Refusal to hand over rental car

k99k99

Car hire was paid for in full - we were delayed arriving at Stanstead and had given our flight details when booking but hire vehicle still refused to us as we were more than 59 minutes late. But are they really allowed to take all our money and refuse to hand over car - I understand if a deposit was paid and I lost that - but £600!!!!

Westin

k99k99 said:

Car hire was paid for in full - we were delayed arriving at Stanstead and had given our flight details when booking but hire vehicle still refused to us as we were more than 59 minutes late. But are they really allowed to take all our money and refuse to hand over car - I understand if a deposit was paid and I lost that - but £600!!!!

What do the rental terms & conditions of the unnamed car rental firm say?

ThorOdinson

Regardless of what the terms and conditions say, if accurate that seems like it would likely be unenforceable. Losing a £600 deposit for being more than 59 minutes late is such a severe penalty, and without any obvious justification, so it would likely be an issue with the Red Hand Rule and general fairness.

You could send them a Letter Before Action asking for a full refund, and if they refuse you then proceed to Small Claims Court. I can't see many judges siding with them.

Westin

A small bet that this is however not a U.K. car rental business and so LBA's and Small Claims Court action is unlikely to be the path to take.

Bonhomie

Westin said:

A small bet that this is however not a U.K. car rental business and so LBA's and Small Claims Court action is unlikely to be the path to take.

"we were delayed arriving at Stanstead and had given our flight details...but £600!!!!" With whom did you bet?

Westin

Bonhomie - Are you also posting as k99k99?  Who was the car rental firm you booked with?

Grumpy_chap

k99k99 said:

Car hire was paid for in full - we were delayed arriving at Stanstead and had given our flight details when booking but hire vehicle still refused to us as we were more than 59 minutes late. But are they really allowed to take all our money and refuse to hand over car - I understand if a deposit was paid and I lost that - but £600!!!!

I think we need more information to make a fully informed comment.

Is the issue here (as expressed by the car hire firm at the time of attempted vehicle collection) really all down to the hour late?

Can the OP confirm that all paperwork was in order, so no issues with driving licence verification, id verification, excess insurance or such like?  I assume, as there was no mention of such by the OP, these matters are all as they should be.

Can the OP provide more details about the hour late and what actual times were involved? 
Original time the flight was due? 
Actual time the flight landed?
Actual time the OP arrived at the car rental desk?
What time the car rental desk closes?

For a car rental service operating at an airport, refusal for being an hour late seems wholly unreasonable.  Particularly given the potential for late arrival.
However, if that hour late means arriving when the desk is closed, then the car cannot be provided and it might simply be chance that meant the staff were even still at the desk.  In this case, not providing the car on arrival does seem reasonable.

What I would not say is reasonable, if the OP arrived at the desk after it should be closed, is for the OP to lose the full £600.  I assume that is a fortnight or so of car rental, so if the car cannot be provided on day one but the full rental still has to be paid, the OP should be able to collect the car on day two.