Thousands of RAC customers face 30% price hike – how to avoid
THOUSANDS of RAC breakdown cover policy holders face price hikes up to 30%.
But drivers have a number of options to help mitigate the costlier renewal quotes.
The RAC is blaming the high price of fuel for the hikes to customer breakdown cover policies.
According to the firm the average price for petrol on Tuesday was 175.77p a litre, while diesel costs 186.41p a litre.
This represents a slight drop compared to previous weeks but prices still remain high.
Those on rolling contracts and annual contracts up for renewal should expect to be hit by the hikes.
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However, those affected by the price hike should be able to leave fee-free.
A spokesperson for RAC said: “We also factor in the costs of running our fleet of patrol vans and tow trucks, which has risen by nearly 50% in the last 12 months.
“Similar to car insurance, if an annual member is not happy with their renewal price, they can cancel free of charge in the window before the policy renews.
Those with annual quotes can cancel their contract within four weeks of receiving a renewal quote.
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RAC told us that members on rolling 30-day contracts can, however, cancel at any time without penalty.
Your cover will terminate at the end of the month in which you asked to cancel your cover.
Those who are part way through an annual breakdown policy with the RAC won’t be affected by the price hikes – at least for now.
What is breakdown cover?
Breakdown cover offers peace of mind, allowing you to feel safe in the knowledge that if you break down, someone will quickly be able to get to you in order to fix your car while on the road, or take you and your car somewhere that it can be repaired.
If you don’t have breakdown cover, your only choice is to call a recovery service and pay for a tow to a local garage and costs will soon add up.
Can I haggle to get a better renewal quote?
Yes. We’d always recommend you phone up your current provider and ask for a better quote upon renewal.
If you’re an RAC customer and have faced a hiked renewal quote for your breakdown cover – call the company on 0330 159 0740 and request a better rate.
However, it’s worth shopping around elsewhere before you do this so that you can pull your current provider up on a cheap quote from elsewhere.
Why shop around?
You’re highly likely to get a better quote than your renewal quote if you search the open market.
Use comparison sites to help with your search.
And don’t just try one comparison website either as each one will offer different deals.
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The main firms include Confused.com, Compare The Market, MoneySupermarket and Gocompare.
According to research conducted by the consumer site MoneySavingExpert.com, the best time to get a quote is 23 days before you need the new cover to start.