RAC are beyond terrible now

hallmark

MalMonroe said:

What kind of breakdown cover do you have?

I've been with the RAC, on and off, for several years. Always excellent service and always within an hour. So maybe things have gone downhill now but maybe you should have contacted them at the actual time and point of breakdown? Although you are covered for 'at home' breakdown, your car didn't actually break down there.

You say you 'limped it home'. Why on earth do that? You could have caused further damage. You obviously have a mobile phone as RAC were texting you so could have phoned them. When I broke down, I just had to give them my car reg number and didn't have to quote any membership numbers, although I do have their breakdown number and my membership number in my phone as well. 

The problem with your breakdown - which they need to tell you, because THAT'S where it's all gone haywire - is that yours ISN'T a breakdown at home. Their towing service is to either get you to a garage so that repairs can be carried out OR to tow you home. 

Now you're home, I guess they think it's up to you to get the car fixed. Unless it won't start - that's where the Home Start comes in but it's a different issue.

If you read the terms and conditions of your breakdown cover, it explains in detail.

Because you didn't actually break down at home. You broke down elsewhere and then 'limped home'. You actually did their job for them. Now if it won't start, that's the problem you need to report. 

Perhaps you aren't familiar with VW but they put the car into "limp mode" precisely so you can limp it home slowly and safely when an engine fault occurs.  At the time I was 800m from my door so I drove home and called the RAC rather than park in the middle of a roundabout on a A-road which was where I was when the car developed the fault.

I have At Home as well as Recovery, Onward travel etc etc and driving home to call the RAC was a perfectly logical  action.  The problem is their ridiculous delays in sending out recovery vehicles, both Saturday and today.  Something they themselves just spent 30 minutes on the phone acknowledging and apologising for (not that that helps as I have now wasted the whole day and the car still isn't in the garage).  The RAC don't "think it's up to me to get it fixed" they fully acknowledge that the service I'm paying them for covers them towing my broken down car from my house to a garage.   They just haven't met their obligation.

hallmark

jon81uk said:

hallmark said:

jon81uk said:

I didn't think RAC offered "tow on demand" I thought if the car doesn't work, they tow it now and thats it?

The cover I have does provide it, they'll tow to a garage within 10 miles. Presumably because lots of callouts occur when garages are shut.

But if you were on side of motorway they wouldn’t just leave the car, it would be towed to a repair centre or garage. So when you first broke down why didn’t they tow it then?

Because by the time they arrived on Saturday, 6 hours after I called them, the garage I use was shut.  They arrived 6:30pm.  Had they turned up even within 4 or 5 hours they could indeed have towed it there and then, that would have been my emphatic preference.

hallmark

As an aside, not all RAC vehicles can tow all cars, and the vehicle they sent Saturday wasn't capable even if it arrived early enough.

jon81uk

hallmark said:

jon81uk said:

hallmark said:

jon81uk said:

I didn't think RAC offered "tow on demand" I thought if the car doesn't work, they tow it now and thats it?

The cover I have does provide it, they'll tow to a garage within 10 miles. Presumably because lots of callouts occur when garages are shut.

But if you were on side of motorway they wouldn’t just leave the car, it would be towed to a repair centre or garage. So when you first broke down why didn’t they tow it then?

Because by the time they arrived on Saturday, 6 hours after I called them, the garage I use was shut.  They arrived 6:30pm.  Had they turned up even within 4 or 5 hours they could indeed have towed it there and then, that would have been my emphatic preference.

I've only been with a car which needed to be towed twice, but both times the garage was closed but the recovery company still took the car.
One time I think they dropped it at the closed garage. The other time the recovery company held the car and then towed it on the following morning as far as I know.

GaleSF63

Wouldn't it have saved a lot of time if you had "limped" straight to the garage instead of your home?

sammyjammy

hallmark said:

  The RAC might hide behind "getting to those most vulnerable" to try to justify delays but this is way beyond anything reasonable.

I'm not covered with them myself but my niece and her family are, they live in Wales and we were all attending a funeral in Hampshire, they left to go home straight afterwards with a two and four year old. An hour and a half down the road and their car broke down on a hard shoulder.  They were their for over five hours waiting for help, eventually someone came and toed them to the services, said they couldn't fix it and someone else would come out and left.

They couldn't get towed home due to COVID and said he couldn't get a hire care as he didn't have his licence.

Eventually my Dad went and collected the kids and my niece and brought them back, husband was worried about leaving his car at the services (not 24) so stayed with the car.  They get home late the following day on the train and their car was towed home another day later, appalling "service"

hallmark

GaleSF63 said:

Wouldn't it have saved a lot of time if you had "limped" straight to the garage instead of your home?

In hindsight perhaps, but why pay for a recovery service who claim to fix 4 out of 5 faults at the roadside, then ignore them and choose to pay a garage too? That would be pretty stupid no?

BTW not sure why you've put "limped" in speech marks, that's the correct term.  It appears a few people are unaware of limp mode, why it exists and how it's used.

nyermen

I have AA myself, albeit not needed to use in a long time.  I've often wondered if the RAC has more members but no more money - i have 3 or 4 different forms of RAC cover, at least one through my bank account, one through my aftermarket warranty, and one through a work benefit.  Feels like every time I sign something, RAC membership is on offer.  I suspect the RAC isn't being paid their full rate for all of those.

lincroft1710

nyermen said:

I have AA myself, albeit not needed to use in a long time.  I've often wondered if the RAC has more members but no more money - i have 3 or 4 different forms of RAC cover, at least one through my bank account, one through my aftermarket warranty, and one through a work benefit.  Feels like every time I sign something, RAC membership is on offer.  I suspect the RAC isn't being paid their full rate for all of those.

Historically the AA was the larger organisation with far more members, but that may have changed. The AA may have lost a few members in the mid 1960s when they increased the annual subscription from £2.10 to £3.15, whereas the RAC stayed at £2.10 for a couple of years before also increasing to £3.15.


I had free (basic) AA membership with my bank account.

diystarter7

Like all outfits like this and in fairness to them, they prioritise calls, EG, you is stuck on a high-speed bend, motorway, dark/damp, baby or another vulnerable person in car they will prioritise you.
As you were home OP, I guess it was supply and demand and you got moved down the queue .

IMO, from what I've heard AA is better not used them for years, donkeys years but I know of people that have often a flat tyre etc or some run out of fuel, lol.