French Motorway Recovery

Dicken Vicken
Dicken Vicken Forum Participant Posts: 8
edited March 2019 in Overseas Campsites & Touring #1

I have always used Red Pennant Vehicle insurance and have used it to great effect on one occasion , however I have read that if you break down on the toll roads that you have to use the orange emergency phones at the roadside for rescue . Does this mean that Red Pennant is redundant in this situation or do they recompense you for the "probably" high cost ?

Any information on this would be very useful.

Comments

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,829 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #2

    You can use the roadside phones or your own mobile but you will be repaired or rescued by the motorway contractor - no other - he will either send the bill direct to Red Pennant or whatever other insurance you have, or if you pay him ( by cash or plastic) you will be reimbursed.

    Those without any insurance will pay €190 at weekends, evenings or public holidays - weekdays a bit cheaper - a mere €127 I believe.

  • Ourmonty
    Ourmonty Forum Participant Posts: 26
    edited March 2019 #3

    We broke down once on the motorway and managed to coax it to motorway service area. We were with the RAC. When I rang them and told them of this they said this was unfortunate as once your off the motorway your in the hands of the police and they sort out which breakdown firm you use. I then had to ring the police who did organise a garage. The guy arrived which took an age and took me 25 miles back down from where we had travelled from then to a small village in the middle of nowhere. No one spoke English and at 12 noon stopped for 2 hours for lunch.

    when the repair was made which took about 10 minutes we paid in cash  which to be fair was very cheap .

    The RAC said if they had been able to sort it they would have used local firm and I would have been away in no time.

    The RAC paid for the recovery.

    I now always use Red Pennant. 

    Ps Stay on the motorway if you break down.

  • Oxfordeagle15
    Oxfordeagle15 Forum Participant Posts: 114
    edited March 2019 #4

    Remember as well that if you are towing you will have to pay double - that is one recovery for the car and then a second fee for the caravan.  This happened to us in late May 2017 and Green Flag picked up a recovery fee of over Euros 450 even though the local garage was a mere 3 minutes away.  This was on a Bank Holiday so maybe we were charged extra.  Cannot speak highly enough of the service provided by Green Flag European Recovery.

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,829 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments
    edited March 2019 #5

    If you are not near an autoroute emergency phone the number to ring on a mobile in France is 112. 

     

  • Tigi
    Tigi Forum Participant Posts: 1,038
    500 Comments
    edited March 2019 #6

    See also SOS Autoroutes App in Google Play Store.

  • beverley12
    beverley12 Forum Participant Posts: 87
    edited March 2019 #7

    We broke down on a French motorway just passed a toll. We managed to limp to the next service station. We were a motorhome. We found a manager at the service station who phoned the police (as I understand it they have to be informed). Apparently the police then sent the required help - In our case a huge low back trailer arrived from the nearest fiat garage. It  took our van and us to the garage. 

    At the garage we then phoned red pennent who spoke to the garage and us (our French was not wonderful). Red Pennet were fantastic. 

    The garage owner was really helpful. He  had to get a part first. We were able to plug our electric cable in while we waited for the part (3 days it was a bank holiday). 

    Red pennet paid direct to the garage for the pick up. We paid the garage bill and then were able to claim back once home. Also we were able to claim for the hotel and hire car for a few days.

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