SIX AND HALF HOURS WAIT (IN 3C) BEFORE RAC HELP ARRIVED ON THE 17TH JANUARY, I HAD A TYRE BLOW OUT ON THE A1M AND WAITED SIX AND HALF HOURS IN 3C AFTER MY INITIAL PHONE CALL BEFORE THE REQUESTED RAC TRANSPORTER ARRIVED. I CONTACTED FIVE RAC STAFF OVER FIVE HOURS. IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE KINDNESS OF A PASSING TRANSPORTER DRIVER WHO HAD SEEN ME WAITING IN THE COLD BEHIND THE CRASH BARRIER ON THE MOTORWAY, I WOULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED FOR MUCH LONGER. HE GENEROUSLY TOOK ME AND MY CAR TO STEVENAGE BP SERVICE STATION, JUST TWO MILES AWAY, WHERE, TO MY SURPRISE, WE FOUND A RAC DRIVER WHO HAD BEEN WAITING IN HIS VAN FOR OVER FOUR HOURS FOR HIS FIRST RAC ASSIGNMENT. I EXPLAINED I WAS 74 AND HAD BEEN STANDING IN 3C FOR FOUR AND A HALF HOURS WAITING FOR RAC HELP. I EXPLAINED I HAD CONTACTED FOUR RAC STAFF AND HAD BEEN ASSURED HELP WOULD ARRIVE IN 90 MINUTES. NO RAC HELP MATERIALISED. THE FIRST RAC MAN I SPOKE TO HAD DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH, AND FAILED TO LOG THE JOB. THE SECOND RAC LADY I SPOKE TO FAILED TO LOG MY LOCATION ON THE MOTORWAY, 50 OVER 1. THE THIRD RAC PERSON I SPOKE TO SENT THE TRANSPORTER TO GRANTHAM, 50 MILES NORTH OF MY LOCATION. THE FOURTH INITIALLY ASSURED ME A TRANSPORTER WAS ON ITS WAY, THEN PHONED TO SAY THERE HAD BEEN A MISTAKE. THE VAN DRIVER WE DISCOVERED AT THE STEVENAGE BP SERVICE STATION, CLAIMED HE WAS UNABLE TO HELP ME UNTIL HE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY HEAD OFFICE. THE RAC AND ITS ABILITY AS A SERVICE ORGANISATION, IN THIS INSTANCE, SEEMED NOT TO BE ABLE TO EXERCISE 'BEST PRACTICE' AND ALL OF THE STAFF I ENCOUNTERED FAILED TO COMMUNICATE MY PREDICAMENT CORRECTLY AND ALL SEEMED TO LACK RIGOROUS MOTIVATION TO SOLVE MY PROBLEM. UNDOUBTEDLY, MANY HAVE HAD GOOD EXPERIENCES OF THE RAC, BUT I NOTICE THERE IS AN INCREASING NUMBER WHO HAVE FOUND THE ORGANISATION COMPLACENT. IN RESPONSE TO A POST DESCRIBING MY STATEMENT OF FACT, GARY, OF THE RAC, IRONICALLY, RESPONDED IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND SUGGESTED I MIGHT LODGE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT. NOT SURPRISINGLY, I ALREADY DID SHARE MY EXPERIENCE WITH MR DAVID HOBDAY, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE ON 20TH JANUARY, AND WAS ASSURED I WOULD HEAR BACK WITHIN TWENTY DAYS. AS YET, IT IS NOW 10TH FEBRUARY, IN SPITE OF A LAPSE OF TWENTY DAYS, I HAVE HEARD NOTHING FROM THE RAC.