RAC breakdown renewal warning

mikeyv · August 9, 2017

I've had RAC breakdown cover for a good few years now, renewed automatically by direct debit, but only after they've sent a renewal letter, giving the amount they will be taking, alongside the previous years cost.

This year was £85, compared to £90 last year( they do a discount if you haven't called them out).

However, they were going to add "Arrangement & administration fee for your Roadside and Recovery Rescue", an extra £30, taking it to £115.

Needless to say, I rung them and cancelled my cover.

What a rip off, and I'd bet that many customers won't notice this sneaky method of adding 35% to your bill.

noby76 · September 11, 2017

Yeh noticed the sneaky hike in my direct debit and canceled mine last week. still debating if it's worth having one or wiat untill if and when i break down before calling and signing up to one there and then.

mikeyv · September 11, 2017

12 minutes ago, noby76 said:

Yeh noticed the sneaky hike in my direct debit and canceled mine last week. still debating if it's worth having one or wiat untill if and when i break down before calling and signing up to one there and then.

Hooray!!

I posted about this rip off here, and the other forum I regularly use, and you are the first reply, in over a month.

I was beginning to think it was just me they were trying it on with.

From the lack of interest, I assume the sneakiness is paying off, or people are happy with a 35% increase.

The-Acre · September 11, 2017

5 minutes ago, mikeyv said:

Hooray!!

I posted about this rip off here, and the other forum I regularly use, and you are the first reply, in over a month.

I was beginning to think it was just me they were trying it on with.

From the lack of interest, I assume the sneakiness is paying off, or people are happy with a 35% increase.

They're all sneaky. I've been with the AA for years and every year without fail the price goes up, and every year I phone to complain/cancel and they reduce it by as much as 30%. I would never go for automatic renewal of anything any more.

stevet · September 11, 2017

I never auto renew anything. Always worth 5 mins on the phone to get back to at least what you paid the preceding year. Sky is the best deal (although at least 30 mins on the phone) as you can get at least 50% off and that's worth a £50 saving every single month to me.

mikeyv · September 11, 2017

49 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

They're all sneaky. I've been with the AA for years and every year without fail the price goes up, and every year I phone to complain/cancel and they reduce it by as much as 30%. I would never go for automatic renewal of anything any more.

That's the thing though, RAC actually lower the premium every year, if you haven't claimed, as indeed they did this year, and I agree with you about automatic renewal, but they always send you a letter of renewal, giving you ample time to cancel.

The difference this year, which I'm sure many will have missed, was the addition of a "Arrangement & administration fee" of £30!!

Everything else though, I always decline automatic renewal, you'd have to be daft not to.

noby76 · September 11, 2017

Which brings the question; given the in frequency of our cars suffering a sudden break down are we flushing money down the toilet by signing up to break down services or as i mentioned wait until car breaks down and you need them before calling for their services. they do offer ridiculous low rates for 1st time joiners anyway... I have always had break down service but not at the moment...

The-Acre · September 11, 2017

1 hour ago, noby76 said:

Which brings the question; given the in frequency of our cars suffering a sudden break down are we flushing money down the toilet by signing up to break down services or as i mentioned wait until car breaks down and you need them before calling for their services. they do offer ridiculous low rates for 1st time joiners anyway... I have always had break down service but not at the moment...

Russian roulette though without cover. I've always gone for the full package, especially as we travel down to the far west of Cornwall a fair bit. Also with relay I can always get my car back to a trusted mechanic if need be. I have gone for years without calling them but sods law would likely come knocking if I cancelled!

paulrnx · September 15, 2017

Depends upon one's attitude to risk I think. I've run cars both with and without breakdown cover and I've often wondered about this

The-Acre · September 15, 2017

1 hour ago, paulrnx said:

Depends upon one's attitude to risk I think. I've run cars both with and without breakdown cover and I've often wondered about this

About 4 years ago I was driving my wife (in her car) for an important hospital appointment in London. We broke down just on the outskirts and called the AA. The AA man got it going and then followed us all the way from Barnes to Chelsea so we could be sure to get to the hospital. Quite honestly that occasion alone convinced me never to be without cover.

