Car hire courtesy car.

[AnneTwacky]

Hi all.

Think I may have been kind of scammed.

A third party hit my car, they admitted liability so no problems there.

I decided to go through their insurance to try and make my life easier, and they said they'll arrange repairs and the garage would get me a courtesy car. It would only be a small one and they would pay a maximum of £19 a day. Fair enough as long as it's drivable, that was fine with me.

Garage phones on Friday, (definitely the one the insurers arranged) and also ask do I want a courtesy car. Yes please, say I and they say they'll arrange with a car hire company.

Car hire company rings and says come down we have a car for you, so I go. As we're talking I ask many times if this is agreed with 3rd party insurers and they reassure me. No cost to me just sign here and here etc.

Kind of wary as they first offered me a massive car, which I did not take and they rushed me over the hire process so I was not given time to read small print at the depot, it looks like they have arranged a hire agreement with me and are going to try and reclaim the money back from insurers. This was not how they presented it so no wonder they pressurised me to sign it. It also states the hire, for the small car is an eye watering £79 a day, not including the insurance which is separate.

I now think that this is not was the insurers intended for my courtesy car and am doubtful they'll pay it. Because it's in my name I would then be liable for these ridiculous charges.

I can't contact the insurance to ask though as they don't believe in giving out their phone number easily and their virtual assistant is no help. Garage was also closed as it's Saturday.

There is a cancellation clause in the hire agreement so thinking of taking the car back first thing on Monday and cutting my losses. May take them to small claims court for misrepresentation if I can think of a way to prove their economy with the truth.

@AnneTwacky definitely take the car back on Monday and cancel as per the agreement.

This is a big con and they are trying to get £££ by misleading you. Contact your insurance company asap and let them know exactly what the garage have tried to do.

Thanks @Sisterpita I had a feeling that was the case. Such a shame, relieved to have it confirmed though.

I take it back as soon as they're open on Monday.

We had this. Our insurers (no fault claim, other party drove into the back of us) did the "no fault service thing" which included a courtesy car. And their garage (who took forever to do anything). So it took a looonnngggg for the fix to happen....all the while we had our insurance companies arranged courtesy car At huge expense. We had checked the paper work - we would never be liable for any costs.

However, when it came to final settlement, understandably the other parties' insurance company later queried the amount for car hire as a reasonable expense. Went to court (insurance company vs insurance company....we were not liable for anything) but DH did have to turn up as a witness.

I would 100% contact the third parties' insurance company. Say you need a courtesy car -and that you currently have one through your insurer but would rather have one through them. Arrange the swap from yours to theirs. It may be a bit of a pain life-admin wise to swap the cars - but it will save an awful lot of fucking around later. It will also cynical probably mean the garage are a lot more prompt at fixing your car, and the insurers are quicker at getting stuff sorted. The £79 a day is a lovely money making scheme - probably for both the garage and the insurers!

The insurers are probably getting some of that £79 as an admin fee!

@Payrisen you are correct it’s the other parties insurance that won’t be happy.

Oh and @AnneTwacky get your offer to swap to third party car hire in writing - even if you initially speak on the phone, follow up with and email with the claim no to confirm you have offered them the chance to do a swap to their preferred car hire place.

Someone ran into ran car a few months ago (absolutely their fault, I was stationary in a car park space) and my insurance gave me a hire car, it was much bigger than my own car but it didn't cost me anything, the hire co just collected it when my claim was paid. And I got much more for my car than I expected!

Thanks all.

The frustrating thing is I'm going through the third party's insurance and not mine. I closed my claim down to do just that.

I clarified this several times with the car hire company and they said yes they are dealing with the third party's insurance. It was also the third party's insurance's garage that told me to go there or I wouldn't have gone when they rang.

I still can't contact 3rd party insurance to explain what happened but have asked for a call back which should happen tomorrow.

Car hire will get car back tomorrow and I'll cancel the hire agreement. Not happy as I will no doubt have to pay for a few days of hire but I'm going to try and mitigate as they definitely misrepresentated their role and who they were acting on behalf of, even when I directly asked them.

I wouldn't be overly concerned, my own experience in a similar incident was I asked for a 4x4 with tow bar and a towing capacity of 3.5t to replace what had been damaged, this was provided (absolutely brand new, it had 100 miles in the clock when it arrived) and it didn't cost me a penny. The difference to yours being I was having the repairs done at my specified choice of garage not theirs. It didn't cost me a thing, and I ended up having it a month, must have cost a fortune...

To clarify everything was all done direct with the other party's insurers, my own insurers didn't need to get involved but had said they would if I asked/needed them to. The other party's insurance co arranged the hire car.

Search for the message on this very forum about nightmare one poster had when the courtesy car scam company tried to get her to pay for it... it was juts shenanigans between them and the insurance company but they ise the client as the means... its a huge headache.

I will try and find it for you now.

This is the one

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/legal_matters/4797411-misled-by-credit-hire-company-after-accident-told-i-may-be-taken-to-court-for-35k

Bloody hell. They're absolute cowboys aren't they.

Glad I spotted it now a couple days in. Hope the insurance call me early tomorrow. The hire contract cancellation email is written out and ready to go.

I'll take the car back on my dinner tomorrow and get Uber back to work.

Hi. Quick update.

It's been quite a stressful day but I'm now in the car the insurers intended me to have and the hire contract has been cancelled.

Thanks for all your help

So glad you got it sorted and now have the right car.

Glad you got it sorted
I inadvertently ended up with a hire car when I was in a no fault accident. They also tried to charge for storage costs whilst they weren't trying to repair my car. I too cancelled the contract. Profiteering....
It's all very well posters saying they didn't have to pay and had a nice car. We all have to pay through higher insurance costs. And if the 3rd party insurers won't pay you can bet they will come after you