RAC shambles

paul2foel

Broke down 9pm Friday night. Someone got to me 25 hours later…… Plenty of promises and no-shows.

I had to uber to my hotel first night after waiting 7 hours, then went back 10am next morning (and no-one showed up).

In total have spent 15 hours waiting in a layby in the sun, no access to food/water (I had some), no access to toilet. Told RAC this - not interested. Told them I'm disabled with blue badge - not interested.

Eventually I got a hire car out of them and they towed my car away. 25 hours.

And I missed event I was going to so £££s out of pocket.

Surely this is not right - I bet if I look at t+cs they're allowed to do this though? i.e. there is maximum time.

Any idea if AA are better? I can't have my son with aspergers or my wife having to put with this if ever they get same.

oldernonethewiser

Wouldn't say the AA are any better, or worse. There will be horror stories from people using any breakdown service.

Mine as it happens was with the AA.

Waited about 8 hours before low loader came to pick up the car. By then I had missed any alternative method of getting home so an hotel and an expensive train journey the next day.

Car was then delivered to the wrong place for repair.

During my wait a nice RAC patrol person came and spoke to me and went and bought me some water and a sandwich (I paid him when he brought them)

flaneurs_lobster

I pay for breakdown service (no claim in 10+ years) to get the car towed off the motorway for free.

Anything else is a bonus.

Mildly_Miffed

Broke down 9pm.
Got taxi to hotel 7hrs later, so at 4am…
Then got taxi BACK to car at 10am?
15hr total would take you to 6pm - but 25hrs would take you to 10pm. Where's the other 4hrs?

What were they telling you through that first night?

Think I'd have stayed at the hotel, asking what the hell was going on, until you got a clear assurance that the patrol was actually on their way to the car, ideally collecting you en route to it…

Clearly balls got dropped, but I'm really not sure why you chose to return to sit in the layby for that whole second day. And that second day, "no food or water" is entirely on you.

As far as others go - the AA and RAC are the only networks with substantial own fleets. Green Flag have a small one. Everybody else uses the same local contractors.

elsien

Presuming your event was on the Saturday, could you not tell them that you weren’t free until after it had finished? Or were you broken down too far away to get there?

paul2foel

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82067162#Comment_82067162

Nah hotel booked was on way (milton keynes). Event was at Knebworth (Stevenage) so I had no way to get there.

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82068132#Comment_82068132

Edfest was the event?

Mildly_Miffed

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82068132#Comment_82068132

You could have hired a car yourself, then asked RAC to pay you back for it, instead of waiting for them to hire one for you.

You could have got a train to London then back out to Stevenage.

Boohoo

https://legalbeagles.info/forums/forum/legal-forums/consumer-and-civil-rights/1720602-rac-shambles-where-do-i-stand-legally

Nearly all done and dusted for the OP.

RAC have offered him mega bucks in compo.

To me RAC have moved very very quick on this complaint as it's not even 4 days since they had car issues.

OP wishes RAC had moved this quickly to come out to them though.

According to my pal Edfest had issues with A/M 1 at the weekend and a lot of festival goers got to the concert late but apparently it was a great show by Iron Maiden as always.