Rac Mechanical Insurance Services – which trades as RAC Technicare – has been cleared of misleading consumers over warranty cover by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The company had placed an advertisement aimed at used car buyers in a specialist magazine under the heading "Don't Gamble With Your Wheels".
The advert offered customers the reassurance of an "RAC Inspected and Protected" vehicle with the added bonus of RAC membership thrown in free. The advert stated the offer was only available through selected dealerships.
The complainant applied for a 12-month warranty plan but was told that, in his case, the RAC membership had to be bought.
The ASA ruled that RAC Technicare had no case to answer when it was revealed that the complainant had bought an RAC Warranty (a different product from Inspect and Protect) which came without free RAC membership.
Also, he had bought the warranty from a dealer not selected by the RAC to sell the incentivised Inspect and Protect package. The complaint to the ASA was not upheld.
