Hire Vehicle - Windscreen Chip - repair charge

Matt_Jone5

Hired a campervan and on returning the vehicle, I informed the owner there was a minor chip in the windscreen, suitable for repair. The owner then had it repaired at her own expense (£60) and charged me. But before the hire, she had emailed me a PDF of the insurance terms and conditions which explicitly states that windscreen  repair is covered, no excess applicable. The agent, Camplify, is now telling me that I am liable to pay because of some general terms contained in their Ts & Cs. But my argument is that the owner should have claimed through the insurance policy. Camplify tells me they will engage a debt recovery agency and I will also be liable for the extra costs involved in this. Where do I stand? I believe they and the owner are trying to bully me into paying for something the insurance policy covers. Why don't they just use Money Claim Online? It is not that I am ignoring their payment requests, just that I have explained to them that I was clearly covered by the motor insurance policy. 

JenB79

Its confusing. Who did you hire through: the owner or Camplify? One one set of T&C's can apply and that should be with whom you signed the contract with.

Matt_Jone5

It was on an app called Camplify. They have a set of Ts & Cs. But before the hire they put me in touch with the owner, who sent me a vehicle insurance document (pdf by email) and asked me to read it which I did. It stated that windscreen repair was covered with no excess applicable. Camplify do offer the option to upgrade damages cover but as windscreen repair is not specifically mentioned in their Ts & Cs, I opted to stick with the standard cover because I assumed I was covered according to the insurance policy document. But the owner paid for the chip repair herself without going through the insurance. Now Camplify say I'm liable due to some general terms in their Ts & Cs. What I don't understand about it is, why can they choose to ignore the insurance policy? If I'm insured under that policy, aren't I entitled to the benefit of it if an incident occurs?

Flight3287462

Most windscreen policies have an excess, perhaps the screen was replaced and you are being asked for the excess?

Matt_Jone5

No it's definitely as I've said....🤷

Sandtree

The owner is under no obligation to claim off of their insurance and can choose to settle it personally to avoid adding to their claims history.

Matt_Jone5

Oh OK. Disappointing but if that's the case I guess I'd better just pay it. But what is the point of sending me the insurance document and asking me to read it and confirm understanding if I can't rely on it to cover me according to the provisions? It's misleading...Thanks for taking the time to post 👍

Bendy_House

Hi Matt.

I disagree with some of the comments above. Has the owner an obligation to use their insurance cover? Of course they do. Take this to its logical conclusion; instead of a chip, you accidentally stove in half the van with a resulting bill of £5k. Can the owner say "Nah, you pay up - I really don't want to claim on my insurance, losing my NCD and stuff..." Of course not.

So, the question is - which set of T&Cs were in effect during the hire, and which insurance policy?

As a first step, I'd ask Camplify to clarify which specific T&Cs of theirs overrode that of the owner.

Do you have Legal Protection on your house insurance? If so, you can call them up for advice - worth doing (shouldn't cost). And if it turns out that the owner/Camplify are on dodgy ground here (and it looks as tho' they are), your LP will soon get them changing their mind.

Keep us posted :-)

DB1904

Bendy_House said:

Hi Matt.

I disagree with some of the comments above. Has the owner an obligation to use their insurance cover? Of course they do. Take this to its logical conclusion; instead of a chip, you accidentally stove in half the van with a resulting bill of £5k. Can the owner say "Nah, you pay up - I really don't want to claim on my insurance, losing my NCD and stuff..." Of course not.

So, the question is - which set of T&Cs were in effect during the hire, and which insurance policy?

As a first step, I'd ask Camplify to clarify which specific T&Cs of theirs overrode that of the owner.

Do you have Legal Protection on your house insurance? If so, you can call them up for advice - worth doing (shouldn't cost). And if it turns out that the owner/Camplify are on dodgy ground here (and it looks as tho' they are), your LP will soon get them changing their mind.

Keep us posted :-)

Legal protection, what happened to your jeepers creepers account PPR'd?