Charged £125 damage fee for 3mm scratch on rental car

[ymu]

I used to use a company called Hire-a-Heap in Cambridge. Ten year old beaten-up Fords with RAC cover, run out of a normal backstreet garage. No damage inspection before or after, bring 'em back as empty as you dare.

If you can track down a place that does it like this, they're much cheaper and much less hassle. Few and far between though. Rent-a-wreck doesn't really seem to have made it over here yet.

 

[EM3]

Hello
I had a similar problem with Europcar, being charged over £700 for scratches on the roof of the car. I was advised by a solicitor to contact ECRS The ECRCS handles cross-border car rental complaints occurring in Europe:-ecrcs@ecrcs.eu with evidence disputing the claim and they dealt with it on my behalf. The outcome was in my favour.

 

[hash tag]

I don't think £125 is too bad to repair a scratch and would guess a scratch repair company would charge nearly that to come and repair it.

Apart from the obvious things already mentioned re photo's, Tcut Etc. You could ensure the car (area) was very dirty when you return the car when you return it or get a small bottle of paint, which is what I did for someone else when they got a small scratch on a hire car they had, which hid it nicely on return.

 

[not-bono-ever]

I have an excess policy for £30 or something that I (hope) covers this kinda issue. I always take a film of the car as well when the reps are present, just to ensure that issues are picked up and both parties know where they stand. Saying that, the vast majority of renters are straight and not looking to rip you off

 

[Dogsauce]

I used a lwb van in July to move house, when I took it back there was a 5cm scratch on one side, couldn't figure out where it happened but there was a streak of dirt continuing from it which indicated it was fresh. Only thing I think it could have been was that when we were parked in the loading dock bit of the block of flats they were loading in building materials for the development next door and something might have scraped against it (wasn't somewhere that it could have been caused when driving).

Anyhow, I accepted it had happened on my watch. I hadn't paid the extra excess protection from the company but had taken out a cheaper third-party policy with £100 excess. The hire company took out £1150 from my credit card as that was their excess, but said the repair would be about £200 and they'd refund the difference, and they'd look at it on Monday for a quote to determine this.

I heard nothing for a couple of weeks, chased them by phone, told it hadn't been looked at yet. A few weeks later I was concerned the credit card payment would then come out of my bank as nothing had been refunded, which was going to screw me a bit. Phoned again, still no decision. Money came out, ouch. I couldn't reclaim on the third party insurance until I had the paperwork from Enterprise. Chased them a couple more times over the following month, telling them how pissed off I was.

Eventually I spoke a couple of weeks ago, and they said that because they hadn't managed to sort it out they'd refunded my excess in full at the end of September. Doesn't say much for their competence, but a win for me . Not sure how I get the money back off my credit card though!


Another thing I wondered about due to this incident - if I had made a claim on the excess protection insurance for this small scratch, would that have been recorded as an insurance claim that could have affected my own car insurance premium?

 

[Pickman's model]

As the title thread says. I guess contractually I'm fucked, but I still find the amount charged fucking exhorbitant. Not to mention the fact that we did not think we needed a microscope when we inspected it on collection. I certainly did not scratch it and I very much doubt somebody else did. The car was backed up against a wall when we collected it and for all I know the scratch was there.

Anything I can do? Has anyone got any experience in contesting such charges or at least reducing the amount to something less eye watering? The rental company involved is one of the big ones- probably the biggest.

PS For what is worth the card I used for the rental is currently maxed up so they will have been unable to take any money yet.

how did this end, t & p?

 

[Pickman's model]

I don't think £125 is too bad to repair a scratch and would guess a scratch repair company would charge nearly that to come and repair it.

Apart from the obvious things already mentioned re photo's, Tcut Etc. You could ensure the car (area) was very dirty when you return the car when you return it or get a small bottle of paint, which is what I did for someone else when they got a small scratch on a hire car they had, which hid it nicely on return.

yeh. but this is from 2013 when £125 was worth something.

 

[T & P]

how did this end, t & p?

