As far as being recovered and mechanical problems rac have always been good but about 9 months I had just had a new rear tyre fitted. About 3 days later I got a punture and needed to call them out to be recovered. I was only a few miles away from the tyre shop so I assumed they would just take me there. The rac man turned up and asked me to pull the bike along side his van. I said that I didn’t no you repair them and he told me he would put a plug in it and I’m to go straight to the tyre shop and they can drill the plug out and repair it propally. I asked again if they will definatly be able to repair it and he told me yes not a problem. I thought that was handy. So he done his plug and I was on my way.I get to the tyre shop and told them what happened and there first reaction was ( oh no!) and they didn’t seem very pleased that the rac man had put a plug in it and told me I should of asked to be recovered. They took the tyre off then all I heard was (F*** sake). They called me over and showed me the tyre. When the rac man had put his braddle through he hadn’t gone in straight and went in on the angle and put about an inch tear on the inside of the tyre. The tyre man said that because of that the tyre was now irreparable, also that this wasn’t the first time it had happened. I then had to fork out for a new tyre.
The tyre bloke I use is really good and is in with top people from all the major tyres companys and really knows his stuff. He goes on all the testing for new tyres. He done me a big report with diagrams explaing what had happened and that it was down to the rac that made the tyre irreparable and told me I should try and get the money back for the tyre. It also said that the tyre in question was being kept so they could send someone out to look at it if they wanted to.
Anyway, 9 months down the line I’m still trying to get my money back. After I sent them the report weeks past and I never heard anything so I contacted them again and they said they needed pictures of it. I said to the bloke on the phone that I couldn’t see what the pictures would tell them that the report didn’t. He actually agreed with me but said thats what the big wigs want. I think there just trying to hang it out. Surley they could just send someone out to view the tyre. When I went to take the pictures there was 3 other tyres on the shelf all with dodgy repairs from the rac.
I sent the pics ages ago but still haven’t heard anything. Everytime I phone they say it’s still being dealt with. This is all more expense to me, the phone calls, petrol to the shop I had to get a camera. Yesterday I recieved a questionare asking me how I think they have dealt with the complaint, cheaky buggers it’s not even dealt with yet. I’m gonna try and ring them again today and tell them that the tyre bloke is going to take the tyre to michelin and get a report from them witch he is going to do for me. He said that he thinks that when a big name like michelin is mentioned it should make them pull there finger out.
I sent them a nasty letter saying that I think it’s diobolicle how they are dealing with it etc etc.
I mean It’s not just happened to me. There could be other bikes out there with unsafe repairs by them. They need to sort thing like this straight away. The tyre man said that if he had poked the inside of the wall the tyre could blow out. I know that all the repairs won’t be dodgy but even a couple is bad enough, the longer they hang it out the more chance there is of something bad happening especially on a bike. So dangerous.
In the future I’m going to demand they recover me, I just don’t want to take the chance again. As I said it won’t be every repair but I’m not playing russion rullet.Cheers:)