Hi guys and girls!! Sorry not been around alot lately, got loads on. Hope to pop in from time to tim...
Hi guys and girls!! Sorry not been around alot lately, got loads on. Hope to pop in from time to time. Andy
Member since:08.09.2004
Reviews:52
Members who trust:32
I originally took out RAC cover back in September in 1999; the reason for this was that my car was getting fairly old and not as reliable as it once was. I had stopped in a motorway service station and was approached by one of the salesman. You know the ones, the annoying ones that approach you on the way in and on the way out with the same question. All I had to pay was £30 then and the rest by direct debit over 3 months, easy enough so I took out the cover.
A few months after that it was bought to my attention that because of the company I worked for I was entitled to a discount with RAC. When it came to the following September rather than just accept the renewal I called them about the discount. As usual with any company when you mention discount they did not want to know, but eventually agreed to the fact that I was entitled to it. This entitled me to get a discount of about £35 per year.
Since then I have continued to renew my breakdown cover with them year after year. One of the main reasons for this is that the way I see things is that if it aint broke don’t try to fix it. This applies to my breakdown cover; I have never once had a problem in 6 years so why change breakdown companies.
Over the course of the past 6 years I have had to call on the RAC about 7 or 8 times I suppose, every time they could not have been more helpful. The first time was with a dead battery which died just after I had bought a take away to take home, so that got eaten in the car. They were there within half an hour and got the car started straight away.
The second time was where I realised how helpful they could be. One morning my
car would not start, so I called the RAC and within 45 minutes they were there. It turned out to be a faulty alternator. Which I now know what that is! Turns out I should have noticed the fault previously as the battery light had been staying on longer than usual. But never mind I would never have made a mechanic anyway.
When they turned up and realised what the problem was the member of the RAC team made loads of phone calls to try to find the exact part to fit my car. He was having no joy and at one point it looked like it could be a few days before my car would be up and running. But no, the RAC man was determined to find the part. Of he went in his van and drove around every single local garage he could find to find this part. He was gone an hour and half.
But yes, he came back with the part we needed. Within a few minutes he had the part fitted and my car started. Because this was covered by my call out all I had to pay was parts, all of the time and labour costs were included as part of my RAC cover. I could not have been more pleased about the service.
The rest of my call outs with them were for punctured tyres. It seems like a either went through of stage of being unlucky or had upset someone who was puncturing my tyres. I went though about 6 tyres in 6 months! The problem was that I had not had the car long and did not have the correct accessory to fit the nuts on the alloy wheels. This is why I had to get the RAC out every time. The good thing was is that they did not mind at all, and every time I had a different person turn up but every time were there within an hour, very polite and could not have been more helpful each time. There are 5 different breakdown packages that you can choose from with the RAC, all of which cover you 24/7, 365 days per year. They start at £34 per year. The first type of cover is:
Breakdown: This covers you for what it says it does breakdown cover. To qualify for breakdown recovery you need to be at least a ¼ of a mile from home. If they can’t fix they tow you to nearest garage.
Solution 1: As per Breakdown, plus if they can’t fix you within a reasonable time they tow your car and transport you and upto 7 passengers to any destination in the UK. With this cover you can build up a no call out discount of upto 50%. Also with this package you qualify for a 28 point free check on your car in order that you don’t break down in the first place, but if you do they can also to your car to any approved garage of the RAC network for repairs if they cant fix it roadside.
Solution 2: With this cover you get every thing as per in solution 1 except for the transportation of you and your passengers to any destination. But has the following. They will repair your car if it breaks down outside your own home.
Solution 3: This covers as per solution 2 but includes the transport of you and upto 7 passengers.
Solution 4: This includes everything in solution 3 plus they will take your car to any UK destination and will arrange for: a replacement car for up to three days while yours is being repaired; or overnight accommodation; or onward travel by taxi or plane up to a maximum value of £150 per head or £500 for a group, whichever is less in value of these options.
As you can see they offer you a great choice of breakdown options, but what about the cost? As I said the prices start from £34, this is for single breakdown cover. Each option is available in single, joint or family cover. The most expensive is solution 4 family cover which would cost £201. So as you can see there is a range of prices. To see which one suits you best I suggest you visit their website and select Breakdown Cover.
One thing that they have now added to all of their breakdown cover options is called Accident Care. This is a free service and they send you a special pack on this product when you take out your membership with them.
This pack contains everything you need to know about what to do in the event of an accident. It has a space for you to take down all the relevant information that you may need and advises you of what steps to take. The first step is obviously to stop, the second being call the emergency services, and it gives you advice on when you may need to. The third step is to call their Accident Care line on 08000 686 103. The pack also contains little cards for you to give to the other parties involved in the accident which you can add your details to and it has a number direct to the RAC Collision line that they can contact.
When you call this they will provide you with help at the scene. This includes taking down all the accident details for your insurance company, perform a drivability check of your vehicle with you, arrange a recovery of your car, conduct a liability assessment, report your accident to your insurance company on your behalf if you wish as well as contact any friends and family you require them too.
Once home they will then arrange for a specialist to call you and make sure that your insurance company is contacted, arrange a replacement vehicle for you, discuss whether you can pursue a claim for compensation as well as give you any advice you may need from qualified legal professionals.
The RAC have been around for many years now and have grown from a company offering breakdown assistance, to a company that offers nearly everything. You can now get breakdown cover, driving lessons (BSM, a company owned by RAC), Insurance, Legal Services, Car Buying Advice, Finance, Traffic Advice and Directions, Windscreen Replacement and Motorcycle Services.
All of these services can be accessed via their website or by calling them on the relevant numbers.
As you can see I cannot fault the service of the RAC and would recommend them to anyone looking for breakdown cover or other service that they offer. I have tried them for insurance quotes and although they provide an excellent level of cover they were not as cheap as Direct Line etc.
You can visit their website by logging onto www.rac.co.uk
As there is so many numbers you can call them on the best thing you can do is hit the Contact us button on their site and select the relevant department from the drop down list. This will show you the numbers you can ring along with the opening hours.
But if it is breakdown cover you want call 0800 82 82 82, this is a free phone number and is answered 24/7.
You can also email them by using the Contact Us button where there is a form you can submit to them.
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Oct 28th, 2004
exceptional by (2%):
very helpful by (96%):
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