"Don't get into your car" (RAC)

Member Name: louisajane

Product:	RAC
Date:	23/06/04 (454 review reads)
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You only really know how good your insurance company is until you’ve had an accident and made a claim, right?

Wrong.

I’ve been with the RAC for a couple of years now, and I haven’t had any accidents whilst I’ve been covered with their good selves. I must say that the premium was very good for someone of my age (I was 22 when I defected from Admiral to them), and I was able to protect my no claims which was really good.

The first year was great, I paid the cash, got the certificate, and drove around, happy as Larry (whoever he/she is). No accidents, no queries, nothing. Very expensive piece of paper really, an insurance certificate, but it’s even better if you don’t need to use it.

Great stuff. So after a year, I renewed my policy with the RAC for another year, setting up a direct debit no problems, and receiving all the documentation in the post, no problems. Sorted. No need to worry about that for another year, or so I thought….

I renew in July (well, I used to, but we’ll come to that later), and my Switch card I was using for the direct debit expired at the end of November. I digress, but I’ve been with Orange for my mobile since 1999, and have had a new Switch card every year since then, and it’s been no problem for Mr. Orange to direct debit, and it was no problem for Mr. Admiral insurance prior to Mr. RAC…

So, everything was going swimmingly (as much as the non-relationship you crave from an insurance company can be going), until mid-November. At this point I was working away from home, and my lovely Mother and I had an agreement that she’d forward all my post to me in a big bundle at the end of every week, unless there was something important (like a recorded delivery letter, new credit card etc), in that case she’d open that and let me know, or hold onto it and give it to me personally.

So, mid-November, and I receive a
text message from Mother, saying “why has the RAC sent you a recorded delivery letter?”, answer – “I don’t know, open it”, reply “your insurance will be cancelled in 7 days, call them”. So I ring, and apparently, my direct debit for December was declined. Why? No idea, but it could be something to do with my card expiring at the end of November, but “that’s fine Madam, we’ll re-enter your card details and everything will be marvellous”. So, I repeat every bit of info about my bank details, completely identical apart from expiry date and issue number, and it’s all fine.

Phew.

1 month later, text from Mother, “Car insurance cancelled in 7 days, call them”.

B****y hell.

So I ring, repeat my details AGAIN, and everything’s great again, relationships have been restored and I can drive my car happily. Great stuff

1 month later…(Do I really need to tell you the course of events?)

In April, it’s still going on, still every month a recorded delivery letter sent to Mum and a text to me, and a call to the RAC to repeat everything one more time.

Getting a little tedious now, and I’m told that since my policy expires in July and I only have 2 more instalments (of just over 25 pounds, note, twenty-five pounds) to pay. I offered to call them before they harass my mother, and was kindly told that my direct debits would be cancelled (I mean, they weren’t working anyway were they!?!), and I could manually pay every month, before a certain date, to avoid Mother getting flustered by silly letters.

Fantastic, everything’s sorted – mental note to self, “Don’t renew with RAC, or if you do, pay it all off in one big lot”.

At the start of June, I was (luckily) on a day off from work, idly pottering around the house, mobile ‘phones on silent, enjoying the
lovely weather and a day off, when my boyfriend AND my housemate call me, saying my Mum’s been calling them, and that I shouldn’t go anywhere near my car.

Not normal.

So I ring Mother, and apparently she’d opened a solicitors letter (NOT recorded delivery this time), saying that my insurance on my car was cancelled on the 14th May and that I owe the RAC £125; 4 instalments of just over 25 quid plus an admin fee of £15. Interesting, seeing as I’ve been paying manually every month and was told that I only had 2 months outstanding - to me, that’s about 70 quid, not 125.

Did I care about the odd 55 quid unaccounted for? Of course I didn’t! I’d been driving an uninsured car around for 3 weeks without knowing about it! And more to the point I need that car for work, and I had no understanding and no warning of this. Strange how they were happy to send things recorded delivery when they wanted payment but a letter “just to let you know your insurance has been cancelled” was sent by normal mail.

Anyway, so I called them immediately, and paid (grudgingly) the 125 quid, and was informed that I could set up a new policy no problems Madam.

What?!? Like I’d want to be insured with them, but like I have any choice now because I’ve got to answer “yes” to the dreaded question asked by all insurance companies “have you ever had an insurance policy cancelled or declined?”.

So now I’m stuck with the RAC for this year, but in all fairness, actually because their quote wasn’t half bad, and I paid the whole lot upfront, and it’s actually cheaper than my previous premium.

One small fact, though, that was 2 weeks ago, and I haven’t received my new insurance certificate yet…

So, basically, I’m not really sure whether I like the RAC or not yet, it depends how we get on with their complaints depar
tment in the next few months I suppose!

I’ll let you know…

p.s. Might I just add that actually they are very friendly over the ‘phone, always knowledgeable about everything, and extremely helpful. I don’t know how their claims procedure is, and I don’t really want to find out. I’m only commenting on the seemingly poor organisation of their payment procedures!

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