Car breakdown

crf
crf Online Community Member Posts: 3 Connected
in Everyday life
Hi I was wondering if any body else has had any problems with the RAC Yes as a full-time wheelchair user with an autistic son along with my wife we were left  for 6 hours in -2 degrees at a side of a dual carriage way and then I was towed on a dangerous trailer and then we were left for another 4 hours waiting for a taxi that they had booked for us and I pay twice for the service in with both car and travel insurance appsulotley disgusting service the trailer was that bad he put my son and wife in the van and told me 3 times how bad the trailer was and if it did fail it wouldn't be pretty and to steer to the left away from oncoming traffic and when we got to the service station and he unloaded the car and was putting the trailer away it started smoking. He then said he would get us all something to eat and drink and then his company card wouldn't work so we had to pay for that. We finally got home at 04:30 and the car then arrived back in the afternoon by an independent garage.it has left me with no confidence to go anywhere to far now in the car feel so let down 

Comments

  • Sandy_123
    Sandy_123 Scope Member Posts: 63,033 Championing
    @crf welcome to the forum. That's seems like an awful experience you all had. Do they have a complaints department? I would look at other recovery companies personally.
  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,265 Championing
    I've had bad experiences with both the AA & RAC.  

    Was completely put off using them and have since just bodged or limped a car home, causing more damage to it (and ultimately more cost) purely because I couldn't go through another breakdown service ordeal.

    Wish I could offer some advice, but from my own experiences and what I've heard from others, no breakdown service is reliably efficient.  Just seems to be luck whether you have a good experience or not.
  • Cartini
    Cartini Online Community Member Posts: 1,107 Trailblazing
    crf said:
    Hi I was wondering if any body else has had any problems with the RAC Yes as a full-time wheelchair user with an autistic son along with my wife we were left  for 6 hours in -2 degrees at a side of a dual carriage way and then I was towed on a dangerous trailer and then we were left for another 4 hours waiting for a taxi that they had booked for us and I pay twice for the service in with both car and travel insurance appsulotley disgusting service the trailer was that bad he put my son and wife in the van and told me 3 times how bad the trailer was and if it did fail it wouldn't be pretty and to steer to the left away from oncoming traffic and when we got to the service station and he unloaded the car and was putting the trailer away it started smoking. He then said he would get us all something to eat and drink and then his company card wouldn't work so we had to pay for that. We finally got home at 04:30 and the car then arrived back in the afternoon by an independent garage.it has left me with no confidence to go anywhere to far now in the car feel so let down 

    Hi,
    Did the car break down or was it a tyre problem?
    It`s difficult for anyone to give you an informed opinion because you haven`t stated what cover you have.  If the cover you pay for is exactly what you received, then I don`t see how you can complain about the service received.  In this instance all you can complain about is a dodgy trailer - and is it really worth the hassle / stress just for a trailer?  I know I wouldn`t bother about that.
    If you paid for a better level of cover, and one which wasn`t provided, then you have a very good reason to complain about the delivery of the service that you have paid for.
    From various news articles / forum threads I`ve read, it`s not uncommon for a recovery services to miss their pledged time in response to a call.
    Whether you decide to complain or not, don`t let this instance spoil any possible periods of enjoyment you may have been considering in the future; just make sure your car is road fit, all liquids topped up and tyres inflated to the correct pressure before you go.
  • crf
    crf Online Community Member Posts: 3 Connected
    The radiator had blown and I pay for full cover and eu cover the car gets serviced twice a year iam over careful to make sure everything is alright with the car so I don't get stuck but the radiator going was not expected 
  • Cartini
    Cartini Online Community Member Posts: 1,107 Trailblazing
    crf said:
    The radiator had blown and I pay for full cover and eu cover the car gets serviced twice a year iam over careful to make sure everything is alright with the car so I don't get stuck but the radiator going was not expected 

    Now that was unlucky.
  • john_taylor
    john_taylor Scope Member Posts: 24 Connected
    Very important with break down cover make sure they know you have a disability which means you can’t walk. This should put you at the top or as close as possible. Also, RAC do seem to be one of the worst companies. I’d recommend you look elsewhere and ask what their disability policy is.

    So, they know at every step they know your problems and should show up when you ask for help with a breakdown.
  • forgoodnesssake
    forgoodnesssake Online Community Member Posts: 512 Empowering
    Yes, have had cause to use RAC (as the Motability breakdown service) on at least 4 occasions and all were awful.  On each occasion, very luckily, the wheelchair user was able to leave the car safely and make other arrangements, or was not in the car (had been dropped off beforehand) or just had to wait but with other people in the car who could safely go and get something to eat and bring back to the car.
    On 2 occasions, very near home and due to punctures I had to wait with the car for 6 hours each time and eventually a contracted out (local) breakdown service came to help as the RAC just had no-one anywhere near, and i do not live in the back of beyond!

    On another occasion 2 years ago one of the fuel injectors went, halfway up the M6 at night and I was left (lone female) for more than 2 hours at the side of the motorway and even then they seemed completely incapable of understanding the motorway distance/location marker I had read out to them and also told the patrol person that i was on southbound when I had told them I was northbound...so i saw him going past on the other side and had to wait ages as he found somewhere he could get off and return in the correct direction!  He had no idea why they had got it wrong.

    And then last year another puncture and they still took hours and were completely unable to locate the car using "what 3 words" (maybe not their fault of course..very unconvinced by w3w) and had us about 250 miles away, and in the end said that they could not get anyone out (it was early evening on a main A road in Cumbria, about 5miles from the M6) that day and so would send a taxi.  When asked if they could make sure it was a wheelchair accessible taxi, they couldn't guarantee that!  Taxi arrived and very helpful driver actually pumped up the tyre again and as it stayed up he said "you drive and I'll follow and just stop if it starts to go down again"  So that's what happened, with a couple of stops along the way, the tyre was just OK and we got home and then To Kwik Fit the next day to sort the tyre.

    I would NEVER use the RAC myself (Brittania Rescue...100 times better and cheaper and I have used quite a few times over the years) but Motablity seem wedded to the RAC even though they clearly do not have nearly enough capacity (and this goes back years) and I was even told that by one of the rescue people!

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