (I declined to), even though their literature states that flat tyres and punctures are covered under all levels of cover and I met all the terms - they failed to respond to a postal complaint that they received, and signed for, in February. They only responded when I filed a second complaint via Resolver and didn’t refer to some issues that were raised in the postal complaint. On receiving professional advice, I made a Subject Access Request, questioning when they received my postal complaint and responded to it, along with the current status of my policy. Tom Coates responded to the SAR stating that they received my postal complaint on 16 April, after I made my further complaint via Resolver. I have signed evidence they received my letter on 26 February, and they were sent a copy of that on 16 April but still chose to LIE. I have questioned why they have lied - NO RESPONSE. They manipulate their Trustpilot score by getting people to review them before using their service. THERE ARE VAST AMOUNTS OF NEGATIVE REVIEWS ON THE INTERNET FROM PEOPLE THEY LEFT STRANDED, THEY LITERALLY MAKE UP THE TERMS AS THEY GO ALONG. *** If you do decide to take cover, use a cashback site, eg Topcashback or the like, you will get 55% of your premium back. Hit them where it hurts, they only want your money for nothing, a really nasty company. Reviewed on: 5th July 2024

AVOID, AVOID, AVOID

Don’t say you weren’t warned if you sign up for EA’s breakdown cover. Read all the negative reviews on the internet, there are plenty of them - multiple cases of people left stranded after breaking down and EA finding ridiculous excuses not to send someone out. Their policy wordings are ambiguous to say the least, and in some examples completely contradict what EA advertise as being covered. If you contact them, and are lucky enough to get a response, you’ll find they can’t answer straight questions about their policy cover because they literally seem to make the rules up as they go along. Read up on the Haime family who are heavily involved with this company, my complaint was responded to by one of them after I went to Resolver to get them to stop ignoring my complaint, aren’t I the lucky one! The Directors, past and present, have been involved with multiple dissolved companies, and I’m in no doubt that this company will head the same way. No company can survive the amount of complaints and negativity this one gets. If you work for this company, your soul must be destroyed - do yourself a favour and find a job with a company that has decent morals and ethics, EA definitely do NOT! Shocking company. Reviewed on: 11th April 2024

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