Since the very beginning, we had a Vehicle pictorial dictionary French/English. thus we could find the French words for whatever had happened to our car.
that and a few basic French phrases/sentences are all one needs to get the ball rolling.
Much the same way one can successfully cope with so many medical things which crop up. Of course, learning the language is a very good idea, but some simple props/preparations can help one relax (rather than go into meltdown/panic mode) should the worst happen.
I have experienced a somewhat lacking dépannage experience in France with AXA’s designated service. The general service fell well short of that experienced in UK. When my car broke down 150km from home they refused to allow my dog (well behaved and not in the least menacing) to accompany me. They said I needed to ring insurers again for separate personal transport to the garage that had the car. After several conversations that took over an hour while at the side of the road, having already waited 2hrs originally and with multiple referrals to another operative, each asking why I didn’t go in the breakdown wagon, they eventually advised that they could organise transport to take me either to the garage or home but not both. As garage was 4km away I chose to walk there and ask for transport from garage to home. Not a pleasant wait and walk during the 40deg heatwave of two summers ago, especially for the dog.
Sorry to hear that. My experience has been the polar opposite.
A few years ago I broke down on a busy RN just outside Angoulême the weekend before Christmas. We pulled over and got out the car, and within 10 minutes there was a van placing traffic cones to warn other drivers. This happened before I’d even finished talking to my insurance company (Allianz). The dépanneur then arrived about 5 minutes later. He explained about how dangerous breaking down on a RN or autoroute is, and how quickly they get to people. The service was faultless.
Allianz arranged for the car to be taken to a nearby garage, then paid for a taxi from Angoulême to Limoges, and another taxi from Limoges to Angoulême to pick the car up once fixed.
My experience with both the RAC and Green Flag in the UK, conversely, was awful. Despite having my son with me and breaking down on the M4, we once had to wait over 3 hours for the man in a van to turn up.
I don’t think there’s ever a guarantee of the first person you speak to being an English speaker, but most of the assistance platforms have teams that focus on particular language groups. My son used to work for one in France as part of a team for English and German speaking breakdowns.
I can trump that, whilst undergoing chemo, minus 8c outside and 6 hours waiting. The police spoke to the control centre for me twice. The driver of the breakdown truck said it felt like he was the only one working that night as he was being run around everywhere. The RAC are owned by Aviva, so its all about the money
It’s very unfortunate you have such a jaundiced view of French car insurance practice. My car is insured with MAAF, and their rescue services, which I have used on a number of occasions, have been absolutely superb, without exception. My advice is - don’t look for ‘cheap’ insurance, look carefully at the cover you are signing up for - “buy cheap, buy twice” is so very true.
Unfortunately the language problem is something only you can address, but having a crib sheet prepared, being able to recognise the questions they might ask, and these days using translation apps does make this much less complicated.
Some of the insurance companies have an “app” that allows you to both alert them that you are “en panne” and also locate where you are to instruct the breakdown service. I got an Allianz contract via Isabelle Want (who like Fabien) speaks / writes English. The app worked well when I needed it. They sent a link via SMS.