Avis charged my credit card for the scratch, and eventually I lost heart regarding trying to get the charge reversed or reduced, and just decided never to use Avis again, which I have not and will not. I have no doubt AVIS UK has an policy of trying to find grounds for any damage claim however small the damage might be, and the employees are instructed to look meticulously for it and are given targets to meet. I have rented Avis in the Continent and their approach to vehicle inspection is far more relaxed, and what you wuold expect. But here in the UK? Thieving cunts of the highest fucking order.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Just take the tip-top, no excess insurance they offer and crash the motor into their offices at the end of the rental.

 

[hash tag]

Don't take tip top insurance, ever. If you ever read holiday or money problems, this is a constant source of complaint by people being ripped of. Proceed with caution!

 

[StoneRoad]

My OH and I hire for a log weekend at least once a month.
Having been ripped off for "chips n scratches" by Eur0pecar ... then when a friend managed to lock the key inside and had a massive headache and excess charge to sort that out ...
Have gone over to enterpr15e - largely problem free, their chips n scratches policy is getting easier to apply and understand - and we are well known at the various branches we use. Usually, one of use deals with the hire and the other does the inspection, but if the car is wet, I note that on the form ... the main contention has been the amount of fuel, they owe us about 2/3 of a tank so far - when it gets to 3/4 the agreement is to take it off the next full tank, ie return at 1/4.
Had several "rent a heap" disasters ... including with van hire over the years. Also had a wing mirror smashed off after parking (in a marked bay) by an incoming car, in their car park, as we were in the office returning it. They tried to blame us, but the bits were on the floor and the other driver admitted it as did the cctv ...

 

[Spymaster]

Don't take tip top insurance, ever. If you ever read holiday or money problems, this is a constant source of complaint by people being ripped of. Proceed with caution!

I've used Avis for years and have always taken it (assuming you mean excess waiver insurance) and subsequently never been charged a penny for damage to a hire car, whether or not I've caused it.

Most of the time it costs about a fiver a day and is well worth it, imo. You can get stand alone excess waiver insurance cheaper, but you have to pay-up in the first place then claim back from the other insurer, which would be a pain in the arse. The saving's not worth the bother. I'd rather pay the extra £5/day and forget about it.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Don't take tip top insurance, ever. If you ever read holiday or money problems, this is a constant source of complaint by people being ripped of. Proceed with caution!

I like that you only take issue with the tip top insurance aspect of Bahnhof Strasse's post

 

[Enviro]

I've used Avis for years and have always taken it (assuming you mean excess waiver insurance) and subsequently never been charged a penny for damage to a hire car, whether or not I've caused it.

Most of the time it costs about a fiver a day and is well worth it, imo. You can get stand alone excess waiver insurance cheaper, but you have to pay-up in the first place then claim back from the other insurer, which would be a pain in the arse. The saving's not worth the bother. I'd rather pay the extra £5/day and forget about it.

The cheapest additional cover I could find on their website a moment ago was £17.50 per day.

I use a hire car every month and have never had an issue. Except for the one time that the windscreen was knackered. Had to pay about £230 for that- though around £60 of that was four days hire to get it fixed. Four days! To fix a windscreen! Bollocks, that is, surely?

 

[Spymaster]

The cheapest additional cover I could find on their website a moment ago was £17.50 per day.

More expensive in the UK apparently (I've only hired cars here once or twice). But if there's that much difference, look into a stand alone policy.

 

[weltweit]

The cheapest additional cover I could find on their website a moment ago was £17.50 per day.

I use a hire car every month and have never had an issue. Except for the one time that the windscreen was knackered. Had to pay about £230 for that- though around £60 of that was four days hire to get it fixed. Four days! To fix a windscreen! Bollocks, that is, surely?

Autoglass usually come and do it in a couple of hours. But you have to book a slot.

 

[Enviro]

Autoglass usually come and do it in a couple of hours. But you have to book a slot.

I think it's frowned upon (or in contravention of the T's + C's) to have independent repairs carried out to hire vehicles, or else I'd definitely have done this.

 

[weltweit]

I think it's frowned upon (or in contravention of the T's + C's) to have independent repairs carried out to hire vehicles, or else I'd definitely have done this.

I didn't really mean that you could do it, I was meaning that they (the hire car company) could use Autoglass to do it - and it need not take long.

 

[Enviro]

Well, quite.

