RAC Recovery Warning

[Mosin]

I have been a member of the RAC since the late 1990s. However the last two times I have had cause to use them I have run into the same problem.  On Wednesday evening I was out for a run around the Lakes and I noticed that my battery wasn't charging. As I have a Pazon electronic ignition this meant that after a few miles my bike ground to a halt. "Never mind" I thought, "this is what I pay my £13 a month for". I duly phoned the number, only to be told, "I am very sorry sir, but your vehicle does not appear to have a current MOT. Therefore we cannot come and collect you." Needless to say, I very quickly pointed out that as my bike was built in 1960, it was exempt from both MOT and Road Tax. Unfortunately, this did not cut the mustard with the jobsworth on the other end of the phone. He told me that he understood my problem, but as my bike was registered as not having an MOT, he could not proceed with entering the job onto his computer. At this point I asked him whether he controlled the computer, or whether the computer controlled him? To my amazement he actually admitted that the computer was in control! I asked to speak to his superior, and was told that this was not possible.

Luckily, by this time, a lovely human being had stopped to see if I was ok. He introduced himself as Andy and offered to give me a lift home to collect my van and bike trailer - even though it was 40 miles out of his way. Thanks Andy, the world needs more like you!

Needless to say, I have now cancelled my RAC membership.

So, the lesson here is to check your breakdown cover BEFORE you need it, and make sure that they know that they are dealing with a classic vehicle.

[a10 gf]

my bike was registered as not having an MOT, he could not proceed with entering the job onto his computer.

[RDfella]

So, they won't collect new vehicles (up to 3 yrs old) either?
I'm getting seriously tired of modern technology which, as Mosin states, is increasingly running our lives. Twas better when humans (those with commonsense anyway) were calling the shots.
If I call my breakdown man, he doesn't care about anything except that he'll get paid.
I recall he was once chided for turning up to a breakdown (a new petrol tanker) with a rather old recovery vehicle. His answer was - which vehicle is in front?

[Rex]

RAC are crap and have been for a while, and paying £13 a month for their non-service is horrendous.
Recovery (far and away better than RAC) is included with CN insurance.

[Greybeard]

https://youtu.be/x0YGZPycMEU?si=u_m3MfKktAEOpXE7

[RogerSB]

EEEK!
Sorry to hear you were left stranded by the RAC Mosin, you were lucky a good and helpful person came along.

I'm with Hagerty Classic Motorcycle Insurance and have dual comprehensive, agreed value covering both A10 and Velocette LE with their breakdown & recovery.

https://www.hagerty.co.uk/insurance/motorcycle-insurance/

The policy says they use RAC for their breakdown & recovery, however I've just looked through the Hagerty Breakdown & Recovery .pdf document they sent me and there's no mention at all of any tax or MOT requirement in the section saying what they don't cover (see the Hagerty screenshot). I also looked at the RAC .pdf booklet online, (see screenshot from RAC.pdf) and the paragraph under IMPORTANT especially the sentence saying 'However, this doesn’t apply if your vehicle is legally exempt from having an MOT or tax'.  That's pretty clear.

However I intend to check with Hagerty on Monday.

Maybe it was just the jobsworth type on the other end.

It does need some investigating and possibly written assurance, not that'll help when your stranded but you may have some redress afterwards.

Rog

[Black Sheep]

RAC were useless back in 1970. A similar problem, battery on its way out. The patrolman eventually appeared and said my battery was dead then drove off. Membership cancelled.
AA provided by Peter James has been good though. Reasonably rapid response times, no quibbles. 1913 Douglas with a broken valve, Classic Land Rover with a failed clutch being my experiences.
Always worth mentioning your age and and medical condition or medications you are on.   

[CheeserBeezer]

I remember when we were in France a few years ago and a mate's ATD stripped. I put a note on this forum and Groily chimed in. We rode a few miles, pickup up an ATD loaned by Groily, and were back on the road in no time. We should be able to set up a self-help group with the numbers we have on this forum. If anybody breaks down in the Cheshire / Manchester area I'm happy to come out and help. I have a trailer. In fact I'll do (almost) anything for a couple of crates of beer!

[Greybeard]

I'll do (almost) anything for a couple of crates of beer!

Yes I've heard that about you 😘

[groily]

Yes to that CB.

Some forums / club sites have a section devoted to those who can help in emergencies, with parts, repairs, tools, a van or trailer, storage even.
Has to be strictly "members' only" though, and reluctance to post info on whereabouts is understandable when it can be assumed there may be interesting things in the sheds of those listed.
Could be done perhaps by creating a means of contacting members with, say, an asterisk ** against their name. Everyone pretty well has a mobile these days and could access the forum, then a search for 'locality' to see if asterisked people came up.
There's always the Q of whether folk would want to post a ph number, even in a 'private' section, or rely on a PM or email (which obvs involves a time lag).

