Dear Dave (CEO)...
Dear Dave,
I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the appalling service I experienced with the RAC on 26th July 2024. Despite calling your office several times and being assured that I was being treated as a priority, it took six hours for my recovery. This is simply unacceptable, especially as I was stranded on a dangerous smart motorway, just yards away from cars and lorries traveling at high speed, with no assistance due to the patrol man's inability to fix my car.
When the patrol man finally arrived, he displayed a complete lack of interest in my situation. As I tried to explain what had happened, he shrugged his shoulders and showed no inclination to listen. He seemed annoyed that the cam belt had threaded, acting as if it was an inconvenience to unpick the threads. His dismissive and critical attitude was entirely unprofessional. My car is regularly serviced by the main dealer and is well maintained, and unexpected issues are precisely why I have RAC cover. I expect your patrolmen to be polite and diligent in their attempts to resolve such issues, not to act as if it's a hassle.
Furthermore, I enquired about onward travel, and the patrol man instructed me to call the RAC enquiry line anytime for assistance. At no point did he inform me that I needed to call within 24 hours of the breakdown to arrange a hire car. When I called your office today, I was told I could not have a hire car because the 24-hour window had lapsed. The lady I spoke with was uninterested in my situation, defaulting to a script that disregarded my circumstances entirely.
I then contacted your customer service team, only to be astonished that there was no record of the complaint I made on the evening of 26th July 2024. I explained to the agent what the patrol man had told me regarding the hire car, and also referenced my experience in 2023, where I was provided a hire car a month after a breakdown without any issues. The inconsistency in your policy is baffling. I had no reason to believe I needed to call within 24 hours due to the patrol man’s misinformation and my previous experience.
When I requested a hire car immediately, the customer service agent insisted on following a lengthy complaint process that could take up to a month. This defeats the purpose of immediate onward travel assistance. I requested to speak with a manager but was incorrectly told there were no managers available. This issue should have been escalated and resolved as a priority.
Due to this systemic failure within the RAC, I am left with no choice but to hire a car independently and expect full reimbursement from the RAC. The lack of empathy and robotic responses from your staff, combined with the dismissive attitude towards customer experience, is deeply concerning. This issue is not isolated; even the motorway traffic officer commented that long waits are a norm with the RAC, highlighting a widespread problem within your organisation.
This is not the first time I have experienced such poor service from the RAC. Earlier this year, in April, I had to spend the night in Watford Gap service station during a breakdown on the M6, waiting 10 hours to be recovered and taken home. Your trusted contractor refused to take me all the way home, forcing me to endure a night of unnecessary stress and discomfort.
I expect someone to contact me tomorrow to arrange car hire. Otherwise, I will hire a car myself and bill the RAC. I have lost all faith in your organisation. You clearly do not value your customers or their safety.
I suggest you personally experience what your customers endure by waiting six hours on a smart motorway. Perhaps then, you will understand the gravity of the situation and the inadequacy of the service provided.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Kind regards,
26 July 2024
Unprompted review