RAC ? Your S*ite!
Discussion
My 22 year old daughter broke down on the M62 last night, (electrical failure) and called the breakdown in at 9.15. Advising them that she was a single female on her own, on a motorway, I would have anticipated a priority service. No.
Fortunately I went out and protected the scene with my car (LONG after it got dark) and kept my daughter out of the car, off the carriagelway and behind the barrier. We all know the dangers of sitting on the hard shoulder, day or night, especially with a car with no lights, hazards or similar. Despite her ringing the RAC a few times for updates, it was 23.45 before a "local" garage (60 miles away)turned up with a recovery truck. No attempt to fix it, just a recovery.
What happened to "we will fix 4 out of 5 faults by the roadside "? (Not that I would have anticipated them fitting a new alternator of course if that what it turns out to be.
What happened to "we will prioritise vulnerable females" ?
What happened to "keeping you informed" ?
What a complete crock of s
t they are, and I will notbe giving them another £270 next year for my 4 person family membership. The same car (StreetKa) had two faults last year (one flat battery when the lights were left on all day) and one overheating (when the garage had not secured the expansion tank cap properly).
Because of these 2 faults, they actually wanted to increase the premium by 30% as it was a high risk car !!!
Fortunately I went out and protected the scene with my car (LONG after it got dark) and kept my daughter out of the car, off the carriagelway and behind the barrier. We all know the dangers of sitting on the hard shoulder, day or night, especially with a car with no lights, hazards or similar. Despite her ringing the RAC a few times for updates, it was 23.45 before a "local" garage (60 miles away)turned up with a recovery truck. No attempt to fix it, just a recovery.
What happened to "we will fix 4 out of 5 faults by the roadside "? (Not that I would have anticipated them fitting a new alternator of course if that what it turns out to be.
What happened to "we will prioritise vulnerable females" ?
What happened to "keeping you informed" ?
What a complete crock of s
t they are, and I will notbe giving them another £270 next year for my 4 person family membership. The same car (StreetKa) had two faults last year (one flat battery when the lights were left on all day) and one overheating (when the garage had not secured the expansion tank cap properly).Because of these 2 faults, they actually wanted to increase the premium by 30% as it was a high risk car !!!
I'm suprised that, as this is PH, we haven't had this question yet.
Is she fit?
Joking aside, that isn't great service. I suppose all you can do is make a complaint and see what happens. Tell them that you won't be renewing our membership due to this issue and see how they react.
They probably won't be too bothered. If that is the case, take your money elsewhere. Good luck with it.
Is she fit?
Joking aside, that isn't great service. I suppose all you can do is make a complaint and see what happens. Tell them that you won't be renewing our membership due to this issue and see how they react.
They probably won't be too bothered. If that is the case, take your money elsewhere. Good luck with it.
When the ball joint failed on my crv, leaving the car stranded in the middle of a bust 1 way high street, the Aa were there in around an hour, only for the mech to say "ball joints gone. Gonna need to recover it" ... I told them that on the phone and said to send recovery, not a mechanic!... We then had to wait another 45mins for a suitable loader to get a non rolling car on...
They are all just as bad as each other.
The police were there in approx 5 mins after I called the local station and told them they may want to redirect traffic as I'm not going anywhere xD
They are all just as bad as each other.
The police were there in approx 5 mins after I called the local station and told them they may want to redirect traffic as I'm not going anywhere xD
Always very quick & helpful, longest wait was when failed to fix @ side if road and that was total of 2hrs before recovered. Usually very much faster. With any on call service you will occasionally have to wait longer if a large number of calls- possibly all single women- come in at the same time. By turning up to wait with her you also probably reduced the urgency of the call (if you let them know you were there). Aa used to have a limit of 3 calls in a 12m policy when my other half was on her parent's policy
I had the same with RAC; coil packs went on the S3 I had a few years ago (when Audis were failing coil packs left, right and centre). I was a female on my own, fairly young (not much older than your daughter at the time), and thought it might be a priority. In a layby just off the M40. That took >2 hours for anybody to turn up too. Wasn't impressed !
Although even less impressed when I got a flat on the M25 (front tyre) on the way to Gatwick for a flight and tried to call Subaru Assist (or whoever underwrites) and got put in a queue for so long that I changed the wheel myself (which I wouldn't normally do on a motorway) after I gave up waiting.
Although even less impressed when I got a flat on the M25 (front tyre) on the way to Gatwick for a flight and tried to call Subaru Assist (or whoever underwrites) and got put in a queue for so long that I changed the wheel myself (which I wouldn't normally do on a motorway) after I gave up waiting.
dreamer75 said:
I had the same with RAC; coil packs went on the S3 I had a few years ago (when Audis were failing coil packs left, right and centre). I was a female on my own, fairly young (not much older than your daughter at the time), and thought it might be a priority. In a layby just off the M40. That took >2 hours for anybody to turn up too. Wasn't impressed !
Although even less impressed when I got a flat on the M25 (front tyre) on the way to Gatwick for a flight and tried to call Subaru Assist (or whoever underwrites) and got put in a queue for so long that I changed the wheel myself (which I wouldn't normally do on a motorway) after I gave up waiting.