I did enquire about seeing some sort of paperwork demonstrating that the repair was not completed until the fourth day (this was a premptive charge and I was told that I would get a refund if it was carried out in a shorter time frame (lol, yeah right)) - of course no paperwork was produced and the guy speaking to me seemed a little flustered when I asked for this.

 

[sheothebudworths]

Just take the tip-top, no excess insurance they offer and crash the motor into their offices at the end of the rental.

Real life LOL

 

[sim667]

Just take the tip-top, no excess insurance they offer and crash the motor into their offices at the end of the rental.

 

[flypanam]

Am st home and rented a car in Dublin with enterprise. Had to wait 30 minutes to be seen. when the rep got round to they showed me the minor in a poorly lit garage. I filmed the car noticing a large scratch. Mentioned it and the rep said ‘yeah I know about it’ then rushed me through the process. Off I popped and was just pulling into stoneybatter when I noticed a bag in the back seat.

Intrigued I pulled over. Opened the boot and there was three suitcases there. went back and returned the suitcases as two tourists were having a melt down over their luggage. Finally got to stoneybatter, get out and then I notice the fucking hub cans are scratched and cracked. Was not my doing, just wondering if they diliberately passed on a damaged motor? Anything I can do?

 

[Pickman's model]

Teaboy

 

[joustmaster]

Am st home and rented a car in Dublin with enterprise. Had to wait 30 minutes to be seen. when the rep got round to they showed me the minor in a poorly lit garage. I filmed the car noticing a large scratch. Mentioned it and the rep said ‘yeah I know about it’ then rushed me through the process. Off I popped and was just pulling into stoneybatter when I noticed a bag in the back seat.

Intrigued I pulled over. Opened the boot and there was three suitcases there. went back and returned the suitcases as two tourists were having a melt down over their luggage. Finally got to stoneybatter, get out and then I notice the fucking hub cans are scratched and cracked. Was not my doing, just wondering if they diliberately passed on a damaged motor? Anything I can do?

Is it marked up on your copy of the vehicle check?

 

[flypanam]

Right must check that. Good point.

 

[Grump]

A friend of mine used to rent a car every weekend for work purposes at Stansted airport, he mentioned that almost every time he went to the hire desk there would be people at the next desk, for Green Motion, having a screaming argument because they were being charged ludicrous excesses for supposed damage. Yesterdays Guardian reports that agree Motion have been black listed by insurance excess companies due to these blatant rip offs. If hoy hire a car first get an insurance excess online, there are plenty of them.

 

[hash tag]

We are away with a large hire car. There days, if the scratch is smaller than a 10p piece, does not go down to bare metal or is on plastic trim they tend not to bother with it. On our car there is a considerable scratch on the offside mirror. We can't remember if it was there before we got the car or not and we're told no one would worry about it

 

[not-bono-ever]

A friend of mine used to rent a car every weekend for work purposes at Stansted airport, he mentioned that almost every time he went to the hire desk there would be people at the next desk, for Green Motion, having a screaming argument because they were being charged ludicrous excesses for supposed damage. Yesterdays Guardian reports that agree Motion have been black listed by insurance excess companies due to these blatant rip offs. If hoy hire a car first get an insurance excess online, there are plenty of them.

Green motion are goldcar by another name - google them - their business model seems to be profit from the damage claims rather than the rental itself.
never ever bloody goldcar anything ever

 

[flypanam]

Is it marked up on your copy of the vehicle check?

No. None of the scratches or hub cap damage is. Good job I took a video of the car. Though fully expect to have to pay

 

[T & P]

A little bump. Sixt has failed me for the first time, and in Spain as well where even the likes of Avis, who behave like cunts here, are pretty fair and relaxed about damage.

I got an email today informing me their office in Murcia has found a 10 cm deep scratch on one of the doors after my rental. I cannot access the images they sent anymore but it is so faint it doesn’t show at all in the image showing the entire door, only in a close up shot.

The car was pristine when I returned it and in the images I took no scratch is visible (though tbf neither was in their own image). But no employee came to greet us and check the car, and when I went to their car park porta cabin office 20 metres away they took the keys and told me no need for me to wait and that they’d check it later. So for all I know they didn’t check for hours and someone retuning a car next to ours scratched it as they brushed past it. Either way, do they have a legal right to charge me with the damage when the car was returned during business hours and they failed to check it with me present?