Gold star to RCR.

[Québec]

Just to say a big thank you to RCR. Our gear cable came apart today at a critical moment leaving us with the boat in forward gear and no way to stop other than by cutting the engine and throwing a rope to a helpful fisherman on the towpath as we approached Grindley Brook.

 

Rang RCR, who seemed pleasantly surprised that in three years of subscribing this was our first call out. They said they'd send out an engineer who'd be with us in about an hour, at c. 4pm. At 3.55 he was with us, pleasant and helpful, fixed the problem and we were on our way by 4.30.

 

Great service, and also thank you to the several people, boaters and walkers, who stopped and asked if we were OK and if they could do anything to help.

[StarUKKiwi]

They must have sorted out their staffing problems then? They have been using contractors since the end of August as a lot of staff finished at the end of August.

[keble]

Good to hear! We have had good service, 2 call outs in 7 years.

[cheshire~rose]

I remember one of them!

[Dalesman]

We had the same problem last month at Frankton junction,and the same good service from RCR,first time I have ever had to use them but I was impressed by there service.

[Bettie Boo]

So nice to hear good service tales

[Sea Dog]

So nice to hear good service tales

It is. It's also what you've paid handsomely for, so it's sad when a company doing something right stands out, but seeing good service highlighted might just encourage more of it.

[Dalesman]

It is. It's also what you've paid handsomely for, so it's sad when a company doing something right stands out, but seeing good service highlighted might just encourage more of it.

I have never paid for mine,comes as part of my Navigators & General Insurance policy which cost £166 for the year.

[Sea Dog]

I have never paid for mine,comes as part of my Navigators & General Insurance policy which cost £166 for the year.

Really? That's worth knowing!

[cuthound]

N&G give free "retainer" cover, whereby you get a free call out but pay for parts and labour. If you want better cover they give a discount.

[keble]

I remember one of them!

Ha ha yes, thanks for your support!

[kingswood]

used them 3 times and the chaps were brill went above and beyond.would not be without there cover, although not had to call them out for 2 years so get a discount

[Mike Todd]

I have never paid for mine,comes as part of my Navigators & General Insurance policy which cost £166 for the year.

Of course you are paying for it. What do you think your premium covers?

[Dalesman]

Of course you are paying for it. What do you think your premium covers?

Well I paid the same years ago without the RCR,still good value what ever you think of it in my opinion.

[Tony Brooks]

Of course you are paying for it. What do you think your premium covers?

 

I suspect that may not be the case. Have you never heard of loss leaders? Maybe RCR offer it at no cost to N&G in the hope that they can up-sell to other membership levels. It also probably legally gets boaters onto their database so they can sell their parts and Canal Contracting Service to them.

[Mike Todd]

 

I suspect that may not be the case. Have you never heard of loss leaders? Maybe RCR offer it at no cost to N&G in the hope that they can up-sell to other membership levels. It also probably legally gets boaters onto their database so they can sell their parts and Canal Contracting Service to them.

That's always true of bundled deals. Some are good value for customers and reasonably clear, others are not and come close to mis-selling. In this case, any costs (which will depend on whatever bulk deal has been struck between the two companies) have to be borne somehow out of the bundle price. As a result, the insurance premium is part of the total and the RCR is another part. The division is not disclosed as part of the overall marketing plan. Sometimes, bundles are also for the interests of the supplier above and beyond the plain profit. In this case, it is not implausible that by offering RCR then claims are reduced.

[haggis]

I hear what you say, Mike, but having shopped around for boat insurance when we bought Kelpie, we found that the Nav and General were good for price comparing like with like and if part of the premium includes the membership of RCR which they included, then the insurance part was a lot cheaper than their competitors.

Seemed a no brainer to us as we would probably have taken out RCR membership anyway.

 

haggis

[DaveR]

Called them out a couple of months ago and I am still waiting for the help I needed. The telephone call was most disappointing as they suggested (as it was Bank holiday weekend) that I go and find B&Q to buy the part I needed myself. Ended up exactly that by having to cycle over 5 miles back to the car and then drive 25 miles to the nearest B&Q to get the part I needed. So much for me paying for Gold Star service. Guess I will be saving my money next year.

[haggis]

I assume you have taken this up with RCR. Not the sort of experience we have had having been involved with 2 boats with gold membership and had call outs on both

 

haggis

[Cheshire cat]

I am insured with Towergate Marden. It includes RCR for £10 more than the cost of a quote from GJW Direct.

[Arthur Marshall]

Called them out a couple of months ago and I am still waiting for the help I needed. The telephone call was most disappointing as they suggested (as it was Bank holiday weekend) that I go and find B&Q to buy the part I needed myself. Ended up exactly that by having to cycle over 5 miles back to the car and then drive 25 miles to the nearest B&Q to get the part I needed. So much for me paying for Gold Star service. Guess I will be saving my money next year.

Sometimes it's quicker to do it yourself, especially if you have to wait a few hours for the engineer to come out, then he has to go and source the part, by which time B&Q may be shut... you do say it was a suggestion, not that they wouldn't do their best to help as long as you could wait long enough.

The engineer who came out to me this year when i broke a fuel pipe cheerfully walked a mile down the towpath with his gear, then back to his van and back again with a cobbled together (very non-standard) part to try to get me going.

That being said, when my gearbox fell to bits a few years back and i rang up for a tow back to base, their advice was to hitch a lift from a passing boat to get me home so that all the cash they contribute to the cost would go to the gearbox rather than half of it being spent on the tow - sensible advice.

[rgreg]

On the three occasions over the years that I've had cause to call out RCR I have had nothing but first class service, mostly at times that it would have been difficult to arrange an alternative solution.

[roggie]

We are insured with TowerGate as well, pay a bit extra for the RCR cover (which is better than retainer, we get 2 call outs without parts pa). I think this adds £40 to the premium and I think its worth it. of course having done the 2 Mr Brooks training courses at RCR I can fix anything myself ;-)

 

Yes it might be a loss leader but it works for me.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

We are insured with TowerGate as well, pay a bit extra for the RCR cover (which is better than retainer, we get 2 call outs without parts pa). I think this adds £40 to the premium and I think its worth it. of course having done the 2 Mr Brooks training courses at RCR I can fix anything myself ;-)

 

Yes it might be a loss leader but it works for me.

I have always had RCR retainer but thankfully have never had to make use of it.

 

However, I will admit to making use of Tony Brooks no nonsense advice on a couple of occasions which has avoided a call out ...

[Laurie Booth]

Called them out a couple of months ago and I am still waiting for the help I needed. The telephone call was most disappointing as they suggested (as it was Bank holiday weekend) that I go and find B&Q to buy the part I needed myself. Ended up exactly that by having to cycle over 5 miles back to the car and then drive 25 miles to the nearest B&Q to get the part I needed. So much for me paying for Gold Star service. Guess I will be saving my money next year.

I'm very sorry you have had a bad experience with RCR. Have you complained to them?