Myself and my wife have been a member of RAC breakdown since 1994.
My insurance renewal came up this month so I started looking around.
Long story short - I thought I would give RAC the option as I've always had a great relationship - in fact its the longest financial relationship I've had, having changed banks etc over the years....
So - I get a quote via the website and cool! - its cheaper than my current policy by a decent amount.
Wanting to speak to someone as I has some questions, I then proceeded to have several calls with the Insurance team over the course of a long Saturday afternoon.
We checked and double checked all details were correct and whilst doing so - I realised I could get a major saving by taking my Breakdown cover with them as well. Important to note here, it was not for the same level cover as they apparently don't offer the top flight cover I had always paid for anymore.
We priced it up and I was happy with the price/cover so I signed up - but couldn't until I had cancelled my current membership as they cant run the same cover twice - fair enough!
SO I cancelled my current membership even though there were still two months left to run and I would not get any rebate, I did this as I was happy with the new (and large) overall saving I would be getting on my Insurance and breakdown cover combined.
I signed up - over the moon that my new costs would be about the same as my current Insurance policy - saving over £200 per year.
I was so impressed with the two people I spoke with during the numerous calls that once everything was done and dusted I made a point of speaking with the Team leader to say how happy I was with the service I had received, something he was immensely grateful for!
This was a week ago (Sat 13th July to be precise) and today I finally got around to registering for the online Insurance section with the RAC.
On checking the details of my policy today I noticed that no breakdown cover was included - hmm my friends at RAC have obviously made a mistake, I'll call and get it sorted.
When I explained the situation - the girl on the phone put me on hold to speak with a team leader about it. When she came back she was rather blunt in stating that I did not have breakdown cover and they could not provide it free of charge within the current policy. When I tried to explain that it should be within the current amount according to the quotes I got online and the calls I had and could they please check the logs - I was told that they could not provide the cover free of charge so if I wanted to cancel my policy I could and as it was within the 14 day cool off period they would waive the cancellation charges...
Hold on I said - whose talking about cancelling the policy? A mistake has obviously been made and I would like to resolve it. Nothing can be done I was told - we will listen to the logs if you insist but that will not change anything, all it will do is result in us ensuring the advisers concerned are corrected - would you like to cancel your policy?
I was getting pretty gobsmacked at this point - basically I'm being told it does not matter WHAT I was told in the calls or quoted, the policy and its premium are what they are and if I don't like it I can cancel. No matter what - no action will be taken to rectify the fact that I was utterly wrongly informed and misled.
Well - it was a week ago, so let me go back and check my figures again, Ill come back to you.
So I look at my old policy details - the premium they wanted to charge was less than the premium I had signed up to. Ok, maybe I got confused, so long as I am still saving money I don't mind - its the RAC after all.....
I call the Breakdown membership team - they confirm what my old premium was and what it would be if I changed it to match the cover offered by the Insurance team (Roadside/Home and onward travel for one named car). They were only a few pounds a year more expensive that doing it all via the Insurance team and my saving per year would disappear to nothing for the car insurance - what with it now costing me more than my old one.
So I call back and ask to speak to a team leader - i explained that was I unhappy with the previous girl I spoke with but overall a very loyal and happy member etc etc.
What followed was the same old party line, stating that they could not give me free breakdown cover - I wasn't asking for free cover, I was under the clear impression that I was paying for it in the premium I agreed to, backed up by the website as well!
Well it doesn't matter - whatever you were quoted or told is irrelevant, you can either pay for the breakdown cover on top or cancel.... And the only action we will take is to listen to the logs and rectify the advisers if necc. Absolutely no interest in any kind of investigation to confirm if I was misled or not, just a Cancel if you want. Oh and by the way - we do NOT offer Onward Travel as part of our breakdown cover via the Insurance policy - only roadside and home recovery......
This now meant not only was my insurance policy more expensive than my previous cover but they were actually MORE expensive than the normal cover, which for a few pounds extra included onward Travel.... The fact that I thought it was included was used as a tool to imply that I was obviously wrong and not the other way around!
