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Scratch on returned hire car
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Wondered what people's opinions are on the following. How far should I fight this? Please bear with me, there's a bit of explaining to do...
I hired a car a month or so ago whilst waiting for a new car to be delivered. When they delivered the hire car, it had numerous scratches and chips and these were (mostly) noted on a condition report.
When the hire car was collected, I signed another condition report, the original report was not present during this inspection.
A week later I get a damage invoice from the company for nearly £190 to repair a scratch.
Now I'm pretty sure this scratch wasn't caused during the period I had the car. I washed and checked it before it was collected. I can't be 100% sure of course, but in my opinion their evidence is spurious.
Firstly, the two condition reports were of different types. One was a checklist and the second was a diagram of the vehicle. It's not easy to tell what's what, with the amount of scratches already on the vehicle.
There was a scratch on the bumper when they delivered the car that was not noted when it was collected (it must have disappeared!)
The actual highlight on the collection report shows a circle half over the wheel and half over the rear wing with an S. The key on the report does not signify an S, it says use / for scratches.
On the delivery report there is damage reported to the wheel trims, so I believe this is what the collection report was highlighting not a scratch.
The vehicle did have quite a few scratches and chips already, so this may have been missed on the delivery report. Possibly my oversight I know, I will go over future cars with a fine toothcomb.
I put my concerns in writing and they did not reply. I called up and spoke to the person in accounts who sent the invoice and they basically dismissed it, repeatedly saying 'no'. They wouldn't enter into any useful discussion. They asked me if I was just complaining because the delivery and collection reports were different types. They would not let me speak to anyone else to discuss and said it would be passed to legal.
Please give your honest opinion, I'm fully prepared to pay up if I think on the balance of probabilities I did cause this, but I'm not convinced and am aware of hire companies 'trying it on'.
Do you think they have sufficient evidence to state I caused this scratch? Both forms were signed by me, but I don't think the damage is clear considering the condition of the car and the different methods of report.
I hired a car a month or so ago whilst waiting for a new car to be delivered. When they delivered the hire car, it had numerous scratches and chips and these were (mostly) noted on a condition report.
When the hire car was collected, I signed another condition report, the original report was not present during this inspection.
A week later I get a damage invoice from the company for nearly £190 to repair a scratch.
Now I'm pretty sure this scratch wasn't caused during the period I had the car. I washed and checked it before it was collected. I can't be 100% sure of course, but in my opinion their evidence is spurious.
Firstly, the two condition reports were of different types. One was a checklist and the second was a diagram of the vehicle. It's not easy to tell what's what, with the amount of scratches already on the vehicle.
There was a scratch on the bumper when they delivered the car that was not noted when it was collected (it must have disappeared!)
The actual highlight on the collection report shows a circle half over the wheel and half over the rear wing with an S. The key on the report does not signify an S, it says use / for scratches.
On the delivery report there is damage reported to the wheel trims, so I believe this is what the collection report was highlighting not a scratch.
The vehicle did have quite a few scratches and chips already, so this may have been missed on the delivery report. Possibly my oversight I know, I will go over future cars with a fine toothcomb.
I put my concerns in writing and they did not reply. I called up and spoke to the person in accounts who sent the invoice and they basically dismissed it, repeatedly saying 'no'. They wouldn't enter into any useful discussion. They asked me if I was just complaining because the delivery and collection reports were different types. They would not let me speak to anyone else to discuss and said it would be passed to legal.
Please give your honest opinion, I'm fully prepared to pay up if I think on the balance of probabilities I did cause this, but I'm not convinced and am aware of hire companies 'trying it on'.
Do you think they have sufficient evidence to state I caused this scratch? Both forms were signed by me, but I don't think the damage is clear considering the condition of the car and the different methods of report.
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Comments
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This sounds like they don't have your credit card details, so they would have to pursue you for the money - which is, of course, a much better situation for you thanif you had to chase them for a refund.
My advice is to send a clear letter registered / signed for, statíng that
a) the vehicle was in a poor condition when you took delivery, as witnessed by the first condition report;
b) you did not cause any additional damage;
c) the second condition report (upon collection) is unreliable as things have been missed which the first one stated; therefore there is a good chance the scratch in question was present upon delivery, but went unnoted among the other damage;
d) an individual repair to that particular scratch may not be warranted as an economical solution, given that much other damage was present.
I doubt they would take you to court over such a (relatively) small sum given the administrative work that would involve for them. A firm letter will demonstrate you are willing to go all the way - without actually committing you to anything.
