What choice other than Red Penant?

[Moley1]

Hi all

Not sure if I am missing something, but Red Penant charge just under £200 for 2 weeks cover including 3 extra occupants.

A friend of mine said he can get a years cover including europe that even covers his motor bike!

Is Red Penant value for money, or are we getting overcharged because the Caravan Club promote them?

Cheers

Dave

 

[justcards]

We use Saga to cover the car for european trips and if you buy the comprehensive plus policy it includes caravan abroad. It is actually run by Green Flag.As it is coming up for renewal I got a shocking quote from Red Pennant.

Graham

 

[GeorgeB]

David,

Having been a member of the RAC for more years than i care to remember, got really p****d of with their extra charges for continental cover for the car & van, it was as much again as the yearly charge for all the bells & whistles cover for the car.

So as I qualified for SAGA 5 years ago, switched to them for caravan & car cover rolled into one.

Can't speak for anyone else, but as far as I'm concerned they're the bee's knee's, can't fault them or their service in any way.

GeorgeB

 

[David.O]

Graham

Are comparing like with like Red Penant not only covers your car and van but also you if you have health problems. Its not perfect but I would not leave home without it. Have you looked at the annual policy I take that and with very little planning can get two or three trips on it.

David from Suffolk

 

[graham_5108846]

Hi David,

We looked into different european cover and found that More than gave all we needed and a years cover was for car and caravan and all the occupants for

 

[blackrat]

Have you considered car insurance that includes breakdown cover? I recently got on online quote for breakdown insurance from either the AA or RAC (can't remember which), european cover for the year for car, 11+ years old, and 'van. It was 250 quid. Went back to an insurance broker I had previously used, fully comp with european breakdown, including caravan, and homestart, 266 pounds. Friend of mine has mad use of the breakdown, its provided by Green Flag and was very prompt. You could say my insurance this year was 16 pounds. Not bad for fully comp on a Volvo T5!

Gary

 

[justcards]

Have you considered car insurance that includes breakdown cover? I recently got on online quote for breakdown insurance from either the AA or RAC (can't remember which), european cover for the year for car, 11+ years old, and 'van. It was 250 quid. Went back to an insurance broker I had previously used, fully comp with european breakdown, including caravan, and homestart, 266 pounds. Friend of mine has mad use of the breakdown, its provided by Green Flag and was very prompt. You could say my insurance this year was 16 pounds. Not bad for fully comp on a Volvo T5!

Gary

David, I think that there are 2 Graham's on this thread. My wife has health problems so we need specialised insurance for her. So that just leaves the car and caravan through Saga for now. The Red pennant quote seems excessive but I will have another look at it

Graham

 

[Vic_5039745]

When I made my booking through Select Sites earlier this year I purchased their absolute top cover of Travel and Breakdown insurance and it cost me

 

[DavidW1]

David,

You are not missing anything - Red Pennant is undoubtedly a rip off for foriegn travel and not competative for home use either.

My breakdown cover this year, for a twelve year old vehicle and van with up to ninety days Euro cover, was

 

[NorfolkMike]

Be sure you are compairing like with like. Although I also think that red pennant and other C.C. insurances are expencive. One does ask the question? Are they a club dedicated to serving the best interests of the members?

Now to the point. Mayday is the CC. breakdown cover in the U.K. which is opperated be Green Flag but EXCLUDES euro cover as the club wish to sell you Red Pennant ( they would argue that it is far superior, but then thay would wouldent thay.

My soloution is Green Flag (normal) and annual health ect via Insure and go which has always served me well.

ttfn

 

[DavidW1]

Mike,

You are so much more diplomatic than me but I think we sing from the same hymbook nonetheless - pity we can't rate these breakdown services apart from just cost basis but I am not prepared to stage a breakdown just to find out though!

Sounds like a project for Which or, dare I say it, Top Gear.

 

[David.O]

David

In June we stayed 2 nights just outside Calais. and watched the recovery trucks bring in the brokendown outfits per going to the ferries. you should try this and asked these people how they got on first hand. One I spoke with found the bigest problem was not being good at speaking french and that was after an age getting through to the control.I want piece of mind so I use the devil I know cost is not my main concern,on this occaision.

David from Suffolk

 

[DavidW1]

Well go on then David from Sufolk - you can't just leave it there - who was good and who was bad?

I would not expect to be speaking any language but English by the way to a UK control centre on a 44 number which my breakdown service uses.

Talking to a breakdown person I would of course resort to bad French, German or Spanish as the case demands and not forgetting to shout loudly in English if all else fails.

 

[vernon]

I have used Red Pennant when my clutch failed a few years ago, and I couldn't fault them.

I managed to get the car back to the campsite and rang the CC, a breakdown truck was there within an hour, and took it to their garage for repair.

With Red Pennant you deal with the same person each time you ring, she spoke fluent French and dealt with the garage and hire car company, and rang me on the campsite.

Red Pennant even paid the garage bill to save my holiday money, and I re-embused them on return.

 

[ThePlotter]

I suppose you can only speak as you find I had cause to use Red Pennant a few years ago when my clutch cable snapped and they were excellant.

I now insure my van with the caravan Club and if using Select Sites top up with them and had cause to use them this year when i had to cancel my holiday,no great problem there.

On the other hand my friend has just had his two month old Challenger rear ended and is having all sorts of problems with Saga and difficulty in getting them to cover his challenger and temporary replacement.

Another friend last year had his engine blow on his two year old Laguna in France and Green Flag were useless they took two months to get his van and car home and he had to make all the arrangements for a hire car although it was covered.They had to carry all their belongings in black bags on the Dover ferry and upon docking Green Flag had forgot to arrange a hire car and they told him to get a taxi to Ashford to pick one up.

I think I will pay a bit more and insure with the specialists as my friend said about Saga the cheapest is not the best.

 

[David.O]

David W

Sorry if I left you in the air. I only spoke with one lady from whom I was given to understand the motorway she had broken down on required as they do here you first contact the police and they take it from there. hence the language problem, and she was a french teacher. The others arrived late at night and all looked thankfull to have arrived

Re the costs involved. yes good cover cost money but I cannot help ask what are you paying for. forget the car cover thats easey to get ,what would happen if the main driver god forbids breaks a leg and needs air lifting home, who pays for that?

I want piece of mind and over the years paid many

 

[vernon]

A friend of mine suffered a major stroke in Provence two years ago. Red Pennant were brilliant, they put his wife up in an hotel near the hospital, flew a doctor out (with a driver) on a private jet, flew him back to Birmingham, while the driver came to the campsite and collected the car/caravan and drove it back to England and placed it on their drive. and paid all the costs.

Compare that to Green Flag, when another friend broke the exhaust on his Hobby Camper van. Green Flag sent out a new exhaust, after a considerable delay, but it was the wrong one, they then refused to send another, saying that they had sent one, and that was it!