When my frustration began to rise and I started speaking in a stronger tone of voice (polite, but yes my frustration was starting to show through) I was then told by the team leader that I had asked to speak to him and he had been good enough to come on the phone with me!!!!!.
At this point I'm beyond frustrated so ask for this to be escalated, only to be told that he had the authority to make decisions and nothing could be done - Well, I want to write in as there must be a dept that will take my concerns seriously - even if nothing can be done about the fact that I was obviously mis-sold insurance and that needs to be addressed in a better way than - cancel your cover.
You can - but nothing will happen other than what I've already been told.
Fine - then I would like to get copies of the call logs please as I will take this to the Insurance Ombudsman because your attitude over what is a fraudulently sold policy is gob smacking beyond belief.
Ok, please send a cheque for £10 made payable to...... Hang-on, email that info as I don't have a pen to hand. We don't have the ability to email you - so you will HAVE to write it all down if you want....
SO I write it down - I then ask for the address to write to as I am beyond unhappy. I can give you the address or I can ask a manager to call you within 24 hours, but it will be this dept and no different outcome will happen.
Fine get someone to call me then please.
I am utterly - completely - furiously gob smacked that the RAC think its ok to mis sell Insurance and take absolutely no action over it - other than cancel my policy and waive the admin fee, something that is allowed anyway within the 14 day cooling off period!
I have never made a post like this before, but I do so in the hope that someone from the RAC will see this and understand just how disgusting the Car Insurance team are.
I also hope they may decide to contact me - as at the moment my cheque is in the post for the copies of all teh call tapes and I will be escalating this both via the Ombudsman AND the press.
My wife has been driving herself and our two young children around for a week with NO breakdown cover, due to me cancelling my existing one WHICH STILL HAD 2 MONTHS TO RUN! and my car policy is costing me more than with my old provider.
19 years I've been with you RAC.
I'd love to hear of anyone else's experiences of a similar nature....
Lets face it - Ill be spending the rest of this evening going right back to square one - BUT now looking for both Car Insurance AND breakdown cover.
Apologies - I guess it wasn't such a long story short after all.
Matt.
My insurance renewal came up this month so I started looking around.
Long story short - I thought I would give RAC the option as I've always had a great relationship - in fact its the longest financial relationship I've had, having changed banks etc over the years....
So - I get a quote via the website and cool! - its cheaper than my current policy by a decent amount.
Wanting to speak to someone as I has some questions, I then proceeded to have several calls with the Insurance team over the course of a long Saturday afternoon.
We checked and double checked all details were correct and whilst doing so - I realised I could get a major saving by taking my Breakdown cover with them as well. Important to note here, it was not for the same level cover as they apparently don't offer the top flight cover I had always paid for anymore.
We priced it up and I was happy with the price/cover so I signed up - but couldn't until I had cancelled my current membership as they cant run the same cover twice - fair enough!
SO I cancelled my current membership even though there were still two months left to run and I would not get any rebate, I did this as I was happy with the new (and large) overall saving I would be getting on my Insurance and breakdown cover combined.
I signed up - over the moon that my new costs would be about the same as my current Insurance policy - saving over £200 per year.
I was so impressed with the two people I spoke with during the numerous calls that once everything was done and dusted I made a point of speaking with the Team leader to say how happy I was with the service I had received, something he was immensely grateful for!
This was a week ago (Sat 13th July to be precise) and today I finally got around to registering for the online Insurance section with the RAC.
On checking the details of my policy today I noticed that no breakdown cover was included - hmm my friends at RAC have obviously made a mistake, I'll call and get it sorted.
When I explained the situation - the girl on the phone put me on hold to speak with a team leader about it. When she came back she was rather blunt in stating that I did not have breakdown cover and they could not provide it free of charge within the current policy. When I tried to explain that it should be within the current amount according to the quotes I got online and the calls I had and could they please check the logs - I was told that they could not provide the cover free of charge so if I wanted to cancel my policy I could and as it was within the 14 day cool off period they would waive the cancellation charges...
