Is the RAC taking advantage of the consumer and the present weather conditions?

savemoney

Its easy to fit a battery takes all of 10 minutes 20 tops and some cheap tools spanners

http://www.wikihow.com/Change-a-Car-Battery
http://www.ehow.com/video_512_replace-car-battery.html

forgotmyname

Bit like saying I went to tesco and they dont sell Sainsbury's good for you beans.

Rather annoying, But it gets worse, They refused to carry them home for me and cook them.


They charge extra because they will come to you and fit the battery then guarantee it. You chose not to buy from them so why should they fit it? Thats what garages are for.

Goto halfords and compare prices.

It_can_get_better

I can't see how you have any complaint with the RAC. You chose to buy a battery somewhere else when you could have got it from the RAC and had it fitted for free. You are the one trying to take advantage of the RAC.

You pay for the convenience of them coming to you and fitting it. They offer a service, if you're not happy with the price that's your problem, not theirs. You've found to your detriment the pitfalls of not reading the terms and conditions.

teresaevans_2

The different views are intriguing but some are missing the point.
RAC offer to fit batteries, not clutches, exhausts etc. I was not aware of the exclusion when I bought the battery which I intending fitting myself. Had I not told the RAC that I had bought a battery and simply called them out on a breakdown as this is what it was; likely the exclusion would have been explained on arrival. I would have flatly refused to pay this sum on principal. I would have asked that my car be towed to a garage that I usually give my custom to. This would have cost the RAC even more than simply fitting a battery.
I was not in a vulnerable position. I was at home. Had my car broken down on a roadside I would become a vulnerable consumer. The same applies to a man. The RAC is making massive mark up on batteries that it probably gets for rock bottom prices. The company I bought the battery from was obviously satisfied with the profit that it made. Clearly the RAC wants more on a job that talks all of 5 minutes. It is making massive profits on what is often a vulnerable purchase. It is extortion!
Readers of this thread may be interested to know that I have spoken with an agent at the AA. I presented the agent with the same scenario and was assured that AA would have fitted battery I purchased without conditions or a charge. I am told that if I didn’t have one it would have taken me somewhere to obtain one.
With respect boyse7en, making a comparison of buying a chicken from a company that sells car breakdown cover and expecting that it cooks the chicken for you, has no bearing or influence on the discussion. It is simply being facetious for the hell of it…feel sorry for your missus!

Sgt_Pepper_2

teresaevans wrote: »

The different views are intriguing but some are missing the point.
RAC offer to fit batteries, not clutches, exhausts etc. I was not aware of the exclusion when I bought the battery which I intending fitting myself. Had I not told the RAC that I had bought a battery and simply called them out on a breakdown as this is what it was; likely the exclusion would have been explained on arrival. I would have flatly refused to pay this sum on principal. I would have asked that my car be towed to a garage that I usually give my custom to. This would have cost the RAC even more than simply fitting a battery.
I was not in a vulnerable position. I was at home. Had my car broken down on a roadside I would become a vulnerable consumer. The same applies to a man. The RAC is making massive mark up on batteries that it probably gets for rock bottom prices. The company I bought the battery from was obviously satisfied with the profit that it made. Clearly the RAC wants more on a job that talks all of 5 minutes. It is making massive profits on what is often a vulnerable purchase. It is extortion!
Readers of this thread may be interested to know that I have spoken with an agent at the AA. I presented the agent with the same scenario and was assured that AA would have fitted battery I purchased without conditions or a charge. I am told that if I didn’t have one it would have taken me somewhere to obtain one.
With respect boyse7en, making a comparison of buying a chicken from a company that sells car breakdown cover and expecting that it cooks the chicken for you, has no bearing or influence on the discussion. It is simply being facetious for the hell of it…feel sorry for your missus!

Well you know what to do come renewal time.

pinkteapot

Did their charge of £91.99 for the battery include fitting?

Gloomendoom

After reading the blurb un the RAC website, I do have some sympathy with the OP.

This is what they say...

Battery Response

All our members benefit from Battery Response as part of their membership. This means that should your battery fail we can fit a new battery for you. All you have to pay for is the battery; labour and fitting costs are included in your membership.

If labour and fitting costs are included in the membership, and not in the inflated price of their batteries, then it is not entirely unreasonable to expect them to fit any battery.

At the very least, the RAC should amend the wording on their site.

teresaevans_2

RAC claims that the fitting is free. Appears to me that it is a hidden charge. I have spoken with Trading Standards today who suggests that I flag this matter up to the Office of Fair Trading as an unfair trading practice, and I will. Neither will I renew the cover with RAC.

teresaevans_2

The battery that I had purchased was exact same as what RAC would have sold me.

Strider590

Someone needs to wake up and smell the coffee...... Have you seen what Halfrauds charge for batteries? Easily £40 on top of the prices you get with online retailers.

Companies are in it for profit, they pray on people stupid or lazy enough not to look elsewhere. It's not just the RAC, it's every single company on the planet!!!! Do you really think that everyone should sell everything at the same price???

Do you buy a loaf of bread on Tesco's and then complain to trading standards that Asda sell the same thing for double the price? Or do you buy from Tesco's and think "hey I just saved 40p " ?

Personally, I have no issue with companies ripping off the stupid/lazy people. If it's not done in a fraudulent way, then fair enough. We all have the freedom to shop elsewhere, if we get stung for being lazy then that's our own faults.