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Car damaged in hotel car park
rebeccamain
Posts: 3 Newbie
Hi! Looking for some advice...
We booked a night at an airport hotel as we were going away for 3 nights/4 days. The rate included free shuttles to and from the airport, and also free car parking for 15 days. The hotel has a car park A and B, we parked in car park A, in a quiet spot, and when we entered the hotel they explained that parking in A was fine tonight as B was full. (B used for long stays). They handed an envelope which had details we had to fill out about the car, e.g. mileage, make, model, reg. Our car keys had to be placed inside the envelope and handed into reception before we left for the airport. The envelope also had a section that the hotel had to fill out, and it stated that “body panel pictures” would be taken on arrival “for added security and trust while your vehicle is in our possession.” We were aware that the car may be moved as that’s what was stated on the envelope.
When we arrived back from our holiday and got to the hotel, we picked up the keys from reception. We found that they had moved the car to a busier section of the car park when we returned. We proceeded to check the car and discovered that there was a scrape on the passenger side. We went back into the hotel and told reception what had happened, they apologised and the man came out to take photos of the car. Whilst he was outside, with myself and my boyfriend, we asked how this would be dealt with. He said that “they would get it fixed for us,” but we stated that we live 4 hours from the hotel and asked how that would work. He specifically said that they would “transfer money to us and that would be it sorted” which we thought was reasonable. When we went back into hotel the lady who was also on reception apologised again, and said they would make sure to get it sorted for us. She filled out an incident form explained it would be passed onto the “transport manager” and they would need to look through all 24 hours of CCTV for each day the car was parked. This was fine. We left assuming it was going to be sorted, she advised us to contact the hotel within 48 hours had we not heard.
Since making contact with the hotel today, they have said they can’t see anything on their “HD CCTV”. The car was definitely not damaged when we left it. The scrape was fresh. We have requested the body panel pictures that supposedly should have been taken on our arrival, but it doesn’t sound like they were. They are now trying to say they’re not responsible for our car which was left. Although both people at reception said it would be sorted, and the man said the hotel would pay for it. I can’t seem to understand how they’re now not responsible for it, considering they moved the car whilst it was in their possession and we had to leave the car keys at reception? We never signed or seen anything that said they weren’t responsible for it. We have a document with terms and conditions that says they would cover the damage had a member of staff damaged the vehicle.
Their terms and conditions also state that the car park has entry and exit barriers and security fencing, which is definitely not the case.
Can anyone advise on where we stand or what our next steps should be? Thanks in advance!
We booked a night at an airport hotel as we were going away for 3 nights/4 days. The rate included free shuttles to and from the airport, and also free car parking for 15 days. The hotel has a car park A and B, we parked in car park A, in a quiet spot, and when we entered the hotel they explained that parking in A was fine tonight as B was full. (B used for long stays). They handed an envelope which had details we had to fill out about the car, e.g. mileage, make, model, reg. Our car keys had to be placed inside the envelope and handed into reception before we left for the airport. The envelope also had a section that the hotel had to fill out, and it stated that “body panel pictures” would be taken on arrival “for added security and trust while your vehicle is in our possession.” We were aware that the car may be moved as that’s what was stated on the envelope.
When we arrived back from our holiday and got to the hotel, we picked up the keys from reception. We found that they had moved the car to a busier section of the car park when we returned. We proceeded to check the car and discovered that there was a scrape on the passenger side. We went back into the hotel and told reception what had happened, they apologised and the man came out to take photos of the car. Whilst he was outside, with myself and my boyfriend, we asked how this would be dealt with. He said that “they would get it fixed for us,” but we stated that we live 4 hours from the hotel and asked how that would work. He specifically said that they would “transfer money to us and that would be it sorted” which we thought was reasonable. When we went back into hotel the lady who was also on reception apologised again, and said they would make sure to get it sorted for us. She filled out an incident form explained it would be passed onto the “transport manager” and they would need to look through all 24 hours of CCTV for each day the car was parked. This was fine. We left assuming it was going to be sorted, she advised us to contact the hotel within 48 hours had we not heard.
Since making contact with the hotel today, they have said they can’t see anything on their “HD CCTV”. The car was definitely not damaged when we left it. The scrape was fresh. We have requested the body panel pictures that supposedly should have been taken on our arrival, but it doesn’t sound like they were. They are now trying to say they’re not responsible for our car which was left. Although both people at reception said it would be sorted, and the man said the hotel would pay for it. I can’t seem to understand how they’re now not responsible for it, considering they moved the car whilst it was in their possession and we had to leave the car keys at reception? We never signed or seen anything that said they weren’t responsible for it. We have a document with terms and conditions that says they would cover the damage had a member of staff damaged the vehicle.
Their terms and conditions also state that the car park has entry and exit barriers and security fencing, which is definitely not the case.
Can anyone advise on where we stand or what our next steps should be? Thanks in advance!
0
Comments
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Sue them.
Letter before Claim first, stating the cost of repair and the potential £35 court fee as listed on MoneyClaimOnline. In the LBC, also ask for the name of the witnesses who promised to pay, as they will be summonsed as witnesses to be personally cross examined in front of a District Judge at your local court (not theirs) and to declare any dates that those persons are not available to appear in court.
That should focus the Manager's mind. You will get a swift settlement.PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD5 -
HiCoupon-mad said:Sue them.
Letter before Claim first, stating the cost of repair and the potential £35 court fee as listed on MoneyClaimOnline. In the LBC, also ask for the name of the witnesses who promised to pay, as they will be summonsed as witnesses to be personally cross examined in front of a District Judge at your local court (not theirs) and to declare any dates that those persons are not available to appear in court.
That should focus the Manager's mind. You will get a swift settlement.
Thanks for coming back to me, we since heard from the hotel and they asked us to get 2 quotes for the car to be repaired which both came out around £500. My boyfriend sent these to the hotel, no response so he phoned yesterday and now they're saying again they won't pay for it. Apparently they have checked the CCTV again and can see a car reversing "near" our car. What to do next? Who do we contact for the LBC?
Thanks, Rebecca1 -
You send it to the Manager or the CEO of the whole chain if it's a Hotel chain. Google to get a name.PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD1 -
Yep, send it to the manager or to the hotel chains legal dept AND CEO, making it clear you have cc'd both in.
Worth checking your insurance, although having handed keys over they might not have any liability...1 -
I was advised to contact my motor insurance company over a "not at fault" claim. This resulted in the insurance company using the information I provided to complete a claim form on my my behalf. The insurer then entered this claim on the CUE database (Claims & Underwriting Exchange). Consequently I am now paying higher premiums for car insurance.3
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It’s not a hotel chain, just one at the airport. Anymore suggestions? Not going to go through insurance but trying to get it resolved with them!0
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Best suggestions are from Coupon-mad and Nosferatu 1001...ask them to help again if the hotel response falls short.1
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Do you have legal cover on your insurance policy?0
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