On taking a courtesy car back they inspected it - not in my presence and without telling me they were doing it - and found a small scratch above the wheel arch, about the size of a pea. There was some red paint from another vehicle around it which 'proved it was new damage'
They then explained they would have to take the whole panel off to do the job. I had the choice of going through my insurance - for which I had £200 excess and would have lost my no-claims - or just paying up £250. They tried to make it look like they were doing me a favour by saying if it went through insurance it would cost 3 times as much.
I was in a hurry and needed to get to work so paid myself and have a receipt which just says 'damage to courtesy car'.
Ok, I have to hold my hands up and say I didn't properly check it when I received it and of course I have to pay for any damage I caused. However I can't get rid of the feeling that I've been stitched up. I wonder, did they really take the whole panel off ?
Is there anything I could have done to dispute it ?
Probably too late to do anything about it know but would be interested to hear any advice for next time!
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If it is a scratch and not a dent - get chipsaway or similar outfit - usually £60 or so,
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did they really take the whole panel off ? <<
Nope.
I can't think of any small panel damage that would require removal of a front wing.
Pics would be nice.
I bet you 2 pence if you check the car in 2 weeks the work will not have been carried out.
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Damage to courtesy car - have I been stitched up?
yes
thought for future? go through sheet with hirer and never be in a hurry to leave until all paperwork signed off
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Actually the fact that the final inspection was not done in your presence puts you in the clear I think. How do you know they didnt do it!!??
FTF
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Actually the fact that the final inspection was not done in your presence puts you in the clear I think. How do you know they didnt do it!!?? FTF
Exactly - I don't ! Trouble is I've already paid up and it was a couple of weeks ago now.
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I'll raise that to 3.
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When I had a similar situation with a hire car, a claimed side swipe, (worldwide company Australian branch) and they charged my credit card I complained in writing to the hire company head office who had made the charge claiming a fraudulent transaction, copied to the CC company, and travel agent (who booked it). I believe the hire co franchise thought it was a corporate hire that would be paid without question. I got an immediate refund and apology, and as the exchange rate had changed in my favour came out better off.
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Last time I had a hire car for personal use, I went round the car and spotted scratches. As we were some way from the hire desk in a different car park I phoned them. They said it's okay... so I took lots of photos just in case.
Within forty minutes the car was written off by an HGV in the boot ;-) Still have the photos of the scratches but that became irrelevant.
When I get hire cars for work/relief cars I check thoroughly too. Last one had lots of marks, chewing gum in the carpets etc. None noted on the paperwork initially.
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my thoughts are that if they accept it back without checking or signing off, then they have no cause for claiming on any damage. If they took money of my credit card, I would get on to the card company and say that they took money without consent and for no good reason.
These companies need to pull their finger out and offer a decent service. If they want to cut costs by not employing enough people to sign the cars back in, then they can't complain about the state they are in.
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As someone who used to delever and collect courtesy cars, I would say you are being done big time.
I always inspected the car myself before delivery, filling out a damage diagram of every little mark on the car, then had the customer confirm and sign. I always said that they should be thorough fo rtheir own peace of mind.
On collection of the car I would check the car against the previous damage report in the presence of the customer and any new damage noted although it was extremely rare that this happened.
Something that was the size of a pea, is the sort of damage I would have turned a blind eye to anyway and neglected to note down. If the wing was hanging off that would be different!
I would contest it and say that they have no evidence that you caused the damage, can they show you the proof they have that it was YOU that caused it other than their word. I suspect they will fall silent.
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They always save up the damage until they dispose of the car and then have it all done at once, so what sounds like a £60 smart repair would probably be £10 as all such little blemished will be done in one call-out.
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I always inspected the car myself before delivery filling out a damage diagram of every little mark on the car then had the customer confirm and sign. I always said that they should be thorough fo rtheir own peace of mind. On collection of the car I would check the car against the previous damage report in the presence of the customer and any new damage noted although it was extremely rare that this happened.
There was a damage diagram I signed but. They did go round it with me afterwards, but only after they'd done the initial inspection while I was waiting in the office unaware of what they were doing.
Probably the damage was actually done while I had it - unless they were underhand enough to rub the red paint on themselves to make it look new.
Sounds like I have been turned over for the amount I paid though. However I paid by card to the garage itself, and it's quite a big garage used by insurance companies, so they must all be in on it if it is a scam.
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Its mighty odd that they would inspect it before they did it with you. I cant think of any reasonable reason why they would do that. Is there any other damage on that panel at all?
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IMO < snip > are in the top league for this scam. They do a quick initial inspection and at the end they go over the car with a microscope. They dont do the repairs unless there is major damage, and just collect up all the damage payments. Its another income stream. They tried to convince my son that he had bumped a door (no scratch, just a dent only visible by looking down the side). We stood our ground, and eventually they relented and inspected previous records, finding the damage had been recorded several hires previously.
One reason I dont hire cars or accept a courtesy car if I can. Its just too stressful.
Edited by rtj70 on 24/08/2009 at 22:43
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As brum says, they go over the car with a microscope when it comes back in. Last year I took a hire car to Heathrow, and when I got there, the staff swarmed around it and managed to find a chip in the windscreen that wasn't on the damage sheet. I'm pretty sure I'd have heard it if it had happened while I was driving.
Out of interest, I asked if the staff were incentivised to find damage. Apparently (at this firm at least), they were indeed.
Out of bloody-mindedness, I complained (even though it was being paid for by my employer). My employer got a full refund of the c.£50 charge.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 25/08/2009 at 00:58
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Out of interest I asked if the staff were incentivised to find damage. Apparently (at this firm at least) they were indeed.
That explains a lot. One of the most annoying things about the whole episode was how much on particular individual seemed to be enjoying it.
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IMO < snip > are in the top league for this scam.
I didn't think that would last long lol!
The garage referred to in this thread got my job via my insurance company because it belongs to an umbrella organization containing a large network of garages. This quote is taken from the parent company website:
"All of the garages in our network adhere to the highest of standards and procedures and deliver exceptional service to our customers"
I wonder if it's worth complaining formally to the parent company, or if I should just move on and put it down to experience!?
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Don't know about that, but just in case it wasn't clear from my last post, the company I was referring to wasn't the one with that quotation on their website, but one of the large international hire-car firms.
Personally I'd give complaining a go - nothing to lose, and I find a bit of polite spleen-venting quite cathartic!
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Got my complaint letter ready to post, cc the parent company and trading standards.
Not holding my breath but who knows - if trading standards get several letters regarding the same garage/car they might take notice
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