The roof came off the van! Van hire advice.

I've used Enterprise a lot over the years and found them to be excellent, the visual inspection of the car/van before hire is a brief walk around, it's not an in depth 20 minute inspection it takes about 2 minutes, I've hired vans before and they've basically opened the rear door and said 'yeah it's been cleaned' there was no inspection of the roof etc..., the fact you heard some noise in the back whilst driving suggests something has happened when you've been driving, whether that has made some existing unbeknown damage worse or is new damage is there's to prove as I cant imagine they would of inspected the roof panels with you before you hired it?
 
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Sorry; couldn't resist!
 
Annual excess insurance from a third party broker for hire vehicles is essential these days.
£30 gets you peace of mind.
Do you have legal cover on your personal insurance?
 
I've worked in van rental. A visual inspection of the roof should of been carried out from inside the storage area and a previous repair noted on enterprise's damage control document.

Even if the repair wasn't highlighted, it's fair for you to ask for confirmation whether the area concerned had been repaired previously, and could the damage have been caused by a repair failing.

Both corners of a roof pod on a Luton are prone to impact damage, any water ingress in the storage area should warrant a little extra checking.

The problem you have is even if enterprise are willing to investigate whether this could have been due to a failed repair, they're likely to ask whoever repaired it to investigate.the repairer will either corroborate a failed repair, if it was only a temporary repair to begin with, or more likely say the repair work was fine and the roofs been damaged again.

I would challenge the initial decision to attribute the damage to you and ask for images of inner and outer areas of the damage both before and after your rental period which displays without question that you are liable for the repairs.
 
Horlocks walk said:
I've worked in van rental. A visual inspection of the roof should of been carried out from inside the storage area and a previous repair noted on enterprise's damage control document.

Even if the repair wasn't highlighted, it's fair for you to ask for confirmation whether the area concerned had been repaired previously, and could the damage have been caused by a repair failing.

Both corners of a roof pod on a Luton are prone to impact damage, any water ingress in the storage area should warrant a little extra checking.

The problem you have is even if enterprise are willing to investigate whether this could have been due to a failed repair, they're likely to ask whoever repaired it to investigate.the repairer will either corroborate a failed repair, if it was only a temporary repair to begin with, or more likely say the repair work was fine and the roofs been damaged again.

I would challenge the initial decision to attribute the damage to you and ask for images of inner and outer areas of the damage both before and after your rental period which displays without question that you are liable for the repairs.
Click to expand...
Sounds good. Also, you said:-
I returned the van to Enterprise and told them of the problem. While I was at the Enterprise lot I climbed onto the shelf inside the cargo area and took some photos of the damaged area from above. It was apparent that the leading edge had clearly been repaired before and that the roof showed marks where it had been damaged in the past. Before the van was checked out I did an inspection with the hire person. Nothing was recorded as damaged and the area which subsequently

It seems to me that, if there was no damage to the front exterior of the van, and there was pre-existing damage of which there was evidence of repair, it will be impossible for them to prove on the balance of probabilities that the damage didn't occur due to a previously poor repair, as opposed to something that you had done. (That said, we've no idea what you had in the van; how it was secured, etc. You'll have to satisfy the court as to this, but I take that there was nothing bouncing around that could have caused the problem.)

Hold the line. Don't accept any blame and let them go to court with it. There's no obligation to tell your insurer as you haven't caused any damage - you are just being accused of it. Unless, you need to go to an inssurer to get legal help you are covered for (but this will be on your home insurance policy; not you motor policy). You may get some legal help if you are an AA or RAC member.

Even if you lost the case, it's a small claim so that can't sting you for legal costs, so, argue it.

Good luck.
 
Is there some sort of ombudsman in the vehicle hire world?
It needs to be inspected by a totally independent body to ascertain whether there has been a previous repair that has failed.
Good luck.
 
Mikeegrini said:
l hope someone can offer some advice.