Good luck!0 -
Agree with takecare. You have nothing to lose by pointing out that in this case the reports were not very acurate. Also a lesson learnt!0
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I would agree that if the collection report has missed items that were listed on the original report then you have a strong case that the scratch may well have been missed on the original.
I imagine they know very well that the hirer being charged may not have caused the damage, but in the absense of any other evidence it seems they just bill and hope they pay up. The cynical would say that they pay a chip/scratch repair franchise £50 per repair and pocket the £140 difference as an "administration" fee.
Gareth0 -
The fact there were many scratches already on the vehicle suggest they don't repair each one individually. Therefore £190 is very steep!
I wouldn't be suprised if they got the whole lot done for a couple of hundred quid and pocketed the dozen or so payments they got for damage. A nice little earner! I don't really want to go down the road of the cost with them, as I'm dubious the damage was caused by me at all.
What I found annoying was the person I spoke to in accounts was obviously only interested in getting the invoice paid, they weren't prepared to listen to my reasoning. I asked to esculate it as I wasn't satisfied with the response and they told me it would be passed to their legal team.
After I got the original bill they told me to put it in writing, which I did. I sent it twice before I even got an acknowledgement. I had to call after they sent another invoice.0 -
What I found annoying was the person I spoke to in accounts was obviously only interested in getting the invoice paid, they weren't prepared to listen to my reasoning. I asked to esculate it as I wasn't satisfied with the response and they told me it would be passed to their legal team.
That's their job in accounts. If you want to speak to them again, see if you can find someone in customer services.
Then again, is it worth the bother? Make sure you have put all your arguments in writing and you have proof they received it.
At the end of the day, the onus is on them to prove you did the damage - and all they seem to have is some inconclusive paperwork. Personally, I'd sit back and relax and maybe prepare to write one more letter to their "legal team" as and when.0 -
If I ever get a car that has more than a couple of scratches, I always annotate the report something like "too much damage to individually itemise".
Have never had any problems with that......0 -
I had to use a tow truck recently. As well as the usual form, the collecting driver went around the whole car with a small hand sized video camera. Something I'll do in future as I've been screwed as well, albeit in Spain and only for 40 Euro0
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The fact there were many scratches already on the vehicle suggest they don't repair each one individually. Therefore £190 is very steep!
I wouldn't be suprised if they got the whole lot done for a couple of hundred quid and pocketed the dozen or so payments they got for damage. A nice little earner! I don't really want to go down the road of the cost with them, as I'm dubious the damage was caused by me at all.
What I found annoying was the person I spoke to in accounts was obviously only interested in getting the invoice paid, they weren't prepared to listen to my reasoning. I asked to esculate it as I wasn't satisfied with the response and they told me it would be passed to their legal team.
After I got the original bill they told me to put it in writing, which I did. I sent it twice before I even got an acknowledgement. I had to call after they sent another invoice.
Hire cars rarely get repaired or refurbished by the hire companies. Unless the vehicle is new that month it is unlikely to see any workshop. The hire companies use the ruse of scratches as a profit centre. Make a scratch on the wing - that's £50 please. But whilst they charge you full retail for the repair, they just take the hit at auction. Lets say there's 8 scratches and a couple of bumper scuffs on a car. The company charges each renter £50 each for repair. Then they auction the vehicle after 6 months and take a £250 loss from book price because of the condition. They've still made £250 profit from non-existant repairs.
If you get caught out then ask to see a repair invoice.The man without a signature.0 -
I agree I think the scrtach is the biggest scam around I recently queried it when changing a hire car over. The receptionist stated that "All cars were checked and condition noted before it was hired out"
Great says I where is my new car....
Driver took to me to new car which had a couple of scratches marked on the sheet. When I was finished I had managed to get the to annotate the diagram with mutiple scrtaches on every body panel (bar one)......I was gutted when I couldn't find one on the roof!!! :rotfl:0 -
Hi, I recently hired a car from sixt it was new and when I returned they found a small scratch in the middle of the roof. I cant say if it was there before but was not marked down. It was probably from a stone on the motorway. this was on a europe road trip so picked up the car in belgium and dropped it off in rotterdam and now the car is in Germany. These things happen it was almost nothing and I was told they would get back to me. I have since recieved a bill for 450 euro. I cant believe this as it was not down to the metal and was really small. They have my credit card details and I have cover upto 500 euro. What can I do or am I trying to fight a losing battle?0
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