Car hire damage £500 for tiny dent

[eniacs]

My company hires me a car every 28 days from a popular car hire company to go from heathrow to home and then back again 28 days later. Same company for 5 years now with no issues.

I took a car from heathrow to home, no stops straight journey on the motorway and then parked it outside my house. They always collect, somtimes it can be many days befor they pick it up.

The hire ended 7am on the friday, the car was picked up 11am on the saturday.

I have now received a bill for £500 for a tiny tiny dent on the front wing. The photos barely show anything, but there is one there.

I have asked the wife to find the original hire check sheet as I usually have to make additions to it I have a memory of making an addition for this car, but having hired so many I may be remembering an old one. She will be searching the bins at home tomorrow, hopefully we still have it.

Looking online, it appears many people have issues with the company submitting fraudulent claims, partly due to their outlets being franchises.



I am certain that I did not do the damage, but I am worried it will be difficult to defend against without the original check sheet.

My question is, am I liable if they leave the car outside my property for significant time after my rental period ends. What about the drive from my house back to their offices? The photos they have sent show the car at their offices, whats to stop them damaging the car and saying it was me. I was home when it was picked up, surely they should have told me there was damage.



Thanks for any help in advance.

[littleredrooster]

I would bounce it straight back to them, pointing out a) The car was undamaged at the end of the agreed hire period, and b) No damage was brought to your attention before the car was taken away.

I work in a very similar industry and unless I draw attention to, and record any damage before even moving the car, the cost of the damage comes out of my pocket.

[InitialDave]

Why is this your problem, not your company's?

[steve-5snwi]

When they collected the car did they put the inspection sheet through your door, did anyone hand over the keys ? The two worst culprits for this when we hired cars were europcar and enterprise.

[surveyor]

I'm deeply suspicious of one way car hire... I tend to make sure I'm loaded up with the XS insurance.

I have noticed that I pretty much always get the runt of the litter, and strongly suspect the airports use these to get problem cars off their lot.

Most recent time I was given a CMAX which pulled to one side. Time before a Focus that smelled like an ashtray. Refused that and was given an X-Trail that misfired all the way home......

[anonymous-user]

isn't this your companies issue, don't they tick the no excess box.

[steve-5snwi]

Most companies use their own insurance rather than the hire companies.

Also it's great to see someone wanting to fight it on the companies behalf rather than just accept it and think it's the companies money what's it matter.

[Driver101]

surveyor said:

I'm deeply suspicious of one way car hire... I tend to make sure I'm loaded up with the XS insurance.

I have noticed that I pretty much always get the runt of the litter, and strongly suspect the airports use these to get problem cars off their lot.

Most recent time I was given a CMAX which pulled to one side. Time before a Focus that smelled like an ashtray. Refused that and was given an X-Trail that misfired all the way home......

The issue the zero excess insurance policy often costs as much as the price to hire the car.

Any time I hand a car back I've always had it inspected there and then. Coming back days later with damage is not acceptable in my opinion.

£500 is taking the piss for a dent. £70 for a PDR repair and maybe a one day hire cost at worst.

[surveyor]

Driver101 said:

surveyor said:

I'm deeply suspicious of one way car hire... I tend to make sure I'm loaded up with the XS insurance.

I have noticed that I pretty much always get the runt of the litter, and strongly suspect the airports use these to get problem cars off their lot.

Most recent time I was given a CMAX which pulled to one side. Time before a Focus that smelled like an ashtray. Refused that and was given an X-Trail that misfired all the way home......

The issue the zero excess insurance policy often costs as much as the price to hire the car.

Any time I hand a car back I've always had it inspected there and then. Coming back days later with damage is not acceptable in my opinion.

£500 is taking the piss for a dent. £70 for a PDR repair and maybe a one day hire cost at worst.

I've had this conversation with Enterprise in the past for some reason. I was told that if there was damage they take the full XS, and refund anything they don't spend at a later date (maybe...).

[InitialDave]

steve-5snwi said:

Also it's great to see someone wanting to fight it on the companies behalf rather than just accept it and think it's the companies money what's it matter.

It's not that it's the company's money and doesn't matter, it's that it's the company's money and they have people whose job it is to tell chancers to sod off in situations like this.

[eniacs]

To answer a few questions;
The keys were handed over to the collection driver, I presume he checked the car over, but he didnt come back to me to notify me of any damage.

I had not considered that it would be my employers issue, but now thinking about it, if this were any other piece of machinery they rented for me to use in my work then I wouldnt even have expected an email off them if I had done my job normally. I suspect their answer will be along the official HR lines of the employee is responsible for the damage to the vehicle etc.

[steve-5snwi]

I thought if the hirer was present then they were supposed to notify you of the damage before they took the car.