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Conference terri::cars_uk

Title:Cars in the UK
Notice:Please read new conference charter 1.70
Moderator:COMICS::SHELLEYELD
Created:Sun Mar 06 1994
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2584
Total number of notes:63384

2311.0. "Survey of RAC and AA response times?????" by FORTY2::SHARPE () Thu Sep 15 1994 13:25

Out of interest I'd like all of you who are in the RAC or
AA and have called them out to reply with the following 
info:-

	1. Whether it was the RAC or AA you called??

	2. What day of the week it was??

	3. Rough time of day??

	4. How long they took to come out??

	5. Whether they fully fixed the car or not??

	6. Give a mark out of ten for standard of service??

	7. Anything else you deem necessary??

Cheers

	Steve
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
2311.1RAC call outFORTY2::SHARPEThu Sep 15 1994 13:3135
	1.  RAC

	2.  Friday

	3.  1pm

	4.  30mins

	5.  Car was fully fixed in ten mins

	6.  10/10

	7.  The radiator hose burst at the connection to the radiator
	    and all's the guy did was cut a bit of the pipe, put it back 
	    and fill up with water again.

==========================================================================


	1.  RAC

	2.  Thursday

	3.  2pm

	4.  50mins

	5.  Car started in under 5 mins

	6.  8/10 (as the bloke was a tad grumpy!)

	7.  Car wouldn't start and even though I thought it was the
	    the starter motor or something more serious the guy jump
	    started the car and I was away
2311.2He's not a very nice man!METSYS::ALLENThat's right, I was bounced.Thu Sep 15 1994 14:0017
    1.	Rac
    2.	Thursday
    3.	9am
    4.	10 mins
    5.	No
    6.	6/10 (Took him ages to find the prob. He wouldn't believe me when I
    told him the fuel gauge didn't work, so he was there trying to sift
    petrol into the damn thing!)
    7.	They have always fixed my car within 5 mins, until this time when
    he took about 15 mins to work out it was the rotor arm that had worn,
    but that didn't even stop my car from playing up, and it's still doing
    it!
    
    ...anyone know why my Metro judders, as if its not firing properly, at
    around 50-70mph in 4th?
    
    Trev$hackedoffwithhiscar!
2311.3FORTY2::HOWELLJust get to the point...Thu Sep 15 1994 14:1714
    1. AA
    2. Sunday
    3. 2pm
    4. Well, we asked for a time of 2pm and they turned up on the dot!
    5. It was just a recovery. We shattered a diff drag racing my friends
       Ford Pop (oops!) so it wasn't really 'fixable' by the AA. They
       actually asked if we wanted a new diff brought along!
    6. 10/10. Guy driving the recovery vehicle was chatty, friendly, funny,
       shared his mints, enthusiastic about cars, etc. Excellent chappy.
    7. We thought it would be a complete downer to an otherwise excellent
       day of 15 second quarter miles. But it just added to the days
       entertainment! Very amusing.
    
    Dan and Chris
2311.4Just curiousWOTVAX::GILLILANDPNot very Tuna-friendlyThu Sep 15 1994 15:073
    Can I ask why you want this information?
    
    Phil Gill.
2311.5WHY???FORTY2::SHARPEThu Sep 15 1994 16:2812
Well it's purely out of interest!!

My friend's brother is in the AA, giving him free
membership, but he has the misfortune of owning
a Ford so he's had the AA out several times
and the response time has been between 1.5 hrs
and 3hrs.

I spose it's all down to luck really??


Steve
2311.6WOTVAX::GILLILANDPNot very Tuna-friendlyThu Sep 15 1994 16:467
2311.7TRUCKS::BEATON_SI Just Look InnocentThu Sep 15 1994 16:5348
2311.8AA 30 mins SundayCHEFS::SURPLICEKThu Sep 15 1994 18:0916
    
            1. Whether it was the RAC or AA you called??                               
    		AA
            2. What day of the week it was??
    		Sunday
    
            3. Rough time of day??
                1pm
            4. How long they took to come out??
                30 mins
            5. Whether they fully fixed the car or not??
                yes
            6. Give a mark out of ten for standard of service??
                10
            7. Anything else you deem necessary??
                very courteous
2311.9Include Nat Breakdown ?CMOTEC::JASPERStuck on the Flypaper of LifeThu Sep 15 1994 18:5323
2311.10BLKPUD::WILLIAMSHFlat tank Sunbeam riderThu Sep 15 1994 19:5520
    1:	AA RIDER CLUB (motorbike relay)
    
    2:  An August Bank Holiday
    
    3:  11 am
    
    4:  4.5 hrs (2.5 hours, then another 2 for the bike trailer)
    
    5:  Nope.
    
