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Petition to break the RAC's monopoly on the International Carnet de Passages

I never had a problem with the RAC, if anything they went the extra mile & helped me all the way through the process of obtaining a carnet & also changing countries transiting at very short notice, I think it would be best kept to likes of the RAC or the AA to avoid a counterfeit carnet.
 
But the RAC's charges as astronomically higher than say ADAC for example, RAC will cost £2711 over £152 from ADAC.


Carnets are issued by the RAC etc on behalf of the FIA so if it went to another organisation in the UK the service standards should stay similar
 
But the RAC's charges as astronomically higher than say ADAC for example, RAC will cost £2711 over £152 from ADAC.

Last carnet I purchased was in December 2012 and was £195, insurance for bond was not included and nor would it be included via ADAC,

Transiting Egypt pushes the insurance bond way up.
 
I never had a problem with the RAC, if anything they went the extra mile & helped me all the way through the process of obtaining a carnet & also changing countries transiting at very short notice, I think it would be best kept to likes of the RAC or the AA to avoid a counterfeit carnet.

I'm curious as to why it would be harder to fake a carnet made by the RAC/AA rather than some other institution, such as the ADAC. RAC are succeeding in enforcing a monopoly situation in the UK at the moment, and then milking that to an absurd extent, particularly by abolishing the guarantee system and FORCING people to pay for an insurance policy set up they neither need, nor want. I wuld personally be curious to know 2 things,
1. how many carnet deposits have not been refunded because the terms of the carnet were actually NOT met (ie vehicle sold illegally in a carnet country)
2. the legal implications of operating a monopoly (is there not some form of a competition authority in the UK; I haven't a clue because its nearly 20 years since I lived there)
 
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The link I posted has a lot of info including a couple who have been on the road in a 95 for 4.5 years, looks like the RAC have caused them a lot of trouble. Another user wanted to use ADAC which requires a written ok from the RAC and the RAC refused, further strengthening their monopoly

The petition isn't about stopping the RAC but providing a level playing field for all.

I've signed and haven't needed a Carnet yet but hope to do a trip in the future which will need one.
 
I never had a problem with the RAC, if anything they went the extra mile & helped me all the way through the process of obtaining a carnet & also changing countries transiting at very short notice, I think it would be best kept to likes of the RAC or the AA to avoid a counterfeit carnet.


AA no longer do Carnets, so the RAC have a monopoly. I think it is only right that you should be able to go to another european suplier of carnet if you so choose.

The whole carnet system is a massive and pointless rip off any way
 
I believe Carnets are issued by the organisation in the country to which the vehicle is registered, so it may not be able to be issued by another European country unless of course you reregister your vehicle in that country.

When I was talking with Paul McGowan about options for the bond I felt the insurance option was a much lower risk for me compared to me putting up a bank guarantee, I was charged £1800ish and the 50% was returned after about three weeks
of me returning the correctly stamped carnet, apparently a lot of carnets are not stamped clearly when leaving a country which then means delays, while the issuer has to obtain proof that the vehicle is not liable for import duty from that country.

Doe's ADAC not have the monopoly for Germany or is there other issuers there?

I mentioned the faking of carnets, which are still available if you know a naughty man to speak to,The good thing if you deal with a sole agent like the RAC in this country you know it is genuine & that has to be better then being duped by
some back street company who leaves you high & dry at a border somewhere in the world.

I would find it interesting to know how many carnets are issued by the RAC and do they make such a big profit from doing so, also bearing in mind the German trucking industry would possibly have more vehicles transiting out of the Euro
zone keeping ADAC hopefully busy, would like to compare the figures with the UK trucking industry.
 
The Carnet issuing authority can cover foreign cars when there is either no issuing authority in the country of registration or if they have a letter of no objection from the "home" issuing authority. I believe from the conversation on the Hubb the RAC only issue around 400 a year so no its not generating them much income but why keep 50% when ADAC don't? this does seem a little unfair and as a member of the EU why should we be stopped from being able to shop around for the best deal across Europe?
 
The Carnet issuing authority can cover foreign cars when there is either no issuing authority in the country of registration or if they have a letter of no objection from the "home" issuing authority. I believe from the conversation on the Hubb the RAC only issue around 400 a year so no its not generating them much income but why keep 50% when ADAC don't? this does seem a little unfair and as a member of the EU why should we be stopped from being able to shop around for the best deal across Europe?

What exactly are you referring to regarding keeping 50% ?
 
its the 50% of the security deposit the RAC keep when you return the Carnet upon return home, lots more info in the link I posted above.

Below is a quote from a adventurebikerider.com thread on the same subject

"The RAC, up until sometime in 2012/13 had in place a system whereby the cost was made up of a document payment, an administration fee and thirdly a deposit. It is the deposit that is the problem and this fee can be colossal.

The deposit is based on a multiplier of the value of your vehicle and ranges from 1.5x e.g. for Australia, all the way to 8x for Egypt (for an £8,000 motorcycle it is £64,000). The excessive cost is to cover the huge fees and costs levied by a country, should the vehicle be left, illegally, on their soil. For this reason most travelling vehicles are old, using a newish vehicle being reserved for the rich.

Previously a UK resident could either:
1) pay the full deposit up to a maximum of £10,000 direct to the RAC and get it back on return to the UK, or
2) arrange a bank guarantee to ring-fence/freeze funds in the applicants bank to cover the deposit to the benefit of the RAC should a claim be made by a foreign country, or
3) Pay a fee of 10% of the deposit to an insurance company (one had to fill in a application form to the company and process it through the RAC). 50% of this cost being refunded upon the vehicles return.

In this last item, the insurance company was a specific one designated by the RAC . It was also the one taken by people who did not have sufficient funds to supply a deposit or a bank guarantee.

Now however, the RAC have removed the deposit and bank guarantee and will only allow the 'insurance' that they now call a security. It is also now 10.6% of which, 50% of that (i.e. 5.3%) is refunded on vehicle return.
Going back to our £8,000 motorcycle through Egypt, this, on top of fees, would cost almost £3,400. A fee that previously could have been circumvented.!"
 
This is where it all gets confusing, the deposit/bond/security or whatever people may call it, was arranged in my case with a company called R L Davison who specialise in this type of insurance & it is them that return 50% of your policy fee if the carnet is returned correctly, the only connection between R L Davison & the RAC is verification that the policy is in place. There is no way ADAC or any issuing authority in the world are going to take a risk on you promising nicely to bring back your vehicle and not to sell for example in South Africa where you would get a better offer for the likes of a Landcruiser.

It has to be noted that if you do not have a full police report for theft, or clear evidence after an accident or fire that the vehicle remains have been allowed to stay in the country that the incident happened within, you will be responsible for customs cost & your deposit/bond/security in no way cover your loss.

In this last item, the insurance company was a specific one designated by the RAC . It was also the one taken by people who did not have sufficient funds to supply a deposit or a bank guarantee.

I think this maybe the only company willing to take on the risk. You also have to insure your vehicle for loss through another company as an asset if you wish to protect it for yourself.

Egypt is the country that really hurts & I had no choice but to pay the premium & reduce for the risk for me.
 
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