Dear RAC Customer Relations,
I am writing to lodge a formal complaint regarding the handling of our breakdown case in Rapallo, Italy, under our Comprehensive Plus European Breakdown Cover.
We are a family of five, including three young children, travelling in a VW T6 Transporter with camping equipment, luggage, and four bicycles. The vehicle broke down and entered limp mode. Despite having your highest level of cover, we have received no workable solution to continue our trip or return home safely — and the situation is now causing serious emotional distress and anxiety.
🚨 We are now facing an impossible and unsafe decision:
failures in RAC’s handling
, not our actions:
I look forward to your urgent response.
I am writing to lodge a formal complaint regarding the handling of our breakdown case in Rapallo, Italy, under our Comprehensive Plus European Breakdown Cover.
We are a family of five, including three young children, travelling in a VW T6 Transporter with camping equipment, luggage, and four bicycles. The vehicle broke down and entered limp mode. Despite having your highest level of cover, we have received no workable solution to continue our trip or return home safely — and the situation is now causing serious emotional distress and anxiety.
🚨 We are now facing an impossible and unsafe decision:
- Either attempt to drive our damaged van home — a journey of over 1,200 km — knowing it may break down again, with no further recovery support from RAC
- Or abandon our essential belongings and return to the UK as foot passengers, using an unsuitable hire car that cannot carry our equipment or bikes
failures in RAC’s handling
, not our actions:
- Inappropriate garage selection:
We informed RAC that the fault was likely electrical, but our van was taken to a garage that is not qualified to handle such issues. This has now delayed repairs significantly, as we’ve been told the main dealer is unavailable until September. - Unworkable hire car:
We were offered a Category D hire vehicle, which is too small for our family and belongings. Additionally, we were told this car must be dropped off in Calais, and we would have to cross the Channel as foot passengers with three children, four bikes, and camping equipment — which is clearly impractical and unsafe. - Unreasonable instructions:
We were advised to use the small hire car to manually transport our luggage and bikes to the garage where our broken-down van is being stored — a task that would disrupt the rest of our trip, require multiple trips, and is not physically feasible given our gear and family setup. - Coercion and withdrawal of cover:
I have now been told that if I want to collect my own vehicle and attempt to drive it home, I must send an email accepting full responsibility and acknowledging that RAC will provide no further assistance — despite my policy including unlimited recoveries.
- Emotional and psychological toll:
The ongoing uncertainty, lack of a viable solution, and pressure to make unsafe decisions is causing significant stress and anxiety to our entire family. This was meant to be a holiday — it has now become an emotionally draining ordeal that is impacting our well-being.
- Confirmation of hotel accommodation coverage in Chamonix from 9th–13th August, as provided for under our policy’s emergency accommodation clause
- A replacement vehicle that is suitable for five people and our belongings — or an alternative travel plan that allows us to safely return home with our bikes and luggage
- A clear statement confirming that our policy’s “unlimited recoveries” clause remains valid, and that requesting our van back does not forfeit our rights
- A full review of how this case has been handled and confirmation that this complaint has been escalated to a senior case manager
I look forward to your urgent response.
