I have had an absolutely appalling experience with RAC and feel compelled to share my ordeal to warn others.
On the 1st December 2024, I reported a breakdown at 20:19, expecting the professional and reliable service I had paid for. What followed was over 8 hours plus of waiting in freezing conditions with inconsistent updates, which I had to keep calling in repeatedly myself , lack of empathy, and ultimately being stranded. The estimated arrival times kept shifting—from 21:40-22:40,12:20am-3:20am to an outrageous 7:30am-10:30am. This caused me to miss my hotel booking, as RAC patrol could only take me to only one place either the hotel or back home.
Despite explaining to RAC that I needed medication at 22:20 due to a pre-existing condition (which I hadn’t expected to need during a breakdown), their responses were dismissive and unhelpful. When I finally got through to Emily, she suggested I cancel the callout and rebook, which would’ve meant waiting even longer. No solutions were offered for what to do during the long wait, and at one point, I was even told not to call back.
By the time help finally arrived at 2:24am, I had endured over 7 hours plus of frustration, freezing cold, and rising stress, which impacted my health as a diabetic with high blood pressure. I could barely feel my feet as it was freezing cold.
They sent out an independent breakdown company who found me shivering with cold and reported back to his head office that this call out should’ve been a priority with the state he found me in and especially with my medical condition. To which his office replied back which I heard myself was that it’s not been sent to us as a priority yet stressing numerously to RAC about my medical condition they didn’t really care or pass it on to the company who came to me on there behalf.
The saga didn’t end there. Over the following days, communication was a disaster. I was repeatedly told incorrect information, including that my vehicle had been delivered to the garage when it hadn’t. Today being the 4th or December 2024, I was promised a rental vehicle from Enterprise, which I needed urgently due to RAC’s failure to tow my van on the night of the breakdown.
I was picked up by the car rental company and as I arrived at Enterprise, they informed me that the rental was for a manual vehicle, despite being given a choice for a manual or an automatic by the RAC representative themselves I opted for an automatic. I contacted RAC to resolve this as being asked by enterprise rentals thinking it was an oversight by them and spoke with a representative named Heather, whose behavior was appalling and humiliating. She accused me—without any evidence—of using my van for business purposes and abruptly canceled the rental vehicle and even refused me my own vehicle back which has been stored by them/their independent contractor due to them not being able to bring it back to bradford as my RAC covers me to be taken anywhere of the time of breakdown if they can’t fix it plus car hire to get me to my destitution for 3 days.
Heather also claimed she had accessed my business details and made unwarranted assumptions based on my company being registered to my home address. I explained, repeatedly, that my van is solely for personal use and that my insurance, logbook, and council records permit records all reflect this. Her behavior was utterly unprofessional; she hung up on me, leaving me stranded and embarrassed in front of a room full of people at the Enterprise office including their staff.
I had to arrange and pay for an Uber to get home, as neither RAC nor Enterprise offered me any assistance back. This entire experience has been humiliating, distressing, and unacceptable.
I am pursuing formal complaints with the Financial Ombudsman and exploring legal options for breach of contract and emotional distress caused by this appalling service.
If you’re considering RAC, I urge you to think twice. This experience has left me deeply disappointed and without trust in their services.