Longest wait for breakdown assistance.
Longest wait for breakdown assistance.
Author
Discussion

Venisonpie

Original Poster:

4,924 posts

113 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Put a call into my provider (rearrange ARC) at 926 this morning. Still waiting for them to attend. Anyone beat that?

Matt_E_Mulsion

1,746 posts

96 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Are you in a remote part of the country? Are you at home or at the side of the road? What is the fault with your vehicle?

JakeT

6,002 posts

151 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
My dad rang the RAC on a Monday to have his car recovered since a brake pipe had burst. Called them on the Monday morning and they turned up on the Tuesday.

shouldbworking

4,801 posts

243 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Not the longest in time, but would have died if I'd waited smile

Motorbike broke down midwinter, snow on the ground minus temps etc.

'1 hour' says RAC. okiedoke..

hour and a half later they call to say actually it's going to be another 4 hours. I explained that it was just a teensey bit chilly and that wasn't really going to work.. nope its 4 more hours they said.

I pushed the bike home 4 miles to keep warm and fixed it myself the next day - oh, and cancelled my RAC subscription never to renew.

Niglebick

59 posts

96 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Summer 18, RAC knowingly abandoned me for 18 hrs, in mid summer heatwhilst knowing I was just out of hospital.

Car blew its head gasket on M1. No warning, After 4 hrs on the hard shoulder, in unbearable sun, I managed to get it off at the Lutterworth junction. 3 hrs later, 7pm, when I warned them is was running very low on prescription meds, , they relayed me 40 miles to Bicester.

There they just left me in a car park, overnight. Constants excuses, no action
Early the following morning I abandoned the car, for hospital, and returned home under my own steam, once stabilised. I never once saw an RAC mechanic - only Contractors

It took a year, but I took out a County Court summons against them, and won a four figure sum this Autumn. They contested everything, at every level, tried several stunts pre hearing, legalised up for the Heating, but I still won . Truth will out.

Hateful organisation.

ambuletz

11,786 posts

212 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
wait times like this are just going to get worse as the weather gets colder. best to keep blankets/warm clothing/water/food just to be safe, as well as making sure you have plenty of fuel.

grassisntgreener

1,167 posts

166 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Yes...

My company car broke down in Central London at around 10am. After a lot of key turning it would limp, and I was a mile from where I was doing a quick job so I drove it using the gearbox and clutch as it wouldn't rev. RAC attended after 4 hours, told me it was spark plugs (it was a diesel) and I and the car would need recovering home but would need a low loader. Car was finally picked up at 8pm and arrived home at 10pm. I got bored and got the train and left the car with the site...

Venisonpie

Original Poster:

4,924 posts

113 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Got a slot booked for 10-12 tomorrow so will be 26 hrs - luckily car is local and I'm home. Interesting all other posters with issues reference the same provider.

Riley Blue

23,212 posts

257 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Britannia Rescue once kept me waiting four hours. I received a years' subscription f.o.c. by way of an apology.

Pericoloso

44,044 posts

194 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Venisonpie said:
Got a slot booked for 10-12 tomorrow so will be 26 hrs - luckily car is local and I'm home. Interesting all other posters with issues reference the same provider.
Captain obvious answer ,you got prioritised last .

sheepman

452 posts

191 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Stories like these are why I don't bother with breakdown cover. Far easier to just ring a local recovery company should you need it.

Venisonpie

Original Poster:

4,924 posts

113 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Pericoloso said:
Captain obvious answer ,you got prioritised last .
Er, yeah I gathered that midway through the afternoon. And rightly so however it wasn't a 3hr wait instead of 90mins for example.

Interestingly I have a fleet account with the same provider for work with the tender due in March - 350 vehicle subscriptions.

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

259 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
sheepman said:
Stories like these are why I don't bother with breakdown cover. Far easier to just ring a local recovery company should you need it.
Really bad when you consider the price the bigger companies charge. My wife accidentally let her cover auto renew with the RAC a while ago. £84.00 for the most basic package!

mickyh7

2,347 posts

117 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Venisonpie said:
Er, yeah I gathered that midway through the afternoon. And rightly so however it wasn't a 3hr wait instead of 90mins for example.

Interestingly I have a fleet account with the same provider for work with the tender due in March - 350 vehicle subscriptions.
That's the way to hurt them. And let them know why.
Do it !

Downward

5,700 posts

134 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Was just thinking which one of of the AA and RAC will fold 1st ?

xjay1337

15,966 posts

149 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Longest wait for me was with RAC
Took 7 hours to send a recovery vehicle to me.

Where as when I broke down in my BMW, BMW recovery collected me in 38 minutes.

Riley Blue

23,212 posts

257 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
xjay1337 said:
Where as when I broke down in my BMW, BMW recovery collected me in 38 minutes.
I once had a top hose spilt as I was approaching Fleet Services and managed to coast into the car park. I phoned Britannia Rescue and sat back to await recovery. Within three minutes I saw amber lights flash across the car park and the truck drove across to me. Within ten minutes I was on my way home.

thecremeegg

2,099 posts

234 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
My longest was also RAC - car suspension broke at a friend's house, so called RAC and they turned up in about 90 minutes - not too bad so far!
Anyway this was in Herts and I needed to get to Hampshire and the driver couldn't take me all the way as it was out of his area so I was taken an hour down the road and left at a services where his colleague would collect me "in about 20 minutes".
Anyway, another hour or so went by so I called up to be told that the driver was just on his way and would be 20 minutes.
45 minutes later, I call and they said that they had in fact just made it all up and because my car had broken suspension they said it'll need a special truck and they were waiting for it to be available.
Anyway, after about 5 hours I was collected and driven home. All in, I think it was about 10-11 hours from call to getting home - a 90-minute journey.

That said, to give them credit the only other time I called they turned up at my office in about an hour and fixed the car there and then.

TwistingMyMelon

6,517 posts

236 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Car issues on drive , phoned RAC and couldn't get through for 40 minutes , if I was on a hard shoulder I'd be fked . Was just on hold at first stage in a queue

Broke down years ago , coolant all gone , car overheated...Rac .guy came out quickly and told me "you have got coolant - you're waisting my time" ...I then told him He was pointing at the brake fluid.





parabolica

7,020 posts

215 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
7 hours in a grimy part of London on the hottest night of the year when my old 645ci threw a wobbly and shut down and wouldn't restart. Annoying this is when the guy finally did arrive the car started back up with almost no issue.