...to be so, so cross.......

[BlackStoneCherie]

.....at the RAC?

My partner broke down in the car hours ago on his way to a special event. He called the RAC just after 5pm and was told someone would be there between 6pm - 10pm, so a maximum wait of 5 hours.

Got to 10.20pm he called again , only to be told they were now sending out a local breakdown service , which would be there imminently.

It wasn't. But no communication from the RAC to my DP to say why.

I then called them from home and got them to call him back, only for them to say it would be another 70 mins before help arrives.

He's out in the middle of the countryside, his phone charge is now low, and has been stranded for over 7 hours. He's over 120 miles from home, so even if they arrive now, it's going to be at least 3.30 - 4.00am before he get's back here.

Our renewal is due next week!

I know this is a bit wise after the event, but always take a (preferably full) power pack and charging lead on a long journey, just in case. Oh, and Emergency Hummus.

I had the same issue with aa and was stranded on hottest day of year with newborn baby and all my family including dh were abroad was awful

I was left on the side of a busy dual carriageway (A road) for almost 2 hours, at night, by the AA. I was blocking the inside lane (no hard shoulder) and it was late November, so cold out. I couldn’t wait in the car because of the risk of it being hit by another motorist, so I was stood on a grass verge for the whole time. When I called them, I stressed I was a lone female and blocking a lane, still took almost 2 hours. When the AA recovery truck arrived, even the man who came said they should’ve done something sooner given the location.

Needless to say, I cancelled my policy with the AA and they didn’t want to know when I complained. Shame, as they’d always had a good reputation of putting women and children first. I’m not one to ‘play the woman’ card really, but the location alone should’ve been enough to warrant priority.

I hope you get a satisfactory resolution to your complaint OP - the service(?) you received(?) was as shocking.

I was with a small breakdown co, my DS (then just turned 18) was out in the car a few weeks after passing his test when he broke down. They took 5 hours to get to him despite the fact he was a mile from Bluewater so not in middle of nowhere. The worst part was that we were expressly told that he couldn't leave the car so he had to stay there, in the cold.

I made a massive complaint and got £250, cancelled my membership and am now with Green Flag. Called them once and they turned up within an hour (and were lovely to me on the phone too as I was a bit upset at the time - long story, but they completely reassured me and calmed me down).

So based on my experience push for compensation and go to Green Flag!

We have Green Flag as well, fortunately have only had to call them once, and they were with us within two hours. Much cheaper than RAC

That's pretty poor service - I hope you both get some resolution from the RAC about this.

On a side note, this is a really great reminder to everyone to ensure you have emergency supplies in your car. I have winter emergency supplies but I have been lax about considering the implications of breaking down in this heatwave. I'd be screwed cause I always forget to carry extra water or food. I have hi-vis super cosy site jacket (perk of being an engineer) in my boot at all times, but that's not going to be much use at this time of year!

DH sadly had the same experience with the RAC a couple of weeks ago. He broke down on the motorway at 8pm. The first to attend couldn't fix it, so left him there for a tow truck to transport him. That turned up at midnight, but took him miles south to a service station (not even in the direction of home) and left him there. They finally picked him up about 9am, and he got home at 10.30am.

He wasn't the only one. They'd done the same to another guy on a motorbike (a medic on his way to a job in Cornwall) and he'd been dumped there even longer. He was in a state because he wasn't able to leave his bike with all the medical kit on it, so couldn't even go and get a drink. They both sat in DH's car until morning and the bike was collected at about 11.30am (from 9pm the night before).

Appalling service and he wrote to the CEO. That resulted in a cheque appearing this week for £60. It's not good enough and we've escalated again. I've been with them for years and never called them out before, so we'd have been better off with no cover at all and using a local recovery service. At least you KNOW you're going to be a while, instead of the lies the RAC told ("someone will be there within the hour, several times over").

The lies are the worst and as soon as this issue is resolved, I'll be cancelling with them. I won't bother having breakdown cover, there's no point.

Just been having some food and chatting - no visitors thank goodness, I got it wrong!
Anyway, DP's just told me that the taxi journey last night cost the RAC - and in turn all it's members £215.00! It wasn't a one off either, as that particular taxi group are contracted to the RAC for this exact scenario. So, like everything else, the RAC is dismantled - or has already dismantled - its core business and outsourced.

Ironic really, as the very 1st header in red ink on my renewal letter reads COMPLETE PEACE OF MIND AND MORE.....well I don't think so. Especially at the end of all its blurb it states ' we're proud to keep you on the road . It's a sad, sad joke.

