RAC - a joke wearing thin??

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tim
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by tim »

Well, not a word from them.... what a shower of shit. They have now had about 8 calls from me and each time the phone answerer has denied any knowledge of the case followed by a faithful promise to pass the words on to someone who would definitely phone me back.
I can only repeat, can someone suggest an immediate and big stick with which to get these parasites to respond? Watchdog I'm looking into, but this must necessarily be a longer term solution; asking a solicitor will only involve money I haven't got - advice may be free but a letter wouldn't be. The 'ombudsman' is once again a longer term thing and they have no teeth anyway, though I may well finish up using them as a backup. Best solution, a refund without any further argument but given their behaviour so far this ain't going to happen. I want to expose these clowns for their appalling behaviour, and get the monkey off the road as soon as possible.
We just joined Green Flag as we needed something by yesterday. Whether these guys are any better remains to be seen, but too late, we're in now.
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by tim »

Just to add the tech stuff to that, I checked out the system last Monday. It seemed the power feed had failed inside the wiring loom so the fan simply wasn't going to work. (Now has an emergency direct feed and a flick switch taped to the dash, so that the wife can apply fan when she wants. Some permanent rewiring will follow next week. ) Can anyone supply the part no or type of relay used?? I intend to renew it.
In regards to all this, I've had two items in. One is that maybe the monkey was 'correct' in that driving a car when hot can cool it down, so his decision was OK. Well, I disagree - if the car has a fault and it has not been diagnosed, then the fault still exists and can lead to the consequences mentioned in my first item. Monkey didn't know what the problem was and didn't care.( This can easily be disproved as a woman had a little Jap 4x4 locally a while ago. She didn't read the handbook so when the fluid warning light came on at Heathfield she drove all the way to my mates' workshop, about 5 miles. Smoke, steam and painful popping noises... my mate asked politely why she didn't simply pull over, and explained that by not doing so she had converted a simple repair job into a write-off.
The second is that apparently he wanted to tow it to the A3 to fix it....er how, and why? As we know the engine needs to be running for that, and quite how you could even reach the A3 from where the car was is a mystery.
The car has been well cared for and both oil and coolant were up to level. (And why wouldn't they be? The car doesn't leak and besides, wife had stopped at Fleet for a brewup and checked the levels while she was there.)
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by citsncycles »

I've not needed the RAC for the BX have called them out twice over the yrtars with the GS. Each time the guy in the van asked me if it had hydraulic suspension, then informed me that if it couldn't be fixed he wasn't allowed to tow it due to risk of damage. Sounds like you got the guy from the village idiot brigade!
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by tim »

Yes, I did! I have no problem with individual idiots as they can be placed upside down on the safety barrier and their ignition keys thrown into the long grass. However, the real problem is the incredible rudeness and generally shit behaviour of the RAC,
coupled to the fact that they evidently intend to cover up the mistakes of their monkeys and let them carry on. As one of them could have caused death or serious injury by his incompetence and the RAC bods couldn't give a toss, I feel bound to keep pressing this one, if I can.
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by tim »

Spent a while on the phone..... I watched 'The Hunger Games' the other day and sarcastically said to one bod that I didn't realise we were actually living in a world where big corporations were above the law and couldn't be touched by anyone. He was embarrassed but agreed.
I have now tried every avenue, HSE, VOSA, DVSA, Trading Standards, CAB, etc. NONE of them have any teeth and they can do nothing at all. They will only do something if complaints are repeated on the same issue more than once, and most are so compartmentalised that an event on the M3 is outside their competence. The police have probably filmed it all but won't have a recording of what was said so they won't give a toss either. The only way it seems is to get a judge to make a ruling. And how do we get a judge? Not being a Russian multimillionaire it's the old fashioned way, i.e. giving a solicitor a year's wages to write some letters which may or may not lead to a result sometime. The Small Claims court has no teeth either from what I've read......
There are still the various TV and computer networks which are better than nothing but will inevitably be rather long term (and no guarantee of a result). So unless some of you fellow breakdown recovery users can help me out, it looks like the joker who attended my wife three weeks ago will continue to roam the highway looking for jobs to screw up. It could be your unlucky day... and the letter I'll be getting from the RAC will be all soft and fluffy, admitting nothing and refusing to name names and what action has been taken. I'm sure the word 'retraining' will be mentioned.
Some positive and cheery advice would be welcomed at this point; personally I want to nail somebody to a large tree (yes sir, I will happily stop winding your intestines around the trunk of this oak, all you need do is answer the questions honestly...)
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by Thread Bear »

Welcome to the corparate facist state where you are responsible for any bill someone wants to invent via threatening letters but no official of any concern is responsible for the decision made to create anything. Plausable deniability runs from 9/11 to who bought the chewing gum.

I rant at the world but I also do something about it, as I can. My life is changing into a low income, low expenditure one, of taking few risks and avoiding all contact with the system and its supporters. I refuse to pay their inflated fees, fines and prices where at all possible. This will become harder and harder but it is worth it as I am about as free as I can be, here.
As I said before. The only real way of dealing with a faceless organisation is to chip away at it until you get a name. You then move in on that name and threaten it with personal exposure to its parent organisation for a failure. Generally the higher the individual the better the responce. Basically if the bad shit you can do via this avenue is of greater proportion than the guy can ignore it ultimately ends up with his boss. He knows he will be in the shit. So something gets done to resolve the problem before that happens. This goes for NHS service as well as debt collecting holligans and many things in between.

