The first thing to really understand is that this pandemic is not new, while the conditions are flexing they have been flexing for two years now and so should customer services be changed to adapt with the current experience. There are many organisations and businesses that are no longer operating in excuse mode, but have recognised their responsibility to their customers and clients and adapted, some have not.

I’m writing this note in response to a specific experience with the RAC that happened on the 17th of December 2021. I have diligently paid for cover for years and never needed to call the RAC, but yesterday I did and they did not come. Today I cancelled my membership because I simply don’t trust the RAC to deliver their end of the contract.

So the actual experience was horrible and quite dangerous, my gearbox stopped working just after I made a turn off a roundabout on to a hill. The car stopped on the double yellow lines in just the right location to be hit by someone coming around the corner. I deployed my warning triangle and hazard lights. Over a 5 hour period the RAC continued to advise me by text that they were not on their way with various supportive sounding messages. I phoned several times to make it clear that I just needed a tow and that I’m supporting vulnerable people (my parents who have Alzheimer’s) all of which supposedly gained a priority. Personally I’d rather be told, they have no one to respond I’d have made an alternative arrangement straight away.

While the ‘under fire’ and ‘we all pull together’ mentality was prevalent at the beginning of this pandemic and rightly so, it has worn rather thin since. We have discovered a wide ranging two tier society view where some people are empowered to suit themselves and don’t care in the slightest for anyone else, society or in fact the rule of law. Trust is at its lowest and our experiences indicate we are unimportant as citizens, customers and humans. 

On that cherry note I wish everyone a family and friend filled Christmas and New Year where you feel safe to have it.