Hiring / Rental in the UK - the pitfalls? (1 Viewer)

[Grovis]

HI all. I'm in the process of hiring for a week's worth of fun in the UK. Have no experience with Motorhomes but have booked a 4-6 berth. However I am slightly concerned about the T & Cs: insurance seems to cover nothing: I'm liable for everything. Seemingly the slightest bit of damage will see my damage deposit go (currently just shy of £1000!). Is there anything I should be aware of? I already feel cheated to be honest as I foolishy paid a deposit a few weeks ago and was told the total cost would be £x but then was told afterwardss that I would have to pay this damage deposit upfront nearer the time. This was never mentioned on the website and the lady I spoke to never once mentioned it despite the fact I asked about any further/hidden costs. Does them seem dodgy and does anyone have any advice / experiences they could share? many thanks

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

If you return the vehicle in the same condition as you accepted it, clean and undamaged, you are entitled to your security deposit back in full,

If you find any damage when you collect the vehicle make a note on both parts of the hire agreement and get it signed.

Peter

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

Hi and welcome to motorhome fun.

I cant comment as I have never rented a motorhome however here are some options I have come up with that you may find useful:

a) visit citizens advice bureau

b) if you have free legal insurance through your mortgage, your union, your bank or through anything else, use it. Telephone them and ask questions.

c) pay for some legal advice

d) contact trading standards in the area that the company you are hiring from as the company might be known to them, seek their advice and if necessary put a complaint in (you may have to do this through your own local trading standards office)

e) lose your deposit if you are that worried and cancel the hire rental

If you decide to go ahead, dont forget to get yourself some sensible holiday insurance in case you become ill and are unfit to drive

Good luck xxxx

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[pappajohn]

hi Grovis and welcome.

please dont let these "hidden" costs spoil your enjoyment of the motorhome.

as peter (johns cross) said...go through everything and note, and get writen conformation, of existing damage, if any.
check the bodywork for dents and scrapes by looking along the body...not straight at it.

if you worry about what might happen you will not enjoy the pleasure a motorhome can give.

people do many thousands of miles without problems so just enjoy...:thumb:

 

[hilldweller]

Does them seem dodgy and does anyone have any advice / experiences they could share? many thanks

A motorhome is a home on wheels - just imagine what damage could be done to one if it is hired to an idiot.

It's a no win situation, the hirer needs protection, you assume you'll do no damage but these are big wide lumps and believe be it is easy to damage them - watch out for the overhang.

 

[wizzer59]

I to am hiring a motorhome for the the first time in a couple of weeks, our returnable (if returned undamaged) deposit is £300 so not quite so bad and I can understand why it is required but I must admit I would not have hired with a £1000 deposit and I guess you would not have either if you had known about it, what company is it with?

Tim

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[ccl]

A friend of mine hired a motorhome here in Germany and after a near miss with a low bridge he checked what was covered in the insurance policy more closely. He was shocked to find that hitting a low bridge would have counted as gross negligence on his part and he would not have been insured for the damage to the motorhome! Pays to check what you are signing up to in advance.
Normaly when hiring a car you sign up to an excess on your credit card in the event of any damage so the policy of taking £1000 up front seems a little unfair.

 

[Randonneur]

motorhome rental

If possible try and check the roof of the vehicle for damage.ie dents and scrapes. This part of the vehicle is a favourite for the van and motorhome rentals.Its a place most people dont think of checking. Have a good holiday.

 

[SteveandSue]

Motorhome Rental

Hi we have hired twice, the first time in New Zealand without problems the deposit was approx £750, and than last year from a local company (North Yorkshire) WE lost a Porthole window in the rear entrance door that was sucked out we think by passing traffic In Sweden. We E Mailed and phoned our compant to let them know and on returning home found them very helpfull.THe final conclusion of this was the Manufacturer would not accept responsibility the Insurance company would not pay out,Our insurance company said our transport was not covered so the hire company payed for the parts and we payed the labour (£80) and our deposit of £300 was returned I would thoroughly reccomend them Time Out UK based in Guisborough 01287 632758 WE have since bit the bullet and bought our own van -Sue

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[Losos]

I have just completed a two week hire.

It is quite normal for the hire company to charge you for the insurance 'excess' and then return that to you when you return the MH in the same condition it was in at the start. My excess was 650 pounds. (When hiring a car from Hertz etc. it is normally 300 pounds)

You may also find lots of little labels in the MH saying that the kitchen etc. must be cleaned and the toilet casstte empty on return or a charge will be made, but these are all things which a normal 'civilised' person would do anyway so it was no big deal for me.

Likewise I would be surprised if any hire company didn't ask for a depost to reserve the vehicle. If they did not then they would continually be messed around by people booking MH's and then just not turning up. I just paid the full two week basic hire three weeks before as it seemed simplest and paid for the extras (Gas etc. on completion)

 

[camper69]

Its because of the T & C's for hire of motorhomes that we ended up buying one.

Some of the conditions that some hire companys have are too one sided. In the end we did hire to try the whole motorhoming lark out but we did it with someone who only had 2 to hire and I was able to negotiate the terms and price with him till they were acceptable to both sides. Something you cannot do with big companys.

Derek

 

[Wildman]

I have just completed a two week hire.

It is quite normal for the hire company to charge you for the insurance 'excess' and then return that to you when you return the MH in the same condition it was in at the start. My excess was 650 pounds. (When hiring a car from Hertz etc. it is normally 300 pounds)

You may also find lots of little labels in the MH saying that the kitchen etc. must be cleaned and the toilet casstte empty on return or a charge will be made, but these are all things which a normal 'civilised' person would do anyway so it was no big deal for me.

Likewise I would be surprised if any hire company didn't ask for a depost to reserve the vehicle. If they did not then they would continually be messed around by people booking MH's and then just not turning up. I just paid the full two week basic hire three weeks before as it seemed simplest and paid for the extras (Gas etc. on completion)

It was a pleasure to meet you at the show Harvey, I hope you enjoyed the experience and have since bought something suitable. If not you could always buy the beast, hee hee

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[45eEver]

You should get a bit of paper that lists each part of the vehicle, inside and out, when you collect.

It is in your best interest to check what the company has written against what you see.
It takes a fair bit of time I'm afraid.

Take a film camera with you when you collect.
It may provide useful information.

Take film camera when you go on holiday incase of shunts.

After that, it's pretty much the same risk for owner drivers I'm afraid.
You bend it, you, or you and your insurance company mend it.