RAC sink to new depths of shoddiness...

[northwind]

Just had the **** taken out of me for the very last time by the RAC.

"I need a recovery, my bike's broken down"
"What's your membership number"
"No idea, I'm broken down in the middle of nowhere"
"Oh. Well without that I can't help"
"Nah, I know fine well you can search by reg numbers, you've done it before"
<sigh> "Yes, I suppose so."
<Northwind gives reg number, home phone, address, postcode, blood type, shoe size and favourite colour>
"Sorry, can't find it"
<we do it again>
"OK, what sort of car is it."
"It's a bike. A Suzuki SV650S"
"We have you down for car cover"
"Well, it's a bike"
"Well, sorry, but you're not covered for your bike, just the car on the policy"
"I don't OWN a car! The breakdown cover is through my old insurers for this bike, it's the only vehicle I own"
"Oh. Well, I'm afraid we have you down for car cover- we can't help you with the bike until you get your insurance company to sort this out. Goodbye!"

And then more or less hung up. I call back, get a supervisor, get the same ludicrous spiel, then he actually forcefully closes the call- "I'm sorry sir but we can't help. No, I've explained that we can't help. I'm ending this call now sir. Goodnight" and hangs up! Before anyone asks, I wasn't insulting or abusive, he just refused to answer me when I asked how come they'd come out to the bike before, just ignored me entirely, so I repeated the question a few times just to hear him ignore it again.

Now, this is a policy that I've used before for the SV for flat batteries, so they should know it's a bike, one feels. I extended it once through the RAC then had it extended for 6 months for free last year after a complaint for non-attendance and clearly someone screwed up then. Nothing to do with the insurance, it's all home-grown incompetence, the policy was clearly right back in the original year which was taken straight from CIA's records. They insist I have to go back to an insurer I've had no dealings with for 2 years, after I nearly had to take them to court. That'll work.

The actual breakdown cover's always been ace, I can't fault that in the slightest, but the call handling's occasionally risen to "terrible" from its usual "farcical". Tonight was a new standard, lets call it "abominable". Still, at least the people at the call centre could find Edinburgh on a map this time. Once my Virago broke down halfway across the Moorfoot hills, miles from the nearest sheep, and they insisted that they needed a postcode and front door number. "Well, sort of hard to tell, do swamps have doors?"

Luckily, I also have Carole Nash breakdown cover. One phone call lasting about 2 minutes booked the callout. I got a call from local breakdown company (pictured above) 5 minutes later, they offer to come and pick me up from the house, go get the bike, and bring it back. When i tell them the fault there's no grappling with them to convince them it wants trailering, it just happens- they offer to send a mechanic with no recovery option in 20 minutes or a trailer in an hour, no messing about, and when I say it's not startable they listen. The guy's on scene as scheduled. From start to finish, 50 minutes, and they didn't even try to sell me a credit card. Carole Nash once again for the expensive but excellent win.

Incidentally, http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.p...26#post1158226, electrical part sought

RAC and AA are rubbish, glad you got it sorted in the end northy.

Eek! I'm saving my CN call-out 'lives' for when I *REALLY* need them. Next time I have a problem, I'm going to call the AA first rather than use one of the four annual call-outs CN allow (on my policy).

[rictus01]

Bet you were upset the RAC didn't try to sell you a battery Andy

Not surprising, heard some reall horror stories about them, been with NCI for the passed 8 years, only used them 4 times and never had any problem, they believe what I say and send who I want, always a bike specific recovery van, and always within the hour, I've no complaints, although I haven't renewed this year yet, seemed a bit pointless stuck in a chair at home, must get round to it.

Cheers Mark.

RAC again eh? Not suprised.

As a side track. Does Carol Nash cover for accidents as well as breakdown

rac bunch of to$sers,

after 12 yrs of memebership i cancelled last year,after they repeatedly sent incompetant crews, sent one guy down my street with a 40ft flatbed to start my car, all it needed was a boost, and hed cometo tow me,from my house to my .........ermm house !!!

had them refuse to come out to my partner,when she had personal cover because theyd not updated there files wheni transferred the membership, twice, even after supposedlt sorting it the first time.

another example of call centre numptiness.

Have a look at NCI, they are properly geared up for bikes and have yet to mess me around. The only problem we had was when I updated my membership to inclue Joe and somehow that didn't get get updated at the call centre. When Joe called them out they had no record of him and so were going to charge, if they couldn't clear up the problem with NCI the next day. The next day it was cleared up, we weren't charged and as an apology for the mixup, they gave us both free complete membership the following year! Seems fair to me.

Oh, they also do crash cover automatically, most do not cover that.

Originally Posted by BigApe

RAC again eh? Not suprised.

As a side track. Does Carol Nash cover for accidents as well as breakdown

Well if its part of the total insurance package I hope...as I have it.

Shame about RAC, used to be a fine motoring organisation. The club of choice over the humble AA, or so it seemed. Owened by Centrica or some such now are they not?

Originally Posted by BigApe

RAC again eh? Not suprised.

As a side track. Does Carol Nash cover for accidents as well as breakdown

They recovered my mates Speed Triple in France (and Toady's SV) but have never had to use them in the UK. When I wrote off the red SV my mate came out to pick it up....

.

Originally Posted by Jelster

When I wrote off the red SV my mate came out to pick it up....

.

Thats a good insurance policy