Conference terri::cars_uk

	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

    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!

    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

    Can I ask why you want this information?
    
    Phil Gill.

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

    I was wondering why you just specified the AA or RAC. I use National
    Breakdown, as do all other Digital company car drivers. I've found them
    to be pretty good, response time < 1 hour, competent, pleasant. I think
    it's them that give you a � 10.00 voucher if they take longer than an
    hour to get to you.
    
    Phil Gill.

    1. AA
    2. Monday
    3. 10am
    4. 4� hours (see below)
    5. Fixed in 5 minutes (loose lead.... as opposed to lose lead).
    6. 1/10
    7. The low mark is obviuosly for the response time... I broke down just
    south of the Forth Road Bridge on the M90 up in Scotland, and when I
    called in to the AA I said exactly that. The AA person on the blower
    took this to mean 'just south of the fourth road bridge on the M90'.
    M90 motorway bridge number 4 is about 30 miles further north from where I
    was located at the time. When I called back later, I discovered that the
    AA had actually cancelled the call thinking that I'd fixed the problem
    myself and driven on.
    
    
    
    ***
    
    1. AA
    2. Friday
    3. 6pm
    4. 45mins
    5. Car needed a tow as my clutch cable had snapped.
    6. 10/10
    7. I have Relay Plus and thanks to the AA my car was safely towed to a
    local garage for safe storage and repair, whilst I was back on the road
    in an AVIS car by 7:30pm.
    
    1. AA
    2. Saturday
    3. 12noon
    4. 35 minutes
    5. Car needed a tow as I'd had my car keys stolen.
    6. 10/10
    7. Car was towed to my home and I was grateful for that. I had also had
    my wallet stolen at the time and what I particularily appreciated was the 
    fact that the AA were the only people to acknowledge that I existed as
    a person, during the time I was unable to produce any cash or the
    proverbial plastic.
    
    
    These calls occurred over a 10 year period.
    
    Reargards,
    
    Stephen
               

    
            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

    ...& if extending this to National Breakdown...
    
    1. Nat Breakdown
    
    2. Sunday
    
    3. 11:00 am
    
    4. 1� hours
    
    5. Fixed in 15 minutes, ground lead broken.
    
    6. 6/10. I'd give the local (Oxford) mechanic 10/10.
    
    7. Poor message-taking by the NB receptionist caused the local mechanic
    to go scouring the wrong road. I had to phone again to re-iterate my
    location. I was sure the location had been misunderstood originally, but
    though I insisted on repeating it, he wasnt listening. Luckily, my 2nd
    call was taken by a different NB receptionist who took pride in taking
    the call & not in seeing how fast she could conduct a call. Oxford ring
    road clockwise northbound at Hinkley was my location, but the mechanic
    was told to go to North Oxford Ring road.(Probably to meet a Mr. Hinkley
    under the clocktower) Grrr.

    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.

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

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

    
    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)
    

    Saturday Afternoon
    
    National Breakdown
    
    Dead Alternator.  (AUDI 80, Hertz Lease)
    
    Response Time: 30 mins.
    
    As ever, girl who took call didn't believe my diagnosis.
    
    National Breakdown sent one of their franchised tow trucks. The Phil
    Mitchell look-alike (same brain cell count too IMHO) didn't believe me
    and tried to jump start it.
    
    Eventually towed me to local Audi dealer. Wouldn't take me home (~10
    miles) as he said he had another call. Tried Hertz office in
    Manchester, but they had all gone home. Phoned Hertz. TOLD them it was
    a lease car, and could I have a relief car please. Waited 1 hour.
    Wondered why AA van kept driving past. Phoned Hertz again. Spoke to
    someone else who said she would try and trace the previous call.
    Eventually said AA had been called to assist me. 
    
    AA man came back after � hour. Couldn't fix car 'cos garage was locked
    up by now. He offered to take me to Hertz at the Airport, but it was
    an Escort Van so he only had one seat, so I had to leave my passengers
    at the garage for another hour while I went to the airport for the
    relief car.
    
    Later got a call from the leasing people at Reading because Hertz said
    the Garage had had to replace the entire dashboard of the car because
    someone had connected the battery round the wrong way and accused me of
    trying to jump start it myself and botching it. (I pointed out that I
    knew the alternator was dead so wouldn't have bothered). 
    
    National Breakdown:	-3/10
    AA:			10/10