RAC Rant

[BobbyH]

So on the way back from Birmingham hospital for some stuff, my turbo on my TDCI focus decides it doesn’t want to turbo anymore.

After calling RAC, they told me it’s quicker to log a breakdown online, so I go online and get it logged.

Get a text saying it’ll take upto 3 hours.

4 and a half hours later the patrol turns up. Who was an actual gent!

He told me what I thought, then told his supervisor over this tablet thing that he is towing me an hour and 30 mins to my house (as I have national recovery).

They replied saying and I quote ‘No, leave him. It’s too busy for you to tow’.

He tows me anyway because he knows the score of being a decent human.

 

But why do you pay so much a month, for them to turn round to the patrol and say no, don’t tow, make him wait an extra 4 hours for a recovery truck!?

[Cosmicblue]

Dreadful - so you are understandably hacked off and the RAC technician is too because he knows that the back office team have no customer empathy skills either - leaving him to do something totally unacceptable to the customer stood in front of him.  If the guy has sense he'll be looking for another job.

You won't be stumping up for the RAC's renewal I suspect?

[BobbyH]

Nope, even the techie told me that Britannia (LV) has THE best breakdown and for the next price too!

He was fuming and said ‘Your loaded now, what a shame…Shall we go?’

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Write or email the RAC and set out your disappointment and your expectations.

Point out what you feel you pay your annual membership should provide, it is all listed within the agreement between you and them.

They have inexcusably FAILED you.

 

I left them years ago and have always found the guy that arrives to do the work is the good part of any motoring assistance set up. The ones at the end of the phone are normally less than useless. I don't know where you broke down, but tell them it was dangerous and to potentially be left there was unacceptable.

I have complained in the past to both the AA and the RAC and each time have had money back.

 

Do NOT accept an offer of a cheaper renewal, go elsewhere.

 

Good luck.

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, I got caught out the other day with a flat battery (my fault) Green flag came in less than half hour , sorted and off again,  i should have put my start charger in motor🤔😒

[old'un]

45 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, I got caught out the other day with a flat battery (my fault) Green flag came in less than half hour , sorted and off again,  i should have put my start charger in motor🤔😒

yep, I have been with Green Flag for 20+ years and called them out twice in that time, first time cam belt went on motorway, they were there within the hour, took me and the car to a local garage then dropped me home, second time we were out for the day and on getting back to the car found the battery was totally dead, they turned up after 25 minutes, changed the battery and we were on our way within an hour.

[Loki]

Hi

As said above dont take this extremely poor service but ensure it goes to the ChExec of the RAC (there is a listing on Tinternet of the ChExecs) and copy in appropriate Directors (multi-prong approach).

L

[Wylye]

RAC run the Mercedes breakdown/recovery service and its a shambles. I waited four hours recently and finally dumped the car and took a taxi home - at their suggestion. I am now battling with them to recover the £80 taxi fare, which is in their terms and conditions.

I cant believe a company like Mercedes put up with such an association which does them no good at all.

[BobbyH]

Thabkyou all for the advice, I will be leaving RAC after a strongly worded email.

[Westley]

I had an exact same problem, but with the AA last Friday.  We had been away for Christmas,  and my Honda CRV had not been used. However, we had been out to it a few times, putting stuff in, taking stuff out etc. When I came to start the loaded car.........a flat batt. Unable to get a phone signal, the hotel reception tried the landline to the AA. This was around 10.30am. After all sorts of automated messages, telling her to go 'on line', she persisted with the landline. After quite a long wait, she informed us it was going to be at least 2 hours wait. Thankfully a Land Rover owner came to my assistance,  using my jump leads. The car started straight away. The hotel receptionist told us to 'leave it with her' to make the cancellation. I plan on complaining to the AA about the idiotic system of 'doing it on line'.  That is NOT always possible, but a phone line is.

[mossy835]

i have a gold card with rac. and they have never let me down they have all ways come out very quick. i will stay  with them be with them for 10 years.

[BobbyH]

35 minutes ago, Westley said:

I had an exact same problem, but with the AA last Friday.  We had been away for Christmas,  and my Honda CRV had not been used. However, we had been out to it a few times, putting stuff in, taking stuff out etc. When I came to start the loaded car.........a flat batt. Unable to get a phone signal, the hotel reception tried the landline to the AA. This was around 10.30am. After all sorts of automated messages, telling her to go 'on line', she persisted with the landline. After quite a long wait, she informed us it was going to be at least 2 hours wait. Thankfully a Land Rover owner came to my assistance,  using my jump leads. The car started straight away. The hotel receptionist told us to 'leave it with her' to make the cancellation. I plan on complaining to the AA about the idiotic system of 'doing it on line'.  That is NOT always possible, but a phone line is.

Yes, I agree 100%!!
This whole online thing is getting far too much, most of the time when I call someone, I want to talk to someone, not an automated voice 

[marsh man]

35 minutes ago, BobbyH said:

Yes, I agree 100%!!
This whole online thing is getting far too much, most of the time when I call someone, I want to talk to someone, not an automated voice 

Where I went on Christmas day for a walk across the marsh's I was over two miles from the main road although I was on a concrete access road , my phone is quite ancient and it is without all the online services so how would I get on if I had a flat battery , I have only ever called the A A once , that was on a Sunday afternoon and with a flat battery problem , I must admit they were helpful and got to me within 40 minutes , started me up and said with a bit of luck I should get home , I did but only just , couldn't complain about the service but it might be very different nowadays .   MM

[TIGHTCHOKE]

3 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Where I went on Christmas day for a walk across the marsh's I was over two miles from the main road although I was on a concrete access road , my phone is quite ancient and it is without all the online services so how would I get on if I had a flat battery , I have only ever called the A A once , that was on a Sunday afternoon and with a flat battery problem , I must admit they were helpful and got to me within 40 minutes , started me up and said with a bit of luck I should get home , I did but only just , couldn't complain about the service but it might be very different nowadays .   MM

 

[marsh man]

Who is that in front , Simon ?, normal transport in his neck of the woods .

[7daysinaweek]

13 hours ago, marsh man said:

Who is that in front , Simon ?, normal transport in his neck of the woods .

Not wanting to derail the thread, I would say our current road system in the UK allows you to travel at around that speed MM

 

[Acerforestry]

RAC dropped the ball in terms of fulfilling what they are contracted to do, quite a while back I think. The last time I needed them a 3 hour wait turned into a 6 hour wait to then be told (at 11.30 at night with temps at freezing), "we can't attend, the patrol we had in mind hasn't got the kit required". My partner's son had the RAC recover his BMW with no clutch over Christmas and somehow the steering rack and another part of the front end have been damaged, resulting in extended hotel stay whilst they fix it that still continues now..., I'm assuming they may be finding it hard to source a rack for an older model like his. And he has to pay for repairs and claim it back, apparently. I don't generally throw criticism around willy nilly but their customer service is a disaster, I'll be looking at Brittania for the next policy. 

[old man]

On 29/12/2024 at 20:49, BobbyH said:

Yes, I agree 100%!!
This whole online thing is getting far too much, most of the time when I call someone, I want to talk to someone, not an automated voice 

AI driven customer disservice?

[Westward]

My cars have been exclusively Mazdas for more than 25 years with a cumulative of about 200k miles. None of them has ever broken down - touch wood - but the latest one is so incredibly complex that I doubt if a breakdown engineer could deal with much more than a flat battery or a puncture. Over the last week I've done about 400 miles on various motorways and there did seem to be more broken down cars than usual.

Perhaps the RAC & AA are dealing with many more call outs than usual.