River canal Rescue, worth joining?

[Tony Brooks]

I agree with Tim. When I was doing some very long trips way out of the South/South Midlands Retained  membership seemed a good idea because RCR or their contractors had local knowledge and I did not. However when the alternator failed in Burton upon Trent I still located and took to to a local repair shop rather than pay the £40 call out charge (as it then was).

[Dr Bob]

We joined earlier in the year when we got the boat. Called them out twice. First very poor starting - turned out to be a split in  the nut connecting the diesel line (from the tank) to the first fuel filter, and second, a broken throttle cable while winding in Saltisford. Both times they were out within 2 hrs and sorted the problem. For us, new to the nb's, its a no brainer.

[Cheshire cat]

It's the luck of the draw. At least the AA put their staff through training courses. 

[Laurie Booth]

11 minutes ago, Cheshire cat said:

It's the luck of the draw. At least the AA put their staff through training courses. 

Pity the training is rubbish. 

[thebfg]

I wonder if trebby91  Will come back and tell us if, after its been three years. Worth having their cover.

[Bewildered]

I pad double posted for some reason

Edited November 3, 2017 by Bewildered

[Arthur Marshall]

So far, the engineers they've sent me on a couple of breakdowns have been useless, knowing nothing about Listers and mostly just walking away. But.... They've paid two grand towards my gearbox rebuilds so I reckon I'm well ahead of the game. 

[wiltshirewonderer]

I've got RCR bronze cover so get the first two hours labour included. Had my first ever call out a month ago. Two chaps turned up and fixed the problem in less than an hour (bike wrapped around prop). RCR are chasing me for £££ for labour above the two hours because they want two lots of labour and to cover travel time! Less than impressed I have to say.

[Timx]

I rang them to make an appointment for next day, fellah I was talking to appeared to have no idea, and kept on about is it an emergency, it was just out of hours

.I was so patient, he asked me my name and address 3 times.Next day no call back as promised by this guy, so rang again, they had my info but was not what I had reported.

Anyway they came out and sorted it, wasn't a big job.I told the lady on phone I don't think the man on the out of hours service knew what he was talking about.

I NOW KNOW,

THEiR NUMBER 08450068021. cost me £20 pounds,for that phone call,including the call next day.so no wonder he kept me talking ,asking me the same questions over and over again, appearing confused, or maybe just not trained well enough, but whatever, it cost me £20 just to enquire. I have just had my mobile phone bill today, hence mentioning it, be warned.If you pay for a service, surely you should not be charged to ring up and ask them to provide that service.

That is not just an out of hours number, wow they must be rich..

[WotEver]

3 minutes ago, Timx said:

THEiR NUMBER 08450068021. cost me £20 pounds,for that phone call...

Now store this number instead

0800 0718021

[Timx]

Thank you I will

Actually, I have just checked, and I already have that number, on top, so I would of rang that first but received no answer. So rang next on list for what I was charged for wow. RCR how disappointing.Lesson learnt.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Timx
More thought.

[WotEver]

If in doubt...

https://www.saynoto0870.com/numbersearch.php

[Timx]

13 minutes ago, WotEver said:

If in doubt...

https://www.saynoto0870.com/numbersearch.php

Nothing come up on that, but I get the idea. Why would a company want customers, but also charge them these rates. Oh well.

[WotEver]

4 minutes ago, Timx said:

Nothing come up on that...

??? That’s where I got the 0800 number. 

[Timx]

It's just a blank page when I press the link, no worries though, as I say lesson learnt.and thanks.

[mrsmelly]

33 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Now store this number instead

0800 0718021

having just read these latest posts I have just looked at the RCR keeping you moving card issued to me last month. In large black letters on the front it has 0800 0718021 and 01785 248793

on the rear of the card in small writing it has other numbers but the one printed at the front is the Freephone number.

[Timx]

Yeah , but 0845 number charges loads of dosh, for the naive like me, others may do the same, I don't think it's nice of the company to charge so much, but that's just me.

 

[haggis]

40 minutes ago, Timx said:

Yeah , but 0845 number charges loads of dosh, for the naive like me, others may do the same, I don't think it's nice of the company to charge so much, but that's just me.