Having also just contacted the recovery service we've been told that we won't get the car back until Monday at the earliest, as 'they're too busy dealing with breakdowns at the weekend' . You just couldn't make it up could you!

We are definitely taking this further, and to the PP who asked if I would let you know what happens, yes of course. It seems, from what I've resad of your experiences, coupled with ours last night, that there needs to be a massive swing back to ACTUAL customer service, not just the promise of one.

Appalling.

They are prioritising their resources incorrectly: they never fail to have staff standing at the front of the superstores trying to convince shoppers to join the RAC. So actively using staff to canvas for even more customers that they can't actually support properly when they break down.

And they're not cheap. We left them when their prices kept escalating, but so did the horror stories like OP's.

Please excuse grammatical/spelling errors - my head is a bit wooden this morning.

@ TittyGolightly Sat 30-Jun-18 11:21:09

Any idea what caused the breakdown, OP?

Lots of people don’t bother doing any basic checks on their car, and not having coolant topped up in this weather can see cars overheat very easily. Lots of it about.

^^ Yes, we know exactly what caused the problem last night, and it wasn't a lack of basic checks either - DP is diligent in that respect.

No matter how careful you are you cannot prepare for a mechanical fault developing, and this is why we all have breakdown cover. It is an insurance, to give us 'peace of mind' apparently

worridmum Sat 30-Jun-18 11:16:20

Its disgusting that woman have the proity yet men have to pay the exact same price for a crappier service. So if they have 5 trucks serving a area and your a bloke alone you have to pray that females dont brake down because you will be consistently be bumped to the back of the que.....

^^ Interesting comment in that we feel this is what happened last night. It wasn't so much the waiting that was the problem, rather it was the being lied to. If they had said sorry, we can't get to you till 1am he could have called a taxi, gone to the event with his DD, then come back to the car afterwards and waited for the rescue.

Yes, we know exactly what caused the problem last night, and it wasn't a lack of basic checks either - DP is diligent in that respect.

Fair enough. That wasn’t clear.

No matter how careful you are you cannot prepare for a mechanical fault developing, and this is why we all have breakdown cover.

Not all. And the point remains that often the need for a breakdown service can be avoided.

BewareOfDragons Sat 30-Jun-18 12:42:29

Appalling.

They are prioritising their resources incorrectly: they never fail to have staff standing at the front of the superstores trying to convince shoppers to join the RAC. So actively using staff to canvas for even more customers that they can't actually support properly when they break down.

^^ so true, so very true.

The RAC used to be so good! Honestly the service myself, family and friends got from The was seconf to none.

They have slowly got worse and worse.

It’s a real shame as the AA now also seems to be going the same way.

I would rather spend a bit more each year and have the old RAC service than paying less and getting considerably less in way of service.

I am still with the RAC but mainly because none of the others seem much better although I do think I may change to the AA next renewal.

It was probably worth posting on facebook and twitter after the first 2 hours. I've generally found that complaining three gets a very fast response.

This was an appalling wait. I completely understand, and appreciate, that breakdown companies tend to women and kids first, but no-one should have to wait this sort of time. When you renew, pick a company that can also quote you a reasonable average wait time. Also check the Which? reviews.

Blackstone It is because in this type of situation women have been abducted and murdered. Its not exactly good for business reputation if a woman waiting for your truck to turn up is murdered because it takes so long.
And for the record, I was told they don't prioritise women drivers alone if you have broken down somewhere they deem to be safe. They do prioritise if they judge you to be at risk.I can't imagine that actually applies to many breakdowns.

Absolutely appalling. Never, ever will I consider joining the RAC. Good luck with your complaint.

I understand why they may want to prioritise women. However, it's a service people are paying for. The money customers pay them should be put towards resources to cover each customer equally. No matter what their sex.

@BlackStoneCherie my friend was in south devon. She said the police actually came by twice to check on them.

@RainInSummer - hope your friend is ok now.
My DP was in Lincolnshire. No police checked on him though...well he was in the outback - sort of!

My DF had to call the RAC out yesterday. He was also told like a PP said that because he was a man he had to wait. He was waiting 7 hours in this heat, I know that women are more vulnerable but it's not good enough they obviously don't have enough staff

Is it ok that I’ve just tweeted this thread to the RAC on their twitter?

RAC should know that social media spreads bad business experiences quickly these days ... they need to reconsider how they've changed their business practices.

I'm due to renew my breakdown cover soon - I usually switch between AA and RAC to get the new member discounts - but won't be considering RAC. Green flag sounds good, and there's another one recommended by Which, can't remember the name but will post when I find it