Dodgy van hire - advice needed

zann77

At the weekend I hired a van from a local company. They knew it would be travelling a long distance from SE London to the Cotswolds. I got there OK but on the way back it lost all power and broke down. We rang the company's breakdown service and the chap said that the van had been filled up with the wrong fuel previously and that although the engine had been cleaned it was still having problems. He said that he had told the hire company that that particular van should not be used for long journeys. We then called the RAC, the recovery guy said that the van was is very bad condition generally and that the fan belt was about to snap. We had to be towed all the way back to London.

Despite asking for a refund, the van hire company is refusing to give us our money back. The company clearly knew the van was unfit for long journeys. Can anyone offer any advice on what I can do to get my money back? I paid in full on a debit card beforehand. Can I report them to anyone?

MamaMoo_2

What additional costs did you incur due to the van'a poor condition?

vaio

it might have taken longer but hopefully you'll have saved the fuel for the return trip as you did it on the back of a transporter

societys_child

Not sure why you want your money back?

ThumbRemote

How long were you delayed on the return? If it's excessive I'd ask for an amount as a goodwill gesture, but you're unlikely to be entitled to anything.

lucy03

If you can find any measurable losses which you incurred you could claim for them. You might be able to add on a few pounds for phone calls and the like but beyond that I suspect you'd struggle to claim anything else.