Rental - Unjustified Damage Charges

theclarkofben

Good morning,

I'm looking for some help and advice. I've been charged £174 for scratches to the plastic hubcap of the front right wheel of a Toyota AYGO that I rented from the car rental company GREEN MOTION.

Here’s a brief overview of what happened:

- Picked up car 04/05/2013.

- Carried out inspection with Green Motion representative before rental started. No damages present.

- Declined their additional insurance packages/waivers when offered.

- Scuffed front right plastic hubcap whilst parking.

- Returned car 07/05/2013.

- Carried out inspection with Green Motion representative on return. They spotted front right hubcap scuff and told me that due to the fact that I had not taken out additional insurance waiver/cover that I would have to pay £150 for the damages.

- I was told that I would be refunded the proportion of the £150 that was not needed to repair the damages. I was told that I had to sign the vehicle condition report form and pay the £150 in order to get a receipt, invoice and copy of the form which I could then use to obtain my refund from Green Motion. I signed the form, paid the money on credit card and awaited their response.

- They filled out a vehicle condition report form and wrote ‘alloy scruff’ on the front right wheel and also took a photograph of the damages for their damage team.

Today (16/05/2013) I received the following email from Green Motion:

“Good afternoon

With regards to the damage charge, The charge for the wheel is £138.00 with a administration charge of £36.00. Total £174.00.
Just to advise you we will no longer be seeking further payment and have considered this matter closed.

Green Motion Gatwick/Heathrow (franchise)
Email. customerservices-gh@greenmotion.co.uk
Web. https://www.greenmotion.co.uk

Green Motion Gatwick and Green Motion Heathrow are operated under a franchise agreement by Goodwin Lee Investments - company registration number 06648015. VAT 922781222.”

I have replied with:

“Good morning,

I request that you send me evidence of your replacement of the wheel.

Please also provide me with the photograph taken of the damages to the wheel.

My personal opinion is that the car only incurred very minor scratch damages to the plastic hubcap of the front right wheel. In my opinion a charge of £138 for those repairs is not justified.

I await your response.”

I'm in real need of any advice you can offer as to how I can approach this situation and claim back the money that I feel has been taken unjustifiably.

Thank you for your time and help.

Ben

gazfocus

I might be wrong but if the car has alloy wheels, I don't think they have a plastic hubcap. The 'design' of the wheel is an integral part of the wheel so would need the wheel replacing.

Tilt

Can you clarify that the car had alloys? If it had a plastic wheel cover, this suggests it had normal steel rims.

I can't imagine a plastic cover costing £138. I would advise them that unless they answer your question within 7 days, you will be requesting that they re-fund your money.

InsideInsurance

If they are just plastic hub caps then they may well have simply replaced the set rather than messing around trying to find an exact match to the other 3.

Personally, I would ask for sight of the invoice for £138 to confirm exactly what they have been charged for.

DantheMan

Tilt wrote: »

Can you clarify that the car had alloys? If it had a plastic wheel cover, this suggests it had normal steel rims.

Not necessarily true, the Ford Focue, along with the Toyota Prius, both have 'alloy' wheels, although they have a plastic covering the actual wheel.

It gives the effect of an alloy wheel but reduces the cost for the manufacturer. I wonder if the Aygo is the same?

theclarkofben

The car did NOT have alloy wheels. It had standard wheels with plastic hubcaps on. I called Green Motion last week to make a point that the terminology "alloy scruff" is incorrect and their rep told me that it is a standard term that they use and does not imply that the car has alloy wheels.

gazfocus

In that case, you need to query why they are charging for a new wheel then (They have specifically stated 'Wheel' in their communication with you).

fivetide

I would also call a Toyota main dealer and find out what a new wheel trim actually costs. You can't claim a cheapy from eBay but a price from the manufacturer, plus the admin fee, would be reasonable.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Why didn't you pop into Toyota and get a new hub cap and put it on the car before returning it?

Tilt

DantheMan wrote: »

Not necessarily true, the Ford Focue, along with the Toyota Prius, both have 'alloy' wheels, although they have a plastic covering the actual wheel.

It gives the effect of an alloy wheel but reduces the cost for the manufacturer. I wonder if the Aygo is the same?

I did say "suggests" Dan!:cool:

theclarkofben

We were both upset and it was impractical to try and source a hubcap when on foot next to Heathrow Airport late in the afternoon of bank holiday Monday. We didn't really feel like we had that as an option, the Green Motion rep as assistant that we had to sign the invoice/form there and then.

Thank you for your help so far, some really good advice.

I have just sent the following email to their damage complaints department:

**Please confirm you have received and forwarded this email**

Dear Sirs,

I would like to complain with regards to the damages outlined in the below email.

The damages sustained to your Toyota AYGO reg no. FL13NFA were minor and only effected the plastic hubcap of the front right wheel which had some scratch marks.

Hubcaps for this model of car are typically sold or £10-20 for a set of four. See here as an example of a supplier: http://www.passionauto.co.uk/products/toyota-corollaaygo-14-replacement-wheel-trimscovers.html?gshopping

The term used on your 'car vehicle condition report form' stated 'alloy scruff'. This is something I disputed with your representative ******* at the time of the inspection as the car clearly did not have alloy wheels. She informed me that it didn't mean that the car necessarily had alloy wheels but was just a term used to highlight the area of damage. I also disputed this by telephone with one of your employees around one week later and was advised that it was a standard piece of Green Motion terminology and it did not imply that the car has alloy wheels.

******** and your employee that I spoke to on the telephone informed me that a photograph was taken of the damages. Please send me a copy of this photograph.

In addition, I would like a copy of the invoices/documents related to the repairs of this damage. I do not believe that the scratches to the plastic hubcap of the front right wheel could have possibly led to any major repair work such as wheel replacement. I note in the below email you state 'the charge for the wheel'. Please advise what this means.

I have attached copies of the invoice, receipt and damage report form related to this case.

I expect you to reply to this email within a reasonable amount of time. I will wait 7 working days for your reply before I proceed with further action.

I will await their reply and let you know.

Damn these companies and their unethical practises!