Belle
Sorry to hear about your woes. I had a similar (but a bit different) experience in 2007 with Carole Nash breakdown insurance. As many of you will know, this cover is automatically included with all CN policies.

In brief: my bike broke down on the motorway between Arnhem and Nijmegen. I called them from the roadside, but had to wait there for 5 hours in the rain before the breakdown guy came. In the meantime the local police came and gave me grief about being on the motorway for so long. In the end I had to push the bike (Triumph Trophy 1200....so it is a HEAVY bike) about a quarter of a mile to a "safe" place. Breakdown guy came, took bike to a garage and me to a motel which Carole Nash were paying for. It was one of those cheap and nasty places along the side of a carriageway and miles from civilisation of any kind.They left me there for 3 days then told me to pay for a train to Amsterdam and they would pay for my flight home, which they did. My bike arrived home 3 weeks later. During this entire episode they never called me once. All communication was instigated by me and I had a mobile phone bill of around £75 for the 3 days of misery in Holland. However about a month later they did have the courtesy to phone me.............to ask me for a contribution towards the repatriation of the bike as it was more expensive than they had thought it would be!! Needless to say I refused.....and never heard another word about it.

All in all, Yes they got me home, and yes they got my bike home eventually. But it was not a pleasant experience and I do think they could have made it all a lot less painful just by being more efficient. What a lot of these organisations don't seem to care about is the fact that in situations like this you are left feeling isolated and your trip is pretty much ruined, yet they simply treat you like a commodity and act like like robots. I doubt if any of them has ever had a breakdown whilst abroad. If they had then I reckon they'd be more sympathetic. I know that sympathy isn't going to fix your bike but it can help relieve some of the pain.

Chris

We all have different expriences with insurance companies. So different opinions .IMO Carol Nash have been fine with me. OK 1 claim in 7 years.[ my own fault .] paid out promptly no probs.
But if you are prepared to spend a little time in checking on line quotes and then approach CN , they will negotiate a reduced offer.
DL 650 fully comp inc leathers lid and no claims protection plus full UK and Europe recovery and repat and 50000 legal cover £160.
Their original renewal was £195. Yes there are cheaper on line but god help you if you had a claim.
PS If you ask when renewing with CN they will send you a couple of tickets for the NEC bike show .

Jules
You are quite right. Everyone will have their own experiences and not everyone will have had one similar to mine. I do remember being really pissed off about it at the time but that anger faded after a few days when I attempted to count the cost of hotel/train/flight and bike repatriation if I'd had to pay for it myself. I know there can always be delays etc. when you depend on the services of others but I was more annoyed by their lack of contact during the ordeal than anything else. They just didn't seem to care at all. Like I said....a bit of basic sympathy or understanding on their part would have made it so much more bearable.

Chris

So it seems I should expect to be right-royally messed about if I use almost any breakdown service. Best not break down then. eh?

Yep, my new year's resolution for 2011 will be not to break down, and if I do, just sort it myself. Unfortunatley, I couldn't on this occassion, and so was at the mercy of people who pretended to be there to help but turned out to be incapable of joined up thinking, and lacked any sense of urgency. Oh well, at least I know where I stand now - and I've yet to receive the phonebill!

I will admit to being mystified by the whole concept of "breakdown recovery." I've never had it on either of my bikes, to my knowledge. Maybe I should read the fine print?

I've broken down, however: once in Morocco, once in Canada. I've also become unable to move forward, although the bike in question was running at the time, in Brazil. Throw in some random broken clutch cables and flat tires and stuff and you could say I've broken down quite a bit over the past few years. But it never would have occurred to me to call someone to come and repatriate my bike, provide for my lodging and meals, or keep me posted by phone on any sort of progress being made in any of the relevant realms. Mainly I just hire a tow or a truck ride or I find a mechanic or fix it myself, or I graciously accept the help of strangers who offer, or I do whatever else seems functional.

Based on the above, I'm not missing out on much. So do all you folks pay for this service, or is it considered a fundamental human right (like education, health care or, if American, the right to carry large-caliber weaponry to shopping malls, churches and nursery schools)?

Mark

I would expect to be able to repair most bike breakdowns at the roadside so I hope never to need recovery (which is a bloody good job apparently)

I the UK paying for recovery insurance on a car for years will not add up to the one charge for getting towed two miles off a motorway and dumped at a garage.

A lot of bike insurance includes recovery. (I don't think it makes much difference to the cost if you don't take it. Anyone know??)

Morocco etc. are actually better set up so you don't need the in-sewer-ants. You blow a hole in a piston:

Morocco: The next bloke in a truck stops and helps you get the bike into town for the price of a meal. The local mechanic will keep a huge stock of parts, will be preparred to look for something the right shape and failing that will weld up your old bit. You'll be off and running in 48 hours without breaking the bank.

UK: No one stops, all too terrified you're a peadophile rapist axe murderer. The police will stop, but only to tell you you have to move otherwise they'll fine you for your own safety. They'll call a recovery truck who'll take full advantage and charge you a weeks pay. The dealer keeps no stock and is too terrified of warranty claims to do anything but tell you you ain't going no where for a month until your bike manufacturer can be bothered to send the bits. The bike maufacturer doesn't care less, they prefer customers who only look at the bike on a weekend. His semi-literate trainee who's only experience is tipping whole bottles of oil into year old 1000 mile bikes will put the thing in backwards. The local hotels will be packed out with people buying into pyramid schemes and won't let you sleep in a cupboard on the grounds that it's "more than their jobs worth".

Having the in-sewer-ants, their buying power and lawyers fight these clowns is good when it works, but they've lost the plot and don't know who the customers are anymore. Their attitude is that they just hope anyone who'll break down will go away and sort it themselves while the ones who don't break down keep paying.

Andy

Andy
A fairly accurate description!!