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General Car Chat / Re: Breakdown cover
« on: 21 February 2024, 21:48:23 »
Called out the RAC a week ago - no crank on my Merc CL500, 1/2 mile from home.
I can't believe how much the RAC have declined (as TB warned!). Help line is crap - you need a computer or smart phone with internet connection to just log a call, otherwise they make it very difficult to do it just by voice phone.
Warning message on phone line wait gives it away - "RAC won't tolerate abuse of its employees blah blah.. may refuse to provide the contracted service etc.." Sure give away that they are crap and they know it.
Waited 6 hours for a 'mechanic'. Luckily not a big issue for me as I could walk home and wasn't in a hurry. Very nice youth, we got on well but he'd been on duty since noon and wouldn't finish till midnight. He didn't contribute anything that I didn't already know. Didn't attempt any repair. His scanner was crap - didn't even pick up the faults mine did. They use 'Haynes' manuals - these are not the ones from my youth, they are all online now. His 'Haynes' didn't know which fuse or relays were involved with the starter - info I already had from a simple internet search.
He decided to ignore all his own warnings about towing and towed me home 1/2 mile rather than call in a pick up truck. We went very slowly but I hope my trans is OK. He was so tired he forgot his expensive RAC tow bar and would have left it if I hadn't noticed it standing against a wall.
He recounted how RAC has changed and they take ages to get to customers, who are then understandably irate with him.
It seems they have been taken over by Private Equity and are the process of being asset (and reputation) stripped.
I only use these breakdown services for national recovery so I don't expect any actual assistance apart from that. Normally I would just use RescueMyCar or Start Rescue but went with RAC because it was cheaper this year.
Frankly I'd rather go with a simple 'no repairs, we'll just send a pick up truck' which couldn't have been slower.
Incidentally was in ATS a few days ago to get an exhaust on SWMBO's car and a couple came in with a nice new VW beetle - "Tire pressure monitor keeps flagging a low tire, we don't know which one it is and annoyingly it won't tell us", "No problem sir we'll check them all for you." ATS proceeded to put the car on ramp and check every tyre. God knows what it cost. How difficult is it to buy/use a tyre pressure gauge??? These are the sort of people who need what RAC purport to offer (and don't). Would they notice?
I can't believe how much the RAC have declined (as TB warned!). Help line is crap - you need a computer or smart phone with internet connection to just log a call, otherwise they make it very difficult to do it just by voice phone.
Warning message on phone line wait gives it away - "RAC won't tolerate abuse of its employees blah blah.. may refuse to provide the contracted service etc.." Sure give away that they are crap and they know it.
Waited 6 hours for a 'mechanic'. Luckily not a big issue for me as I could walk home and wasn't in a hurry. Very nice youth, we got on well but he'd been on duty since noon and wouldn't finish till midnight. He didn't contribute anything that I didn't already know. Didn't attempt any repair. His scanner was crap - didn't even pick up the faults mine did. They use 'Haynes' manuals - these are not the ones from my youth, they are all online now. His 'Haynes' didn't know which fuse or relays were involved with the starter - info I already had from a simple internet search.
He decided to ignore all his own warnings about towing and towed me home 1/2 mile rather than call in a pick up truck. We went very slowly but I hope my trans is OK. He was so tired he forgot his expensive RAC tow bar and would have left it if I hadn't noticed it standing against a wall.
He recounted how RAC has changed and they take ages to get to customers, who are then understandably irate with him.
It seems they have been taken over by Private Equity and are the process of being asset (and reputation) stripped.
I only use these breakdown services for national recovery so I don't expect any actual assistance apart from that. Normally I would just use RescueMyCar or Start Rescue but went with RAC because it was cheaper this year.
Frankly I'd rather go with a simple 'no repairs, we'll just send a pick up truck' which couldn't have been slower.
Incidentally was in ATS a few days ago to get an exhaust on SWMBO's car and a couple came in with a nice new VW beetle - "Tire pressure monitor keeps flagging a low tire, we don't know which one it is and annoyingly it won't tell us", "No problem sir we'll check them all for you." ATS proceeded to put the car on ramp and check every tyre. God knows what it cost. How difficult is it to buy/use a tyre pressure gauge??? These are the sort of people who need what RAC purport to offer (and don't). Would they notice?
