Help with returning a Green Motion Hire Car

jazzythumper

Returning a Green Motion Hire Car, any tips?

So we’ve had a bit of a nightmare with our hire car that we are returning after the weekend.

As soon as we drove it out of the city and on to a motorway it started making a weird noise. We stopped at a service station, called the location where we picked up the car, they were incredibly rude, refused to help, referred us to the paperwork, wouldn’t give us the number to call for the breakdown service and accused us of damaging the car. Then hung up on us.

We got the RAC out, who repaired the undertray that was hanging off the car with cable ties and wrote a report saying this was damage wasn’t due to an impact and likely to have been like this for a while.

There are other issues, like the tyres are barely legal and there is a slow puncture in one of the tyres (I don’t want to report these as they will just argue that these issues weren’t there when I picked up the car).

Now I know that I’m going to get clobbered for the under tray, as presumably calling out the RAC will be registered on my hire now.

Are there any tips for what I should do when I return the car. I’m thinking at very least I should walk around the car with the person who checks it and agree that there is no damage to the car? Other hire companies that I’ve used in the past I’ve just dropped a car off and left them to check it without any issues, I don’t have this faith in Green Motion.

I hope I’m not being paranoid but I’ve read some horror stories about Green Motion, especially the recent article in The Guardian. Link below.

https://amp.theguardian.com/money/2023/dec/26/green-motion-hire-car-broke-down-then-we-were-charged-2600

Any help is greatly recieved.

boobyd

Why didn't you walk around before you picked it up?
Minimum would have been 
Tyres Wheels Wipers Windscreen Dents Scratches Sills Interior Spare/Inflating kit and roof with pictures not when you go back with it. 
If you didn't you might have a shock! 

jazzythumper

I did walk round it, it was night time, there was no visible damage, I have photos, the under tray damage wasn’t visible in the photos or at the time. 

I expect tyres to be road legal and not need checking in that way.

Any advice is appreciated.

flashg67

Personally, I'd say no more about any of the issues to them and leave it to them to do their checks. Make sure the slow puncture is inflated. Yes, worse case is paying for the undertray, but if it's attached now, I can't see them checking that closely based on the condition you say  it was rented to you in....

Arunmor

A bit late now but did you do some research on Greenmotion?  A few years ago ie before Covid I needed a car and Greenmotion where cheapest by a country mile..........in fact too cheap and that's when I did my research and went to Eurocar instead.  Good luck.

Oh by the way it is usually international drivers they try and scam, they are less likely to fight back.

jazzythumper

Arunmor said:

A bit late now but did you do some research on Greenmotion?  A few years ago ie before Covid I needed a car and Greenmotion where cheapest by a country mile..........in fact too cheap and that's when I did my research and went to Eurocar instead.  Good luck.

Oh by the way it is usually international drivers they try and scam, they are less likely to fight back.

I have rented from Green Motion 4 or 5 times in the past without issue. 

jazzythumper

flashg67 said:

Personally, I'd say no more about any of the issues to them and leave it to them to do their checks. Make sure the slow puncture is inflated. Yes, worse case is paying for the undertray, but if it's attached now, I can't see them checking that closely based on the condition you say  it was rented to you in....

Assume I should be present for the checks?

WellKnownSid

Hired from them more than ten times and never had an issue.  There would always be someone in the return queue who had somehow managed to 'lose their parcel shelf' or something equally stupid.

You say tyres worn - how many miles on the clock?

Definitely be present when handing back... remember that you are paying cheap rates because they use minimum wage employees and got cheap rates from the importer who will be billing them at full whack for every imperfection on the car's eventual return.  

They are being run as a business, not as a gentleman's club for car enthusiasts - so tight cost control around damage will be essential to their very survival.  That means charging the customer at full rate whenever damage occurs, but then doing the minimum repair possible to keep the car on the road because a car off the road is losing money.

The undertray was either damaged by poor servicing technique or another 'careful' hirer.  Mileage on collection may give a clue.

So next time... you can never take enough photos on collection because mistakes do happen and you need to stay one step ahead to avoid any doubt.  Especially include tyres, underside, roof and windscreen from multiple angles.

saker75

Green Motion have form 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/dec/26/green-motion-hire-car-broke-down-then-we-were-charged-2600

born_again

WellKnownSid said:

Hired from them more than ten times and never had an issue.  There would always be someone in the return queue who had somehow managed to 'lose their parcel shelf' or something equally stupid.

You say tyres worn - how many miles on the clock?

Definitely be present when handing back... remember that you are paying cheap rates because they use minimum wage employees and got cheap rates from the importer who will be billing them at full whack for every imperfection on the car's eventual return.  

They are being run as a business, not as a gentleman's club for car enthusiasts - so tight cost control around damage will be essential to their very survival.  That means charging the customer at full rate whenever damage occurs, but then doing the minimum repair possible to keep the car on the road because a car off the road is losing money.

The undertray was either damaged by poor servicing technique or another 'careful' hirer.  Mileage on collection may give a clue.

So next time... you can never take enough photos on collection because mistakes do happen and you need to stay one step ahead to avoid any doubt.  Especially include tyres, underside, roof and windscreen from multiple angles.

Little known fact that you can get your own quotes for any damage they bill you for, before they try to fix it & use that garage to fix it...

Ectophile

born_again said:

WellKnownSid said:

Hired from them more than ten times and never had an issue.  There would always be someone in the return queue who had somehow managed to 'lose their parcel shelf' or something equally stupid.

You say tyres worn - how many miles on the clock?

Definitely be present when handing back... remember that you are paying cheap rates because they use minimum wage employees and got cheap rates from the importer who will be billing them at full whack for every imperfection on the car's eventual return.  

They are being run as a business, not as a gentleman's club for car enthusiasts - so tight cost control around damage will be essential to their very survival.  That means charging the customer at full rate whenever damage occurs, but then doing the minimum repair possible to keep the car on the road because a car off the road is losing money.

The undertray was either damaged by poor servicing technique or another 'careful' hirer.  Mileage on collection may give a clue.

So next time... you can never take enough photos on collection because mistakes do happen and you need to stay one step ahead to avoid any doubt.  Especially include tyres, underside, roof and windscreen from multiple angles.

Little known fact that you can get your own quotes for any damage they bill you for, before they try to fix it & use that garage to fix it...

But that could take weeks if you need to book it in at a reputable body shop, and you'd be paying rental on the car all that time.