Where do I stand after bike fell off recovery truck?
My bike was recently recovered from the roadside after a breakdown. They must not have secured it properly because, at some point in the journey, it came off the lorry and was dragged behind it. Communication since then has been extremely shoddy, with me having to do all the chasing, and I can’t help but get the feeling that they’re trying to fob me off. Where do I stand legally?
Leon, by email
Answer
There shouldn’t be an issue with the roadside assistance provider accepting that they were responsible for the damage to your bike. Once they have done that, they should arrange for the bike to be examined by an engineer to see whether it can be repaired for less than the value of the bike. If it can’t, then they should offer you the market value of the bike.
If there are any issues along the way that a formal complaint doesn’t resolve, then what action you can take depends on how you got breakdown cover.
If your cover was provided by your insurance company as an optional add-on, then you should be able to contact the Financial Ombudsman to settle your complaint. However, if you purchased cover with someone like the AA or RAC, or called a local garage, then the Financial Ombudsman will not be able to help.
The AA and RAC websites still refer to the European Commission Online Dispute Resolution website, but UK riders can no longer use that, so if the dispute was with them, you would potentially need to consider bringing a small claim.
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