1. Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!

Off Topic Rental/Hire cars advice

Discussion in 'Hull City' started by dazzar86, May 15, 2015.

  1. dazzar86

    dazzar86 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2011
    Messages:
    2,317
    Likes Received:
    481
    I'm wondering if anyone more experienced in the hire of cars from rental companies has some advice on what I can do...

    A lorry crashed into the back of me a couple of weeks ago - my car went into repair and I was given a courtesy car from a hire car company.

    I went to pick my car up tonight and gave the courtesy car back to the hire car company - the guy who took the keys off me claimed I'd caused damage to the door and a scratch on one of the alloys.

    I know for a fact I didn't cause them - I only had the car 8 days and only parked next to a kerb once in that time and parked quite far from the kerb. The scuff and dint on the edge of the door was already there (it could only have been caused when the door is open) - I didn't notice it until I'd had the car a couple of days because I had no reason to use the passenger door. My missus spotted it when she opened the door, being the first passenger I'd had in the car.

    I did have a walk round with an employee of the hire car company when they dropped it off, but I was at work, so had to rush around the car. It had scratches and dings all over it, so would have had to spend a good few hours marking down every little minor thing.

    They only had 2 alloys marked down as scuffed when they brought it to me - even in a rush I managed to add 5 or 6 other things to his list of damage to the car, but it was difficult to spot everything in a rush.

    I wrote this down on the 'new damage' sheet the employee wrote on when picking the car up - but he said it'd be up to the manager to decide.

    It's frustrating knowing I didn't cause the damage. I wouldn't have even been in a hire car if a lorry hadn't crashed into me either. It was also quite suspicious how the bloke from the hire car company spotted the 'door damaged' within 10 seconds of me pulling up, when it took me 2 days to spot it.
     
    #1
  2. merchantman5

    merchantman5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2011
    Messages:
    2,122
    Likes Received:
    205
    You should of taken a picture of the damage when your wife noticed it and contacted the hire company to complain. I had a similar problem when I picked up a rental car at Leeds/Bradford airport. The passenger seat was badly stained and nothing was on the the rental form. I took a picture making sure the date and time was showing and they didn't have a leg to stand on.
     
    #2
  3. Amin Yapusi

    Amin Yapusi Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2011
    Messages:
    35,811
    Likes Received:
    15,655
    Hopefully this informative video helps

     
    #3
  4. balkan tiger

    balkan tiger Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2014
    Messages:
    12,359
    Likes Received:
    9,478
    You are dealing with the lowest of the low, car hire firms.
    One I had was picking up at Heathrow at night drop off in Hull next day. Checked the car as good as you can in the dark checked the existing damage report and found nothing to add. At the drop of in Hull the checker went straight to the windscreen and found a small chip, like your case almost as if he knew where to look. Mine was on company account and asking to see all the damage reports for the month proceding resolved the situation.
     
    #4
  5. BillyBobBallbag

    BillyBobBallbag Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2011
    Messages:
    2,245
    Likes Received:
    562
    When ive had courtesy/company cars before they genrally get you to look round it and mark any defects on a drawing of the vehichle.
    If they havn't done that tell them to **** off it was already there.
    If they did and yoyu missed it its down to you im afraid, even if you didnt do it.
     
    #5
  6. originallambrettaman

    originallambrettaman Mod Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2011
    Messages:
    107,537
    Likes Received:
    64,732
    Asking to see the reports for the previous month is good advice.

    Outside of that you're a bit knackered, as it's entirely your responsibility for check the car when it's dropped off.

    Some places are far more casual than other, I had a car for ten days in Portugal last summer and I when I took it back to the airport there was nobody there. I gave them a call and they said 'just dump it in the car park and leave the keys on the glove box, we'll find it'. <laugh>

    When we went to the Trencin game, we hired a new 4x4 and just parked that in the airport car park, nobody came to check that either.
     
    #6
  7. dazzar86

    dazzar86 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2011
    Messages:
    2,317
    Likes Received:
    481
    I thought about it, but then thought it better to just explain when I dropped the car off - I thought showing them damage after a couple of days of having it would look like I'd done it in the 2 days I'd had it.
     
    #7
  8. dazzar86

    dazzar86 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2011
    Messages:
    2,317
    Likes Received:
    481
    It wasn't a drawing - everything I pointed out he just wrote a quick note, but like I said - I was at work and had to get back to my desk.
    The amount of little scuffs and dings on it would have taken hours to spot them all.
     
    #8
  9. BillyBobBallbag

    BillyBobBallbag Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2011
    Messages:
    2,245
    Likes Received:
    562
    then they have no actual proof of how they presented the car to you, tell them to ram it.
     
    #9
  10. dazzar86

    dazzar86 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2011
    Messages:
    2,317
    Likes Received:
    481
    I'll do that, thanks.
    But what if it wasn't on a previous report, they missed it and now they're trying to say I did what the last person using it has done?

    So frustrating! all this hassle all because a lorry driver wasn't watching the road!
     
    #10

  11. steverico

    steverico Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2013
    Messages:
    1,963
    Likes Received:
    2,632
    I lease a van and when it comes to returning it you get a list of acceptable damage and you would not believe how much damage they allow, dents smaller than a 10p piece ok scratches shorter that 4 inches ok scuff marks ok, what do hire companies expect when their cars are driven by hundreds of different drivers over two years, they write off the value of them anyway.

    If someone causes a massive dent then fair enough but scratches so what
     
    #11
  12. DMD

    DMD Eh?
    Forum Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2011
    Messages:
    60,912
    Likes Received:
    50,509
    Talking to someone a bit back that reckoned some hire companies make more on claims than they do on hire fees.

    It could well be bollocks though.
     
    #12
  13. Ernie Shackleton

    Ernie Shackleton Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2013
    Messages:
    11,310
    Likes Received:
    18,984
    They make more on bollocks?

    I mean come on. I know they've got you by the short and curlies but castration is a tad harsh, n'est-ce pas?
     
    #13
    DMD and balkan tiger like this.
  14. DMD

    DMD Eh?
    Forum Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2011
    Messages:
    60,912
    Likes Received:
    50,509

    It's what skews the stats for women drivers.
     
    #14

Share This Page