Has anyone had any dealings with this company? We have just received the most appalling service from them when my daughter broke down on Tuesday night. She was stuck at the side of a road from 10.10 pm until 2.30 am finally being taxied to a local hotel at 3am. During that time she was not contacted by the breakdown service until 2.30 and this only happened after my fourth phonecall to them. I spent yesterday trying to make an official complaint, I made a further 4 telephone calls, spoke to a different person each time who all assured me they would call me back with information about the car, email me a complaints form, get a manager to call me. NONE of this happened and each time I rang back the person who I wanted to speak to was not at their desk/gone home/unavailable. I have now given up and we are dealing with the french office who have been very helpful.
Have we just been unlucky? Would welcome any comments from others who have used them.
We had a bad experience with Pacifica. We were sold the insurance by Britline who assured us that the home cover was comprehensive. When we were just ready to leave for UK, we turned on the windscreen wipers, it was throwing it down, and they did not work.
We 'phoned Pacifica who told us that we were not covered for electrical problems on the home start and to go out onto the Route Express, a lorry short cut, with no windscreen wipers and drive for 40k and then they would help us. They also told us that as it was a Sunday it would be difficult to find someone to help. I told them that I paid my premium for a full year!
We eventually were helped by the local 24 hr breakdown and got going about two hours late.
Not just AXA.
You'll hear good and bad, I'm sure. And as Sue says, the local recovery agent they use will determine some/most of that. My experience is of the 'not good' kind.
I came off my motorcycle in the hail, a slow speed tumble. I was in the UK at the time. I was fine fortunately, but for a bit of bruising /damage to the collar bone. The gear hanger on the bike was broken, making it unrideable. I called AXA, gave all the necessary detail and waited. The promised call back didn't happen. 2 hours later, I gave up. So I did a quick web search and found a local motorcycle shop. Phoned them and they came out and were loading me into their van 20 minutes later. I have no idea if AXA's recovery agent ever turned up, or was even contacted.
On my return to France, I complained to AXA. They, of course, apologised (that costs nothing) and offered to repay the remorquage... all of a tenner. I told them not to bother, I just wanted them to know they'd left me high and dry (well, wet actually!) Not that that'll have hit their share price.
Btw, the UK shop (a one man band) was fantastic. He dropped me off at a railway station (letting me leave my bike gear, helmet etc, with him) so I could continue my journey to London, sourced the required spares for my bike from a breaker, fitted them and got the bike rideable. He then met me at the railway station on Sunday evening, the bike in the back of his van, so I could make my night sailing on the ferry. He billed me reasonably but refused to take anything more. He dug me out of a hole and merited more than simply the going rate. One of life's true gents.
We also had good service-but they are only as good as the local recovery firm they use. We had to be recovered from the motorway near Poitiers and taken to a local garage . Waited about 45 mins at an aire before the recovery lorry arrived. Arrived at the garage at lunch time so had to wait for mechanics to finish but car was fixed in under an hour after that. The AXA office were efficient on the phone to the garage sorting out the payment. In all we have had to use them twice snd they were efficient and kept us fully informed both times.
I used Axa to rescue me after a Rodney moment when I filled my new car with petrol instead of diesel. Car was collected after an hour, I was ferried home in a taxi 30 mins later. I had an SMS about 15 mins after my call with the Claim no that I then used for subsequent calls. I can't really fault their service.