Without a total understanding of exactly what was said and done its virtually impossible for an outsider to really formulate a plan for you. Much will be in your contract agreement with the RAC too.

However if your a bastard you simple find out Simon's vehicle and roster, his number or whatever, and insure that a continual string of complaints are made of his poor service, driving standards, parking up eating donuts on duty and possibly even being seen outside school yards - though that is seriously nasty. Its unfair but if you feel that strongly......

Meanwhile I have to deal with a council who have forged an address in my name in an attempt to charge me £14,000 of council tax. Well we will see if that sticks as I have talked to the owners in the area, It turns out they have spent 31/2 years attempting the same thing on someone else but gave up at the court door to switch to me. I have the guy's name now, so I will be calling his bluff shortly. He has either screwed up and cannot admit his error or there is a fiddle going on in the department. Well buster, you picked the wrong patsy. This could get into the papers save they are muzzeled. The DVLA tax disc scam ring never got reported. Free speach, removed by the war criminal Mr B Liar, you will find.
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by Tinkley »

Regrettably, I have to agree with most of TB's excellent post. Very hard to nail the B'sta**s. Don't forget when one of their (RAC) contractors fitted eth wrong size inner tube to my bike, it was a legal offence. But trying to pursue that was like butting head into brick wall. Only if severe injury or death had resulted would it have stood a chance.

Also their 'caring' attitude as regards unable to find replacement rear screen which would technically have written off car etc etc. I am seriously thinking of changing, only been member since '77 so they won't give a s***. Well done to the good guys who DO work for them, the rot is much higher up. Just like in some of Mr B. Liar's mob, the police and some of the legal system.

Glad you have noticed the 'buck passing' oooh it is not our job try XX, try them to get same reply. Faceless anonymity is the way of far too many organisations TFL, DVLA, loads of them, especially public/private partnership ones. Try your MP and ask who arranged this wonderful system? with NO accountability, well maybe a small slap on the wrist at worst.
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by jeremyC5 »

TB and Tinkley, you are both right, buck passing and "no-one gives a sh1t" seems very common.

I tried to report someone who was doing electrical work, in places where he should have been part P registered, only if something had happened, someone got electrocuted for example, anyone would care.
- Trading standards were not interested, nor was the local building control.
A main letting agent, Russell Residential in Cambridge, was using him, knowing he wasn't registered, he was paying them to pass him the work, and the boss was even on some board in the council ! - talk about being on the inside !!
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by MULLEY »

Isn't breakdown insurance regulated by the FCA? If it is, you can complain to the FOS as they are the independent organisation that take up consumer complaints when the customer is disatisfied with how their complaint has been dealt with by the company they have their policy with.
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tim
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by tim »

Sorry, what does FOS stand for? Can't find this on Gurgle apart from finance and Goodwood!
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by electrokid »

Financil Ombudsman Service ?
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by Thread Bear »

Ferocious Old Soldiers. Or is that just round Aldershot?
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Pluto - 14 E S, White, 105k Miles - in work
Egbert - 19 16v Gti, White, A/C & Leather, - Keeper
Walt - 17 TZD Turbo S, graphite, 70k miles, good op extras - Keeper
Scraper- 17 TZD Turbo E, blue, 208k miles - parts
Homer - 19 TXD E, Red, 189k miles - £250
Gary - 17 TZD Turbo E, 118k miles - in work

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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by Tinkley »

Naaaah just pikeys round there... :wink:

NB The C4 head on last summer with pikey driven Transit (with witnesses) was not prosecuted as 'time ran out' apparently. Of course No Claim Bonus has not been restored, despite being completely innocent party. Just another example of the CPS in this case, not doing their job.

Another faceless organisation, and try getting more info from police etc well nigh impossible. I think this one will be going to the Insurance Ombudsman....
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1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by MULLEY »

FCA = Financial Conduct Authority
FOS = Financial Ombudsman Service
2002 C5 2.0 HDI Estate - Jasmine - Now SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - My daily
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired.
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN

I'm not just a username, i'm also called Matthew.
tim
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Re: RAC - a joke wearing thin??

Post by tim »

I have just learnt that the RAC have their own page on facebook. As I am not on FB and don't have time to do this stuff, as I imagine most of you are on it, could you please access this page and write some cheery things about the sheer rudeness and stupidity of the RAC?? Anyone who doesn't join as a result has cost them another £100 plus and once we get it over 2 grand it's worth telling the world what a bunch of c..ts they are. It's not so much the incompetence that irks me, it's the deliberate lies and covering up a potentially fatal blunder that gets me. Take the money and kill someone as a side effect - nice one, kids.
You could also advertise this website as a side effect, might get a few more new faces in. I'd love to hear what you write so if you don't want to post it up here please PM me.
By the way, the police didn't give a shit either. I am now waiting for some real names to attach to the higher-up crap in the RAC, then we'll see how they respond - if they don't they at least can be named and shamed. I also am given to understand that a red light does mean stop where you are and by not recovering the vehicle as told, they may be in breach of various legal issues. Does anyone know a friendly solicitor?? Or have anything to add on this point?
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