Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos has hit out at the RAC after his vehicle broke down on a motorway.
Kapranos posted a string comments on X complaining that he had been waiting for 15 hours before the breakdown service assisted him.
In an initial post he wrote: “Hi @TheRAC_UK @RAC_Care. I’ve been waiting to be picked up from a motorway breakdown for 7 hours. Your operators don’t seem to know what is going on. Or say trucks have been dispatched when they haven’t. Is this normal? Is this my life now? Waiting for the truck that never comes?”
At that point when a fan asked about the situation, the singer replied: “Oh, I’ve been speaking to operators. The answer is just ‘I don’t know’ or they put you on hold then hang up.”
Hi @TheRAC_UK @RAC_Care. I've been waiting to be picked up from a motorway breakdown for 7 hours. Your operators don't seem to know what is going on. Or say trucks have been dispatched when they haven't. Is this normal? Is this my life now? Waiting for the truck that never comes?
— Alex Kapranos (@alkapranos) September 2, 2024
Oh, I've been speaking to operators. The answer is just "I don't know" or they put you on hold then hang up.
— Alex Kapranos (@alkapranos) September 2, 2024
After 14 hours he followed up with another post asking: “Hello @RAC_Care. I see you’re now answering tweets, but not mine. It’s nearly 14 hours I’ve been waiting for a truck. Any clue as to what is going on?”
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After 15 hours, despite the RAC eventually replying to his pleas, he confirmed that a driver had finally turned up and he would be cancelling his membership.
He wrote: “A driver has arrived. 15 hours after I first broke down. Obviously I shall be cancelling my 20 year+ RAC membership as soon as I get home and giving @TheAA_UK a ring.”
Thanks for the reply, Conor. A driver has arrived. 15 hours after I first broke down.
Obviously I shall be cancelling my 20 year+ RAC membership as soon as I get home and giving @TheAA_UK a ring. https://t.co/Hj7jgpJL55
— Alex Kapranos (@alkapranos) September 2, 2024
But the RAC disputed his version of events and claimed Kapranos was not waiting 15 hours for a response and they assisted him sooner and put him up in a hotel.
In statement to NME, the roadside assistance service said: “We rescued Alex from the motorway at 9pm and towed him to a nearby motorway services and put him up in a hotel as per his policy. We came out to him again the next day to resolve.”
Meanwhile, Franz Ferdinand recently announced details of a trio of live shows in Scotland later this month.
The dates kick off on September 26 with an opening night at the Spa Pavilion in Strathpeffer, and continue the following night with a slot at the Albert Halls in Stirling.
From there, they wrap up with a final show at The Venue in Dumfries on September 28. Any remaining tickets are available here.
Franz Ferdinand’s upcoming live shows are:
SEPTEMBER 2024
26 – Spa Pavilion, Strathpeffer
27 – Albert Halls, Stirling
28 – The Venue, Dumfries
Elsewhere, Kapranos celebrated the 20th anniversary of Franz Ferdinand’s debut album today earlier this year.
The band’s self-titled debut album arrived on February 9 2004 – reaching Number Three on the charts, containing the hit singles ‘Take Me Out’, ‘Michael’, ‘The Dark Of The Matinee’ and ‘This Fire’, and going on to win the Mercury Music Prize and become known as an indie classic.
To celebrate two decades of their debut, the band also re-released the album on coloured vinyl. Their last studio album was 2018’s acclaimed ‘Always Ascending‘.