Damaged Hire Car Today. Need Advice Urgently!!

Toela65

Hi Everyone, this is my first post so I hope people can help and give me some good advice. I'm a long time lurker and everyone always seems so freindly, helpful and full of good advice.

I hired out a car from Enterprise Car Rentals. The terms are from 6pm Tuesday 10th November until 6pm Friday 13th November 6pm. The cost for this hire was just short of £100.

I skidded in the heavy rain today and badly scrapped the drivers side front right wing. I'd say at a guess its a simple respray of around £150 - £200. There are no dents or bumps etc.

I am really terrified of some the financial implications of this as I having severe financial difficulties and am pretty certain I won't be able to afford what they will charge for the repairs. With all this in mind I have a few questions that i would like some help with please: -

1) I have done some research and it appears most car rental companies heavily over charge for the repairs (try it on and then reduce it when you kick up fuss). Is there anyway i can protect myself so as I pay the GENUINE cost of repair. For example, can I choose where the scratches are resprayed?

2) This has only just happened in the last couple of hours. Should I report it to them first thing in the morning or wait until I take the car back at 6pm to the office.

3) I have found an car hire insurance company that provide full damage cover for £4.50 per day. I was thinking of buying this cover immediately online and then reporting the accident tomorrow and then recovering the cost of repairs to the hire car from the car hire damage insurance policy I will have just taken out. HOWEVER reading the small print it looks like there could be an issue with this as the dates won't correspond. I hired the car on Tuesday and only took out cover for the final day of the rental agreement. Would this void the car hire damage insurance policy as the dates don't correspond?

I could obviuosly come up with a reason why I only took out the policy on the 3rd/4th day of the rental period but don't know whether this would work? The policy is only £4.50 so is it worth a punt anyway? If the claim is knocked back I've only lost a fiver.

Sorry about the length of the post but I am terrified of suddenly having an unannounced £500 payment appear on my credit card (this has actually happened hundreds of times with all different car rental companies) and don't know what to do??!!

Any help or adive is gratefully appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,

Tony. :beer:

Toela65

Sorry, I should have also mentioned that the car hire company neglected to put enough petrol in the car when I picked it up. I just about got home before it died and ran out. They told me when showing me the car that although petrol light was on there was at least enough petrol left to do a 30 mile trip. I live 5 miles away and just about got home before it ran out so that was a lie and negligence on their behalf.

However, at the time (due to the message on the info screen on the inside of the car - its a 59 plate Renault Megane) it appeared to be a battery on electrics fault. They hire company came to my house the next morning (took them an hour to do a 10 min drive) and fixed the car by actually putting enough petrol in to get me to garage.

Thanks again.

SavvyMoneySaver

Toela65 wrote: »

3) I have found an car hire insurance company that provide full damage cover for £4.50 per day. I was thinking of buying this cover immediately online and then reporting the accident tomorrow and then recovering the cost of repairs to the hire car from the car hire damage insurance policy I will have just taken out. HOWEVER reading the small print it looks like there could be an issue with this as the dates won't correspond. I hired the car on Tuesday and only took out cover for the final day of the rental agreement. Would this void the car hire damage insurance policy as the dates don't correspond?

I could obviuosly come up with a reason why I only took out the policy on the 3rd/4th day of the rental period but don't know whether this would work? The policy is only £4.50 so is it worth a punt anyway? If the claim is knocked back I've only lost a fiver.

Don't go down this route. Insurance is there to cover possible eventualities. You can't take it out after the fact. Unless of course you forget to mention that the accident has already taken place, in which case you will be committing fraud which would undoubtedly be discovered by the dodgy timing of taking out the insurance cover and will only add to your problems.

Crabman

I've seen advice here and on other forums saying you could simply get the damage repaired yourself, so the car hire company effectively won't know about it when it comes to the inspection upon return of the hire car. Although if it's due for return at 6pm on Friday you don't have much time.

Regarding the petrol issue it depends what the contract/terms say - was it supposed to have a full tank which you return full? Or a full tank that you can return empty? Or an empty tank where fuel was your responsibility? If you believe they're in breach of contract and it has caused you loss/damage or inconvenience in terms of lost rental time you may have a right to compensation whether that's a goodwill gesture from them or via the small claims court.

PasturesNew

When you took the hhire car away it will have been insured. Your payment will be limited to the excess on that policy.

There would be no benefit taking out a new car policy. Even if you could get it covered, there might be a clause in there that you fall foul of - and, the car would then be double-insured, so you'll have wasted your time/effort. The car hire company would claim off their insurance and you'd only be liable for the excess and the 2nd insurance wouldn't be entertained. And, yes it would look very suspicious and you might end up being found out and not insured at all.

As for petrol, there are only two systems a hire place can operate:
1] what's in there's in there
2] vehicle refilled every time it's brought back, so sent out full

The first one is easiest. The second one takes time and manpower to achieve, so isn't often the done thing

The fact it ran out is unfortunate and a bit of a s0d, but sometimes these things just happen. Two people made a mistake: they over-estimated how long it would last with the light on, you trusted their word for it.

Toela65

SavvyMoneySaver wrote: »

Don't go down this route. Insurance is there to cover possible eventualities. You can't take it out after the fact. Unless of course you forget to mention that the accident has already taken place, in which case you will be committing fraud which would undoubtedly be discovered by the dodgy timing of taking out the insurance cover and will only add to your problems.

