Not the best recovery service (RAC)

Name: 137699

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Product:	RAC
Date:	17/12/02 (701 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nationwide Service, Some good mechanics, Can be efficient

Disadvantages: Too often slow to respond, Some poor patrol officers, Ridiculous "fair call" policy

Upon buying my first car, I decided to take out breakdown cover.

My mum bought my first car - a ford fiesta (see other review) which came with 3 years ford extra cover, including RAC cover - therefore I natrually kept up my subscription to RAC, but this was to become a relationship which was soured over the years.

My fiesta was super reliable, and as such, I never needed to call on the RAC's service. With my next car (a ford orion) I started to use the service a little more. In those days, there were only the RAC & AA that anyone had really heard of, and the stories I heard were pretty similar in both camps.

So, the fact that I had to wait for 2 and a half hours on the side of a busy dual carriage way in Sheffield once, did not surprise me.

Of course, I called on the service now and again - some years more than others, but never excessively - and the service I received ranged from the super efficient 10 mins response, to the terrible 3+ hours at-home callout.

The level of person I got also ranged from someone who could barely jump start a car with a flat battery, to some very dedicated personnel, including one gent who spent over an hour on the hard shoulder of the M6, fixing up a temporary replacement clutch cable on my Clio Williams to replace the one that had snapped, so that I could make my way home!!!

One day, I got a letter from the RAC stating that they had a "Fair Call" policy, which meant that unlike days gone by, I could not call as many times in each year without penalty, but in fact that they now limited you to 4 callouts per year, after which you had to pay. This inflamed my anger, since there had been many years during my 8 year membership when I had not called even once, yet they still religiously got thier subscription.

I can understand that some people do abuse the system, and would call out day after day, but surely 14 calls in 8 years isn't that bad, and the fact th


at I needed them 5 times in one year shouldn't mean I have to pay a penalty after years of low volume service use???

Things finally came to a head, when I had a car in which the gearbox had siezed. The car was stuck in 1st gear, and could not be moved, as the front wheels were in gear. I called the RAC and explained the problem.

As is always their policy (and this is a VERY FRUSTRATING ISSUE!) they sent a patrol in a transit van to look at the car - despite my telling the operator that this was infact a complete waste of time and thier resources, as there was nothing the patrol could do to move the car. However, as usual (and this is a regular occurrence in the RAC) the operater had nothing of it, and the patrol in the transit van duly arrived - spent 30 secs looking at the car, after which time he proclaimed there was nothing he could do, and a recovery vehicle was needed (surprise surprise!!!).

He made a call to the control centre, and 90 mins later, the low loader arrived. At which point they said that there was nothing they could do, as the front wheels were siezed and the car could not be moved. They told me that they needed "skates" which would mean me paying them £150 for them to go back to their yard, and bring out these devices which would allow the car to be moved.

I was enraged, and spoke to the control centre who duly informed me that my membership only entitled me to "basic" recovery equipment, and if I wanted the car moving I would have to pay.

In the end, I pursuaded them to drag the car onto the lorry, which they were particularly reluctant to do, and it took 40 mins of arguing between me, and the patrol, and their control centre, before I signed some hurredly handwritten disclaimer, and they recovered the car.

After receiving another of their "fair call" warnings, I promptly shopped around next renewal, and went with Green Flag, who are everything RAC a
re no
t - i.e. prompt, efficient, courteous, and helpful - not to mention cheaper.

Their patrols are subcontracted mechanics from local garages, who despatch appropriate vehicles and equipment first time, and don't mind doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

Of course, the RAC are not all that bad - I've had plenty of good service from them over the years, but I think that you can do better elsewhere, by getting a more reliable service, and save yourself money into the bargain.

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