Emergency Assist Ltd

The worst service provider. Their only interest is to take money and they don't care anymore. If you have a problem, they will refer you to the garage, if you cancel the service, they will not refund your money. Shame on them. I do not recommend signing a contract with them, you will only lose money and gain only anger and stress. Hands off them.

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.Moreexpand_more

## BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY ## You will be trapped into paying huge fees. 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’.Moreexpand_more

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. .Moreexpand_more

Rip off company! Refusing to refund my money after providing invoices. Prepared to leave me and my small child stranded if I didn’t pay £190 call out despite being a PREMIUM member for 3 years. Avoid like the plague. I will be making this known to everyone and every social media platform ZERO STARS.

I have been researching them since they left me stranded in the New Forest with a simple flat battery - this on their Premium Breakdown policy! I spoke to 4 operators and supervisors who all refused to send help, claiming 'human error'. This despite their listing stating '…Our Premium with excess breakdown cover is specifically designed for the average motorist who wishes to be covered in every eventuality. ’ Clearly not! They won't even come out for a simple jump start or refuel. Mine is far from the worst review I have since read about them. They are clearly just a call centre scam with no intention of sending help. Read their 1-star reviews on TrustPilot (not the fake 5-star ones they pay for) or visit their, seemingly unmoderated, Facebook page where it is clear that countless, vulnerable customers have been left in danger at the roadside. I am alerting Trading Standards, the Finacial Ombudsman, BBC Watchdog and anyone who might be interested. I suggest you all do the same. Drive safe!

Dreadful, avoid them at all costs. I wish I’d read the awful reviews sooner because my experience of Emergency Assist was exactly the same. They do not provide emergency assistance at all. It took 45 minutes just to get through and them another 2 hours to attend (I was a woman alone). I told them I was in a pub car park and they sent a massive lorry which clearly was too big to be able to manoeuvre and get my car on the back. Apparently I should have known this and they refused to send a more suitable vehicle until I had paid another £100. I joined the AA instead who were very efficient and professional and sent a normal breakdown van to tow my car to the garage. I agree that Emergency Assist are scammers and don’t provide the service you sign up for. They are still chasing me for £100!

I bought my son this policy in the expectation that they would perform emergency recovery should his car break down. They failed to perform this service. Specifically, on the afternoon of the 10th June 2023 his car broke down on the M6 Northbound near the junction with the A534. For context, this is his first car, he is 19 years old, and he has held a license for a few weeks, making this one of his first motorway journeys. In addition, this section of the M6 has no hard shoulder. When he called they took 1 hour 30 minutes to be put through to an assistant who took the details, they rang off telling my son to ring back when he knew where he wanted recovering to. My son immediately rang back, taking a further 1 hour 30 minutes to tell the assistant where the car is to be recovered to. At that point it appeared rescue was on the way. The assistant then rang back to tell my son that because he had asked for assistance from them previously within 2 weeks of the starting of the policy they would not recover him without proof of the first call-out reason being fixed. Fortunately the Highway Patrol had become involved by this time, removing my son from the real danger of serious injury and/or death on the fast moving M6 by calling a tow truck who removed him to Sandbach Services (southbound), which cost me £190. I called them (taking me another hour and a half) and spoke to Ethan who described himself as a supervisor and who explained that because of the above policy condition they would not assist. I explained that a) the reason for the first call out was the passenger side window being stuck in the down position which I had fixed myself, and b) the reason for this call out was that the engine was not working and in NO WAY could be related to the first instance. His response was that without a receipt from a garage proving the window had been fixed he could not help, leaving my son stranded on the M6. I eventually drove the 181 miles to Sandbach and waited several hours before I could have my recovery service attend, which additionally resulted in a charge from the service station of £65 for staying longer than their prescribed period. My observations of this policy and their conduct are:1. At NO time did they inform us that we were required to provide proof of a fix to the first call out. 2. The response to ‘emergency calls’ from a client on a fast moving and dangerous motorway of 90 minutes (or 3 hours if you consider the need to call back) is completely unacceptable and shows blatant disregard for the phrase ‘Emergency Assist’. 3. They openly refused to perform their function and left a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation. 4. They showed no interest in looking for a solution that reflected the objections presented, i.E. The circumstances of the first call out were obviously disconnected to the current problem. 5. They had no answer for what could be done in the circumstance where the original call out had been self-repaired. 6. The attitude of ALL ‘assistants’ (an oxymoron) was ‘how fast can I get this person off the line’ and ‘how can I not fulfil the function of emergency assistance’. In addition to the cost of your policy I have incurred £155 of charges related to your failure to recover, plus the cost of my journey to recover my son (362 miles @ 44p a mile = £159), and 10 hours of my time. In total, I believe their failure to fulfil the task committed to has cost me £1,564. DO NOT BUY EMERGENCY ASSIST!Moreexpand_more

Avoid Avoid Avoid, these are scammers and will suck you dry. I got a breakdown callout and the recovery guy was reluctant to take my car to a garage. They then charged me £98. 40 for cancelling when I never. The complaints dept are like talking to a brick wall. Avoid these scammers at all costs, pay the extra and go with the usual names which is what I will be doing from now on.

Awful service. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy to be left high and dry. As a female driver broken down on the open road. I was expecting to be covered by a ligit service, not have to listen to music while being kept waiting for 50 minutes by the road side. Called AA got the help.

Awful customer service. Both call outs to them were totally unsatisfactory. Took ages to get through, then spent ages again trying to forensically question to avoid sending any support! I’m going back to a proper Emergency Breakdown provider like Green Flag, RAC or AA so I can depend on them.

