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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think the RAC is ridiculous!

57 replies

Tinktravels · 28/12/2022 19:55

Currently broken down, middle of nowhere on a back lane.
Took me over half an hour to get through and then they said they would text me an ETA.
270 MINUTES!
I called back and waited again they said yes atleast that long.
Aibu to think this is ridiculous service!
Or is this normally how long it takes? Never had to call breakdown before so is this the norm?

OP posts:

Grimreapers · 28/12/2022 20:37

Quicker than the real emergency services 🤷

lbnblbnb · 28/12/2022 20:37

OH had to use them a couple of weeks ago.

28 hours until it was transported.

He had to wait 8 hours for someone to come in the first instance, who told him the reason for the breakdown - that OH had told the person on the phone initially.

Then another 20 hours to actually get help.

A few years ago I had to wait 5 hours, around midnight, in a deserted, freezing car park, with a car circling round and round. Terrifying.

We have it free through our bank account so haven't cancelled it, however, not sure we will ever use it again.

londonrach · 28/12/2022 20:40

Aa is far worse.. personally found green flag the best...phone back and say lone female . Hope it quicker than they say. Have they given you a location tracker x

Honeyroar · 28/12/2022 20:41

I left the RAC after 20 years because they were more and more expensive and less efficient. I’m now with Start Rescue, who are a third of the price and got to us within 20 minutes on a bank holiday weekend despite us being in a motorway services.

But… when I used to drive regularly from Manchester to London for work, I dreaded being on the road on the 27th/28th Dec as it was so busy. Just like Easter bank holiday weekend.

kittenkipping · 28/12/2022 20:41

We called them out on Christmas Eve and they were with us and finished within the hour. Amazing service, and an absolute gent of a mechanic. HOWEVER last time I called them it was a 17 hour wait only to be told they can't fix it and would take me home but not dh- he'd have to get a taxi due to covid rules. We were 200 miles from home and a taxi would be the same for one or the both of us! So it depends on where you are/ who's local/ I suspect

Ladywiddio48 · 28/12/2022 20:42

My son broke down last week.After waiting 6 hours,they confirmed the job hadn’t even been allocated to anyone,he was in a multi-storey car park in local town,so from that point of view it wasn’t to bad.He ended up going home in a taxi and going back the next morning to meet with RAC.Almost 24hours in total!

Oblomov22 · 28/12/2022 20:43

Reading these posts fills you with dred about what a crock of shit they are as a company.

leccybill · 28/12/2022 20:44

They're awful. I rang up in January to query my renewal price and see if they price match competitors. Was on hold for 25 mins then on a call 40 mins while the guy put me on hold several times to check things with a manager. It was a straightforward query which I thought I could get done in my work lunch (half) hour. DH is a call centre manager, different sector, and reckons the operators are on several calls at once, possibly for different companies ie. outsourced.

Recently broke down and you can't even speak to a person now, just text. I wanted to upgrade to Homestart but their system just kept sending me round in a loop. Got towed home by DH in the end!

gogohmm · 28/12/2022 20:45

I have rac, not had an issue but I have only used them twice and not in the last 5 years. Dp has a different brand (not aa or greenflag) and took 3.5 hours for recovery (motorcycle) because only certain trucks can take bikes

HirplesWithHaggis · 28/12/2022 20:45

TheFairyCaravan · 28/12/2022 20:28

WTF? Who on earth authorised that?

Show quote history

No idea, don't even know if it was true, it's so utterly outrageous. But that's what he was told, they wouldn't even tow him off the motorway, let alone home.

NewCarSoon · 28/12/2022 20:46

I have AA home recovery service through Honda as part of my extended warranty. During the freeze a couple of weeks back I had to wait 2 days for them to come out and get me started. To be fair, there were far more deserving cases and at least I was home and warm, but I’ve never had to wait more than a couple,of hours before for a home start - before covid times, and probably before Brexit.

mahonga · 28/12/2022 20:46

Watch out for Green Flag - got a puncture (car has no spare), gave all the details of my 4WD car to them, arranged a time to meet them back at the car the next day (luckily I was close to home so DH picked me up), met at the punctured car at the appointed time to be told by the technician that they can't tow 4WD cars. He agreed that they knew it was a 4WD car (he showed me his little screen where it stated make and model) so they knew that he wouldn't be able to help me in any way, but their policy is to ALWAYS send a technician in a van first. So then he had to call up a proper recovery vehicle (one that the car sits on the back of) - a local firm - and I had to go back later that day to meet the new recovery vehicle. The call centre side of things was all very efficient, and the service was quick (only an hour wait for the second vehicle), but such a waste of everyone's time to send a vehicle that they knew couldn't tow the car to a garage!

Wheretheskyisblue · 28/12/2022 20:47

I was given 270 minutes by the rac to on the 23rd however in the end they took 90 minutes. Hopefully they are giving long lead times to manage expectations and it will not be as long as they say.

