Not allowed to read the small print

The RAC are jolly nice chaps, and because I’ve been a member for 11 years they’ve phoned up to offer me a special deal. I can have “non-fault” cover as a road user, whether I’m driving my own car, someone else’s car, a hire car, if I’m in a bus or on a bike,or even if I’m on foot. All for just £15 a year.

In case of any loss or damage, they’ll “fight to recover” the full amount for me. Come again? So they won’t actually reimburse me, but they’ll “fight to recover” the cost of “anything from a mobile phone to a set of golf clubs”. Fight? Fight whom? The pavement? The bus driver? It’s not clear, although they do rather generously offer “up to £100,000” of legal expenses.

Well, it still sounds like a fairly good deal for fifteen quid, and they tell me that if I agree to it today they’ll send me out full details of the cover offered. I reply that if they send me the full details, I’ll read them and then decide if it’s worth it. “I’m sorry, sir,” they tell me, “we’re not allowed to do that.” Not allowed to send customers insurance details? “That’s right, sir. We can only send out details if you agree today.”

“That’s stupid,” I point out to him. “Yes, sir, it is,” admits the telephone sales jockey. Score: RAC 0, common sense 0.

Steve Caplin