Name: RAC
Rating: 1.43

“After over 35years continuous membership for breakdown the service over the last few years is disgraceful. Have tonight waited 5 1/2 hours to get home, only 7 miles away, after being told we would wait only 90mins!!! Several years ago broke down, towing a caravan, on Bodmin Moor in the early hours, took the RAC 4 hours to get to us on that occasion as they sent the recovery vehicle to Somerset!!! Even after telling the call centre I was disabled and needed to get home they still gave us the run around! My advice avoid at all cost and go with another company as thee do not give value for money at all.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Been a member for 27 years. Lies, promises and failure to deliver service. Took three recovery trucks 27 hours to take us on a 3 hour journey.. It would have taken longer if I had not continued to keep calling at every service station we were stranded at. They used every excuse in the book including driving hours and tacographs fitted to the recovery vehicles. Fact of the matter is they don,t have a clue. Will not be renewing membership and advise people to use them at their peril. Their own complaints procedure is a farce. Insure with anybody except the RAC!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“I broke down at 23:05 on the hard shoulder of the M25 in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic and a 2 lane slip road. I was 45 minutes from home. The RAC mechanic arrived 3 hours later, tried to get me started (because mechanics are targeted on getting your vehicle started only) and as a result of trying 5 or 6 times and overheating my engine 5 or 6 times my car is now a WRITE OFF. After paying £135 to be towed home, the RAC conveniently told me there were no vehicles available! So I had to wait for a taxi. When the taxi arrived an hour and half later I was then forced to argue with the driver who was demanding £100 cash from me, resulting in another 30 minutes until the taxi got going. I arrived home at 6am. At least I beat my car home, because that arrived at 11am. I was repeatedly told by RAC workers that they would call me back, they would keep me updated, the mechanic is on his way, the tow truck is 5 minutes away, and the taxi is 25 minutes away maximum. Of course this was all fabrication through shoddy customer service and genuinely not caring. £80 for my membership, £135 for a tow truck that didn't come, a £2000 car written off .... but not to worry because the RAC have given me a £25 cheque compensation!!! Oh no, this hasn't arrived in the post either!!!!! Judging by the service experienced so far, I will look forward to cashing that in at Christmas! Needless to say, I wouldn't touch the RAC with a barge pole and if you value your car and being recovered from extremely dangerous situations then look elsewhere!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“I broke down at 23:05 on the hard shoulder of the M25 in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic and a 2 lane slip road. I was 45 minutes from home. The RAC mechanic arrived 3 hours later, tried to get me started (because mechanics are targeted on getting your vehicle started only) and as a result of trying 5 or 6 times and overheating my engine 5 or 6 times my car is now a WRITE OFF. After paying £135 to be towed home, the RAC conveniently told me there were no vehicles available! So I had to wait for a taxi. When the taxi arrived an hour and half later I was then forced to argue with the driver who was demanding £100 cash from me, resulting in another 30 minutes until the taxi got going. I arrived home at 6am. At least I beat my car home, because that arrived at 11am. I was repeatedly told by RAC workers that they would call me back, they would keep me updated, the mechanic is on his way, the tow truck is 5 minutes away, and the taxi is 25 minutes away maximum. Of course this was all fabrication through shoddy customer service and genuinely not caring. £80 for my membership, £135 for a tow truck that didn't come, a £2000 car written off .... but not to worry because the RAC have given me a £25 cheque compensation!!! Oh no, this hasn't arrived in the post either!!!!! Judging by the service experienced so far, I will look forward to cashing that in at Christmas! Needless to say, I wouldn't touch the RAC with a barge pole and if you value your car and being recovered from extremely dangerous situations then look elsewhere!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“lying scumbag unhelpful smug bastards, 40 minutes on hold at a busy road with abreakdown and another 2 hours before a patrol appeared!!!!! Then left at the roadside, avoid these cowboys and BTW that was my first call after paying monthly for 7 years!!!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“I have also had a terrible experience with RAC. They really don't care at all. My tyre punctured on a Friday night. On average 30 mins to get someone to pick up the phone and then waited 3 hrs into the early hours. I phoned several times for an update and although they said someone will call, nobody did. Gave up and ended up trying to change the tyre myself. Then, on my way home, the spare tyre also had issues. When I called, they said it could take 4 hours to come to me. Not sure what I'm paying them for. I also got a parking ticket waiting for them (another story). When I phoned to ask for proof of call out, the lady on the phone was telling me that my spare tyre should have been usable. It WAS usable, but punctured when I drove it again. Terrible blaming the motorist rather than trying to help you through it. Really unacceptable.