RAC Rip Off (RAC)

Name: jonatkins

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Product:	RAC
Date:	06/06/03 (1041 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Peace of mind from cover

Disadvantages: poor customer service, price hikes, dodgy dealing

I don't mean to be rude by the RAC have really Pi#@!d me off this time!

We originally became RAC customers 3 years ago when we purchased a new Ford, (RAC cover the car for it's first year of life), and we thought little of it.

No breakdowns/Callouts during the first year.

When the car was a year old the RAC sent us a renewal invitation and we chose to take them up on their offer of joint membership (me and the wife), for individual cover. This way we were covered whatever we were driving...This cost us £56 and we didn't think that was too bad.

The second year passed and once again we had no breakdowns and therefore never called them out.

This time our membership renewal invited us to renew exactly the same cover as before for £83. "Crikey that's a heck of an increase I thought, I'll phone them up and find out what the trouble is". After wrestling with their phone system I got through to a lady who quite impatiently explained to me that our first renewal year had been discounted because it was a one year old Ford they were covering. (This confused me a bit as we had individual cover, not vehicle cover). When I threatened to go elsewhere they explained that we would get discounts once we were RAC members for three years so it's worth sticking with it. The upshot was that they were clearly not going to budge on the £83 charge and I begrudgingly paid for the following years cover.

The third year passed again uneventfully and so we didn't have need to call them out again.

You'll probably be ahead of me here, but we have just received our invitation to renew for a third time and guess what? The price indicated (in a very small font in the corner of the letter), is £104 !! Now I'm thinking I've started to notice a pattern here so I phone them again. I very politely asked if they could check my renewal price as I fear there could be some mistake. The lady I spok

e to put me one hold while she checked with another department. When she came back on line she asked me what car we have, so I confirmed that she was talking about the car this policy originally covered and she said yes, so I gave her the details of the Ford (now aged 3) and she said Oh right, well in that case your renewal price will be £79. Why the difference then? I said, Oh that's because we can't assume you still have the same car so we send the renewal for the maximum price!

Two issues here: a) This is fundamentally unfair as they are trying to trick people into paying over the odds hoping they won't notice the price on thier letter (remember the very small font)? and b) What difference does it make anyway? We have two cars, the other once is only 8 months old (incidentally covered from new by the AA) and surely as we have individual cover which is supposed to cover us whatever we drive it shouldn't matter.

When I raise these points with the customer service people they simply don?t seem to care, giving a very ?that?s the price, take it or leave it? attitude.

It seems a shame that an organisation such as the RAC should be employing tactics like these in order to increase profits, when they should be rewarding customers such as ourselves who pay their premiums but rarely call them out. I suppose the moral or this little tale is to very carefully read any paperwork the RAC may send out and to challenge them if you don?t think their service/price structure is fair.

I don?t know whether it?s a good or bad thing that we?ve never had cause to call them out, but I think I?ll be phoning the AA to see what they can offer in the meantime.

Summary: