Matt21
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| posted on 25/3/16 at 02:16 PM |
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Europcar trying to scam me?
I have recently had a hire car from europcar (organised through Nissan instead of a courtesy car). I had the car for 17days and 2wks ago I dropped it
off at Aberdeen Airport at 20:30
5 days later I got an email saying that damage had been found on the car and it was being assessed in order to get a cost for repairs, that I would
have to pay for.
The damage was a chip in the windscreen.
Now I was pretty annoyed by this as I didnt notice any chips on the windscreen when driving or when checking the vehicle when dropping it off (no
Europcar person was there as it was closed, I just left the keys)
They I rang them up and said there was a mistake and they opened a dispute case.
A few days later I get a new email saying the car needed a new windscreen and sent an invoice for £568, though I 'only pay' £277 for the
insurance excess!
I then found on their website a statement that says window damage below 5mm is classed as wear and tear and they wont charge for it.
So I asked them to provide evidence of the size of the chip, along with proof of dates and times that it was found (their check in sheet states they
checked it the day after I dropped it off, but then I wasnt contacted until 5 days later)
They cant provide proof to either of these things, yet still demand that I pay!
My latest email has consisted of informing them again that they have to evidence and will not be getting money off me, along with a threat of court if
any money does go walk abouts.
Has any one else had a similar issue?
How did you resolve it?
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morcus
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| posted on 25/3/16 at 03:27 PM |
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If Nissan made the booking they should be charged then have to recover the money from you, Have you spoken to Nissan about this?
It sounds like a Scam to me as why is the excess such a weird amount?
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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blakep82
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| posted on 25/3/16 at 05:03 PM |
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Hmm, pretty sure my mum had the exact same thing last year. Not sure if it was europcar, but the story was the same
________________________
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don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
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SteveWallace
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| posted on 25/3/16 at 05:31 PM |
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I hired a Europe Car a couple of months ago for a couple of days whilst my BMW was in the garage getting a new turbo (now that is a lot of money!).
It was raining when I picked it up and it was hard to inspect as it was very close to other cars so I didn't see any damage to note when I did
the collection inspection.
Stopped at Tesco's on the way home to get a pint of milk and when I came out, I noticed a big scratch in the rear plastic bumper. I then spent
the next couple of days cursing myself for not having paid for the damage waver. Took it back and fessed up to the damage. They inspected the car
and said that it would cost a couple of hundred £, so went back inside feeling glum to start to fill the forms in on their system. In doing so, they
found out that it had been handed back the time before with the damage and that they had forgotten to fix it (they don't normally re-hire cars
with damage). Much profuse apologies and nothing for me to pay.
Maybe a couple of things to look at
I) get them to check the log from the previous hire, it may be that it was there already
ii) Europe car people use their own hire cars to run people home after they drop a car off, so it might be that it happened then and the employee just
parked it again without saying anything. Ask them for a copy of their inspection log that notes the damage. If its not the same day and within a
reasonable time of when you dropped it off, then there is reasonable doubt that its not down to you.
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twybrow
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| posted on 25/3/16 at 07:45 PM |
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My mate manages the largest depot in the UK of a major hire car company you would all know. He was happy to tell me that they charge for the same
damage over and over again - cheeky bar stewards the lot of them!
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FuryRebuild
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| posted on 25/3/16 at 08:08 PM |
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I had a similar experience with hertz. Nothing wrong with it when I returned it. I just ignored the letter and they didn't pursue. Without proof
they'd not stand a chance in court.
When all you have is a hammer, everything around you is a nail.
www.furyrebuild.co.uk
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theduck
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| posted on 25/3/16 at 08:40 PM |
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I returned a car once where I had managed to scrape the door handle. They were so focused on looking for car park dings they missed the scrape in the
handle. I was chuffed.
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Ben_Copeland
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| posted on 25/3/16 at 10:04 PM |
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I was using hire cars while working in Glasgow. Several times they missed obvious damage off their pre hire inspection. I know damn well they would of
hit me for it when I bought it back. I also used to make them note on the form of the car was wet during inspection because scratches wouldn't
of been visible, and they were quite happy to do the same to me when I bought it back. So play them at their game.
If they can't produce evidence of the damage to the windscreen they stand little chance of proving you did it
Ben
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BenB
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| posted on 25/3/16 at 10:34 PM |
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I just do a HD walk around (inside and out) before and after I accept the keys to prevent BS like this. Takes a couple of minutes but saves agro. I
suspect the camera could be off - as long as they see you doing it!
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Matt21
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| posted on 26/3/16 at 12:37 PM |
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quote:
If Nissan made the booking they should be charged then have to recover the money from you, Have you spoken to Nissan about this? It sounds like a Scam
to me as why is the excess such a weird amount?
Nissan had booked it for me and they paid the hire fee, but then I had to leave a deposit on my debit card for the fuel.
The weird amount is actually £250 excess, and £27 admin fee...
The email I recieved off them when I asked for proof of the damage etc was, we cant provide you with the proof you need, but because it was spotted
after you had dropped it off and we dont have a 3rd party to blame, so we'll just make you pay for it! (in different words, but that was the
gist of it)
I have to get one off them on thursday too to get me back home, I think I'll be wasting a lot of their time at the collection desk as I will be
giving the car a VERY thorough looking over!
I certainly wont be hiring from them again with my own money!
For them to not be able to prove anything about when the damage was done or even the size of it. I'm not sure how they expect to demand somebody
to pay for it.
Hopefully they decide to let it go after seeing my threat of court, but if it comes to that I cant see them having a leg to stand on
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