Camper van hire 'damage' charges

DoaM

fred246 wrote: »

the Judge will randomly decide depending on who they trust most

No. The judge will (or rather, should) decide on the balance of probabilities based on the evidence presented and the testimonies given by both parties.

Nickyatko

All - I run a campervan hire company and at risk of exposing myself to people who will judge me based on this occupation I'd like to offer what I do in the same circumstances...

Firstly all my Rental Agreements come with a Condition Report which includes any and all exterior and interior known defects. These are pointed out to the customer as well as asking them to look over the vehicle for any others - I actively encourage them to do this by leaving them alone whilst I get my Credit Card machine...slowly. We all then sign this. Upon return of the vehicle the customer and I do the same thing and I always ask up front if there have been any issues. If something is identified I provide the customer with quotes (if bodywork) and copy invoice/order forms for parts BEFORE deducting any amount from the Damage Deposit. I also commit to doing this within 48 hrs of the returned vehicle and don't charge any admin fee - I just want my vehicles to be in the condition the next hirer could naturally expect. Sometimes there are tough discussions and its not nice equally a small tear/bit of plastic can be forgiven - rough with the smooth.

My advice is to ask for a copy of the invoice to ensure that you are not paying more than you need to - the electrics related to the switch should still be ok so I wouldn't expect a charge for this; a switch can typically be replaced (there are general wholesalers of campervan and boat interiors) for £10 or less. The last thing is there may be an admin charge (see your T&C's) also some fitting charges in which case the invoice should show rate per hour and number of hours. When you have all this ask yourself if its reasonable...it seems expensive to me but I don't know the make, model or type of conversion....Good luck in getting at least fairness for any charge (culpability aside)

arcon5

I'd flip it on its head and make a complaint to them about the quality of the hire vehicle! A switch on a new vehicle shouldn't just break and unless you've used it forcefully I don't see why you should pay.
A switch used to turn lights on should have some durability about it.