Congrats using your common sense.Although even less impressed when I got a flat on the M25 (front tyre) on the way to Gatwick for a flight and tried to call Subaru Assist (or whoever underwrites) and got put in a queue for so long that I changed the wheel myself (which I wouldn't normally do on a motorway) after I gave up waiting.
tezzer said:
What happened to "we will fix 4 out of 5 faults by the roadside "?
Crikey,.They stopped that promise over a decade ago.
With the exception of flat tyres or flat batteries there’s almost nothing they can fix by the roadside now.
There are very few universal parts any more,and most parts can’t be fixed they need to be replaced and most modern cars need computers to diagnose properly.
Yes, it took a long time to get to your daughter, but at the point you told them that you had arrived and that she wasn’t in any danger then the call would have been downgraded.
It’s like a triage system (I know, I worked on it), someone could have been en-route to your daughter when a call came in from a mother with a baby broken down somewhere equally as dangerous.
They would jump the queue.
It’s not an emergency service, it’s a recovery service.
It doesn’t make it all better immediately, it just stops in being worse.
I've had a few issues with the big companies, like having a dif go, with total loss of drive, and they sent a van to confirm before sending a recover truck 
. That whole episode was something like 3 hours to recover me a couple of miles.
We recently bought the cheapest recovery service available (Startrescue) via one of the comparison sites. It cost £35 for the year all in, the only thing I didn't go for was european cover.
About a month in the car failed to start in a local retail park. Called the company expecting a crap service for the money.
The call was taken in seconds, they told me they would ring in a couple of minutes to give an eta. They called back to say 20 minutes, but as it was a retail park could I check if there was a height barrier at the entrance.
I walked to the entrance to check, and by that time the truck was already by my car. They sorted the problem, and we were away. It it had been serious they already had the recovery truck there. Excellent service, and will definately be staying with them.
. That whole episode was something like 3 hours to recover me a couple of miles.We recently bought the cheapest recovery service available (Startrescue) via one of the comparison sites. It cost £35 for the year all in, the only thing I didn't go for was european cover.
About a month in the car failed to start in a local retail park. Called the company expecting a crap service for the money.
The call was taken in seconds, they told me they would ring in a couple of minutes to give an eta. They called back to say 20 minutes, but as it was a retail park could I check if there was a height barrier at the entrance.
I walked to the entrance to check, and by that time the truck was already by my car. They sorted the problem, and we were away. It it had been serious they already had the recovery truck there. Excellent service, and will definately be staying with them.
4 out of 5 ? Still on their marketing blurb on the website, I know, I checked this morning before I sent them the snotogram !
As for common sense and cotton wool, yes she has and which parent doesn't ?
Would it have been wiser to leave her stood by the side of the unlit M62 for 2 and a half hours, in the dark, with a car with no lights / hazards ? I think not.
What, with all of those napping / tea and toast making rapist lorry drivers that Jezza talks so fondly about. The hard shoulder is no place for anyone, at least being there I could position my car, lights and hazards on 50 metres behind her, to warn of the obstruction on the hard shoulder whilst being a lot happier that she was not alone in the dark in one of the most hazardous places on Earth !
A friend of mine (in Italy) broke down on the hard shoulder and was catapulted by a snoozing HGV driver from 0-56mph in sparrows fart time. 15 years later he is ALMOST back at work, and has SOME movement in his arms and legs from having his back broken. Not a place to go.
As for common sense and cotton wool, yes she has and which parent doesn't ?
Would it have been wiser to leave her stood by the side of the unlit M62 for 2 and a half hours, in the dark, with a car with no lights / hazards ? I think not.
What, with all of those napping / tea and toast making rapist lorry drivers that Jezza talks so fondly about. The hard shoulder is no place for anyone, at least being there I could position my car, lights and hazards on 50 metres behind her, to warn of the obstruction on the hard shoulder whilst being a lot happier that she was not alone in the dark in one of the most hazardous places on Earth !
A friend of mine (in Italy) broke down on the hard shoulder and was catapulted by a snoozing HGV driver from 0-56mph in sparrows fart time. 15 years later he is ALMOST back at work, and has SOME movement in his arms and legs from having his back broken. Not a place to go.
dreamer75 said:
I had the same with RAC; coil packs went on the S3 I had a few years ago (when Audis were failing coil packs left, right and centre). I was a female on my own, fairly young (not much older than your daughter at the time), and thought it might be a priority. In a layby just off the M40. That took >2 hours for anybody to turn up too. Wasn't impressed !
Although even less impressed when I got a flat on the M25 (front tyre) on the way to Gatwick for a flight and tried to call Subaru Assist (or whoever underwrites) and got put in a queue for so long that I changed the wheel myself (which I wouldn't normally do on a motorway) after I gave up waiting.
"Hi, I'm female, I wonder if you send one of your men to fit a coil for me?" Although even less impressed when I got a flat on the M25 (front tyre) on the way to Gatwick for a flight and tried to call Subaru Assist (or whoever underwrites) and got put in a queue for so long that I changed the wheel myself (which I wouldn't normally do on a motorway) after I gave up waiting.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff