RCR........MAGIC

[mrsmelly]

I have never bothered with any breakdown insurance etc, but as I decided to go off cruising for all of the year from march 12th I thought I would join RCR " Just in case " as it were. The cost of 125 quid I thought was very good to turn up and try to get you going and understood there would be no charge for labour. In the past I have done the odd fix up myself but this year spent the money and crossed my fingers. On XMAS EVE afternoon I suffers a failure of gearbox drive plate just as I get OFF the river I calls em and they ask me a few questions, they answered the phone instantly when I rang, asked me if I needed any other assistance or provisions bringing etc ( amazing ) I declined as I didnt need anything. Yesterday was xmas day so we went off doing our thing. Today BOXING DAY a nice young RCR chap turns up from miles away with said drive plate and promptly fixes it, Job done.

I was then gobsmacked to find I only had 50 squid excess to pay as RCR stand both the labour AND the parts for this and many other items. What a fantastic service. Talk about money well spent !! I for one will be renewing my membership without question. What a bloody bargain. Thanks RCR.

 

And NO I have nothing to do with them business wise whatsoever, I am just one very chuffed customer

[tug-major]

I have never bothered with any breakdown insurance etc, but as I decided to go off cruising for all of the year from march 12th I thought I would join RCR " Just in case " as it were. The cost of 125 quid I thought was very good to turn up and try to get you going and understood there would be no charge for labour. In the past I have done the odd fix up myself but this year spent the money and crossed my fingers. On XMAS EVE afternoon I suffers a failure of gearbox drive plate just as I get OFF the river I calls em and they ask me a few questions, they answered the phone instantly when I rang, asked me if I needed any other assistance or provisions bringing etc ( amazing ) I declined as I didnt need anything. Yesterday was xmas day so we went off doing our thing. Today BOXING DAY a nice young RCR chap turns up from miles away with said drive plate and promptly fixes it, Job done.

I was then gobsmacked to find I only had 50 squid excess to pay as RCR stand both the labour AND the parts for this and many other items. What a fantastic service. Talk about money well spent !! I for one will be renewing my membership without question. What a bloody bargain. Thanks RCR.

 

And NO I have nothing to do with them business wise whatsoever, I am just one very chuffed customer

 

 

well i can say its good thinks as well they got me going again as

[RichardH]

I think they provide an awesome service but I genuinely do not know how the new parts and labour makes a profit and hope that this doesn't lead to their demise.

[Captain Lockheed]

They should overall make a profit from those who pay their premiums and do not break down.

 

Like all insurance, it's a brillliant and very cost effective idea in an honest society, but a swift look at the car insurance market shows what happens when the trust gets broken.

 

The trick I think is as a decent customer, is to realise you pay your premium in order to get the help when you need it, and you should have a right to expect that help to be delivered promptly and without drama, but when you can avoid making a claim, you should in the interest of the greater good.

 

Hopefully RCR will be allowed by the honesty of their policy holders to continue providing such an excellent service, and as their customer base grows, will cap their profits to a reasonable level and allow the customers to benefit by a steady small reduction in their individual premiums over time!

 

Cheers, Steve C.

Edited December 26, 2011 by Captain Lockheed

[Martin Megson]

I may need to call them tomorrow. My engine would not stop today. It's a Lister Canal star and when I turned the key to Stop the buzzer sounds as usual but the engine kept running. Rang a friend who is a mechanic and apparently there is a solenoid valve on the fuel supply which is stuck. Had to stop engine by blocking air intake.

 

Martin

[mrsmelly]

They should overall make a profit from those who pay their premiums and do not break down.

 

Like all insurance, it's a brillliant and very cost effective idea in an honest society, but a swift look at the car insurance market shows what happens when the trust gets broken.

 

The trick I think is as a decent customer, is to realise you pay your premium in order to get the help when you need it, and you should have a right to expect that help to be delivered promptly and without drama, but when you can avoid making a claim, you should in the interest of the greater good.

 

Hopefully RCR will be allowed by the honesty of their policy holders to continue providing such an excellent service, and as their customer base grows, will cap their profits to a reasonable level and allow the customers to benefit by a steady small reduction in their individual premiums over time!

 

Cheers, Steve C.

 

Yes an awesome service that I hope will not be abused and therefore destroyed. A couple of months ago my alternator jacked in whilst I was out cruising but as it didnt cause me to breakdown I took it off myself and had it refurbed and fitted it back on, no need for RCR. The problem is some people will join knowing they have problems and take the pee, thats what happens sometimes with good schemes. When I was a Bobbie in the early days of BUPA the force was offered a very good deal to join and our premiums were low but a load of wallies went and got pathetic little complaints like ingrowing toe nails done privately and lo and behold the premiums doubled within a couple of years and priced me out.

[Guest]

Yes an awesome service that I hope will not be abused and therefore destroyed. A couple of months ago my alternator jacked in whilst I was out cruising but as it didnt cause me to breakdown I took it off myself and had it refurbed and fitted it back on, no need for RCR. The problem is some people will join knowing they have problems and take the pee, thats what happens sometimes with good schemes. When I was a Bobbie in the early days of BUPA the force was offered a very good deal to join and our premiums were low but a load of wallies went and got pathetic little complaints like ingrowing toe nails done privately and lo and behold the premiums doubled within a couple of years and priced me out.

 

Agree 100% with this.

 

Last time (and fingers crossed only time so far) I needed them was when our alternator bracket broke, it would have been a simple fix TBH, I tried to find a local welder that would weld it (no luck) and then searched for a local motor factors (on foot) who could match one (no luck).

 

So in the end I had to resort to ringing RCR who sorted it PDQ as per Tim's OP. I had in the process saved them a bit of time as I'd removed the bracket and they sorted getting it welded and re-fitted it.

 

For me it really should be seen as a 'last resort' service not the type of service that is the equivalent of someone like the AA/RAC who will come out and change your wheel if you have a puncture...when really anybody who is a driver (and in a reasonable state of health) should be able to do such basic stuff themselves.

[Circe]

Glad it worked for you. They were considerably less impressive when we had an engine issue - stranded for 3 days in the middle of nowhere.

 

The engineer they called out for us told them he could fix it same day. Three days later, we had no electrics, a full loo, no power and were still waiting. Wouldn't have been so bad but we had our disabled child on board - ended up having to abandon the boat until the engineer finally got it all sorted (at several hundred quids worth of expense.)

 

I like the thought of them, but it was an awful experience. Could be down to the engineer, not RCR? Either way - very stressful!

Edited December 26, 2011 by Circe

[14skipper]

So do RCR employ their own engineers ? or like some motoring organizations do they have local engineers on call in different areas of the country ?

 

14skipper

[Guest]

Glad it worked for you. They were considerably less impressive when we had an engine issue - stranded for 3 days in the middle of nowhere.

 

The engineer they called out for us told them he could fix it same day. Three days later, we had no electrics, a full loo, no power and were still waiting. Wouldn't have been so bad but we had our disabled child on board - ended up having to abandon the boat until the engineer finally got it all sorted (at several hundred quids worth of expense.)

 

I like the thought of them, but it was an awful experience. Could be down to the engineer, not RCR? Either way - very stressful!

 

I guess then you have a fairly low level of cover. We are now 'retainer members' - this basically guarantees attendance at a fixed charge and we pay for any parts used.

[Guest]

So do RCR employ their own engineers ? or like some motoring organizations do they have local engineers on call in different areas of the country ?

 

14skipper

 

I do not know for sure - but I guess it will be a mix.

 

AA/RAC though tend to employ their own and Green Flag rely more on sub contractors.

 

I've been a Green Flag member (National Breakdown as they were) for about three decades and luckily can count on less than one hand I've had to call them out, when I have though I've been very happy with the response times and outcome.

 

I'm not sure if who employs the engineer who attends matters...

[waggers]

So do RCR employ their own engineers ? or like some motoring organizations do they have local engineers on call in different areas of the country ?

 

14skipper

they do employ their own engineers but also use contract "engineers"

[Circe]

I guess then you have a fairly low level of cover. We are now 'retainer members' - this basically guarantees attendance at a fixed charge and we pay for any parts used.

 

Silver level of cover.

 

Edited to add, the policy states that they pay for the first two hours of work only (and this includes the contracted engineer's travelling time...)

Edited December 26, 2011 by Circe

[Guest]

Silver level of cover.

 

A possible endorsement of our change at renewal then...(we were Silver too)

[Circe]

A possible endorsement of our change at renewal then...(we were Silver too)

 

I suspect, if we keep it, we'll drop down to the very bottom level of cover next year.

 

I certainly wouldn't use the engineer again. It was a bad experience that left a bit of a sour taste.

 

Glad mrsmelly's experience was a lot better. Kind of restores my faith a bit!

[FadeToScarlet]

I think it depends who you get. We had an engineer contracted in. I had 4 afternoons off work before he showed up, he didn't fix the problem, and blew up our wind turbine regulator by disconnecting it while the turbine spun, a fairly elementary mistake!

 

Cost us several hundred pounds all told.

[blackrose]

I think RCR is a good idea if you're on a fixed schedule and need immediate help to get you moving. Personally (as someone with a bridgehopper mindset from a previous life), I think I'd just stay put for however long it took me to do the job myself - unless I couldn't do the job myself I suppose?

[mrsmelly]

Silver level of cover.

 

Edited to add, the policy states that they pay for the first two hours of work only (and this includes the contracted engineer's travelling time...)

 

I dont know how it works. The guy turned out in an RCR branded van. He came from shropshire which must be 2/3 hours each way and fixed the boat and only cost me 50 squid excess. I am a bronze member only cost me 125 quid for the year. How much would the job have cost me at this time of year IF I could have got anyone to turn up NO CHANCE and it would have costa fortune.

[dor]

When I'm out cruising, I usually carry enough tools to fix most things. I have however been a member of RCR for about ten years.

I fix most things myself, so it is irritating when I see people on this site saying how wonderful RCR is when they have called them out for a trivial issue (nobody in this current thread).

Despite never calling them out in the ten years I only get 15% NCD.

It does make me think that next time something is not right I'll just sit back and call them out. Especially now that they cover parts.

My feeling is that people who look after their boats, service them properly and can fix most problems on the fly are subsidisng the ones who call them out every time something minor goes wrong.

I'm a member because if say a drive plate goes when I'm a long way from home it would be good to have their support. However I would probably be a lot better off if I had never joined and just saved the money for the unusual event., In over 20 years of regular boating, I've never been unable to get home. RCR favours the naive against the responsible boater.

 

ETA: Sorry for late night after dinner rambling. The point I was trying to make is that the NCD should be much bigger. With car insurance I would be getting about 70%+ for my non-claim record.

Edited December 27, 2011 by dor

[FadeToScarlet]

I dont know how it works. The guy turned out in an RCR branded van. He came from shropshire which must be 2/3 hours each way and fixed the boat and only cost me 50 squid excess. I am a bronze member only cost me 125 quid for the year. How much would the job have cost me at this time of year IF I could have got anyone to turn up NO CHANCE and it would have costa fortune.

 

I've heard nothing but praise for the RCR engineers themselves, but when I joined I wasn't aware that they contracted out. Unfortunately some of their contractors offer nothing like the level of service the company themselves do.

[Circe]

I've heard nothing but praise for the RCR engineers themselves, but when I joined I wasn't aware that they contracted out. Unfortunately some of their contractors offer nothing like the level of service the company themselves do.

 

That would make sense. Our experience was with a contractor as well.

 

RCR's line (when we were at our wit's end after 3 days) was that their responsibility was to put us in touch with an engineer and to cover the first two hours of his time and some parts. As we'd refused the initial offer to get us off the boat (having been told it would be repaired the same day) that then became our problem too 3 days later.

 

Given that this particular engineer liked to head back to his workshop several times per day (a 50 mile round trip), charged for this on his time sheet, plus unloading and loading his van each time, didn't show up at all on day 2 and then (for reasons best known to himself) decided to replace the stern gland packing as well (replaced only 2 weeks previously)... it's left me hoping that we never need them again.

 

In RCR's defence, they did apologise for it later, and it would have bothered me a good deal less if we hadn't had our boy on board.

[jonathanA]

I may need to call them tomorrow. My engine would not stop today. It's a Lister Canal star and when I turned the key to Stop the buzzer sounds as usual but the engine kept running. Rang a friend who is a mechanic and apparently there is a solenoid valve on the fuel supply which is stuck. Had to stop engine by blocking air intake.

 

Martin

 

Martin,

 

had a similiar problem myself a little while ago. you may find there is a circut breaker that has tripped - its located on the side of the engine in a plastic box of electrical gubbins (main wiring loom terminates in it) - on top there are two rubber covered trips. one of them supplies the stop solenoid. might save an embarassing call to RCR for them to come and push the trip if thats all it is.

 

The solenoid it self is fairly easy to spot down towards the front of the engine on the port side (near oil filter) and just operates a little stop lever that you can move by hand if needed.

 

Jon

[cotswoldsman]

Now I find myself not sure what to do............mrsmelly is certainly someone I respect on matters boating (will not do politics with him!!!) My boat is now 5 years old so should I join? had I joined when I bought the boat and renewed every year I would have spent £625 so far for no return! Now I have never had a major break down and have the engine serviced and checked every 250 hours. Maybe after 5 years I should join as this might well be when things start to go wrong!!!

[steelaway]

I've heard nothing but praise for the RCR engineers themselves, but when I joined I wasn't aware that they contracted out. Unfortunately some of their contractors offer nothing like the level of service the company themselves do.

 

 

 

My mate wasn't too impressed with their service, although it could have been a contractor.

When his alternator belt went he called them for the first time ever. The engineer arrived pretty quickly but it seems it couldn't get away quickly enough either.

My mate had a spare belt which he offered to the engineer but he wasn't interested in fitting it, only to fit a temporary rivet type.

He told him to take it a marina to get it replaced and was off. Which he had to do at further cost.

 

Alex

[c c]

My mate wasn't too impressed with their service, although it could have been a contractor.

When his alternator belt went he called them for the first time ever. The engineer arrived pretty quickly but it seems it couldn't get away quickly enough either.

My mate had a spare belt which he offered to the engineer but he wasn't interested in fitting it, only to fit a temporary rivet type.

He told him to take it a marina to get it replaced and was off. Which he had to do at further cost.

 

Alex

 

....... he called RCR to fit a belt he already had? .... and then whinged about them .... do I miss your point here? .... sorry, must be me.