Hold on I said - whose talking about cancelling the policy? A mistake has obviously been made and I would like to resolve it. Nothing can be done I was told - we will listen to the logs if you insist but that will not change anything, all it will do is result in us ensuring the advisers concerned are corrected - would you like to cancel your policy?
I was getting pretty gobsmacked at this point - basically I'm being told it does not matter WHAT I was told in the calls or quoted, the policy and its premium are what they are and if I don't like it I can cancel. No matter what - no action will be taken to rectify the fact that I was utterly wrongly informed and misled.
Well - it was a week ago, so let me go back and check my figures again, Ill come back to you.
So I look at my old policy details - the premium they wanted to charge was less than the premium I had signed up to. Ok, maybe I got confused, so long as I am still saving money I don't mind - its the RAC after all.....
I call the Breakdown membership team - they confirm what my old premium was and what it would be if I changed it to match the cover offered by the Insurance team (Roadside/Home and onward travel for one named car). They were only a few pounds a year more expensive that doing it all via the Insurance team and my saving per year would disappear to nothing for the car insurance - what with it now costing me more than my old one.
So I call back and ask to speak to a team leader - i explained that was I unhappy with the previous girl I spoke with but overall a very loyal and happy member etc etc.
What followed was the same old party line, stating that they could not give me free breakdown cover - I wasn't asking for free cover, I was under the clear impression that I was paying for it in the premium I agreed to, backed up by the website as well!
Well it doesn't matter - whatever you were quoted or told is irrelevant, you can either pay for the breakdown cover on top or cancel.... And the only action we will take is to listen to the logs and rectify the advisers if necc. Absolutely no interest in any kind of investigation to confirm if I was misled or not, just a Cancel if you want. Oh and by the way - we do NOT offer Onward Travel as part of our breakdown cover via the Insurance policy - only roadside and home recovery......
This now meant not only was my insurance policy more expensive than my previous cover but they were actually MORE expensive than the normal cover, which for a few pounds extra included onward Travel.... The fact that I thought it was included was used as a tool to imply that I was obviously wrong and not the other way around!
When my frustration began to rise and I started speaking in a stronger tone of voice (polite, but yes my frustration was starting to show through) I was then told by the team leader that I had asked to speak to him and he had been good enough to come on the phone with me!!!!!.
At this point I'm beyond frustrated so ask for this to be escalated, only to be told that he had the authority to make decisions and nothing could be done - Well, I want to write in as there must be a dept that will take my concerns seriously - even if nothing can be done about the fact that I was obviously mis-sold insurance and that needs to be addressed in a better way than - cancel your cover.
You can - but nothing will happen other than what I've already been told.
Fine - then I would like to get copies of the call logs please as I will take this to the Insurance Ombudsman because your attitude over what is a fraudulently sold policy is gob smacking beyond belief.
Ok, please send a cheque for £10 made payable to...... Hang-on, email that info as I don't have a pen to hand. We don't have the ability to email you - so you will HAVE to write it all down if you want....
SO I write it down - I then ask for the address to write to as I am beyond unhappy. I can give you the address or I can ask a manager to call you within 24 hours, but it will be this dept and no different outcome will happen.
Fine get someone to call me then please.
I am utterly - completely - furiously gob smacked that the RAC think its ok to mis sell Insurance and take absolutely no action over it - other than cancel my policy and waive the admin fee, something that is allowed anyway within the 14 day cooling off period!
I have never made a post like this before, but I do so in the hope that someone from the RAC will see this and understand just how disgusting the Car Insurance team are.
I also hope they may decide to contact me - as at the moment my cheque is in the post for the copies of all teh call tapes and I will be escalating this both via the Ombudsman AND the press.
My wife has been driving herself and our two young children around for a week with NO breakdown cover, due to me cancelling my existing one WHICH STILL HAD 2 MONTHS TO RUN! and my car policy is costing me more than with my old provider.
19 years I've been with you RAC.
I'd love to hear of anyone else's experiences of a similar nature....
Lets face it - Ill be spending the rest of this evening going right back to square one - BUT now looking for both Car Insurance AND breakdown cover.
Apologies - I guess it wasn't such a long story short after all.
Matt.