courtesy car (damaged)

littlelady

My son was given a courtesy car to use for a couple of weeks due to an accident which was not his fault ,his own car is a right off,it is due to go back soon and cleaning it out i have discovered a large cigarette burn near the head rest on the passenger seat ,he said it is nothing to do with him ,and he did not notice it ,when the car was delivered i was not there to check the inside so i cannot say one way or another,however the deposit of 50 pounds came from my account ,its back in now but when they check it over they can take what ever for the damage , ,i am quite concerned that they will say he is responsible and take the cost for a new seat from my account has they have the account details,dont know what to do?

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

If they say he is responsible then ask them to prove it, with the pre-handover inspection they would have performed and asked your son to sign.

If they don't have that, they can whistle. They can't take anything from your bank account without your permission.

littlelady

Thanks for your reply ,when the car was delivered the man had a electronic notepad which my son signed after checking the car ,he went around the outside and then opened the driver door to show my son the controls ,as far as i know they did not check seats ,now my son is 20 yrs old and would not think to point out or to even look at the interior of the car for fag burns etc but inside the car is a no smoking sign.
I had to give the card details so with them having this they can ask for any amount of money cant they?
The worry is in this account is a cheque for a largest amount which i am waiting to clear and i am going away in the next couple of days for two weeks ,i will not be here when they come for the hire car,so dont know what to tell my son to do ?does he after sign for the car when it is picked up?
Can i do anything concerning my account?advice please from anyone .:eek:

Happychappy

Lady, If it concerns you, you can cancel your card and ask for a new card, just ring your bank and explain or say your card is damaged, lost etc and you will receive a new card. They will not be able to claim off your old card as it will no longer exist on the system.

littlelady

Happychappy,If i call my building society and say i have lost my debit card when i receive my new card will it have a different 16 digit new card number ?

Happychappy

littlelady wrote: »

Happychappy,If i call my building society and say i have lost my debit card when i receive my new card will it have a different 16 digit new card number ?

The card you gave will have an issue and expiry date, a three number security code on the rear, as well as your account number. When you are issued with a new card, the only thing the same is your account number, the old card for which the company may try and bill you on will be cancelled, they will not be able to bill it ? they will be given a refer to purchaser note and not paid out on that card. You will need to have it cancelled prior to returning the car ?

Iamthesmartestmanalive

Happychappy wrote: »

The card you gave will have an issue and expiry date, a three number security code on the rear, as well as your account number. When you are issued with a new card, the only thing the same is your account number, the old card for which the company may try and bill you on will be cancelled, they will not be able to bill it ? they will be given a refer to purchaser note and not paid out on that card. You will need to have it cancelled prior to returning the car ?

Whilst all this will make collecting the money harder it wont change the fact legally your son will be liable for these damages

He was given opportunity to inspect the car, and signed for the car to say it was all ok therefore he has signed to say that wasnt their

His own ignorance wont be a legal defence and if you take the action above it makes you look guilty

approach the company and be honest, you never know they may know about it, if they dont and do go down the money route, at least it will be cheaper and less hassle than them setting debt collectors on him etc

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

littlelady wrote: »

Thanks for your reply ,when the car was delivered the man had a electronic notepad which my son signed after checking the car ,he went around the outside and then opened the driver door to show my son the controls ,as far as i know they did not check seats

If they didn't check the interior with your son, its their problem. They have to prove the damage wasn't there.

h901

replacement cards when claiming for a damaged card usually have the same number on the front of the card
only difference is the 3 digit number on the back
and start/end date

cyclonebri1

I would expect that when they collect it they will have to sign to say it is undamaged? or would there be a disclaimer for them to hide behind?I don't know for sure.
Your son either needs to collect this signature or be very clear that they had the chance to examine the car on pickup so will accept no responsibility after. (all this assuming they don't spot the damage).

Does the car smell of smoke? Does your son smoke? These questions may govern how hard you feel you should argue your case.

Tojo_Ralph

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

If they didn't check the interior with your son, its their problem. They have to prove the damage wasn't there.

In all honesty, we don't know what the OPs sons signed for, however it is a fair bet that he signed for the car and accepted the condition of the car. Now, if the cigarette burn was not noted at the point of collection and the son signed to say the car was free from damage at point of collection, the garage will have all the proof they need.