8 Ways to Get Better Auto Assistance Abroad

This post comes from my experience over two ‘Seasons’ working with an auto assistance company.

What do I mean exactly?

Think AAA. I’m the guy you call when your car breaks down.

Outside of the ‘Season,’ I’m shuffled between the auto and homeowner/renter’s insurance branches of my company. But during the ‘Season,’ from July through mid-September, when all French people take off for somewhere cheaper to holiday, I work almost exclusively fielding calls from people who have broken down outside of France.

It’s when we have the most calls and when it’s the most difficult to get our clients the help they need.

Why should you keep reading?

This may all sound boring, fine, I agree.

But I’ve seen that having a car accident abroad, or breaking down in a place where you don’t speak the language, can be very very difficult.

I’ve first-hand knowledge of people getting stuck on the side of the highway for hours. I’ve seen cars stuck in foreign countries for months. And I’ve seen parking fees mount up to 1000€ (to be paid by the car owner, naturally.)

On the other side of the spectrum, I’ve seen clients repatriated to France the very same day we get a call for help. I’ve seen rapid cross-border vehicle deliveries. And I’ve seen rental cars found minutes after the Assistance becomes aware of the need.

So what’s the difference between these scenarios?

This post will give you forewarning and set your mental mode to better navigate a stressful car problem in another country.

The first question I’d like to lay to rest is: Should I get car insurance with assistance?

This is an unequivocally YES. A person with assistance is 1000% times better able to get out of a stressful situation than one without assistance.

Have you ever tried to buy a plane ticket for tomorrow? How about for you, your spouse, and your three kids? Have you ever tried to describe where you are to a tow-truck driver when you don’t speak their language and the driver sure as hell doesn’t speak yours? Organize a taxi in the middle of nowhere? The list could go on, and does, but you get the point.

It’s hard.

This is what the Assistance is for.

Now, a distinction.

What’s the difference between my insurance and my assistance?

Well, your insurance will cover you for the big things. You got in an accident and need a replacement car for example. Or you are going to have a big messy lawsuit with the person who crashed into you.

That’s the insurance. Same for acts of vandalism and car theft.

The Assistance gets you out of the little problems. For example, if you need a tow truck, a hotel, a taxi, or a rental car for a few days.

The Assistance and the insurance work together and complement each other. Because of this, your insurance isn’t likely to be fielding calls at 2 am on Christmas Eve.

That’s us at the Assistance.

The Assistance is for emergencies.

With those big ones out of the way: How do I ask for the Assistance when I need it?

Typically, there will be a number on your insurance card/booklet. Think of the documents that are stuffed in the glove compartment of your car. Sometimes you’ll have an app to contact your insurance provider, or you can go to their website. Occasionally the number will be on the little sticker affixed to your windshield.* All are valid places to look for the number of your assistance.

*Sometimes insurance providers will change assistance groups. So the phone number on your sticker may be outdated. Most assistance groups will be happy to look up the number of one of their competitors, however, and will pass you along if needed.

Once you’ve got the number, call and be ready with your location (street address) or a landmark. Have your license plate number and your cell number. You may have to spell names out to make sure the assistor knows where you are without error.

Try to be ready with the military alphabet (Alpha, Romeo, Foxtrot, etc.) It may be clear to you on your end, but f and s sound the same over the phone, just like m and n, t and p, b and d. Especially when the caller is on the side of the highway.

Everyone’s objective at this point is the get the right contract pulled up so being clear can only help.

Don’t be shy about sharing other details too, but please respect the person on the other end of the line and let them lead the conversation. They receive calls similar to yours all day and know what information to ask for.

At the end of the call, they will make sure that you understand everything and that you have a chance to ask questions if you need to.

How do I make sure that I’m getting everything I have a right to?

That’s a very French question. The Assistance is not something for you to milk. Not only will you be left unsatisfied, but the call center assistant will get the feeling that that is what you’re doing and your conversations will become more controversial than collegial.

Instead, know what you need and ask for it.

And explain any limitations early on. e.g. I don’t speak Spanish, I have a dog with me, we are 200km from our vacation destination, etc.

This will allow the assistor to use their knowledge of your contract to help you make the best choice.