Exactly the conclusion I have came too. I just feel utterly powerless. They can charge me whatever they like for the costs of the repairs to hire car, charge it straight from my credit card as they have the details already without even notifying me or sending me a bill, and there seems to be nothing I can do besides complain or kick up a fuss. I don't have any real protection or law or legislation or anything to protect me from being over charged for the repairs to the hire car.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

even if you took out the hire for extended period you wouldnt get that fixed in time being a 59 plate the panel would have to be ordered from renault wich may take some time then matching the paint and then painting you looking at a 2-3day turn around in getting it back if you went private repairer, meganes have plastic arches (i maybe wrong) and desinged to pop back to shape in a collision you dont know weather youve caused more hidden damage than you think and wont know till the wing is removed if youve give it a good clout then you may have bent the frame that the engine get its support from and the car will not be road worthy or safe if a moutain is weakened think of the person who has to drive that car next he/she may have kids. i affraid yoll have to come clean with enterpise. dont take out that cover they will smell a rat if you claim and could prosocute for fraud.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Toela65 wrote: »

Exactly the conclusion I have came too. I just feel utterly powerless. They can charge me whatever they like for the costs of the repairs to hire car, charge it straight from my credit card as they have the details already without even notifying me or sending me a bill, and there seems to be nothing I can do besides complain or kick up a fuss. I don't have any real protection or law or legislation or anything to protect me from being over charged for the repairs to the hire car.

check the agreement contract you signed when you hired the car. and offer to get the car repaired (doubt theyll agree) but first off get a estimate or quote from a repairer that include vat and labour. youll then know if theyre streching the costs a bit

Toela65

Crabman wrote: »

I've seen advice here and on other forums saying you could simply get the damage repaired yourself, so the car hire company effectively won't know about it when it comes to the inspection upon return of the hire car. Although if it's due for return at 6pm on Friday you don't have much time.

Regarding the petrol issue it depends what the contract/terms say - was it supposed to have a full tank which you return full? Or a full tank that you can return empty? Or an empty tank where fuel was your responsibility? If you believe they're in breach of contract and it has caused you loss/damage or inconvenience in terms of lost rental time you may have a right to compensation whether that's a goodwill gesture from them or via the small claims court.

Exactly what I was thinking I will read the agreement copy that I have and the small print. They verbally assured me there was at least 30-40 miles worth of petrol in the car and rthere was five. Because of this info I did not believe that when the car would not start as soon as I got it back home that it could be due to no petrol. I assumed it was the battery or electrical as I was under the belief that there was 30-40 miles worth of petrol in the tank and I had only travelled 5 miles.

Due to this mis-information I lost use of the car, for which |i had paid a lot of money from approx 1815 Tues eveing until 1030 hrs the following morning when they came to my house to fix it. So I lost around 16 hours of hire time due to their mis-information.

When I rang the hire company first thing in the morning after discovering the car wouldn't start, the fella I spoke to on the phone straight away said "it'll have ran out of petrol" and was adamant about this regardless of me telling him what I was told the previous eveing. It was like he knew all along there was nowhere near 30-40 miles worth of petrol in the car and bascially lied to me the previous evening.

Thanks for the comments and help guys its appreciated. please keep them coming. I really really cannot afford to have this car repaired so i don't nkow what I'm going to do or where I stand.

SavvyMoneySaver

You will not have to pay the full cost of the repair only the excess on the policy you are insured under. Read the small print of the paperwork or contact Enterprise directly to find out how much it's going to cost.

The petrol or lack of it is an entirely separate issue. You need to take it up with the company to see if they are prepared to recompense for lost motoring hours.

Good luck getting it sorted.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Toela65 wrote: »

Exactly what I was thinking I will read the agreement copy that I have and the small print. They verbally assured me there was at least 30-40 miles worth of petrol in the car and rthere was five. Because of this info I did not believe that when the car would not start as soon as I got it back home that it could be due to no petrol. I assumed it was the battery or electrical as I was under the belief that there was 30-40 miles worth of petrol in the tank and I had only travelled 5 miles.

Due to this mis-information I lost use of the car, for which |i had paid a lot of money from approx 1815 Tues eveing until 1030 hrs the following morning when they came to my house to fix it. So I lost around 16 hours of hire time due to their mis-information.

When I rang the hire company first thing in the morning after discovering the car wouldn't start, the fella I spoke to on the phone straight away said "it'll have ran out of petrol" and was adamant about this regardless of me telling him what I was told the previous eveing. It was like he knew all along there was nowhere near 30-40 miles worth of petrol in the car and bascially lied to me the previous evening.

Thanks for the comments and help guys its appreciated. please keep them coming. I really really cannot afford to have this car repaired so i don't nkow what I'm going to do or where I stand.

as for the fuel thing you aint got no leg to stand on to claim as someone verbally told you that, that was 30-40 miles worth the car told you it needed fuel as the light was on and a visual display also told you it needed fuel. what would you do if your car was on the red? fill it up yes. as for the bump you really cant get out of not telling them you may also be in breach of your contract for not allerting the straight away even if it was only you involved no third party, these hire/rent a car places have high excess for a reason so the insurance cover isnt through the roof for just a few days. check the contract write down the excess they have stated if any in the contract if they charge more hold em to the excess stated. photocopy the contract if need be so you have back up copies incase you lose them. sorry this aint very helpfull i know how gutting it is to bump a car i hope u r ok not too much in shock. being a 59 plate a may have to go to main dealer repairer to be fixed not cheap!