I live and drive in rural SW France. My French language is not good (my bad I know). I’m not happy with my insurance company (AXA) for a number of reasons and want to change. Can anyone recommend a company that guarantees that an English speaker is actually available if I call in the event of an accident or breakdown? Even Britline guarantee only that their sales and admin line will be answered in English…
The French system seems crazy. No equivalent of the AA, RAC, Green Flag etc. The insurance companies seem to have it all sewn up and - if they can be bothered to try to understand your call - send a random local guy with a tow truck. The garage they recommended for repairs to my car’s bodywork was awful too. Repairs following an accident on 1st December incomplete. Issue still not resolved today (5th May).
There’s an insurance man called Fabien on the forum. I’m not sure what his username is but someone will know. Or you could click on Insurance in the black strip at the top of the page, that’s him as well.
I think you’ll be lucky to find what you want. But I get you, it’s a difference alright. Breakdowns are a fear for me too, and my French is ropey but passable. Phones, and call centre accents, make it that bit tougher.
I got left in limbo for best part of 3 hours at the side of the road. I had the misfortune to break down shortly before midday and the recovery guy’s lunch was seemingly of greater importance. Such is life in rural France I guess.
Edit: is breakdown usually/always contracted out anyway? That is, the breakdown is not the insurance company themselves but someone like Mondial or whoever. Moot point I guess. I’m just reminded because when my wife’s car broke down (insured with Thelem) the breakdown company DID have an English speaker - not a dedicated number but someone who phoned her back.
The breakdown service is part of your car insurance. It’s not a separate, standalone product.
The call centres we find are good because they know that they will be dealing with some people whose first language is not French.
In fact the language for dealing with all of this is not difficult. The most useful phrase is “ma voiture est en panne” Thereafter they will want to know your car registration number, your name, where you are. All of which you ought to be able to manage. Always ask them to speak more slowly (again, make sure you have phrases like this as part of your limited vocabulary).
Key issues - being somewhere where there is no signal (happened to us). Lunchtime, as @marko says. Finding the local breakdown guy has rung you, to check you are there and the call has been missed because of poor signal, so he goes home (happened to us).
This is not the AA! Badger the call centre (in a friendly way) if more than an hour passes. If you are a woman on your own, emphasise this. Accept help from passing strangers (we’ve had people change our flat tyre more than once) and I’ve been taken home to pick up our other car so I could get to an appointment.
Look for a local property if you need help getting a signal.
Saying you’ve broken down isn’t difficult, no, but describing where you are might no be so easy! Particulary if you don’t really know where you are. I once had to pass the phone to a passerby (sounds like I breakdown often, I don’t) to explain where I was as the name of the road and the park I was next to wasn’t enough for the call centre (or praps I mangled the unfamiliar names so badly as to defy interpretation! ) Fortunately, with AXA (whom I’m now with) their breakdown web page gelocates you and makes life easier for all parties - if you’ve got an internet connection.
Personally, I think it’s a fair question to ask on an expat forum. Particularly when one considers that there’s a very good chance the call centres will have someone who speaks English, even if not as a formal part of their job description. It’s not something I need myself (as a rule! ) but I totally get why others might want the reassurance for what can be a stressful situation.
Thanks for your help…I think I know that Adam1. Nevertheless here I am. The vast majority of differences in French life are marvellous. I have this one issue really. I’ll pack up and leave for Hackney right now. I just hope my car doesn’t break down on the way. …
Thanks for your good suggestions. I have a flap sheet with all the info and French phrases in my car. And another for my motorcycle. “Parlez tres lentement s’il vous plait” might be a good one to add.
This is why, as and when I’m insuring again, I will only take a “return vehicle to home address” [near eg its known garage will be fine] rather than just towing you to a garage near the breakdown as the ripoff / ‘ring’ risk seems to be high.
PS I’m not sure if they still do but at one time the very good ADAC (German AA) organisation would offer breakdown cover for holidays in other countries provided you didn’t live there. Not sure if they still do but if so they are superb.
Thank you - I didn’t know that even existed! I shall look out for it.
When my wife’s car broke down, the recovery would only transport her car up to 100km, i think it was. And that was from where the recovery company was based! So had she been more than 50km from them, I suppose they wouldn’t have even come out! Nah, you’d pay an extra per km charge. So she had the car trailered locally… and then had to hire a car to get home.
Compare that to me breaking down in the UK, near Reading. Myself and my car were taken to a garage in my home town over 200km away. A long day for the recovery driver but I was looked after.
Considered from that perspective of differences, I think one can understand why @Terry_Miles finds it crazy.
My one and only time using ADAC was when the clutch cable snapped on my bike in France on a Sunday. They got me back to the ferry but there was no one waiting at the other side.
I called up to see what was going on and they said that I’d reached the €300 recovery limit and I was now on my own. It was an interesting ride from Portsmouth to Chippenham with a non-functioning clutch.
I was about to say how daft many people are not to have read their policies and understood what is and isn’t covered..
When I recalled one moment in time.. when I’d obviously been similarly daft
It was Sunday morning, when my car broke down miles from home.
I’d phoned the contact number and mumbled my best French.. and a recovery vehicle soon arrived to take it (as I thought) to the nearest garage… I was panicking thinking the car might not be left in a secure site as everywhere was shut… plus we would be stranded .. aargh.
I put on my best “helpless female” persona, prepared to sob if necessary.
But… what a wonderful surprise, the driver smiled and said (more or less) .. no probs, your policy covers “get the car home”…
we hopped in his cab and he transported us all “home” hurrah. he even waited while OH got another car out of our garage, then the driver carefully unloaded our sick belle-voiture and we pushed it safely under cover.
Almost kissed the driver in gratitude… (but I managed to restrain myself).
OH and I drove off swiftly and caught up with our pals… just in time for lunch.. phew.