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“For the 2nd time using them I have had to wait over 4 hours. Completely unacceptable”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Member of RAC for 15yrs. Had problem with starting the car after holiday, waited 1/2 hrs on the phone and 3hrs later RAC turned up, lost/stole the battery cover, damaged the diagnostic socket, tried to sell RAC battery agreed to buy, installed new battery car did not start, put the old battery back, faked an electrical fault by pulling a start relay out from the fuse box and left after refusing a recovery. After leaving Emailed me a faked report ticking the customer box himself, signing in the customer space himself and typed I agreed the car was damaged and I refused to purchase a new battery from him. Phoned again and again after 8.5hrs another patrolman called and started the car with pushing the relay back in and spraying the engine with some moisture repellant. Complained formally by recorded letter to RAC CEO, did not respond for 3 weeks, wrote again by recorded delivery post, complain was passed to customer care who refused to investigate, take any action, or tell me what he has done to prevent a reoccurrence, offered me £50. compensation as an apology, I refused as the damage alone was in excess of £400. and fraud had been committed, just applied to Financial Ombudsman Services. Will never renew membership or use this company again. It is simply poorly managed and has gone down the hill recently.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Very expensive service”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Called Rac as my wife's car would not start. A different garage was sent as an agent of Rac. He sat in the drivers seat tried to start the car. Nothing. Got out handed me the keys back and said it needs to goto BMW!!! Never plugged a machine in never opened to bonnet never looked at anything. In fact he did less than I had done. Do not be fooled by good reviews this is by far the worse service I have ever had and will not be continuing to pay for this any more. He literally could not have done anything less.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Tried to cancel breakdown cover because my husband has beenot diagnosed with cancer and so we sold his car. Waited 35 mins to get through and then was browse beaten by a man who would not cancel it. Kept insisting we left it running...tried to get us to swap it to a different car. Anything but allowing me to cancel. Just bullied into submission. However a super young man at sales sorted it out for me the next morning and he cancelled it with no problem. The worst rudest service ever and this all came on top of my husbands cancer diagnosis.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“I'm sat here reading all of the RAC reviews, and I don't know what to say. Many people are saying that the customer service is bad. I've been a customer for more than 30 years and had to call then 6 times, not once have they been anything less than helpful. And the issue regarding wait times, how many people are going to assume that they can get to you in less than 2 hours, and the end of the day, they are one of the biggest breakdown companies with only 3 offices in the U.K. So imagine how many people in those 3 offices have to constantly be on the phones to care for the whole of the uk! And yes, you may say "I'm going the AA" or "I'm going to green flag" but at the end of the day, they are also going to have times where they are delayed by 3-5 hours. All in all, I think people need to be more respectful to the workers of companies like this. The patrols work all year round in all different kinds of weather to get you back on the road, and the people in the offices, they are there to keep you informed and help you if you have any queries, they do not deserve the disrespect they get when they call you to tell you an update. They are not the reason you are delayed, they are simply there to keep you informed. I've said my peace...”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Impossible to get a refund for breakdown cover. Told them 2 years ago to cancel and yet they are still taking payments from my account! Spent an hour on the phone to be promised a callback and still nothing 9 days later. Told the bank and they said contact RAC! No wonder this country is on its knees.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Yesterday I arrived by train late having started the day at 5am. I had been sick in the morning and arrived back feeling dizzy and Ill. I had a 30 minute drive home. My car had a flat and I rang the RAC. I have a top of the range policy with then. I was told there was a 5 hour wait! I told them my circumstances and was told I would be contacted shortly. I waited an hour and rang again. I was upset, cold, Ill, tired, and by that time the drunks were passing in droves, and I felt pretty vulnerable on my own. After begging and cajoling eventually they sent a non RAC van. Apparently he is used by the RAC as the RAC only have 3 vans for the whole of Carmarthenshire! The man was located 10 minutes from me and had had no call outs all night! To save a couple of bob the RAC were going to let me wait 5 hours! 4th emergency service? Yes like the two year NHS wait for a routine operation. AA here I come.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“They left me stranded for 3.5 hours in The Ardennes forest outside Luxembourg and never sent a tow truck despite saying they had arranged one. Their attitude and that of their local break down people is the absolute worst. Never take out European Assistance with the RAC, always use the AA. I made my own arrangements with Mercedes once I managed to limp the car to the local dealer.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Trying to get compensation for the RAC's terrible service is a nightmare. I wrote to the CEO three weeks ago who hasn't the courtesy to even acknowledge receipt of my letter. Trying to get a phone number for head office is near on impossible. Spoke to a Customer Service representative who offered me a pittance in compensation, which I've had to accept through pure frustration of dealing with this joke of a company. Customer Service rep had the audacity to suggest when I called them that I could have changed the wheel myself instead of calling them out - the cheek! 