J.D. Power and Associates
RAC ranked number 1 in customer satisfaction

Motoring organisation RAC has been ranked the top roadside rescue and recovery company in the annual J.D. Power and Associates independent customer satisfaction 2004 UK Roadside Assistance Study^SM - a study widely regarded as the most authoritative in the UK.

As well as heading the overall customer satisfaction index with a score of 830 - up 20 on last year - and comfortably exceeding the industry average of 816 – RAC came top in 22 of the 23 key areas of performance. Its industry-leading scores included:

• 829 points for the service provided by the call operator/dispatcher (industry average: 810)
• 878 points for the service provided by the mechanic/breakdown vehicle driver (industry average: 854)

The J.D. Power and Associates study comprises feedback from nearly 23,700 owners of “51” and “02” registered vehicles. It showed that motorists believe that they receive higher satisfaction with breakdown service from RAC, who operate their own patrols for roadside assistance and specialist contractors, rather than those companies that offer assistance solely through a network of sub-contractors.

Newly appointed RAC Roadside managing director Debbie Hewitt says: “This award is a tribute to the outstanding service that our people give every day. Their dedication to our customers, which has been well supported by the company's investment in technology, has helped us to build a strong business. This is true recognition from our customers that we are number 1 in the roadside business."

Ends

Notes to Editors

J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001:2000 registered global marketing information services firm that helps businesses and consumers make better decisions through credible, meaningful, and easily accessible customer-based information.

In its seventh year of publication, the J.D. Power and Associates UK Roadside Assistance Study^SM provides information from drivers of “51” and “02” registered vehicles who required roadside assistance.

RAC
Motoring organisation RAC supports its six and a half million individual and business customers with breakdown cover and a wide range of other motoring solutions - including car and travel insurance, credit card services, loans, legal services, driver training and glass replacement.

RAC has invested substantially in technology to improve its overall service delivery, including:

• A deployment system that allows accurate and rapid deployment of patrols.
• The use of mobile phone data to assist in locating customers.
• Using technology to keep customers updated throughout their breakdown experience.
• The development and use of a unique, patented, on-board rapid deployment trailer, which allows immediate assistance, even in the event of a non-fix.
• A PC-based diagnostic tool, which helps patrols, better diagnose faults at the roadside.

Debbie Hewitt
Debbie Hewitt was appointed managing director of RAC Roadside Services in May 2004, with responsibility for all of RAC’s breakdown rescue operations. This includes the company’s 1500 patrols and over 1,000 other colleagues involved in delivering service to its six and a half million customers.

Before taking on the Roadside role Debbie was Group HR Director of RAC plc (formerly Lex Service PLC) from 1997 to 2004 and was appointed to the Board of RAC plc in January 2000. She played a key role in the company’s transformation from a vehicle distribution business to a provider of added value support services.