On Thursday, 15 January 2015 at 1400. My wife and I broke down with a failed clutch on our way back from Southampton to Gosport.
Whilst travelling along Portsmouth Road in Southampton just before 1400 hours the clutch in our Peugeot failed just before a roundabout forcing us in a position of blocking traffic!. The phone call was immediately made to the RAC (We have RAC via Additions Plus with Barclays).
The woman on the phone took all the details where I explained we were on Portsmouth Road in Southampton, and was between two junctions for which I gave the roads I could see, I explained the situation with the car and that it would need Recovery to a garage. I mentioned Portsmouth Road in Southampton 3-4 times and she confirmed she had us on map and we would have recovery within 30 minutes.
Around 20 minutes later we received a call from a RAC Patrol who told us he had been given the call but was in Portsmouth so should not have been given that job and he would contact the centre to advise them.
Ten minutes later I called RAC again to get an update on the situation, where they told me the original address was placed as Southamton Road in Portsmouth and had now been re-arranged, we could expect assistance within 20 minutes.
Half hour later I called for a further update and was told he was on his way and to wait another 20 minutes.
So around 1500 I called RAC again for a update and was told guy was delayed by previous call and would be another 30 mins.
at 1530 called again and was asked to confirm roads, which again they had wrong!.
Around 1600 I was called by RAC recovery centre and asked if we needed a patrol or recovery, I told them this should already be a recovery because of the situation with the car. They said a patrol was ordered and was nearby, but would now be cancelled as a Recovery vehicle was required.
Around 1620 again called for an update and was told he was stuck in traffic but shoud be around 15 minutes.
at 1645 called again to be told same thing, at which point recovery vehicle arrives around 1650 and I am told by the driver he was sitting not far away off job for around an hour and could have been with us sooner had call been recorded correctly in first place.
By time we left area it was 1700 hrs, we were dieing for the toilet, extremely thirsty and peed off. During every conversation with RAC on the phone we advised them we had two young children leaving school who we would be unable to meet so would be home alone until we arrived back, none of this was considered at all and placed us in a very stressful and concerned state of affairs.
This is by far the one of the worst experiences of my life, I have been a member of the RAC either directly or via Barclays for some 24 years but will now be looking elsewhere.
Thanks to the lateness of the recovery we got stuck in traffic for around an hour trying to get back on the recovery vehicle to Gosport, the garage our car was booked into for repair that day around 1500 hrs was now closed to could not complete the job, the vehicle is now scheduled for repair on Tuesday, with pickup Wedsneday meaning we been without a car for 5 days causing considerable transport issues aswell as additional financial outlay for travel costs and delays.
If the vehicle had been recovered within the original timeframe it would have been fixed on the Thursday and returned to us Friday.
RAC service really sucks, noticed this the past few years!.
Whilst travelling along Portsmouth Road in Southampton just before 1400 hours the clutch in our Peugeot failed just before a roundabout forcing us in a position of blocking traffic!. The phone call was immediately made to the RAC (We have RAC via Additions Plus with Barclays).
The woman on the phone took all the details where I explained we were on Portsmouth Road in Southampton, and was between two junctions for which I gave the roads I could see, I explained the situation with the car and that it would need Recovery to a garage. I mentioned Portsmouth Road in Southampton 3-4 times and she confirmed she had us on map and we would have recovery within 30 minutes.
Around 20 minutes later we received a call from a RAC Patrol who told us he had been given the call but was in Portsmouth so should not have been given that job and he would contact the centre to advise them.
Ten minutes later I called RAC again to get an update on the situation, where they told me the original address was placed as Southamton Road in Portsmouth and had now been re-arranged, we could expect assistance within 20 minutes.
Half hour later I called for a further update and was told he was on his way and to wait another 20 minutes.
So around 1500 I called RAC again for a update and was told guy was delayed by previous call and would be another 30 mins.
at 1530 called again and was asked to confirm roads, which again they had wrong!.
Around 1600 I was called by RAC recovery centre and asked if we needed a patrol or recovery, I told them this should already be a recovery because of the situation with the car. They said a patrol was ordered and was nearby, but would now be cancelled as a Recovery vehicle was required.
Around 1620 again called for an update and was told he was stuck in traffic but shoud be around 15 minutes.
at 1645 called again to be told same thing, at which point recovery vehicle arrives around 1650 and I am told by the driver he was sitting not far away off job for around an hour and could have been with us sooner had call been recorded correctly in first place.
By time we left area it was 1700 hrs, we were dieing for the toilet, extremely thirsty and peed off. During every conversation with RAC on the phone we advised them we had two young children leaving school who we would be unable to meet so would be home alone until we arrived back, none of this was considered at all and placed us in a very stressful and concerned state of affairs.
This is by far the one of the worst experiences of my life, I have been a member of the RAC either directly or via Barclays for some 24 years but will now be looking elsewhere.
Thanks to the lateness of the recovery we got stuck in traffic for around an hour trying to get back on the recovery vehicle to Gosport, the garage our car was booked into for repair that day around 1500 hrs was now closed to could not complete the job, the vehicle is now scheduled for repair on Tuesday, with pickup Wedsneday meaning we been without a car for 5 days causing considerable transport issues aswell as additional financial outlay for travel costs and delays.
If the vehicle had been recovered within the original timeframe it would have been fixed on the Thursday and returned to us Friday.
RAC service really sucks, noticed this the past few years!.