Breakdown Services? How useful? Price-worth it?

I recently, needed to use the breakdown services. Locked the keys in the car in a hurry!!!.....

Last year i had Breakdown Cover, but had no use for it (the car ran smoothly, so did not need them). So this year i chose not to have breakdown cover included. But recently, i had to call them out to get keys out of my car! (happened to have accidentally locked the keys in the car in a hurry!)

Anyone had this experience? how did you deal with it?   .....I paid close to £90.00 just to get the keys out of my car. Anyone resolve this in a different way?

I heard of a high school teacher would locked his keys in his car and he mentioned it to his students in class. Presto! they had his keys and car unlocked in nothing flat.

They had unknown talents and could have saved him £90 or so.

In your case you have to consider it as with all insurance. Good to have if you need it.

Health, Travel, Auto tow, Life. All have been useful at some time.

Breakdown is worthwhile in my opinion, I think of it like insurance.  Quite often basic coverage is included with car insurance (or can be added for a small premium.)

If you are calling out a mechanic it's worth shopping around, you could probably beat £90.  I managed to get a guy out a few months ago for £30 - I actually had breakdown cover but only a basic package that only covered breakdowns more than 3/4 of a mile from home.  When I heard the call out fees first few numbers I called wanted I seriously contemplated pushing the car until it was far enough away...

If you don't have cover and are calling out a mechanic/tow service the "name"  breakdown services (RAC, AA, Greenflag etc.) seem to be the most expensive by a ways; I guess they want the premium every month so try to discourage pay-as-you-go.

I heard of a high school teacher would locked his keys in his car and he mentioned it to his students in class. Presto! they had his keys and car unlocked in nothing flat.

Or you could DIY it. But this would be possible only at home or where you had acess to the toolkit. I was parked at a Hotel after a long journey at around 8pm, about 200+ miles from home.

I phoned around Breakdown services and one said they would charge Callout fee +£1.50 per mile + £65 to remove the keys.
My colleagues, who i was travelling with, and I initially considered it doing it ourselves... We got some spoons and other cutlery from the hotel and began work ourselves.. ..the receptioninst joined in.  I mean everyone was having a laugh about it.  We had to wait for nearly an hour before someone arrived...considering a full years Breakdown Cover cost around £50, its a bit expensive to pay £90 just to remove the keys from the car.

There was a day not too long ago when people would help others who needed help but regretfully that time has past. Now there are many who jump at the opportunity to profit from the misfortunes of others. Fortunately there are also many people who will come to the rescue. Do I contradict myself? Hope not.

Yesterday we were stopped on the side of the road in a canyon that led up to a mountain ski resort and a woman stopped to see if my daughter needed any help? We declined because we had just stopped for my 3 year old grandsons "poti stop". It was a good feeling to know that someone would stop and get out of their car to check be so considerate and concerned.

I managed to get a guy out a few months ago for £30 - I actually had breakdown cover but only a basic package that only covered breakdowns more than 3/4 of a mile from home.  When I heard the call out fees first few numbers I called wanted I seriously contemplated pushing the car until it was far enough away...

I was abit shocked that it would cost £90.00 just to get the keys out. Its annoying when you have driven almost for 5 hours, reached on time all went well, and then the keys get locked in!!!! Grrrrrrr.

I contemplated doing it myself with spoons....i mean in a Hotel what else could i do. That made us laugh, after a tiring journey, but we couldn't open it.....
If i had the time, that £90 pounds would have paid for a trip back home to get the spare keys and back!!!.....But just didnt have the time.

The Breakdown cover 'chap' who turned up, wanted to increase my bill even more. He said, there would be a charge for using their specialist equipment in addition to what i  paid the Breakdown Services.....I was annoyed that they still wanted even more after the £90.00 i had just forked out.

There was a day not too long ago when people would help others who needed help but regretfully that time has past.

Factual: Yesterday, i picked up 2 guys (one an army man) who needed help. They had lost their belongings on the train from Penzance... They were stuck and were walking around somewhere near Bristol in a remote place at around 11:30pm. They wanted to go to Worcester (sp?) which is way up North to where i was heading (West bound).....Initially i hesitated (complete strangers!), but another part of me chose to help..... I drove about 45 miles on M5 so that i could drop them to a service station where there would be people who could help..I then had to retuen back onto M4 before i headed home...quite frankly i was tired after work and was heading home and didn't need to do this but just did it out of kindness or whatever you wanna call it....anyway I reached home at 3:15 am, just because i helped out!!! So there are people who would help, just as there would be those who wouldn't......

We have AA Breakdown- Relay-Homestart & Breakdown Repair Cover together they cost us about £120/yr but considering that this year we've broke down in Scotland (A LONG WAY FROM DERBY) and they got us back to our holiday rental and the car to the Vauxhall Dealer for repair (nearly 100 miles) and didn't cost us anything AND 3 months later we needed them again when we broke down on the M42/M6 Junction and needed them again and ended up being relayed all the way to Derby from Cheshire (nearly 80 miles) Unfortunately this time it was terminal - lost the timing chain doing 70 down the motorway- however if had been a repair less than £750 our only cost would have been a £25 excess and the Breakdown Repair would have paid for it.

The only catch to the BRP is that you must have proof that you have maintained the vehicle to the manufacturers specifications. So when we got our new used car we had a major service done on it and all the little niggles fixed so now if we breakdown we're covered. And it comes with a 12 month MOT guarentee so if anythings wrong in January when it needs the MOT we're not payting out of pocket for anything (except tyres/brakes/windscreen) if it needs them)Also for AA members, the garage we used (Nationwide) we got a 15% discount on the service and a 5% discount off all the parts that were needed. It saved us nearly £100. What we would have had to pay out if we didn't have the Breakdown/Relay/Homestart Cover & the Breakdown Repair Cover it has more than paid for itself already.

We have a small child so for us, not having the cover is NOT an option.