RAC refused to help breakdown because they had dogs inside the vehicle

Buzby

The RAC do not cover motorhomes, period. You can subscribe additionally to their 'Arrival' service which is in addition to the standard vehicle breakdown/recovery service. To get this you have to be a member of the Caravan & Camping Club and quote your membership number.

If you breakdown with just standard vehicle cover, they will attempt a repair at the roadside ONLY, but no recovery or carrying passengers home or to the ultimate destination is allowed - and this has been the case since 1988.

lostinrates

custardy wrote: »

unfortunately I doubt many companies want it.
think about companies using 3rd parties for recovery etc. How do you cover that?
Do these 3rd parties have insurance that covers animals?
However I would expect Joe average with 1 dog wouldnt have much issue

We've been collected and towed with three giants in the past , I remember that. I normally travel with one giant, one large breed (but as big as the giant really) and one tiddler (officially he is I think a medium breed but we find that ludicrous being used to big dogs....).

duchy

I seems the RAC sent out a standard recovery van -presumably to see if they could get the van started -at least for long enough to get it to a safer area . A bit like us.....it isn't uncommon around here for a paramedic on a motorbike to attend first and if an ambulance is needed for transportation -they arrange it once the patient (or van in this case) is assessed and stablized if possible.

I do wonder about all these outraged dog owners cancelling their cover....... Have they found alternative cover with a company who will guarantee to not "triage" first ....or will once they have researched the options discover that all recovery services offer the same as the RAC or even less ? If there is a better option ....possibly at a higher cost why aren't people advertising the better alternative in this thread ? Surely as responsible dog owners that would be the appropriate thing to do ?

(Edit -I see someone has posted a doggy type company- do we know how much more expensive it is than standard cover........... I suppose if we're debating the RAC's role in all this it'd be useful to know if this trailer was covered as a motorhome or a sranndard car too)

thorsoak

Buzby wrote: »

The RAC do not cover motorhomes, period. You can subscribe additionally to their 'Arrival' service which is in addition to the standard vehicle breakdown/recovery service. To get this you have to be a member of the Caravan & Camping Club and quote your membership number.

If you breakdown with just standard vehicle cover, they will attempt a repair at the roadside ONLY, but no recovery or carrying passengers home or to the ultimate destination is allowed - and this has been the case since 1988.

Incorrect - see http://www.rac.co.uk/bundle1/

Although I am not 100% certain of this fact, I would imagine that the owner of the van would be a Caravan & Camping Club member, as she does camp at showgrounds, as do a lot of dog show people.

geri1965_2

meritaten wrote: »

oh and I can remember the advice used to be (when motorways first opened), to drive onto the 'hard shoulder', stay in your vehicle and wait for help!

I don't remember when motorways first opened, but I do remember being in my nan's car which broke down on the M5 when I was a kid, so some time in the 1970s, and I remember very clearly that we had to get out of the car and wait on the embankment.

duchy

thorsoak wrote: »

Joe Public could have a problem if Reg RAC doesn't want to have Fido in his cab if Joe Public's family car breaks down!

Joe Public however is unlikely to have twelve fidos in his Fiesta however.

custardy

thorsoak wrote: »

There is a company that covers people who show dogs/share vehicles with other dog show people - http://www.prprescue.com/html/showstart.html

It is important that anyone who takes their dog - or dogs out for the day/on holiday - realises that dogs are transported "at the discretion of the recovery driver".

And of course, people who use motorhomes do realise that it will cost more to service any problems - and that is why they pay extortionate membership rates - if you were to check on the RAC webpages, you will see that there is a special quote section for motorhomes.

Joe Public could have a problem if Reg RAC doesn't want to have Fido in his cab if Joe Public's family car breaks down!

not with an average tow able vehicle

skivenov

thorsoak wrote: »

The first telephone call to the RAC notified them that (1) the vehicle was a 35' motorhome which would require flat-bed recovery; and (2) that there were 12 dogs in the motorhome.

Had these facts been assessed correctly by the RAC before sending out the first vehicle, a more suitable vehicle might have been alerted to pick up the occupants and remove them to a place of safety whilst the recovery of the motorhome could await the arrival of the appropriate recovery vehicle.

If you have a look at my post here - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=63869769&postcount=99 I explain the type of vehicle which would most likely be required to recover a 35 foot campervan. It's not the sort of thing there is in every town, in fact, it's a very specialist type of vehicle.

They would have sent a patrol van first to see if they could effect a repair to the camper, as they can get there the quickest. Otherwise they could have had the wait for a specialist recovery, when they might have just needed a can of fuel.

I wasn't party to the phone call, I'm not sure if you were, but people don't always give the best information or the full picture when they're phoning for recovery. Many years ago in my trainee mechanic days, we went out to a broken down "little van", that turned out to be a 7.5tonner.

When I broke down on the motorway, the call centre said that they would notify the Highways Agency, and when the guy had done his job, he logged the hard shoulder as "cleared" before he went on his way.

Shiv699

Undergrowth is not easily stamped down sometimes... Also not in the dark... The accident occurred at 5.40am. Imagine how terrifying for the dogs and owners that would be, trying to get them out safely, tie them up safely and try keep warm also for 3 hours. It is in no way the owners fault. The lorry driver and the RAC yes.

custardy

Shiv699 wrote: »

Undergrowth is not easily stamped down sometimes... Also not in the dark... The accident occurred at 5.40am. Imagine how terrifying for the dogs and owners that would be, trying to get them out safely, tie them up safely and try keep warm also for 3 hours. It is in no way the owners fault. The lorry driver and the RAC yes.

Apart from choice of vehicle and choice of staying in the car.
Cold & scared vs hit by an HGV
Whats to choose?
and since you state it,what could the RAC do?
its a massive motorhome that needs a specific vehicle to remove it. So?