RAC - Really Awful Callout! (RAC)

Member Name: KathrynPenguin

Product:	RAC
Date:	18/05/01 (301 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see op

Disadvantages: see op

Ever since I bought my first car I've had breakdown cover. This cover has always been with Britannia Rescue who have always provided me with an excellent service. The longest I have waited in 13 years of motoring is 45 minutes, and once I got a recovery within 10 minutes when I locked my keys in the car and explained that the roads were due to be closed for a carnival. That’s before I called the RAC though.

~~~ Free Cover ~~~
I'm with the RAC because the cover came free for a year when I purchased a new car. I have often relied on breakdown recovery services to get me out of trouble and as I already mentioned I have always got excellent service. I did however think it was an unnecessary expense to pay for cover when I had this free RAC cover. Boy was I wrong.

~~~ The Breakdown ~~~
Last week I was going on holiday to Sunny Spain. My Dad arranged for me to use a cheap parking facility near Gatwick where I left my car and the chap would run me to the airport, because the chap at the parking place would need to move the car I had to leave him the spare keys. On arrival at the parking place I got out of the car, locked the doors and put the regular key in my handbag. The chap came out, took my money and told me to park the car around the back. I unlocked the car with the spare key and tried to start it – nothing. The car didn't even turn over, I just turned the key and got no response except a click. I thought maybe it was a problem with the spare key so I got the regular key out of my bag and tried that, still nothing. I grabbed the RAC card from the car and got the phone out.

~~~ The Call ~~~
When I called the RAC I was asked for my membership number and the woman said "Ford Fiesta", I said no, Ford Focus, OK she said (I have no idea why they have the wrong car showing on their computer). The lady took the details of the problem and my location and I asked her how long it was likely
to be. I was somewhat shocked to be told 2 hours – I've never waited that long for breakdown recovery and my regular service always promise to be there within the hour. I explained to the lady that I was on my way to Gatwick and that I didn't really have 2 hours to wait as I had a flight to catch. She told me that she would make me a priority. She also took my mobile phone number so that they could let me know when the recovery van was on its way.

~~~ The Wait ~~~
As the place I was parked was set back from the road I stood on the main road to wait for my recovery. Although I was on the way to the airport I was actually very early because the chap at the parking place had a dentists appointment I had decided to come before he left so that I wouldn't have to get a taxi back to the airport. I was waiting on my own as I had already dropped my husband and the luggage off at Gatwick.

Eventually the RAC rang my mobile to tell me that the recovery van was on its way having just finished a call about 3 miles away. When there was still no sign of the van 40 minutes later I called the RAC and asked where he was, they said they would contact him and get him to call me himself. About 15 minutes later the RAC man called and explained that he hadn't been 3 miles away but over 30 miles away, as we talked I saw him coming down the road. I had thought being called to let me know when the recovery van was on its way would be useful, if they can't even get the distance right its really no use at all.

~~~ The Fix ~~~
Having waited nearly 2 hours for my "priority" call out fixing my car took about 2 minutes. The RAC man tried both keys and neither worked, then he locked and unlocked the car a number of times with the main key and it started no problem. Apparently the spare key (supplied with the car but never used) is incorrectly set and had confused the system. So long as only the regular key is used
there is no problem. I'll be getting that car down to a Ford dealer this week so they can sort out the key! The repair man was polite, friendly and seemed to know what he was doing.

~~~ The Bottom Line ~~~
The RAC provided a friendly, courteous service. What they didn't provide was a reasonable service, a two hour wait is simply unacceptable and I shudder to think how long I could have waited if I hadn't been made a priority due to catching a flight. I'll never call the RAC out again to me this free service is of no use, next time I breakdown I could be standing by a motorway in the middle of the night and I don't want to be waiting for two hours. I've already got in touch with my usual breakdown recovery service and arranged cover with them, the cost means little when you pay for good service. My first ever callout to the RAC will definitely be my last.

Summary: