Footman James Breakdown Cover

[MColes]

I had to call them up a few times with the other car and not had any problems with them.

A friend had a problem this evening and phoned them as she needed her car to looked at or taken back to where she lives.She was informed that they only come out twice in a year because of the same problem. When she added that it had overheated the woman on the end of the phone called her a liar.

Not knocking the service FJ offer, just pointing out that they only come out TWICE, so be warned!

[chrisryder]

i remember reading that they won't come out for the same fault twice. i always assumed that was just a get-out clause if they towed you home, and you risked it and went out again before repairing it and broke down again. was that the case this time? or has it coincidentally happened a few times over a long period?

i wonder what they would say to me getting towed home for another head gasket failure, seeing as the first one turned out to be a dying condenser!

also i'm on a different engine now, so if the headgasket goes, and i try to get a tow, is that 'the same problem' even though it's not the same engine? baffling!

[MColes]

I believe the other occasions have been battery related and this time the car overheated, so I've been told. She's not exactly certain herself.

[RobMoore]

Your friend needs to be complaining to FJ, not so much at the lack of assitance, but any employee calling a customer a "Liar" is not acceptable in any business.

[chrisryder]

not sure if the word 'liar' was actually used. hard to tell from the first post. but yes i agree it's not good practice, FJ should have recordings of each phone call so a complaint could be followed up.

[MColes]

Apparently the woman on the telephone actually used the word "liar" and also called my friend "spiteful" (not sure why ).

[bmcecosse]

Oh dear - hope this is not more criticism of the beloved Footman James Insurance................ Of course - maybe it IS the same problem, possibly caused by loose fan belt - and the 'expert' on the phone can diagnose that from afar! Certainly not right that they would leave someone stranded when they thought they were covered for roadside/recovery. Is this covered in the 'small print' in their Policy Docs?

[millerman]

Can an FJ policy holder check and report back here

[bpr81a]

No point in speculating. I'll get onto Footman James about the 'two call out' stuff. If Matt's friend is a club member they can contact the Club Office, and the matter will be looked into. If they're not a Club member, they should complain directly to Footman James. After all they're the only one who knows the exact circumstances.

[RobMoore]

Just checked my policy and under the heading "What is not covered", Item 5
"More than 6 claims for breakdown recovery in any one period of insurance, nor more than two claims in any one period of insurance which arise from a common identified fault" and item 11 refers to not providing further assitance in respect of the same event following temporary repairs.

[bmcecosse]

Well - I don't remember reading anything like that in my RH documents........ And 'battery' and 'overheating' don't sound too similar to me! I believe some of the Recovery Co's do apply limitations - but it doesn't seem right to leave a female stranded without help. Make a good story for the papers!! They love that sort of thing.

[LouiseM]

Well - I don't remember reading anything like that in my RH documents........

As has been frequently posted here, always read through your insurance policy documents so that you know exactly what cover is provided.

And 'battery' and 'overheating' don't sound too similar to me!

The actual cause of the breakdowns is not clear from the information posted - the car owner doesn't seem to know either.

it doesn't seem right to leave a female stranded without help

Well there's no information here to show that anyone was left 'stranded without help'.

Make a good story for the papers!! They love that sort of thing.

Most newspapers would at least make some sort of attempt to establish the actual facts, and speak directly to the person concerned first, rather than rely on secondhand information which may or may not be accurate.

No point at all in the sort of 'speculation' which has been posted here, without any knowledge of the actual facts. It's not helpful to the person, or the company involved, for those type of comments to be made by people who have no direct involvement in the matter. The person concerned has not raised the matter themselves on this forum, and there is no suggestion that they wish the matter to be discussed on an open internet forum, so I'm locking the thread.

Matt - If your friend is a club member and wishes to make a complaint or discuss the matter further she should contact the club directly so that the matter can be properly investigated.

[bpr81a]

We've had a response from Footman James:

our breakdown service would never leave anyone stranded at
the side of the road. If the claim falls outside the parameters of the
cover then they would have the option to be recovered for a fee.

There has to be a limit on how many times we will come out to the same
fault, the breakdown service is not designed to replace a proper maintenance
schedule, any more than 2 of the same faults on a correctly maintained car
would be very unlucky indeed.

and

calls to the breakdown and recovery service don't come
through to FJ, they go directly to AXA Assist who look after all the
breakdown recovery service for us. I'll obviously look into any complaints
regarding the service and report back

This depends on More information beging provided. I believe the original poster has been contacted for further information.