Vintagesixtysix · September 15, 2017

I used to have cover without fail .... the wife buys new so always seemed to have breakdown cover for at least a couple of years.

I was also paying around £90 a year for annual worldwide travel insurance.

I then realised my bank would offer me car (not individual) breakdown cover + travel insurance + mobile phone insurance + blah blah blah... for a similar monthly fee than the original two.

Might be worth a look if you also have other insured items/stuff/services.

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

noby76 · September 28, 2017

My RAC breakdown cover was £20 times that by 12 months = £240 article below states most breakdown companies will charge about £110 for a call out if and when one has broken down and needs to sign up so based on my maths it actually works out a cheaper option to hold off. considering i rarely need their services frequently, i have decided to hold off and break down before signing up. money saved wont be life changing but hey every little helps

https://www.money.co.uk/breakdown-cover/can-you-get-breakdown-cover-when-you-have-broken-down.htm

el_bandido · October 11, 2017

Am I the only person here who has never had breakdown cover, for the simple reason that I own a Toyota group car? Not failed me so far...

oldjoe · October 12, 2017

have an SC 430 and locked keys in boot last Friday while packing to come home from Devon. AA arrived within 1/2 hr but could not get the door open as i had deadlocked it. he tried other operatives to see if he could find one with a lock pick, that failed so he tried 4 lock smiths they use to no avail. only option left is transport back home a hundred miles away. he arrived about 6 o'clock. with some very very good manoeuvring he got the rig to a point where the bed could be extended to it's full 36' length avoiding overhanging balconies and negotiating a tight corner between houses. then another guy had to come with a trolley jack so the car could be aligned with the bed as the skates they had would not go under it. got it loaded by about 9 and a 2 1/2 hrs later we were home. i have nothing but praise for those guys with their patience and persistence plus the great care they took with the car on both the loading , unloading and the refusal to do anything that would have caused damage to the car when someone at a Lexus dealer i phoned for some help told me to break a window and claim on insurance. my annual cost is definitely worth paying. before i joined i had a cam belt go 2 miles from Gordano services, breakdown bandit robbed me of £140 for that tow and that was approx 18yrs ago, goodness knows what they would want now.

i believe for those that think they can just join when they breakdown that it cannot be done as when i tried the guy that comes out could not sign you up but that was quite a few years ago.

Malc · October 12, 2017

RAC cover ............. I bought Life Membership the day before it was ceased to be offered, in about 1971 I think ... £100 then, a fortune ............ then progressed to actually paying for Recovery Cover etc when that became an " extra ", a good few years back. Then I used to pay about £80 a year for that level of cover for quite some years .......... I have called them out very rarely, twice to change a flat tyre, once full recovery when I had a 1965 Austin Westminster and thought it would get me and my young family down to Wales and back ( about 1983 ? )

Then in my Lexus when the alternator just stopped working at night on the M20 and again when the radiator water expansion tank cap ceased to function ( washer split ) and spewed water everywhere.... all many years ago........and on earlier Ls400s

Decided to take Nationwide FlexPlus account benefits which include International Recovery and Breakdown Cover and much else besides.( now £13 a month ) ...... I travel abroad a lot and drive around Europe when I can....... the odd 5/6000 mile trip in my Lexus isn't unusual.

So back to the RAC .... I still have that Full Cover BUT it's now FREE ............. not sure why, but it is, I used to pay on a card but would never agree to auto-renewal. They send me renewal advice and no figure mentioned, it next renews this January so let's see if they try to get the Arrangement Fee out of me ( fat chance of that ! )

It's so so rare to need a breakdown call-out on the Lexus BUT don't forget cover probably also extends to you're driving other people's cars and even when you're a passenger in another's car too........ and you and your partner and their car too for no extra charge and not all partners have a Lexus ...............