SnackSizeRaisin · 28/12/2022 20:50

I use Autoaid, much cheaper and I have always waited exactly an hour or occasionally a bit less. They don't have their own vans, they use local breakdown companies so you always get a tow truck straight away. Obviously they can also change your wheel if that's all you need. Or tow you one end of the country to the other as I needed once. I don't know why anyone bothers with the AA or RAC.

Cherrysherbet · 28/12/2022 20:51

We were stuck on the M25 for 6hours last week. Had my dd11 with us. No food or water, we desperately needed the loo 😣
Eventually the RAC called highways and they took us to a garage to wait for a taxi home. We arrived home 9hrs after the breakdown (4:30am) car was brought back next day. Bloody nightmare.

In all the time we were stuck, just told they had no one to send to help us. Frightening being on the emergency lay-by of a busy motor way all that time. The trucks were shaking the car as they passed.

Really crap service.

Pinkandpurplehairedlady · 28/12/2022 20:51

I’ve had a mixed experience with RAC, I broke down on the M25 a few months ago and they were with me in 40mins and towed me straight to my chosen garage near my home. This week I broke down again and it took nearly 8 hours to get to me - luckily I was near home so got my MIL to pick me up and then take me back to the car when they finally got there.

FestiveDove · 28/12/2022 20:53

Yep. We broke down earlier this month. Phoned them at 11:30am. They arrived at 7pm……. 😡

Original poster

Tinktravels · 28/12/2022 20:53

They said it could be even longer so I've decided not to wait. I'm leaving my car and getting my dad to come and collect me

OP posts:

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 28/12/2022 20:54

Ive been with the AA for years and never had to wait longer than 45mins but years ago i broke down on the M25 and the highway recovery people took us to a recovery office so we were safe whilst i called the AA it was about 7pm. There was a family there with a baby of about 18mths who had been there waiting for the RAC since 8.30am! The AA turned up for me within 35mins, put my car on the back of a low loader and took me home via mcdonalds at the services because i was starving then dropped my car off at my garage. I swore then id never join the RAC

Catcherintherice · 28/12/2022 20:54

I don’t have RAC cover, but several friends do, and their default estimate for arrival has been 4-5 hours on the 2 recent occasions I have heard about.

One friend has a chronic, painful ( not life threatening) condition, and had broken down at night on an unlit back road which had no footpath, and a 60mph speed limit.

She waited over 30 minutes on hold before being connected, and was told it would be at least 4-5 hours.

She had an issue with her battery and her lights were rapidly dimming, so was in a very dangerous situation.

Fortunately she was only about 10 miles from home so I went and collected her, with then intention of taking her back when the breakdown vehicle was on its way. They were due to phone when en route.

Eleven hours later we had daylight and she had still not had the call so with some help from neighbours we went back and towed her car to the local garage.

We did let the RAC know as we didn’t want them having a wasted call out which might have meant someone else waiting longer than necessary. They didn’t even seem surprised.

Grumpybutfunny · 28/12/2022 20:57

Mines manufacturer cover (mini) they said 60 minutes and AA were on scene to retrieve the car in less than 30minutes even beat the Mini salesman with my curtesy car! When I've had to use AA cover I've paid for it's always been hours so I wonder if they prioritise manufacturer calls. I suppose mini assist is only on cars less than 3 years old so they won't get many calls and I bet they charge BMW a pretty penny for simply towing cars to the main dealer.

Fanng · 28/12/2022 20:58

Start Rescue were great when I had a flat battery, but of course they’re only as good as the garages they have on the books. They were fantastic either way.

ElsieMc · 28/12/2022 21:02

We are with green flag who simply use a local towing company. Rang for a roadside breakdown at 9 am, arrived 9.45 am and did not say I was a lone woman. I think tow locally charge around £100.

My friend broke down on a very busy A road, called RAC as a priority and they took 5 hours. She said it was terrifying with all the heavies flying past within feet of her. They also asked for another £40 for the call out. She is ditching them.

RAC were also horrible to my dd who had had her car in for a paid repair following a previous breakdown. The man started shouting at dd telling her he told her to get the thing fixed. She had. He soon shut up when my DH turned up and asked what the hell was going on.

chutneypig · 28/12/2022 21:04

I've had completely divergent experiences in the last year with RAC. Last Christmas Eve I broke down 3 miles from home with my teenage kids and dog. They came in 20 minutes and got me home - fantastic service.

On a journey earlier this year on my own my car started making an odd noise. They said they had no patrols available but would send recovery. Quoted 240 minutes. I'd managed to limp to a pub car park so felt fairly safe. They sent the recovery to the wrong place - when it eventually turned up they announced they were taking me to a service station where they left me in a car park after midnight to wait for the next truck. Complete lack of interest in my safety or any degree of information. The second recovery guy took the time to actually look at my car and got me to my destination.

MintJulia · 28/12/2022 21:05

It varies. Last time I broke down it was 7am and they took 20 mins.

The other time was in a summer evening rush hour and they took an hour.

This week is holidays. There are thousands of cars making long journeys that they aren't serviced for. Cold wet weather, tired inexperienced drivers, it's inevitable the breakdown services are busy.

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