The RAC sent us a measly £40 after we waited two days for a rescue that never came: SALLY SORTS IT

Daily Mail​

10-06-2025

We feel unjustly treated by the RAC following a breakdown in a dangerous situation, which involved getting the police to arrange our car to be towed to safety as the RAC could not attend us in time.
We spent two days waiting for action from the RAC – which it failed to take.
Now it says we have no claim.
We paid £409 for cover this year which includes a 'get you home' service.
When we complained it sent us a £40 cheque. We haven't cashed it. Please help.
P.F., Shrewsbury.
Sally Hamilton replies: This was a serious breakdown in your recovery service that landed you with an unexpected £510 bill for recovery, storage and taxis.
You felt extra miffed by the rejection of your claim as your husband, aged 92, has been with the RAC since owning his first car in 1972.
You have rarely called it out and certainly not in the last five years. The paltry sum offered as an apology riled you further, not helped by the fact it came with no explanation or apology.
A letter was only sent to you later after your son intervened on your behalf. In this, the RAC simply stated that its terms say it cannot guarantee attendance times but agreed it 'fell short' in your case, for which it sent you the £40 cheque.
While saying it understood this must have been distressing, it did not uphold your complaint about the police having to intervene. It said this can be necessary in dangerous situations.
It certainly was dangerous. You described how your breakdown nightmare began one day in late February, when you were driving to your local Tesco.
The car lost power, forcing you to pull on to a narrow grass verge with large volumes of traffic roaring past. With no power, your hazard lights didn't work.
It must have been frightening. Fortunately, a highways maintenance vehicle came to your aid and offered protection by parking behind your car.
Scam Watch
Households should beware a scam email that impersonates high-street bank NatWest, consumer website Which? warns.
Fraudsters say that your account needs to be 'reauthenticated' by clicking on the link in the email. While it may look genuine, it is sent from a random email address and has nothing to do with the bank.
Do not click on the link in the email as it is an attempt to steal your personal and financial information. Instead, forward it to [e-mail]
When you phoned the RAC, it said there would be a two-hour delay and so advised you to call the police. They arrived half-an-hour later, put cones up and allowed you to sit in their vehicle while you waited for the RAC.
The officer also called the firm but again was told it would take at least two hours. As he couldn't wait, he called a local recovery service to tow the car to a compound 30 miles from where you live. This cost you £192. The officer kindly drove you home.
The next day you had to pay the compound a fee in cash to release the car. Luckily you had enough notes between you. You took a taxi costing £50 to the compound.
You sat there all day until the facility closed. The RAC did not appear, so you took another taxi home and arranged recovery to a local garage.
I was shocked that the RAC didn't take your situation seriously and as you had hit a roadblock with your complaint, I asked it to take a fresh look at your case.
I am pleased to say it didn't take long to see the failure of its service to you that day. It made a U-turn and met your £510 claim in full, to which £75 was added as an apology.
A spokesman says: 'We've apologised to Mr and Mrs F and reimbursed all their costs and added a gesture of goodwill in recognition of their valued long-standing membership.
'This doesn't reflect the high level of service we provide to the thousands of members we rescue every day, and steps have been taken to ensure this doesn't happen in the future.'
Opened standard account thinking it was an Isa
I found online what I thought was an excellent 4.25 per cent one-year fixed rate Individual Savings Account (Isa) from MBNA and opened an account with £20,000.
I received a text offering me the possibility of further investment into the account. This set off alarm bells as £20,000 is the maximum allowable in an Isa in a tax year.
When I queried this, MBNA said I had opened a standard account and that it doesn't offer Isas. I asked if I could cancel the arrangement. But they said the money could not be withdrawn.
I.S., Gloucestershire.
Sally Hamilton replies: You were annoyed with yourself for the blunder but after doing some research online, believed that under consumer law you would be permitted a cooling off period of at least 14 days, allowing you to change your mind without penalty.
And since you had realised your mistake within days, you believed there was plenty of time to get out of the arrangement.
But it was not to be. MBNA said it sympathised with your predicament, but its hands were tied.
Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, a cooling off period does apply to many products and services bought online, including certain savings accounts.
Variable rate accounts typically offer this benefit but providers are not obliged to provide it for fixed rate deals like the one you accidentally picked.
Some do so voluntarily, but not MBNA. There are exceptions to the fixed-rate rule. Cash Isas – even fixed-rate ones – can be cancelled within 14 days if a saver has a change of heart.
I felt MBNA could have been more flexible, so I asked them to reconsider. A few days later, it came back with the news that it had decided, as a gesture of goodwill, to let you close the account after all with no penalties.
A spokesman says: 'This type of account [opened by Mr S] is not covered by the cooling off period as set out by the Consumer Contracts Regulations.
As part of the account opening process, we explain withdrawals can't be made during the fixed one-year term.
Appreciating that Mr S made a mistake on this occasion, as a gesture of goodwill, we'll help him move the money to an alternate account.'
When we caught up last week, you confirmed the money had been released and that you have opened a cash Isa with another bank.
Straight to the point
I sold four Decleor products on Vinted for £17.50 and posted it to the buyer.
But when they received the parcel Vinted messaged me to say the order was suspended as the buyer reported it was empty.
Vinted wants a photograph of the package, which I don't have. The buyer is going to get a refund and I am out of pocket.
A.H., Coventry.
The money has now been sent to your Vinted account.
***
I Bought a John Lewis leather bed frame back in 2013 for £699. But it recently started peeling and shedding.
It's clear it's not leather at all but a vinyl surface coating with woven mesh underneath, which an upholsterer has confirmed.
John Lewis are taking the side of the supplier which claims it is leather. I know the warranty is up but it seems so morally wrong.
C.L., via email.
John Lewis says the bed frame is out of warranty and it has limited product information available, but it has given you a gesture of goodwill.
***
Last May I bought and moved into a new flat. I have since been receiving letters from a bank addressed to women I don't recognise, which I have been returning.
I accidentally opened one as I hold a credit card with the same bank. It said this person held an offset mortgage at my address.
The bank won't tell me anything, citing data protection.
D.G., West Midlands.
The bank says it does not hold a mortgage on your property and the letters have now stopped.
They were sent to you due to an administrative mistake by another customer.
Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email [e-mail] — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.