An aged driver says he was pressured to desert his automotive after being advised by the RAC to report his breakdown on-line.
Duncan Rayner has slammed the motor insurer after he was advised he would obtain sooner service if he advised them his automotive’s wheel had fallen off via its web site as an alternative of over the cellphone.
The 85-year-old, who doesn’t personal a smartphone, claims he was left ready on the road for an operator so lengthy that he needed to stroll house and log onto his pc to report the incident.
In doing so he left his automotive together with a busy highway in Berkshire for round two hours, earlier than he known as a buddy with a tow truck to take away the automobile himself.
The RAC has since apologised to Mr Rayner, whereas marketing campaign teams have raised issues in regards to the forcing individuals who haven’t got smartphones or battle with the web to make use of providers on-line within the first occasion.
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Duncan Rayner, pictured, says he was pressured to desert his automotive in a bid to seek out a pc when he was advised to log his breakdown on-line
He says the he was advised he would obtain a faster response if he logged his breakdown via its web site (file picture)
Mr Rayner had been left stranded on a B highway quarter-hour from his house in Sunningdale, Berkshire, after one in all his automotive’s wheels fell off.
The pensioner advised The Telegraph that regardless of calling the RAC’s breakdown quantity, he obtained little in the way in which of assist as he was caught listening to automated messages.
‘If they do not reply their cellphone and I am caught on a motorway, how on earth do I get in contact with them?
‘And I feel that’s the massive downside dealing with not solely me, however a hell of lots of different drivers. You understand, we do not all have smartphones.’
He added: ‘I attempted to ring them, and I feel I used to be on the cellphone for 15 or 20 minutes [with] no response, after which the cellphone line saved coming again to say ‘the best strategy to get in contact with us is on-line’.
Mr Rayner stated he grew to become so annoyed that he deserted his automotive and walked house, the place he logged the incident on-line.
Nonetheless, he claims that after receiving no response for one more quarter-hour, he gave up totally and rang a buddy who had a tow truck to come back and bail him out.
This non-public rescue price him £100 and he says RAC then refused to reimburse him for the expense. The corporate now says it will provide him a ‘gesture of goodwill’, based on The Telegraph.
Age UK, the main charity for aged folks, has raised issues about forcing individuals who should not have entry to smartphones or tablets, or who battle with the web, to do issues on-line moderately than over the cellphone or nose to nose.
The motor insurer has apologised to Mr Rayner for his expertise and insists that folks can nonetheless report their breakdowns over the cellphone
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, advised MailOnline: ‘Virtually half of over-65s are both not on-line in any respect or lack the talents and confidence to have the ability to use digital expertise safely and efficiently.
‘It follows that it is essential that non-digital options are at all times obtainable by way of accessing providers, and that is as true of car breakdown assist as anything.
‘We perceive that corporations are eager to manage prices and that placing providers on-line is a method of attaining this, however it’s a complete false financial system if it disenfranchises actually thousands and thousands of older folks.’
A spokesperson for the RAC advised The Telegraph: ‘We’re sorry Mr Rayner thought the one strategy to log his breakdown was on-line.
‘This is not the case – we provide members the selection to name or go surfing. The truth is, over half of all breakdowns are reported to us by cellphone.
‘Whereas a lot of our members favor to go surfing – because it permits us to find them extra simply and hold them frequently up to date on after we will arrive – we respect this is not the case for everybody.
‘Because of this now we have absolutely staffed name centres in three UK areas that take tens of 1000’s of member cellphone calls each week.’
MailOnline has contacted the RAC for remark individually.
