Europcar Group UK Ltd debt

iceiceady

On the right is a picture I took upon delivery of a car from Europcar after someone hit my car. On the right is a picture I found online of a tyre that had been run while flat.

After driving the car for a few days the car started complaining about low tyre pressure. After taking it to a local garage they told me the tyre was damaged from being driven while flat and would need to be replaced. So I contacted Europcar and they arranged for me to take it to a local garage. While at the garage I showed them the picture I’d take upon delivery of the car and they told me it looks like the tyre had been driven while low or flat.

After the car went back I got a letter a few weeks later from a company called Shakespeare Martineau saying I owned Europcar Group UK Ltd £141 for an unpaid invoice. But I’d never received any invoice. The costs were broken down as £101 for the invoice, plus £40 late payment charge.
I provided a number of images, including the ones above, but have been told my evidence doesn’t matter. They have said they will wave the £40 late payment fee because I didn’t receive the original invoice.
But do I have a leg to stand on here or do I just have to pay the £101?

knightstyle

Only deal with Eurocar about this and show them your proof that they told you to get it replaced at a local garage, or is that just an assumption you made?

iceiceady

knightstyle said:

Only deal with Eurocar about this and show them your proof that they told you to get it replaced at a local garage, or is that just an assumption you made?

It was Europcar who sorted their own garage after I told them what the garage I went to had said. It seems they’re passing the costs of the new tyre onto me, but I feel that there was already an issue with the tyre when they dropped it off. Which looks to be the case in the image above.

AdrianC

Did your collection note for the car include that damaged tyre?

If not, when did you make them aware of it?

iceiceady

AdrianC said:

Did your collection note for the car include that damaged tyre?

If not, when did you make them aware of it?

I made them aware as soon as I was. It didn’t go back broken and they arranged a garage for me as soon as I let them know and I took the car there.

My concern is that I feel the tyre was already damaged prior to it arriving and that they’re effectively getting me to pay for a tyre that was already damaged before it arrived at my house.

AdrianC

iceiceady said:

AdrianC said:

Did your collection note for the car include that damaged tyre?

If not, when did you make them aware of it?

I made them aware as soon as I was.

How long was that after you got the car?

iceiceady

AdrianC said:

iceiceady said:

AdrianC said:

Did your collection note for the car include that damaged tyre?

If not, when did you make them aware of it?

I made them aware as soon as I was.

How long was that after you got the car?

Probably about a month. But I’d not driven it much because I work from home. So it had been outside my house for most of the time.

Sandtree

Whats on the handover sheet?

You took the photo so presumably the handover sheet notes the damage? Or did you take the photo for some other reason and only noticed the damage afterwards?