Youve probs read about my SVA experience yesterday. Cut long stroy short my cooling system failed after successful test.
My father is a member so drove upo to meet me. Wife drove his car back so she could collect kids from Nuresery etc.
We phoned the RAC. They asked about problem. Then asked for registration. Of course we dont have any - just passed SVA 1 hour before. This also means we dont have tax - all very legal and above board for the government but not for RAC. We were simply told there was nothing at all they could do to help apart from arrange alternative collection and charge us £150!!!!!! We then spoke to manager who confirmed the same. no explanation why and no offer of alternative help.

In the end i got a Mate who called another mate who picked me up for a bargain price of £50 (iam eternally grateful to Amos now).

Bottom line - dont join RAC. If we get any further response from them ill post it. Until then iam highly disenchanted with their customer service.

Firstly obligatory congratulations on the pass - the important bit of the day. Don't let the later problems take the shine off that.

On the RAC, I read something similar a couple of weeks/months back - can't remember if it was on totalkitcar.co.uk or in one of the magazines.

IIRC Their small-print says something about only cars currently 'registered' for use in the UK. I guess the idea is to avoid becoming a free tow service for people buying SORN motors. But the blunt instrument also catches breakdowns on the way back from SVA.

The roadside recovery companies are just a specialised form of insurance ergo they are always trying it on with exceptions and exemptions in the small print which they neglect to mention when taking your money.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the RAC. I think its probably endemic of a lot of large companies now, that they cater for mainstream situations and customers and don't want/need the extra hassel and little money from the exceptional minority.

My most recent experience of the RAC was the opposite end of the spectrum ie they got to me in half an hour to rescue me in the middle of nowhere, half way up a fell in the lake district, in the fog, in a place I should'nt have been, with my car well and truly stuck in the mud off the road!! And did'nt ridicule and laugh at me at all

Congrats on the pass, hope its a minor fix.
Colin

I have called on the RAC a couple of times in the past and have always been very pleased with the service. And let's be honest, you were pulling a scam on them by getting a member to come and sit in your cr so you could get towed!

Just checked with the AA and they wont cover any untaxed car - looks like I'll be towing my car to the SVA then...

I broke down on way back from SVA - AA picked me up no problem....

I was carried home by Brittania Rescue when I failed to reach my SVA - the bloke with the wagon said he really wasn't supposed to carry unregistered vehicles - something to do with the tow truck's insurance.

However, he decided that the vehicle was road legal 'cos I'd been given permission to go to the test centre, so he took me home anyway!

David