    6:  4/10
    
    7:  I had a tyre blow out on a classic bike. Said to the girl, you're not
        going to fix this on the side of the road, best send a trailer.
        2.5 hrs later, local garage turns up. says "oh dear, we can't 
    	fix that, you'll need trailering"  2 hrs later, AA van with
        trailer turns up. 
    
    
    Huw.
2311.11Extend to Anything!!FORTY2::SHARPEFri Sep 16 1994 14:3123

Sorry I forgot about good old National Breakdown,
Yes - include them as well and any other breakdown
services.


===================================================


So far the main problem seems to be lack of listening
by the people taking the calls.

I thought you read out your telephone number and they
located your position from that????

Keep the comments coming!

AA sounds a lot better than I thought



Steve
2311.12EACTSI::FRANCESAnother day at the center of the universeFri Sep 16 1994 16:3465
RAC

Thursday

6:00pm in London rushhour, next to Kensington Gardens

1.5 hours to come out, 2 hours for relay van

7/10 - like the other bike, I too knew I would have to be recovered
 - a blow-out on a rear tyre.

While I waited the local police (I was right next to the Embassy Row 
that was bombed a couple of weeks ago) came out, took pity on me a 
took me into their Checkpoint building and fed me hot cups of tea while I waited


RAC

Friday

6:00 pm - again in the rush-hour, engine cut out when going round the 
Hogarth roundabout

2 hours to come out, 2.5 hours until recovery van

5/10 - yet again, they didn't beleive me that I needed recovery. The ignition 
switch on a Moto-Guzzi is notorious for holding water, that corrodes the contacts 
until eventaully it gives out. When the RAC eventaully arrived, the guy managed 
to shear the gear selecter pedal by not engaging neutral first!

Yet again the police were wonderful - it was the first time I had waited 
unattended and I was checked out by the local patrol car every 15 minuites to 
make sure I was safe. Being a girlie definitly has privileges sometimes.

Also, 2 AA vans went past while I was waiting and offered assistance


RAC

Wednesday

1:00 pm on the A3 just north of Esher turnoff

30 minutes to arrive,

20 minutes to fix - I had a broken accelerator cable - an old chestnut for a 
Renault 5GT Turbo, which they guy replaced with a bit of wire he had in the van

10/10


RAC

Sunday

18:00 just outside Worcester

2 hours to come out, 5 minutes to get me started. Factor as why so long was that
it was during the WOrld Cup Final - I think he the only patrol man in about 3 
counties. Problem this time was a loose connection on the alternator cable - my 
battery was sone-dead - another old chestnut for R5GT Turbo


From these experiences, it is fairly obvious that bikes definitly get a much 
poorer service that car drivers
2311.13Go National breakdownFILTON::PACK_JCloud Base is heavenFri Sep 16 1994 17:4024
    
    I solved this problem a while back it went something like this:
    
    M4 motorway sunday afternoon cum evening. BX out of fuel on
    hard shoulder.
    
    M-way telephone, blar blar blar
    And what service would you like me to call?
    Well actually the cars covered by the RAC and National Breakdown.
    Well we call National Break down then.
    Whys that then?
    There always the fastest, quicker than the RAC or AA.
    
    She called Natioanl Breakdown they came, and we went home.
    
    Problem fixed as far as I'm concerned the number of breakdown on teh M4
    though wiltshire is an amazing high number as far as I could tell when
    I read the police report. These girls must deal with hundreads of
    calls.
    
    :J
    Then there is the time the RAC left me at the side of the road for
    5.5 hours till 1.30am (I kid you not)
    
2311.14GTJAIL::MARTINOut to LunchFri Sep 16 1994 19:4338