car hire warning and question

[durruti02]

i hired a car to see all the various family over xmas, which was grand! .. except when i took it back and they found a 8" hairline crack in the windscreen and i have been charged £230 for it

ok warning! always pay/take the excess insurance! .. i did not as i was pissed off that after paying my money on the net they then asked for essentially another 30% on top when i picked it up .. i guess you must always calculate that excess insurance into the original costs

but 2 a question .. as there is NO evidence of damage i.e. no evidence of a chip i am saying and believe that the windscreen was / is faulty .. what then is my liability? they are saying i owuld not be liable but they are waiting for the repair report

any ideas gratefully received

 

[geminisnake]

£230 is a bit steep. Most insurers do a thing where you pay £50/70 excess if your windscreen needs replaced. Ask them why it's so much when insurance company should have this covered.

 

[_pH_]

did you do the full check-out/check-in? anything on the paperwork regarding a crack?

 

[Sunray]

Thats taking the piss, if it was a hairline crack, it would be difficult to prove it was you that did it, and even if you did cause it, it was probably a stone chip, hardly a big issue and most insurers have a 50 quid excess, does not effect your no claims. I would expect that something similar is with their insurers.

I'd want to see the crack, because if its at the edge then it could have been caused by a badly fitted windscreen.

What company was it so we can all avoid them?

 

[Addy]

If you do end up footing the bill for it, ask for the damaged windscreen cause you will effectivly own it.
I wonder how many people who hire that car pay for that same windscreen....

 

[pinkmonkey]

We've been charged £50 for valeting when there were approx two dog hairs on the back seat. We use a special doggie car seat cover and go over the back seat afterwards with sticky tape but even one solitary hair is too much and needs a full valet (grr!). Haven't hired a car since.

 

[tommers]

I thought autoglass fix windscreen cracks for nothing? That's what their advert says.

 

[geminisnake]

I thought autoglass fix windscreen cracks for nothing? That's what their advert says.

Has to be smaller than a 10p piece ime. My windscreen got hit by something last summer and the guy repaired it but wasn't 100% sure if it would last coz it was borderline iykwim.

 

[free spirit]

i hired a car to see all the various family over xmas, which was grand! .. except when i took it back and they found a 8" hairline crack in the windscreen and i have been charged £230 for it

ok warning! always pay/take the excess insurance! .. i did not as i was pissed off that after paying my money on the net they then asked for essentially another 30% on top when i picked it up .. i guess you must always calculate that excess insurance into the original costs

but 2 a question .. as there is NO evidence of damage i.e. no evidence of a chip i am saying and believe that the windscreen was / is faulty .. what then is my liability? they are saying i owuld not be liable but they are waiting for the repair report

any ideas gratefully received

if the crack didn't get marked down when you signed for the car, and is there when you bring it back then you're liable - it's why you always need to check the car over with them before you hire it.

and yes, I've learned the hard way about not paying the excess waiver fee's too.

 

[durruti02]

hey good news! i got the BRVLA involved and National have paid up!! getting my £250 back as they accept it was probable manufacturer fault!! small victories but hey!!!

- lessons?

1) always take out windscreen insurance!
2) persevere with these people
3) use the BVRLA

 

[cliche guevara]

Glad to hear it

 

[ymu]

Nice one. Was about to post that they're taking the piss - they always take the piss - and you should challenge it all the way. Well done.

Find somewhere that uses second hand vehicles. I used to hire 10 year old Cortinas from a garage - they had breakdown cover and didn't give a crap about cosmetic damage or hairs on the seats. No overpriced petrol nonsense either - bring it back as empty as you dare. (And remember to fill up as soon as you get in it!)

 

[marty21]

I thought autoglass fix windscreen cracks for nothing? That's what their advert says.

you have to pay a £50 excess , at least I had to when I got my insurers to arrange it

 

[cybertect]

ISTR a few years ago Easycar got a bit of a reputation for taking the piss with 'damage' they discovered on returned hire cars.

I dunno if they've improved any in the meantime.

 

[Mr Smin]

hey good news! i got the BRVLA involved and National have paid up!! getting my £250 back as they accept it was probable manufacturer fault!! small victories but hey!!!

- lessons?

1) always take out windscreen insurance!
2) persevere with these people
3) use the BVRLA

Less stress but if you had paid for the waiver, you would not have got that money back, effectively subsidising them.

 

[durruti02]

Thats taking the piss, if it was a hairline crack, it would be difficult to prove it was you that did it, and even if you did cause it, it was probably a stone chip, hardly a big issue and most insurers have a 50 quid excess, does not effect your no claims. I would expect that something similar is with their insurers.

I'd want to see the crack, because if its at the edge then it could have been caused by a badly fitted windscreen.

What company was it so we can all avoid them?

sorry missed this Sunray .. was National Car Rentals .. and there is no way they would have paid up without BVRLA involvement

 

[dessiato]

Nice one. Was about to post that they're taking the piss - they always take the piss - and you should challenge it all the way. Well done.

Find somewhere that uses second hand vehicles. I used to hire 10 year old Cortinas from a garage - they had breakdown cover and didn't give a crap about cosmetic damage or hairs on the seats. No overpriced petrol nonsense either - bring it back as empty as you dare. (And remember to fill up as soon as you get in it!)

I'm about to go to UK for the summer and am looking at hire v buying a banger. Where, and which, is the company you use? PM me if you prefer not to 'advertise' the name here.

 

[ymu]

They called themselves Hire-A-Heap and operated from a small garage just behind the railway line in Cambridge. It was £26 for a long weekend ~10 years ago, IIRC.

 

[dessiato]

They called themselves Hire-A-Heap and operated from a small garage just behind the railway line in Cambridge. It was £26 for a long weekend ~10 years ago, IIRC.

Ten years ago is a long time! I shall be in Surrey first then up to Scotland so they are too far off my planned routes. Shame, I like the idea.

 

[ymu]

Worth a google, or even ringing up a few garages. My local will lend us a van if they have one taxed at the time. Ring someone up and offer them free money.