 

Do  the company (RCR) actually get the money the call cost you or is it the phone provider? Asking as I don't know the answer but always assumed it was the phone provider.

haggis

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, haggis said:

Do  the company (RCR) actually get the money the call cost you or is it the phone provider? Asking as I don't know the answer but always assumed it was the phone provider.

haggis

It’s usually a 50:50 split or similar. That’s how it works for phone-in TV competitions. 

[Jess--]

0845 (and 0345) numbers are local rate from a landline, mobile networks charge different rates.

most networks do not include these numbers within your free minutes on contracts and will charge you their standard per minute rate (EE show this as 50p per minute)

[Keeping Up]

6 minutes ago, Jess-- said:

0845 (and 0345) numbers are local rate from a landline, mobile networks charge different rates.

most networks do not include these numbers within your free minutes on contracts and will charge you their standard per minute rate (EE show this as 50p per minute)

True for 0845 but I think you will find that 0345 numbers are included within contract by all mobile network suppliers. However they will be expensive if you are over your contracted limit or are on PAYG

[MtB]

On 11/4/2017 at 21:03, wiltshirewonderer said:

I've got RCR bronze cover so get the first two hours labour included. Had my first ever call out a month ago. Two chaps turned up and fixed the problem in less than an hour (bike wrapped around prop). RCR are chasing me for £££ for labour above the two hours because they want two lots of labour and to cover travel time! Less than impressed I have to say.

 

Travel time being chargeable (or not) is a common source of disputes between trades companies and their customers. Caused by lack of clarity in the beginning. If a mechanic travels one hour to the boat, spends two hours fixing a problem, then another hour going back to base that is four hours spent on the job, of which only two are visible to the customer. Commonly, neither party thinks to raise the issue of traveling time before making the booking.

Here however, it looks to me as though they might be charging two hours for each of the two blokes they sent. Would one bloke have been able to get the bike off the prop? Possibly not. Or he might have taken twice as long to do it. 

[mrsmelly]

4 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Travel time being chargeable (or not) is a common source of disputes between trades companies and their customers. Caused by lack of clarity in the beginning. If a mechanic travels one hour to the boat, spends two hours fixing a problem, then another hour going back to base that is four hours spent on the job, of which only two are visible to the customer. Commonly, neither party thinks to raise the issue of traveling time before making the booking.

Here however, it looks to me as though they might be charging two hours for each of the two blokes they sent. Would one bloke have been able to get the bike off the prop? Possibly not. Or he might have taken twice as long to do it. 

I reckon its interpreted differently on occasion by whoever turns up? My one and only time I have called them out the mechanic chap drove from Shropshire to Castleford on BOXING day and replaced my gearbox drive plate. The travel alone must have been ??? then he did the job. I paid the princely sum of fifty quid that being the excess on the policy. Absolutely happy as a pig in the proverbial.

[wiltshirewonderer]

5 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Travel time being chargeable (or not) is a common source of disputes between trades companies and their customers. Caused by lack of clarity in the beginning. If a mechanic travels one hour to the boat, spends two hours fixing a problem, then another hour going back to base that is four hours spent on the job, of which only two are visible to the customer. Commonly, neither party thinks to raise the issue of traveling time before making the booking.

Here however, it looks to me as though they might be charging two hours for each of the two blokes they sent. Would one bloke have been able to get the bike off the prop? Possibly not. Or he might have taken twice as long to do it. 

I bet it is.... Complete lack of clarity in the beginning - the business T&C's don't help either as they suggest the two hours that count are the ones that are spent on-site. 

I agree,  I also believe they are double charging as they sent two heads. Only one of the blokes actually did anything and TBH, I think only one could at any given time in this situation (Using a hacksaw with an arm down the weed hatch). Not sure what two people could do with a hacksaw which one could not? 

I do worry that one day someone will be hit with a bill for more than a boat is worth when they send a minibus load of engineers over from Germany (Say 12 people x 10 hours travel time - 120 hours billable before they actually do any work)