RAC irritations!

[hornmeister2000]

Morning All!

Slightly off-topic, but I need someone to moan to!!!

I thought I'd share with you an irritating day I had yesterday. We were out in the Morris Minor, driving through Catford, London, when the car got a bit juddery under accelleration. I pulled into Halfrauds to buy some bits and pieces, had a look under the bonnet, everything seemed OK. We pulled back onto the South Circular, got 20 yards down the road, and promptly broke down on a red route! We pushed it into the car park, lifted the bonnet and had a look. I was a bit concerned as the symptoms were similar to my MG Maestro when the piston rings went requiring a new engine about 2 weeks ago! Anyway, as it turned out, the Halfrauds socket set I bought on Saturday didn't fit the plugs so I couldn't have a look at them, so I called the RAC. I told the phone monkey the symptoms: engine lacked power and I couldn't drive it. He asked what kind of car it was and said I'd need towing home then towing to a garage Monday morning. I said that's OK, but I'd prefer it if the guy could look at it first!!

Anyway, after an hour's wait, a guy turns up in a tow truck and asks me to help him get it on. "Hang on - aren't you going to have a look at it first?" I said.

"I haven't got any tools with me - they just told me to tow you home"

"Aren't you even a mechanic?" I asked.

"Well, kind of, but I haven't got any tools anyway"

So... this is what I pay my membership fee for! Someone to tow me to a garage on the rare occasion something goes wrong. Anyway, he had a look under the bonnet, didn't know what the problem was, and towed me home, scraping the tailpipe on the road as he lowered it off the truck. He then pushed it up my drive and left.

So what was s'posed to happen, was that the RAC would tow me to a garage tomorrow morning and they could fix it for me. If I didn't know anything about cars, I would have done that and spent £50 for some mechanic to fix something which, with the correct tools, I managed to fix myself in 10 minutes! The plugs were all fine, and what I thought was going to cost about £300 at the engine place turned out to be the points having slipped too far apart. A slight adjustment and all was again well. If I hadn't known about cars, I would have had a garage bill for something the RAC should have fixed at the roadside - no new parts were needed!

I was rather annoyed and called the RAC again to cancel my tow to the garage and to complain. Another monkey took my call.

Me: "Why didn't you send a mechanic? Why did you just send a tow truck?"

"You said the engine lacked power and was undrivable"

"It was undrivable"

"Then that's why we towed you. We didn't think we could fix it at the roadside because you said it was undrivable"

"It was undrivable! I couldn't drive it! If it was drivable, I wouldn't have called you!"

I couldn't believe it!!! How many calls do they get from people saying "My car's OK, could you come and have a look at it"?!?!?!

Anyway, it all ended OK as I didn't have a big garage bill, but also, it must have cost the RAC a fair bit to use a 3rd-party tow truck to tow me 15 miles home when one of their mechanics could have got me going in 5 minutes!

OK, that's it - I just wanted some people to moan to!!!

[mikeno monti]

At least they towed you. I broke down i my old car. The patrol turned up did the usual looked under the bonnet did their stuff and said alternator fault. I replyed Can it be fixed ? NOPE need tow wagon. I replyed that i had onward travel Nothing to do with me.I have another call. I now know that it has everything to do with the RAC . They are resposable to get you to a place where you can get onward travel not the contractor they call out to tow the car home. THE AA is just as guilty at not towing as the RAC. The RAC even left a woman alone for 3hours on adark rainy night once not far from where i broke down. I was left from 08 45 till 11 15am till the wagon arrived. Then i had to find 50quid to pay for my petrol deposit for the hire car.I did get it back when i returned the car but if you dont have a credit or debit card or cash you are stuffed well and truly. I learned the hard way. To bve fair i have been towed before a short distsnce home. But this time i was left alone beside a busy motorway all on my own some for nearly 3hours. Not fun. I have written to the RAC but i havent heard anything in response. Surprised i am not.

[Beaker]

Well we choose to go with a company called Britannia. We choose them because they insure the person not the car against breakdown and also cover you for ireland at no extra cost. Also they do not penalise you for having a car over 10 years old, unlike the AA and RAC.


We have only used them once and they were great. Unfortunately Dan broke his chassis on his motorbike just outside of Dublin whilst we were on holiday in Ireland. So we limped to port, rang Brittania to say we had broken down and were catching the ferry across. Upon arrival at holyhead there was a nice big tow truck waiting to pick us up for the journey back home.


Dan bike didn't half look silly on one of those huge car transporters.