10pm in middle of winter, totally dark country lane, and me without a torch and with bad knees! I was not prepared to wait 2-4 hours for them to come out to me. Keep well away from these cowboys.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Just been reading the reviews below and am fully sympathetic... am going to call the RAC tomorrow to cancel renewal (assuming I can get through)... having been a member for over 30 years with decent service years ago, but not now and I'm fed up My son had been to a job interview in Harlow... broke down not long afterwards on the way home and was told an hour... we have recovery so I expected that if it wasn't fixable then he would be brought home... well, eventually he was but Engineer finally arrived after 4 hours of him sitting by the side of the motorway, and couldn't fix it so was towed to a services a mile up the motorway arriving abt 8pm... and then had to wait for an onward recovery which arrived at midnight... he finally got home at 3am. Seriously not impressed and looking for recommendations for a better supplier... the good news is he got the job!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Been with the rac for years .all my cars have been covered with them, but touch wood never really used them.so broke down tonight as my car had overheated and came to a sudden stop.called at 6.40pm was told Some one should be here by 8pm! Called back at 8.30pm to see what was happening. They were gonna get a patrol to call me with an eta.well Some one did from a call centre at 9.20pm.to say at least another hour. I'm on my own in not a very nice place cant leave my car even tho the lady suggested i did and sorted it out tomorrow.(cheek )its now 9.50pm so well wait and see.at least it's giving me time to look around for when my membership here runs out ...”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“##### Part 4 ##### 15/09/2018 Spoke to another rep. This time was given an absolute certainty that I would receive a call within 30 minutes and a specific reference that only that manager can raise. Was assured without doubt that would be contacted by a manager to resolve this issue. It is now bordering 7 weeks since I raised the issue and tried to obtain three years of payments despite having cancelled in March 2015. An appalling company to deal with. I now have a week until this can be investigated externally. ##### Part 3 ##### Update 14/09/2018 #Now over six weeks without any help or positive response. Multiple emails sent, many telephone calls made. RAC still have three years of payments despite the policy being cancelled in 2015. Will now have to take through Northampton county court to seek full reimbursement along with costs and three years interest# ##### Part 2 ##### This is what you get after they respond on here and tell you to email. Now another 20 days to add on to the original 20 days. “Our investigation is taking longer than first anticipated and we're sorry we haven't been able to respond within the timescale we initially provided. We're working hard to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion for you and will aim to provide a response to you as soon as we can. We will be in contact with you again within the next 20 working days.” ##### Part 1 ##### In my opinion, this company is terrible to deal with if there is an issue. I phoned to cancel my subscription to RAC on 13th March 2015 as I had purchased a new car with road side assistance. They have this call logged which is the only call I have made to them in three years. Since then, without my knowing, three further payments have been taken from my card for 2015, 2016 and 2017 totaling over £300. I have contacted them by phone five times, each time receiving a different story. I have been told that it would be looked into and they will repond in 24 hrs, then 3 days, then 3-5 days, then 20 days. The customer service is dreadful and despite my many attempts via telephone and email I have been unable to resolve this issue. Cancellation can only be made by phone as per their website...however, I was asked if I had any written cancellation correspondence!! Very poor, I am out of pocket currently by a fair sum of money and have owned a different car since March 2015 to that highlighted on the renewal notice...which incidentally looks like marketing material. My first call consisted of a cancellation request for 2018. On subsequent calls I found out even that hadn't been acted on! On a separate note, their fees have doubled in three years. The telephone agent told me he earns less than a refuse collector!...and suggested I email as they aren't trained to handle disputes. I am still waiting for a resolve and it has been nearly three weeks. # Email no 5 sent again! as per the below reply. Terrible service. RAC have taken money for three years after cancellation. Calls are futile, emails are not answered. The ONLY human reply is that in response to this review# #after following ‘Mick’s’ instructions. I received yet another automated email telling me to wait another 20 days!# I’ve already waited 20 days. I can ask an obudsman to step in# Dreadful.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“I have been a member for over 30 years and was appalled at my experience in the last 24 hours. Took 1 van and three trucks to get me home. 21 hours for a 2.5 hour journey. On hold at least 20 minutes on 4 occasions. Call handlers were prepared to say anything to get you off their backs. No continuity and only one brave soul out of 5 I spoke to kept their promise to call me back. They have lost a very long term customer as their service is not fit for purpose.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver, Courier
Average Delivery Time	Next Day
On-time Delivery	Greater than 21%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 76%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Over A Week
Customer Service	1.3 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process	Difficult

RAC Reviews