Hertz Super Cover doesn't include tyres?

nickers

I just had a 3 day rental with Hertz and although we took out their Super Cover insurance at £12 extra per day to insure the excess, we had a flat tyre and apparently it doesn't include tyre damage so we have had to pay the £125 excess. Is there any point fighting this or is this a done deal? Nobody told us when we took the excess insurance out that it didn't include tyres, and when we dropped the car off it wasn't mentioned then either. Surely this is unfair, as they could just put a dodgy tyre on the car and wait for it to blow for the poor customer to fork out for!
I know I'm probably up against a brick wall here but I needed a rant!!

mcjordi

A LOT OF hire companys dont insure the tyres

£125 for a tyre jesus, should have got the puncture reapair for a max of a tenner

mattymoo

Did you return it with a flat?
Like mcjordi says, I would have got it repaired or replaced at local kwik fit type place and they would have had no grounds for taking the excess from you.

nickers

Yes we changed it and returned it with the temporary tyre on it, as we had no idea we would be charged - yes we should have read the small print but who does?! I will know next time!!
By the way, does anyone know if the general excess insurance you can buy covers tyres?

lisyloo

Nobody told us when we took the excess insurance out that it didn't include tyres

I would be 99.9% certain that you would have been provided with paper documentation or clicked a link to say that you read and understood the terms and conditions.

yes we should have read the small print but who does?!

I know what you mean and I appreciate that it's very difficult to read the whole lot, but I do tend to spend 5 minutes understanding at a high level the cover that I've taken and whether it's suitable for my needs.
There is usually a "what is covered" and "what is not covered" section, so I don't find it takes much more than 5-10 minutes, although I admit that I read the important sections and not the whole lot.

Surely this is unfair, as they could just put a dodgy tyre on the car and wait for it to blow for the poor customer to fork out for!

You should be checking tyres before you drive everytime anyway, but certainly before you pick up a hire car you should check the condition and note down any problems on the paperwork.
If you just sign it and say it's fine, then they are entitled to accept that this is what you believe.

I appreciate how you feel about hire car companies as I feel the same, but I honestly don't think there is anything you can do here.
It's just on of those things and one of the risks that comes with hiring a car.