RAC let down- can you help?

NorthWestMoney

Last Thursday I was rescued by the RAC after my car engine failed on the motorway.

The RAC man said it would have to be scrapped and he was going to take me to the RAC garage where they would help me. We went on to have a conversation about the RAC and that the garage was where RAC had all their annual meetings. The garage -FAM Engineering Ltd- was full of RAC rescuers and vans. So for all intents and purposes I thought this garage was heavily affiliated with the RAC and that I could trust them.

The RAC man warned me that I would only make a bit of money for scrapping my car or possibly I would have to pay a bit of money for them to scrap it. The former was correct, FAM told me they would scrap my vehicle and that I should leave the key with them and send them my log book and a cheque for £50.

I decided I would give the log book in person and yesterday (Monday) I went to FAM and they told me that there was no scrapping fee but that I had to pay £117.50 for 5 days 'parking fees', the first I had heard about any fee of this kind. I told the FAM representative that I has originally been told £50 but he was quite sure there was no scrapping fee, only parking. They also said my insurance should cover this.

I paid the money asI did not want to rack up any more fees. I have since been told by my insurer Quinn Direct that they will not cover this fee. I have rang RAC to tell them I was not happy with the outcome as a result of being taken to this garage whom I thought could be trusted not to mess me around. The RAC have told me it is a private contract and issue between myself and FAM, nothing to do with them despite going there on their advice and assurance that it was an RAC garage.

FAM have promised to ring me back but so far I have not heard from them.

Am I being unreasonable to think I have been misled via the RAC and that the RAC should pay up for taking me to a dodgy place? Do any insurance companies cover 'parking fees' to leave your car in a scrap yard till you can get the log book to them?

hewhoisnotintheknow

why would you expect your insurance to pay?

MX5huggy

Oh my god what a mess, sounds like a real racket you have fallen into. The only hope you have is to get on to the RAC what paper work have you got from the RAC guy and this FAM?

Conor_3

NorthWestMoney wrote: »

Do any insurance companies cover 'parking fees' to leave your car in a scrap yard till you can get the log book to them?

No, just in the same way that they don't cover the cost of putting petrol in your car.

NorthWestMoney

I didn't expect my insurance company to pay 'parking fees', I was told by FAM that this type of thing was covered by insurance, just like they told me they were too busy to talk to me and would call me back-!

But yes I shall get on to the RAC again. On the day of the initial break- down the RAC man wouldn't give me a lift to the train station despite seeing I was in a real pickle and didn't really know where I was. He dropped me off at a local tram stop with the contents of my car, only when I got home and read my RAC t&c's I realised I was entitled to 20 miles worth of taxi fares. Since then, RAC have agreed to give me £15 compensation. I only had praise for RAC before that day!

sarahg1969

Would the RAC man not have taken you home? I know that you would have a useless vehicle sitting outside your house, but you could have called a scrapyard to come and remove it. Unless your RAC breakdown doesn't cover towing you home? Ours does, though.

ETA: Is your vehicle still at FAM, or had they disposed of it before you visited them? Did you receive any paperwork at all from FAM or the RAC?

stoneman

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

why would you expect your insurance to pay?

The OP never said that. Maybe you should read posts properly before chiming in with your sarcastic comments. All they are after is advise, if you have nothing constructive to say, may I suggest you button it.

OP I would insist that FAM have a word with the person you spoke with in your presence, so that they repeat what they told you about the scraping fee.

NorthWestMoney

I didn't think of asking the FAM for a lift, I asked the RAC man on a few occasions for a lift but he kept quoting the ten mile radius restriction on my RAC rescue plan (I can be towed for a maximum of ten miles and entitled to 20 miles worth of taxi fare, RAC plan solution 2)

I was with my friend who did have full cover but because I initially called quoting my membership RAC stated they would only provide us with this cover - my friend's would have got us back to Blackpool. I understand in the t&c's that they are only obliged to fulfil the first membership quoted but the RAC man told me this was because people sometimes broke down and then called their friends with full cover to come and sit with them to take advantage of their rescue plan. In my case, I broke down coming off the motorway, my friend lives in London, I think some compassion could have been exercised given that my car needed scrapping, I didn't know the area and we genuinely needed help!

I was told it would cost £200 for the RAC to tow my car to my home in Blackpool so I didn't think it would be worth it. I assume the FAM have now scrapped my vehicle since I gave them my log book yesterday.

I have a Notice of Transfer from FAM which says I agree for them to dispose of the vehicle as they see fit. I also have an invoice for payment of 5 days parking fees for £117.50

From RAC I just have the customer assistance report that says

"suspect no oil pressure and crank rattling when started. possible engine fault?"

With regards to the RAC/ FAM garage confusion my point is that the RAC man referred to it as the RAC garage, the place was crawling with RAC uniformed people and vehicles. And even though it was called FAM and not RAC, I felt that I was able to trust FAM to not spring unexpected charges on me! I thought the apparent affiliation would protect me.

Neither the RAC or FAM warned me about parking fees. Had I know I would have either got my log book back to them the same day or asked the RAC to leave my car on the roadside till I could find the best deal! What a to do!

NorthWestMoney

I have spoken to FAM and they have told me there was a problem that sounded like 'RAC haven't been underwritten' which meant that I shouldn't haven't been charged for parking, only for scrapping which is £58.75- £8 more than originally quoted but something I can live with!

I'm still annoyed at RAC for washing their hands of me. It was something that could have been cleared up very easily if they had taken my complaint seriously and done a little research for me.

Many thanks to everyone who replied.

hewhoisnotintheknow

stoneman wrote: »

The OP never said that. Maybe you should read posts properly before chiming in with your sarcastic comments. All they are after is advise, if you have nothing constructive to say, may I suggest you button it.

OP I would insist that FAM have a word with the person you spoke with in your presence, so that they repeat what they told you about the scraping fee.

NorthWestMoney wrote: »

Do any insurance companies cover 'parking fees' to leave your car in a scrap yard till you can get the log book to them?

And no, i wont button it

NorthWestMoney

FAM expected my insurance company to cover 'parking fees' and said I could pay them directly or give them my insurance details and they would sort it out.

In other words, my expectation was triggered by the professionals, not my personal knowledge.

Hence my tottering to Money Saving Experts.com to see what the consensus was on the subject as it did sound a bit odd.

But many thanks for your reply.