We broke down 5 miles out of whitby.We were on the moors with a siezed gearbox.Rang rac,they said because my van is over 18ft they dont want to know,they would not even take it 5 miles back to the campsite,When i took cover out i specified that we only use our car for towing and told them size of van.He said no problem,so i assumed we were covered.Stranded 140 miles from home rac wanted 600 quid to get our outfit home,we managed to get a local firm for £485.So even though we were members for 4 years they would not help us out.Basically they told us sorry clear off,as luck would have it we had our tablets and could get on the net to find help,but how many people have that,otherwise we would still be there,i have cancelled my rac and will seek better cover.Im also taking legal action against them.So anyone who has rac cover i would double check,they are complete bastards.Because of them we are £485 out of pocket.Expensive weekend.Forget rac,they are rubbish.
But was it the RAC 'Arrival' caravan cover you had? If so you would have been covered even if your caravan was on a campsite and you had broken down in your car within a distance of a 75 mile radius from your unit but if you only had the standard car cover then read the small print and read exactly what you are covered for and not what they said you were covered for. The terms and conditions are laid out in black and white which are deemed as conclusive whereas verbal information is not. As a prime example, last year the AA told me exactly the same that I would be fully covered for my caravan and that you had a 14 day cooling off period whereby you would be reimbursed if the policy was not suitable so I joined with an initial payment of £22 paid by debit card over the phone. A week later the AA documentation arrived by post to which I looked through the terms and conditions with a toothcomb but there was just one paragraph about cover with a caravan which said that the caravan had to be attached to the towing vehicle at the time of breakdown and that the caravan was not to exceed any longer than 18 feet in length including the 'A' frame. This in my view was not classed as being fully covered like I was told so I complained saying that I was mis-sold the breakdown cover and wanted a £22 refund. They refused to reimburse me so I threatened to take the matter further on the grounds that I was still within the 14 day cancellation period plus they had broken their promise on two accounts. Eventually their customer services did ring me and agreed to refund the whole £22 after I complained saying it was fraud and nothing more than a sales promotion gimmick which in my view was a case of mis-selling on behalf of the AA.
So you need to read the terms and conditions carefully before taking action as what they SAY you are cover for and what you are REALLY covered for may be different but if you need proper caravan cover with the RAC then you need to join the Camping & Caravanning Club then take out the RAC 'Arrival' breakdown cover.
I wouldn't touch the RAC with a bargepole after my experience with them a few years ago. I was pet sitting at a big house down a country lane on the outskirts of town, popular with dog walkers and joggers. Parked up outside the gates, was in the house less than an hour and came out to find my front windscreen had been vandalised and smashed.
Phoned the RAC and after being given the run around was told that had it been smashed in an accident they would have recovered me but because it was vandalised they wouldn't, regardless of the fact that I was a woman alone on a country lane with no lights and it was by then 11pm. There was just about enough windscreen intact for me to see through so I waited till gone midnight when there would be very little traffic about and drove the van home myself.
I cancelled my cover the next day and went with the AA, and I have to say that the one time I had to call them out on my way to a camp site they were absolutely brilliant. From the initial phone call to the guy attending I couldn't fault their service, and once he'd sorted the problem he even followed me the remaining five miles to the site to make sure I got there okay. So a big to the AA and to the RAC!
------------- Tigermouse
I have a very temperamental personality - 50% temper and 50% mental
The call centre operative may not have read their own t&c's. on page16 it states caravan max length as 25ft including towbar. They may well of confused it with max vehicle length 18ft including towbar on page19. If this is the case & they have made an error the follow then RAC complaints procedure & claim total cost to yourself of breakdown plus reasonable compensation on top, say £100.
I can't make link to RAC t&c's work but check the pdf of their t&c's on their website & you will see.
I had the same thing with the AA not worth a light I had a breakdown on the M5 and was parked on the hard shoulder at the bottom of the slip road to the services after I rang them they said it would be much safer if I could get the car and van onto the service road so with a bit of help from another caravan owner we manage to get the outfit on to the service road and when the AA man turned up he said he could not do anything because it was on the service road and drove off I told the AA ware they could shove there cover.
------------- Sandy Gulls caravan site
Mundesley
North Norfolk
1st July to 22 July
We were going to use the RAC then read that they only cover caravans up to a certain size being as our is a twin axle we new it was a no no from the word go...
All I can say is be very very careful when taking out Recovery etc as there are many with certain limitations when it comes to towing caravans
I have the RAC arrival package, But luckily not needed to use the service.
I stick with them because I broken down as i reversed upto the van one year. The RAC guy spend hours trying to get us going.
I had a spare car with the part needed, So got them to tow me home, I swapped the part over that night and went the next day.
We use the caravan clubs mayday package. It is green flag and set up for caravans. At £88 for recovery for both cars and also caravan if towing it isn't too expensive.
I had Green Flag Euro Plus cover for 1 year until when I was about to renew it about 18 months ago I realised my caravan probably wasn't covered, i.e. it is 7.18m shipping length, customer services confirmed this; fortunately I didn't need their services during that period. I have copied Green Flag's policy wording relating to this below. I also found I could get a much better deal by adding breakdown cover to my car insurance.
" In all cases, the vehicle’s got to meet these criteria:
• It’s either a car, light van, motorhome or motorbike.
• It’s privately registered in the UK.
• There aren’t more people in it than the manufacturer would recommend, or more than nine altogether including the driver.
• It can’t weigh more than 3.5 metric tons (3,500 kg) in total,including any load being carried.
• It can’t be more than 7 metres long (apart from a tow bar or coupling device), 3 metres tall, and 2.55 metres wide.
• It’s been serviced, looked after and used as recommended by the manufacturer.
• It’s got a valid MOT certificate, if it needs one.
We’ll also cover any standard make of caravan or trailer that’s being pulled by your car when it breaks down. It must be connected using an ordinary 50mm tow-ball, and can’t be bigger than the sizes above. When it’s loaded, the caravan or trailer mustn’t weigh more than the car that’s towing it weighs when empty."
I have got autoaid cover,£38.00 full cover for car and caravan.You do have to pay the recovery firm yourselve and then claim money back.Recomended by Martin lewis money expert.
Tommy.
tommy...I don't like to worry you....but I don't think autaaid will cover the caravan if it suffers a breakdown.
i just looked at their T&Cs and it has the same terms as a policy i used to have and I found out after an accident that as the car was fine (unscratched) they wouldn't tow the caravan home which had failed brakes on it and a gaping big hole in its side.
i.e. they only take the caravan home for you if the car breaks down.
I'm glad you've raised this. We have Direct line (Green Flag) as I went into quite a lot of detail re scenarios they would cover however it never occurred to me it would length specific and ours is 7.18m. Think I'll look at May Day
------------- From tents to trailer tents to a tin tent to an air tent to trailer tent and back to tin tent!
caravan club mayday/green flag used it three times must say it was excellent took my car over a hundred miles to be repaired took less than 45 mins to get to me all so sited my caravan well pleased with there service
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: beware of rac
to the AA and 
to the RAC! 