For example, sometimes we have clients who break down and immediately ask for a taxi to finish their trip, or for an immediate rental car. These may be valid demands. They may even be covered by the Assistance.

But for my company at least, there is an order of operations that we need to respect:

Send a tow truck
Tow the car if it’s not an easy fix
Get the client either to an hotel, to their destination, or back home
Deal with the car
Help the client with their temporary needs
Get the client back to their car

It’s organized this way mainly to control costs.

You may want a rental car ASAP – we get it, you want your mobility. We want you to have it too.

If the towing service can pop a spare tire on your car, well, there’s your mobility at a minimum of cost and delay.

What happens if it’s taking too long?

This can certainly happen. Don’t be shy about calling a second time.

Sometimes there are software problems. It happens and it’s not anyone’s fault.

If your tow truck isn’t there after an hour, it’s better to call than to wait for three and find out the mission was never validated and it will be another hour before anyone will arrive.

At the same time, please don’t call too often. If you call every fifteen minutes you have the chance to screw up the order of operations and irk the people who are trying to help you.

Some things take time.

Towing companies may have other priorities. For example: the accident on the highway you were unaware of. If the police call the towing company, oftentimes they can’t legally refuse. Generally, if the tow truck can’t get there in a timely fashion they’ll call you directly or call the assistance back.

Certainly, don’t have two separate people calling the assistance at the same time.

Do you want to be billed for the second unnecessary tow truck that was sent to you by two well-meaning assistors working on the same file at the same time?

Ever wonder what makes call center waits so long?

Here’s part of the problem.

Most of this post has up until now covered problems you might have anywhere, not just abroad.

So what makes foreign assistance different?

The delay. It will usually take longer for the tow truck to arrive.

In France, we tell people 45 minutes to 1 hour. Abroad it could be several hours. Perhaps fewer if your assistor is multilingual.

The complexity.

It is rare for someone 30 kilometers from home to need a hotel. Abroad it is almost systematic.

If you’re just starting a trip and you have two weeks of vacation planned, but you’re still 400 kilometers from your campsite, you’re going to have to make some decisions without having all the information handy.

Should I go back home, or carry on? Should I stay near the car until it’s fixed? What about my vacation gear?

Sometimes it’s not always clear what the best option is.

The potential costs to you and the Assistance.

Sure your Assistance is supposed to get you a taxi, but the towing company has a taxi service too. Well, with the approval of the Assistance you can usually pay for it yourself and be reimbursed later.

Make sure you get the pre-approval of the Assistance though. There will probably be a limit on how much they can cover.

I’ve seen people pay out of their pockets for high-class rental cars, plane tickets, and taxis for hundreds of kilometers, all to be refused because these luxuries are not covered by the client’s particular Assistance contract.

Again the complexity.

Just think of when your car can’t be fixed in a short amount of time. So you’ve been brought home but your car is in the garage next to where you broke down. And it’s across a border.

These files can really last for months.

When the file has been worked on every day for several weeks or months, it is not going to be immediately clear to the assistor what has already been done and what you need now. The assistor will need to look back at the most recent comments and you may be put on hold for a while.

Please stay patient with us!

Your situation might be a nightmare for you, one that you are intimately acquainted with, but the assistor may be completely oblivious before your call. You may have to re-explain things.

So, what can you do to get better Auto Assistance Abroad?

Expect delays
Be ready to help on your end (don’t try to rely only on the Assistance if you can organize something yourself faster or cheaper yourself)
If you have questions call back
Keep payment stubs for easier reimbursement
Ask for names so that if you have a complicated file, you can deal with just one assistor who is already acqainted with your situation
Be available, answer phone calls or call back after getting a text, email, or voicemail
Be kind
And be persistent!

Also know that while the assistance is there to help you but ultimately, it is your car.

You decide what garage it goes to, you authorize who can touch it, and you are responsible for the costs associated with it.

That means any storage fees or repair costs.

Don’t think you can call a tow truck, get a flight home, then call the Assistance in a month to get your car back!

This will not work.

You’ll be looking at parking fees if your car wasn’t impounded!

The repairs will not have been done, and the garagist or towing company will not be happy to see you when you do show up.

That’s what we call abandonment. It is necessary to do your due diligence as the owner of the vehicle too.

Have you had any experiences with your auto assistance? Did I miss any details?