- by Brian Byrne
RAC drops 'targets' policy on parts sales
19 January 2003: The RAC in Britain has abolished its 'targets and rewards' policy on sales of replacement parts by its patrols, following revelations in a BBC 'Rogue Traders' programme that a number of patrols had sold batteries that may not have needed replacing.
The programme, screened during last week, found that six out of 16 call-outs to specially-prepared 'breakdowns' resulted in sales of batteries to the breakdown victim which the programme says were not necessary.
The programme secretly filmed and recorded the patrols in question. An unidentified patrol member claimed that patrols were given targets for spare parts sales, and if anyone didn't achieve them they were placed with a high-performing colleague for 'counselling'.
At the weekend, a spokesman for the RAC said that 'in order to remove any possibility or suggestion that our patrols could sell parts and batteries to people who do not need them, we abolished all targets and rewards on replacement items on 31 December 2002'.
RAC membership includes, free of charge, the fitting of small items such as fuses and hose clips, along with all labour.
The organisation said patrols attended 428,500 battery related call-outs in Britain last year. They say they managed to get nearly 90% going again without the need for a new battery being fitted.
"Furthermore, we commissioned a leading manufacturer to test a large sample of batteries that we had replaced and found 99% were correctly diagnosed as faulty," says Barrie Thrussell, Managing Director, Group Operations.
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