How do I escalate my RAC complaint?

Laurastarxxxx

Hi
please can anyone advise?? My car broke down and I was informed by RAC that someone would be out to retrieve my vehicle. I got a text message 1 minute after (At 1.48am) stating the drivers name, they would be 80mins and his contact number as i was informed it was going to be taken to a compound overnight.
a while later I received a call from the driver stating it was a hassle and pointless him taking it to the compound at that time to then get it out again in the morning and to leave it there and meet him in the morning around 8am. I was obviously annoyed after waiting up as it was getting late and I have M.E and was told it would be taken to the compound and then it wasn’t and wish they had said in the beginning.
i had a call from their customer services at 3.01am to which I reiterated my frustration that he said he wasn’t taking it to a compound and that I had to meet them in the morning. 

However on meeting the driver in the morning my car had been vandalised and the driver stated “not to worry as the area was rough anyway”.
now I am having to pay an excess for the vandalism and I feel that if it had been taken to the compound as agreed and expected, then this would not have happened to my car and all they have to say is that they didn’t have a protocol to follow, didn’t cut corners to meet demands and that I should have said it was unsafe but how was I to know that about the area? And I just took what I was told as that was how it had to be.
can anyone please advise? In their email they state numerous excuses as to why they were so busy and so on but this wasn’t explained to me, I was just told it would be this way n had to deal with that and now I’m paying the price. They weren’t even aware the driver called me and said he wasn’t going to take it to the compound anymore as planned via customer services. I personally feel deman is high and they have targets to meet and so corners were cut, if it was taken to the secure compound this would not have happened. 

It’s a motability car btw 
thankyou
laura x

AdrianC

One thing that leaps out from that is how far from your home was this breakdown? Clearly close enough that you getting home then back again wasn't an issue.

If they'd said at the start "We'll collect it in the morning, see you with it at 8am", would you have been happy at that point?

I don't see how the RAC can be held responsible for it being vandalised.

forgotmyname

Although a lot of places have secure compounds (well as secure as an 8ft fence gets)  but many have open compounds.
More like a forecourt or just parking around the side or rear.

Targets to meet?  Wouldn't the garage make more money and the RAC save money storing your car overnight than making
2 journeys to where it brokedown?  Or did they not attend at all?  which would be odd.

If you were unhappy leaving the car there you could have said no you need to get it moved.

Scrapit

One car got vandalised in the 7 hours or less it was at that location? Wht are the chances?

facade

Scrapit said:

One car got vandalised in the 7 hours or less it was at that location? Wht are the chances?

There are plenty of places within easy walking distance of my house where the chances are 99.9999% in 1 hour, never mind 7.

AdrianC

forgotmyname said:

Although a lot of places have secure compounds (well as secure as an 8ft fence gets)  but many have open compounds.
More like a forecourt or just parking around the side or rear.

Targets to meet?  Wouldn't the garage make more money and the RAC save money storing your car overnight than making 2 journeys to where it brokedown?

We don't know whether it was the RAC or a contractor that was going to move and store it.

(~3.30am)
Roadside -> Compound 
Compound -> Garage (~8.30am)

Now, what if the compound isn't in that town...? Say, 30 miles away? That's 60 extra miles, call it an hour and a half. Plus unloading and loading time. Call it two hours, all in.
To then sit in the compound for 3hrs...

I can see what the RAC's logic was.

And if the OP was within easy distance of home, there was no great rush to get the car moved... After all, the OP seems to have been local and didn't know that was a high-risk location for vandalism, right?

Scrapit

facade said:

Scrapit said:

One car got vandalised in the 7 hours or less it was at that location? Wht are the chances?

There are plenty of places within easy walking distance of my house where the chances are 99.9999% in 1 hour, never mind 7.

Sounds like you need to move, sharpish.

sheramber

I personally feel deman is high and they have targets to meet and so corners were cut,
More  likely the contractor didn't want to come out at that time of night.