In the best of all possible worlds, I suppose it would be possible to design a system where members could identify a possible saviour and a call would be generated from the server directly to a helper's mobile, using an unpublished directory. But that would be a big ask I think.

Always happy to do what I can for anyone stuck out here though. It's a great pleasure to see people in the flesh and I've met all sorts of good folk from the various clubs I'm in that way. The least one can do is offer beer, coffee or a stale crust to the woebegone, and in the best cases, actual solutions.

[RogerSB]

I've no personal past experience of the RAC or AA, up until 1 1/2 years ago I was with Carol Nash for bike insurance, but then my premium was increased drastically because of the new law that required them to treat new and existing customers the same (so no discounts).

I've only ever needed to call out a breakdown service once and that was in the late 80s when my wife and I had been out with friends and my car, then a 1954 Hillman Minx Mk VII (that I'd restored myself  - see pic) wouldn't start. Breakdown cover at the time was with Britannia Rescue. I remember the patrolman turned up quickly in a van, it was a fuel problem and when we eventually got it started the patrolman followed me home - just in case.

Anyway, to the present: I've already emailed Hagerty Insurance quoting Mosin's bad experience with the RAC and I've asked them to look into it for me, as I want to know if that's what is likely to happen to me if I need them and pointing out how serious it could be if left stranded when you have been assured by your insurance provider that you have full breakdown and recovery.

Rog.

[Rex]

I had that car when I was 18, a few years ago now. Four on the tree, but 1st was termed as Emergency Low and never used.
I guess someone got their gear ratio calculations wrong in the factory. Heavy old girl with 1265cc of asthmatic SV engine, but a nice ride for all that.

[Swarfcut]

 As an RAC member *  for many years...in the days of cheap motoring and frequent motorway trips, the recovery aspect rather than the old fashioned fix those points while you wait kept us on the never ending and increasing direct debit, even playing the system year by year by not renewing and then appearing to be a new customer...Me one year, then SWMBO the next.

 But all these firms rely on money for nothing, at the end of the day it is like a lottery, only a few win the big prize....the breakdown. The rest of us thank our lucky stars and cough up again.

 Then the charges got steep enough to shake the tree and get me looking for alternatives.

 But there are new kids on the block. Notably Rescue My Car. Here you pay a small annual retainer to access their rescue service, which is then farmed out to local recovery agents. If you do have to call them out there is a fee, added together it's on a par with the RAC and AA, but if you don't need them, a whole chunk of money is saved. SWMBO favours this, running a modern mobile electronic nightmare.

 On a Classic Car Policy for my daily driver my add on for breakdown cover was peanuts, and that is yet another way to do it. But as always, insurance is all fine and dandy 'til you make a claim.

 Thanks for that timely warning...got me thinking.

 Swarfy.

 * In the early days the Royal Automobile Club was strictly for the aristocracy. The great unwashed lower echelons of society could only gain "Associate Membership" which did not include entry to the Pall Mall headquarters.

[RogerSB]

I had that car when I was 18, a few years ago now. Four on the tree, but 1st was termed as Emergency Low and never used.
I guess someone got their gear ratio calculations wrong in the factory. Heavy old girl with 1265cc of asthmatic SV engine, but a nice ride for all that.

ODT 886 was originally owned by Bert Spencer, who was chief engineer under Sir Nigel Gresley of LNER fame. I read somewhere at the time that he was responsible for a special valve, which he designed and allowed The Flying Scotsman and Mallard to beat the speed records in the 30s. I bought the car in Teignmouth where he and his wife had retired, that's how the car ended up in Devon and me buying it. A bit of a story how it happened - too long for here, but I bought it after it had been stored for many years by Bert's widow.

https://www.scribd.com/article/632404146/Bert-Spencer-Gresley-s-Master-Engineer

It was an extensive restoration, welding, mechanical rebuilt and respray. I didn't say before but the breakdown guy didn't have any experience of that type of car (I believe it had a Zenith carb) but he did have more tools than I had with me  .

Rog.

[RogerSB]

Re RAC Recovery Warning by original poster Mosin.

Just for info: I said in one of my replies that I intended to check with my insurer (Hagerty) and this is their reply received (at last) today. His last sentence is the important one.

Good morning Roger,

Thank you for your email, I completely understand your concerns and I hope I can give you reassurance! 

I am happy to inform you that we liaise with the RAC regularly, and that they are fully aware that many of our customers run classic vehicles which are MOT exempt.

We have made sure in our agreement with the RAC that all customers with MOT exempt vehicles will be fully covered.

Kind regards,
Alex