Sadly my last encounter was appalling. They are helpful with a one off incident, but I happened to have two completely separate occurrences, one the battery (on Christmas Eve), the other the distributor cap. They refused to come out on the second call as I had not taken my car to a garage on Christmas Eve - despite no garage being open for several days by that point! I had the same garage attend both call outs (as soon as they were open after the Christmas break), and they also confirmed the incidences were completely unrelated, but Emergency Assist refuse to refund the £150 for recovery that I should not have been charged. I'd recommend spending a little more on a reputable company.

Had a Punctured tyre, waited over 20 minutes for this company to answer the phone, at 7 pm. Received a message stating recovery would be 90 minutes. A so called mechanic arrived at 10 pm, a whooping 3 hours late! Turned out that my car only had a tyre repair, which I was unware of. The mechanic left me at 10. 30 pm at same the spot. I called emergency assist for help to tow my car. The manager told I should pay them for not having a tyre. Therefore, they left me a woman on her own on a narrow dark lane. It took me an hour to walk home. I received an email to remind me to pay 3 days later. Customer care is definitely not a priority. .Moreexpand_more

Have a plan B to recover yourself. Having been with this company for a number of years with 2 vehicles and no claims until a couple days ago. I lost my clutch on the M5 200 miles from home. I managed to get onto the junction slip road and parked on the chevrons. Called emergency assist and was told a confirmation call would be given in 10-15 mins. That didn’t happen. After an hour I called back for an update. Was informed no recovery was available and to call back 30 mins later. Called back 105 mins from original request and was informed no recovery available and could take a few hours. Sitting on the chevrons with traffic rocking my vehicle I tried a few local numbers and got a kind farmer to come out and rescue me. I gave him £50 and was relieved to be off the dangerous location. I complained to emergency assist and they offered to pay the recovery cost on forwarding a valid invoice ( Farmer and invoice?—not a likely combination ) I guess when In the above predicament, any port in a storm is the viable way to get the vehicle to safety. Thank God for farmers. In a nutshell I guess a plan B for effecting your own recovery, may be needed after paying emergency assist.Moreexpand_more

The 'emergency' in the title couldn't be more ironic. A shambles of a company which left me waiting for 4 hours. Initial ETA an hour, then another hour, then another hour… And so on. No indication that they wouldn't attempt to fix the vehicle and that they would simply tow me somewhere. They are simply tapping into a network of recovery vehicle companies. No accountability ("we can't control the third parties") A terrible breakdown experience only matched by the terrible customer service that followed. Don't make the mistake I did of thinking that a few quid saved against more reputable companies was worth it.

Excellent service from guy who came to my car(sorry forgot name) came within the hour and sorted problem in ten minutes.

Thought obtaining this emergency recovery service from Groupon was brilliant value, but on calling them for the first time, due to my car battery car dying, they asked if I had petrol in the car and I was honest confirming on arriving home the petrol light had come on; however, I had bought a 5L container of petrol, to put in the car, so it wasn't a problem, I could just add it. After being requested to wait a few moments, on the phone, they said since I had no petrol in the car, they would not be coming out to me. The second time I called stating petrol was in the car, but after being asked to wait a moment again, they stated they would charge me if they came out and the car did not start, due to an empty tank and they would want proof the flat battery was the fault, not an empty tank, by requesting I take the car to a garage and they confirm the reasons the car did not start. On both occasions I was told they would charge me extra for some reason and my car is parked outside my house, so if I had no petrol in my tank, how did I arrive home. Everyone knows when a petrol light comes on there is sufficient petrol levels to allow you to drive a certain distance. I will not be renewing my membership after being left stressed, worried due to threats of additional charges being made.

I will not be renewing my policy with Emergency Assist and do not recommend it. I had a flat battery recently so called Emergency Assist, they sent a recovery truck and told me they would either try to start the car or - if unable to do that - tow it to the garage of my choice. When they arrived, they connected a booster battery but my car still wouldn't start so they towed it to the garage. Once we got there, the driver left my car in the middle of a busy road in front of the garage, rather than placing it in a parking bay belonging to the garage - there was more than enough room to do that. The mechanic pushed the car into a safe spot, connected his booster and the car started immediately - which means the booster used by the recovery truck driver was not working. He would have saved his time and effort if he had a working booster on him - which I think should be the basic equipment for a recovery truck.

I broke down in my car on the A47 returning to Nottingham from Norfolk. I sat alone as it was getting dark for 60 minutes while an automated voice message kept me hanging on. I hung up and phoned the AA to join but had to pay an emergency call out fee as I wasn't a member. Absolutely terrible I don't see how they're still running.

To be clearly honest, this company is not professional at all like other breakdowns companies such as AA. This companies aim is to make the most money without delivering the services. I broken down and rang them the lady refused to send recovery because I was just one hour away from my inception period. How stupid is that. I was only 1 mile away from garage all it needed was to send it to the garage. I spoke to two different members of staff then a supervisor and nobody was helpful. I gave up and ask them for refund of my breakdown and it was only second day of my policy cover and they started to deduct £10 Administration charge out of my policy which is complete ripp off. Their operational manager Dan Holyoak tried to be so smart to issue me refund and cancelled my breakdown cover before the case was even concluded. From this bad experience I would highly recommend everyone NOT to take this cover at all, pay a little extra to more reputeable company and get covered in emergency but not use them because in case of emergency they will leave you stranded. Also attached my communication with the manager who was also not helpful at all.Moreexpand_more