We set off for our long awaited summer holiday last Friday (03/08). Before we left we did all the usual, tyres, water, oil, van tyres, general check etc etc and all was hunky dory.
Pootling off we were making great time and were approaching the M5/M4 intersection doing the 55 mph when the caravan tyre blew so managed to get over to the hard shoulder had a look at it and then decided to call Green Flag to come and change it for me.
They left me stranded on the side of the M5 at 4 pm for over two hours with 2 kids and a puppy as I wasnt an emergency. I received 3 text messages from them advising assistnace within the hour, then within 80 mins and then changing recovery company and a further delay.
I phoned Green Flag three times - and they contacted the allotted recovery garage who said they were stuck in traffic. The Highways Agency arrived to see what the problem was as they had seen us there for a long time and told me that there were no traffic problems and the recovery garage were just down the road in Bristol.
Eventually he arrived in a transit van - no way he could have recovered me if I had needed it, and looked at the tyre on the caravan and jacked her up with a trolley jack. He quickly changed the tyre and then dropped her back down - at no time checking everything was ok. I was told to go to the nearest services - Gordano - and check the tyre pressures as he hadnt got any thing to do it with.
I did this and carried on to site arriving at 8 pm and pitched noticing that the white cover of the A Frame had come loose and the bed support was broken. Saturday morning went to cook the eggs for breakfast and there, in my frying pan was a nice dent. On looking underneath I found instead of him jacking up on the frame he had jacked up on the floor panel underneath the cooker - and adjacent to the gas line. The dent was the shape of his trolley jack. When he had dropped thevan back down it was with such a jolt it broke the other bits I think and then he had to get the plate out of the floor of my van.
When I spoke to Green Flag they didnt want to know and have told me to claim on my insurance. My van is near on wrecked and Im gutted.....
This does'nt surprise me we have Green flag, the 3 times we've used them they just took the car to the garage and did'nt even try to fix it. We will be changing it this year to someone else.
I hope that your insurance company take Green Flag to court if they don't admit liability and pay up in full.
This is first degree incompetence and could have put you and your family in real danger both from possible damage to the geometry of the van and potential gas leaks etc.
This cowboy must be stopped before he kills someone.
Well I can name and shame the garage if you wish .... but I will be claiming any excess from Green Flag - plus compensation plus as they didnt turn up within the hour, the £10 multiples!
If anyone works for Green Flag wants to offer any advice feel free!
We had a Radiator hose split on our car east of Bodmin, as it was 8.30 pm I told Green Flag to turn up first thing next morning as I thought at that time of evening there would be no interest getting us going again and we could sleep in the van.
Next morning they turned up, all in good time, no interest in trying to make a repair, only taking me either to St Ives at a cost of £216 or they may be able to repair it at their garage the next day.
I pointed out that if I had tools and means to get some heater hose i could do it myself in minutes. That is my decision I was told.
I was lucky to find a lone mechanic yards away who promptly went to Launceston, Bought a 1.5m length of hose and fitted it within minutes. Cost, £70, I gave him £80.
Green Flag can blow in the wind as far as I am concerned.
I can totally sympathise with your circumstances. a similar thing happened to me at Easter only it wasn't a blow out but the total loss of a wheel. The first outing since the van was serviced. Fortunately damage wasn't to bad and was easily repaired but to the value of £1700. The dealership who serviced the van said it was my fault as I didn't check the wheel studs for tightness at the suggested distance. Anyway all that is now sorted out.
But getting to you experience with Green Flag I can say the service I recieved from them was quite excellent. Arrived within 20 mins (Easter Fri). The van was tight up against the kerb and wheelless. So it was nigh on impossible to get to the spare wheel cradle. The mechanic had to crawl under the van from the offside of the van, with traffic passing him, pushing the trolley jack infront of him. It took him some time to get to the right height to get the spare wheel off its cradle. Finally he got the spare fitted onto damaged stud holes and followed me the 1 mile to our site. He told me to phone on the Monday 1 hour before we wanted to leave for home and he would fetch a breakdown truck to take us back home. Unfortunately the van couldn't be loaded onto the breakdown truck because of the angle of the lowered bed of the lorry. No problem he said a quick phone call to his boss and a 40 foot low loader was sent out within 30 mins. Van loaded and transported back to Nottingham to the dealers for repair.
So my experience of Green Flag is one of 100% satisfaction. Nothing was any trouble whatsoever. It seems as though your own circumstances are down to a rather poorly qualified mechanic. Which I agree must be Green Flags responsibility. They do appear to be a very professional company and I'm sure that some further correspondence, maybe to head office, might bring a more favourable reply. Having said that my own circumstances with my caravan repairer drew a blank and I to resort to an insurance claim.
Just spoke to my daughter who used to work for Green Flag and she said go to your insurance and they will go after G/F . There is a legal Sale of Goods Act 1978 andSupply of Goods Act where they have to have a reasonable level of care and skill, failure of reasonable care is in breach of duty.
The act can be found on the internet.
She advises you to go through your insurance as they will recover ALL costs from Green Flag.
Having been involved in vehicle recovery with an ex partner the service you receive from most breakdown companies is only as good as the independent operator that comes out to you. Like every walk of life there is good and bad, so if you get an excellent company turn up you will be delighted with Green Flag/RAC/Mondial and if you get the guy the thread initiator has described you are gonna be one very unhappy bunny with your breakdown provider.
It is important therefore to make a complaint so that the provider can note the good from the bad and strike off any independents that don't come up to scratch. After all, they don't want their reputation sullied by people like him any more than you don't want a terrible service.
That's awful, glad we have signed up with RAC arrival but I take your point Ali.
A couple of years ago we were in Suffolk for August BH w/e and the alternator went on our Mondeo as we had then, had the AA to the site and he did what he could but the car stopped twice on the way home, so in the end they took us home even though they didn't have to as we didn't have relay, so swings and roundabouts I suppose.
As the Caravan Club's Mayday Rescue Service is supplied by Green Flag I would have thought that they would be interested to hear your sorry tale.
I've been with Mayday for many years and on the very few occasions I've needed their help they have been first rate and I've only had to invoke the £10.00 refund once.
I suppose it's like everything else these days - there's bad apples in every barrel and you've been unfortunate enough to come across one of them.
I have just looked at their home page, and there is a section, asking if you were happy with their service,why have this section if they are not interested in any feedback,?? unless it's good of course.
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Topic: Green Flag have trashed my van
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