Problems with car hire company

lolik

I would like to find out whether or not there is anything here that I can do with regards a van hire that went wrong.

Last month I hired a van from a rental company- because I can't drive, I asked a friend to be the driver. We were supposed to pick the van up at 9am, but as it was late to be returned, we didn't pick it up until 10.30am. Anyway, when we got there we were informed that as I wasn't going to be the driver, I couldn't hire the van in my name- it had to be done in my friend's name, to which she agreed (the booking that I made in my name online was ok though). There was then a problem as it turned out that the driver had to be in full time employment, which my friend isn't. She said that the only job she has is as a volunteer once a week, which apparently was fine. We were then shown a piece of paper with a rectangle and a circle on it and explained that any damage to the van within the two shapes we would not be liable for. We were then offered additional insurances- one for the wheels and the windows and one for the body. We took out the one that covered wheels, bumpers and the windows. We also paid a £200 deposit.

We then went to view the van which was parked at the forecourt. We were told to check the lower body of the van and the windows for any scratches/ rust/ chips, etc. Everything looked fine, so we signed the paperwork and off we went.

Once we got into the van we found rubbish in those door side pockets- whatever they are called as well as receipts behind the sun shields, but hey, it was a tight turnaround, so maybe they didn't have the time to check and clean properly, said we. We also found the loading bit full of soil, which had to be swept- basically it clearly wasn't cleaned on return.

Anyway, the hire was supposed to be for a day, but because of the late pick up, we were running behind by 2 hours by then. When it became obvious that we wouldn't be able to return the van back on time, I called the hire company to find out whether it would be possible to extend the hire for the night. Please note that my friend wasn't with me at the time- she had to dash off on a school run. I made it clear that I wasn't the person that had hired the van or the cardholder on their system- to which the agent replied that it didn't matter, as she already put the extra day through. All I wanted to find out was whether the van was available for the extra day hire.

The next day we returned the van at 11am. Went inside, handed the paperwork and said that unfortunately we scratched the bumper. To which the agent said that it was ok and not to worry. We also didn't put the diesel in as the hire company charged less than the petrol garage. Again, the agent said that it was ok, and we didn't need to pay as we only did 15 miles. He then went to check the van and returned within seconds without saying a word, but jumped straight onto the computer searching for something. He actually looked as if his life depended on it- the change in the way he behaved before going outside and after was massive. He looked very stressed all of a sudden. Eventually he told us that there was a dent and we had to pay £1.1k- well my friend had to pay it as it were her details they had on file. We refused, asked to show where it was. He showed it to us and there indeed was a tiny dent at the top of the van, approximately 6 feet up from the ground. Thing is, the dent was so small that it could only be seen from one certain angle- if you moved or stood in front of it, it was invisible. Also, the agent swiped his hand over it and removed a lot of dust, suggesting that the dent had been there for a while. So after a bit of arguing, it was eventually concluded that if we didn't agree with it, we could complain to the head office but the £200 deposit would be held by them, which we did. There was no reply for 4 weeks, after which an email came through saying that as we signed the paperwork, we agreed to their terms so we had to pay. A few days later they then refunded the deposit, for some reason. Now 2 weeks since their last email they sent my friend an invoice for just under £800, to be paid within 14 days from the date on the letter, which was 13th. The invoice arrived on the 18th of June. Thing is, she only told me about this invoice on Sunday night.

So, if you have got this far, is there anything that we can do to dispute this? Anyone to contact? I have been going over and over in my head as to how we could have damaged the van that high up, and I just have no idea. Had it been to the lower body then yes, but 6 feet up? And the way that the guy behaved at the office just makes both of us feel that we are being used as scapegoats. Neither one of us can afford the charge- she is unemployed, and I have no money to spare after the house move. Can she offer to pay in instalments? Any advice or suggestions will the greatly appreciated.