Don't buy RAC breakdown if you actually may need to use it !

krystal-divination

LandyAndy wrote: »

All I am saying is you are reporting one bad experience and telling everyone that the RAC is rubbish. I am saying that is not my experience.

Your OP suggests that there may have been one clerical error in ending your membership a month early. Everything else you describe stems from that.

I am surprised that, if they thought your membership ended on 11 January, they didn't send you a renewal reminder. That would have stated the wrong date and you would have been able to query it.

They did send a renewal 12-02-10

all this confusion and mess had led to it taking then 3hrs to send someone to my partner who is self employed and time is money for him
i understand you have not had any problem

but this is a 'Rubbish' service they have given Us by not putting through the call out as promised at 8am !!

its now 10:45 and at last someone has turned up

but look how long and how many phone calls its taken

that is a bad service !

LandyAndy

krystal-divination wrote: »

They did send a renewal 12-02-10

all this confusion and mess had led to it taking then 3hrs to send someone to my partner who is self employed and time is money for him
i understand you have not had any problem

but this is a 'Rubbish' service they have given Us by not putting through the call out as promised at 8am !!

its now 10:45 and at last someone has turned up

but look how long and how many phone calls its taken

that is a bad service !

It's perfectly clear that there is some explaining to be done by the RAC and, quite possibly, an abject apology to be offered.

Nevertheless, one, apparently simple, clerical error is not a good reason for everyone else in the UK to up sticks and move to another breakdown provider as you suggest they should.

I am glad to hear that your OH is now being attended to.

Please come back and let us know what the RAC's explanation for this apparent error is.

I doubt you will.

magpiecottage

Unfortunately, all breakdown firms make mistakes from time to time.

Nowadays, breakdown cover is a regulated insurance contract. They must have set complaints procedures and, if you are dissatisfied after the procedure is completed you can take them to the Financial Ombudsman Service - though I don't think it often gets that far.

dacouch

I always use the RAC and find them very good, no doubt mistakes can happen as with all businesses.

krystal-divination

Its 12.25 and i am just home from picking my partner up from garage
the guy who came to the call out was from a local recovery garage and couldn't apologise enough on RAC behalf, he said they are agents for RAC and he hoped our experience of them would not taint our opinion of the local garage, i said its not his fault.
The garage recovery guy said they had a call to come out at 8.20 from RAC
but then RAC called him back and cancelled it !

i had then rung again 9.30 and they put it through properly that time and he turned up at 10.35.

we are puzzled as to why that happened.

we know mistakes happen but you know what its like to be let down when you try to use the service you have paid for, its a bad show

its the whole mess of communication within RAC, they never contacted me to say policy cancelled in error in january and they didn't call us back this morning to say they cancelled today's call out and why.

a 7.45 breakdown not being recovered till 10.35 is too long to wait nearly 3hrs !

especially as the local recover guy said they got recovery vehicles just sitting waiting for call outs today, no work coming in !

well as i said we are home and its taken all morning

we will write to complain as this has been a right mess !

catflea

I'm glad you are sorted now. :beer:

Like others have said though, one screw up is not sufficient basis to brand the RAC as a rubbish company. All companies (breakdown cover included) make mistakes, and sadly that mistake has caused you problems this time. A written complaint is DEFINATLY in order

My personal experience of the RAC? factor in here, that I'm named on my fathers cover (and have apparently been a member since before i was born! :eek:) and I also have my own seperate policy with them too (different address etc - the two are not linked in any way). In the last 18 months or so I have called out the RAC three times and long wait aside for one (when I happened to conk out in a services, so no real problem) I have no problems with them whatsover. The call centre guys seem to know their onions and I've yet to come across a patrol who isn't friendly, genuinely wants to help and has good knowledge of whats going on.

Factor in here that for one of these call-outs my personal cover had been cancelled (bank screwed up the DD) Their reaction? No problem sir, we will just re-activate the account and a patrol will be there in 30 mins. By the time I'd phoned the folks to let them know I was going to be late there was a big orange van parked behind me. Best breakdown i've ever had (if there is such a thing! :rotfl:)

Definatly worth the ~£7 a month I pay!

Inactive

catflea wrote: »

. In the last 18 months or so I have called out the RAC three times and long wait aside for one (when I happened to conk out in a services, so no real problem)

!

Surely not in that ultra reliable Rover?:D

pitkin2020

I have always used the RAC for the last 5 years and never had a problem until last year when we had 4 breakdowns across 3 vans. 1 was seen to within the hour, 2 were seen to well after the hour mark and the 4th one 5 hours later. Everytime a van is off the road it costs money.
Yes everyone makes mistakes but surely most people know where kent is in relation to North Devon, its not the patrols fault they only go where sent and the RAC and AA patrols are always excellent I have found.
The problem I have found with the RAC is unless you know the postcode of where you are broken down they seem to struggle in finding you. North Devon being a pretty rural area you can only sometimes give info such as the A-Road number and which town/village it leads to.

It is luck of the draw if they attend within 10 mins or 2 hours but you must understand the OP being p1ssed off at being told her membership has lapsed yet it was paid in full and doesn't end till feb.

LandyAndy

Inactive wrote: »

Surely not in that ultra reliable Rover?:D

Probably in the Moggy.

catflea

Inactive wrote: »

Surely not in that ultra reliable Rover?:D

It was a headgasket failure, but in the Minor. And I've never said my rover is ultra reliable, just that as a brand I feel it is much maligned...

Its first long run out since recomissioning was expecting it to happen, question was when? Fortunatly it didn't happen 5 mins earlier Even had a spare gasket set stashed away