RAC Breakdown Cover

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, 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, 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.

She 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.

One star is too much. Left us for 9+ hours on a cold December night in the middle of no where with no food etc. Ended up getting a private tow who came in 30 mins and was £150. Recovery insurance is the biggest sham.

First of all I didn't get off to a great start as they failed to send me my policy documents.

I had made them aware of this back in September.

I had bought Unlimited Rescue.

The village got flooded and I called RAC to assist, one arrived the next day, laughed at the situation and the fact I wasn't covered and then drove off after moving me a few meters.

Now RAC want me to pay for the recovery as it turns out, Unlimited Rescue is actually limited.

I had tried calling the customer relations team but I was told they had turned the lines off and I kept on getting passed around different departments for 5 days.

Been calling all day. They collected our car about lunchtime for recovery at their convenience, but have left us stranded 230miles from home. The hire car they promised never shows up, calling them means waiting on hold for ages, then being promised a call back that never happens. So, it’s now late at night, it’s dark, cold, raining and we have no accommodation and the pub we’ve been sheltering in all day is closing. Now what RAC? What does our full recovery service with you get us?

tried to use the app to report a breakdown, app did not work, got message to call , called result :

first call terminated, second call took all the details, but rac cancelled the incident twice, hq did not know why.

mechanic came out, with a report of a dead battery, which nobody mentioned. due to the weight of the car different recovery truck was needed. recovery truck was promised within the hour. two hours later recovery company still has not arrived , called them got a promise to be there within the hour. nobody arrived , recovery acompany called and said they cannot make it today, called back rac, they promised to get another truck, and we are still waiting.

a whole day wasted , moved appointments , had to pay fines for late postponement etc.

RAC did not make it that day, came in the afternoon next day

filed an official complaint wit the ops(executive) team, got fobbed off with some prepared statement (probably written by their laywers)

find a rescue service that is NOT owned by a HEDGE FUND

20 years of custom and they hang up the phone. Never ever give them money. Would have had the terrible human being on the other side fired if I could.

Have an RAC breakdown policy. Had it approx 3 years . downloaded the app recommended by RAC and opted for my documents to be stored electronically again recommended by RAC. Then with no prior knowledge got an email saying I can no longer use the app as they did not want to mislead me with inaccurate information ??????? whatever that means. Straight away I had lost access to my membership number and all of my documents. I put in a complaint and after more than a month got a reply saying they had done nothing wrong and hard luck. Would not recommend them to anybody. All they want is your money and nothing else.

I wish I could put zero star. You left my partner stranded in the middle of nowhere three hours from home for TEN hours. He spoke to 6 different people at the call centre over this time, to be lied to each time saying someone will be there in an hour. Absolute lies. To add to this, he suffers with his mental health, to the point he nearly had mental breakdown and to be treated like thst is appalling behaviour from you.

He then was told by the last call centre staff it will be a link drop off, so he was took to the services half way home. Thst driver was brilliant with him. But the other link driver refused to wait (isn't this there job). So he had no choice but to get an uber and leave the van at thr service.. its still there now.

After reading review on another review site, it looks like you've changed owners and your losing customers.

What is the point in paying a subscription to your service when you can't deliver the service you sold. I'll never use RAC ever again.

Probably the worst breakdown Company!

I had first hand experience of this the RAC letting me & my family down!

The 3rd party recovery company they used had said they are terrible for them to deal with and customers always complain about the RAC!

I had my membership cancelled via a London call centre while I was been recovered, which has now been proven to have been a miss use of power given to a call centre member of staff!

Absolutely disgraceful behaviour Behaviour!

As a result I’d had to limp my vehicle home with towing caravan with my vehicle having a ride height problem.

I’ve been a member since the 90’s not any more, Green Flag- I’ve been advised to me is the best, via the 3rd party breakdown service (which the RAC used) & via a number of clubs have recommended them so will move over to them now.

RAC patrol vans only carry one computer to connect to your vehicle, in my case it could not even connect to my Range Rover so no fault code could not be read! This is not good enough also £50 compensation is not good enough for your incompetent company’s attempt deal with my breakdown.

One of the RAC employees after trying to repair my car damaged it even more. He used a hammer and other unprofessional tools to remove one of the damaged injectors. In addition, he told me to wait for the next mobile mechanic to do the recoil. When my mechanic who is trying to repair the car (I found one because others did not want to take the risk after what they saw what this RAC employee left) asked for a report it turned out that such a report does not exist in their system!!! I believe that this man cheated me and wanted to take advantage, if he had fixed this car he might have taken the money for himself.... he did not prepare a report because he certainly knew that he had ruined it!!! RAC is still telling me to wait, and I want above all that this man never cheats another person who calls RAC for help for the first time! At the very beginning of the conversation with me he suggested recovering from a friend for 250f because as he himself stated RAC recover is very expensive!!! lack of professionalism!!! RAC how long will I wait? I want to see your actions, I want to know first of all if this man will say what happened to my report? he should never touch your customers' cars, he ruins your reputation. Personally I don't know anything about car mechanics but your second employee when he saw what his predecessor left took pictures and said he would make a complain about it because my car should not be left in such a state. I am a foreigner, I am a woman, I was with my daughter and I feel that he also wanted to use this, knowing that I have no idea about cars. I feel wronged, cheated but I am determined and I certainly will not let it go!!!