About 4 weeks ago I hired a Luton van from Enterprise. After moving my belongings between properties I drove home. On the motorway close to my exit I heard a noise from the storage area. Instinctively I slowed and the noise stopped. The hard shoulder was closed due to road works so I pulled off the motorway and walked around the vehicle and made a visual inspection. Finding nothing untoward I drove the last 20 mins or so home with no issue.

The next morning I opened the rear of the van to remove some rope etc before returning the van to Enterprise. I discovered the roof had separated from the leading edge of the van above the cab and some of the fiberglass roof had been torn away.

I returned the van to Enterprise and told them of the problem. While I was at the Enterprise lot I climbed onto the shelf inside the cargo area and took some photos of the damaged area from above. It was apparent that the leading edge had clearly been repaired before and that the roof showed marks where it had been damaged in the past. Before the van was checked out I did an inspection with the hire person. Nothing was recorded as damaged and the area which subsequently caused the issues could not be seen. Had I been in the able to view the roof the earlier damage would have been noted.

At no time during my hire had I driven the van in any environment with a low ceiling just main roads and the motorway. The leading edge had failed as I travelled the airspeed had lifted it and caused the damage.

Fortunately I had reduced the insurance excess to £250 but still had a deposit of £200.The manager explained that he couldn't immediately return my deposit but would get back to me. Within the next week my deposit was returned and I thought the matter had been finished.

Unfortunately I have received a email from Enterprise,

'' Dear Sir/Madam, We are writing to you with reference to a vehicle you recently rented from us. During the hire period our vehicle unfortunately sustained a change of condition. Under the terms and conditions of the rental agreement you signed, you agreed to be financially responsible for an excess / costs. The value of the excess was indicated on your rental agreement and is also shown on the enclosed invoice. We have valued the outstanding sum in one of two ways: If the vehicle repair value exceeded the value of the excess you are responsible for, your financial liability is for the excess only unless the repair is not covered by any other party and then you are liable for the costs. If the total amount of repairs and associated costs fall within the value of your excess, your financial liability is for the sum noted on the enclosed invoice. We will attempt to run the credit or debit card presented by you for the funds outstanding 14 days from today. If the payment goes through, no further action is required and you may consider the matter closed. If we are not able to secure payment from your credit or debit card, we would respectfully request that you contact us at your earliest opportunity to discuss how payment is to be made. Until the debt is cleared you will not be able to be provided with a vehicle from us or any affiliated company under any circumstances. We reserve the right to forward the outstanding sum to a debt collection company. ''

The terms and conditions state a renter is required to,

'' bring the vehicle back to the location specified in the rental agreement summary at the end of the rental period in the same condition as it was when it was handed over by the owner according to the diagram on the rental agreement summary except for any usual wear and tear.''

After all that long read my questions,

I emphatically deny driving the vehicle in any way or in any area to cause damage to the roof apart from driving the vehicle as it was designed to be driven, how am I at fault? What can I do to stop the process and if I cant how do I get my money back?

On Saturday the insurance for my own vehicle has renewed, I have never made a claim on insurance. I intend to dispute the above with Enterprise and hope to have them stop their claim against me. Do I need to inform my insurers immediately?

Many thanks for reading, I hope someone can help me out
Click to expand...
Tell em to fuck right off.
 
Thanks all for the responses an advice especially Horlocks Walk and The Blue Panther .
Once I posted I guessed Michael Caine would be making an appearance haha.
I spoke to Enterprise today and their position is effectively ''you had the van its your responsibility regardless''. Once I started to request records regarding the earlier condition of the van they hid behind data protection. Anyways, I raised a complaint and therefore no money will be extracted from my credit card until the dispute has been resolved. I'm not holding my breath on any resolution there as its a process they control. I'm expecting the forms to be in my inbox and will give it a go, should I need I'll take it to the next level. I have legal cover through my home insurance so ill see what they have to offer. Fingers crossed, Cheers to the mighty BM community
 
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