Lindsey

[Firefly]

we had trouble with the rac about 7 years ago..
we had a crapi, and were all set to drive from portsmouth to blackpool,kids loaded up and ready and everything.

bandycat gets in, turns key, nothing! realising the starter motor was stuck, we did the usual of rocking it back and forth to try and free it, to no avail.

'not a prob' he thinks,
we joined the rac on the way home from blackpool the week before, in a motorway services.
so, he rings them, a bloke comes out, he has a look, figures its the starter, and looks at steve as if he's stupid.
'you called me out for this??' he asks.
steve says 'if you can shift it you are better than me, and i've been a mechanic for 5 years'

so, after 1 and a half hours, the bloke finally says,'do you care what state it comes out?'
steve says no, so he gets a big long pipe, and a hammer and beats the starter to death.
he then apologised for being rude when he first turned up, and left.
steve then put starter back in car, and off we went, with no more probs!(typical!)

[e692wtt]

The RAC have been fine with me on the rare occasions I have used them, but I changed to Direct Line in 2000 'cos the RAC wanted the full year paid over the first 3 months at a daft rate of interest and I couldn't stretch to this at the time. Direct Line were fine at around £90 for 'Rescue and Recovery' pa (paid over the full 12 months). Then last year I got the VDP and had 2 breakdowns in 3 months which displeased me somewhat...:rage:

Come renewal time, they wanted £180...:laugh: much holding of parts and had to go to Casualty to get my sides sewn up. After this, I tried MoreThan (who do my Car Insurance at around 60% of the cost of everyone else, but that's a different story) who said 'Rescue and Recovery, Sir? £60, or you can have Home Start as well for the all inclusive price of £90', paid over the full 12 months. Now that's competitive.:) It also includes European Cover at no extra cost, which is nice if not really necessary in my case.

[Jonathan]

I've become a bit of an expert on the subject after all the breakdowns I've had in my Rover over the last few months (not yet had to be rescued at the roadside in the Maestro!). I've been an AA member since I started driving (learned with the AA and a year's breakdown cover was part of the package at the time) which covers me for any car I'm in at the time.

Each patrol varies and it's very easy to criticise when you're stuck at the side of the M25 in a foul mood but most I've encountered have been in my opinion fairly professional in how they've gone about trying to trace problems and fix them, and the advice they've given me. Perhaps I've been lucky. The third time I had the 800 die on me without warning I just told them over the phone to send a tow because they wouldn't be able to fix it at the roadside and that's exactly what happened, no attempt was made to look into what the problem was. The recovery drivers aren't really equipped or experienced as mechanics so all they can do is recover you, the regular patrols have the tools and the knowledge but if they can't fix it and need to arrange a tow that's often another couple of hours spent waiting for that to arrive.

[Simon]

I've been with the AA for 15 years at least, and I've got nothing but praise for them. :)

[Quality]

Green flag have been wonderful, my other car, a citroen AX have its gearstick fall out and we used a garage who said they put a new clutch in but didn't and used tape to fix the problem, green flag towed us home twice and the third time the man told me what was wrong (king joint i think???) and fixed the problem at the roadside to get me home, all for 60 with the insurance, and a tow from Luton to Nuneaton when the (year-old) clutch went last month, very good in my opinon.

[malcsmaesty]

i am currently with the rac (last 3 years) only called them out once but not to M681,it was to my mates land rover 90 that spluttered and quite promptly died on the middle of a rather busy traffic island in sleepy birmingham:( rather heavy to push and no hand warmer on rear screen:rolleyes: )
previously with the aa,called them out on countless occasions over the years,especially to my old mg monty,the last time being told i had chronic crank oil seal failure,getting quite exited at the prospect of a few weeks off work, i realised he meant monty and not me (damn!!!),he scratched his chin and with an intake of breath said "its terminal mate,where do you want towing back to? i'll radio a truck now"....r.i.p. E480 DVS:(
all the patrols i have had any dealings with have been most helpful and have never tried to sell me a battery!:rolleyes: ;)

[e692wtt]

I certainly think that modern cars are treated as 'sealed units' by the Recovery people and are just towed, that's it, all they can do. Not their fault.

My only problem with the RAC and Direct Line were the cost and inflexibility of payment options (with the RAC). Direct Line also renewed my Car Insurance after sending me a letter saying that they wouldn't (when I moved to MoreThan) which also peeved me off somewhat...:rage:

The few Recovery operatives I've ever met have been fine.

[Firefly]

did you know, the bloke who set up more than also set up direct line?
he left direct line and set up more than because he didn't agree with his partners way of running direct line.
(just a piece of useless info there)