I'm trying my best here to be fair. I had rented out this van for a festival so I would not worry about rainy conditions for a tent. The overall customer expierence at their office was not the friendliest (van pick up due at 3PM but was not actually given the van until 3.40PM). I was told the van had half a tank and were eager to get me to sign until I physically checked the van and found it had more like 3/8th of a tank (may not seem like much but it is a big tank)
the drive was smooth and pulls really well, I had an issue with the window where the response was very quick. The facilities were really cool, I loved the kitchen Idea and the fact there was a shelter behind the van for when I'm cooking or washing dishes or making tea.
the upsetting part is when I got to my festival campsite and returned to the van at night to sleep and found the bedding to be wet (I thought this was due to prehaps opening the door and accidentally pushing rain water inside). I woke up by drops of water from the ceiling on my face at 4.30AM. I had advised their whatsapp number of the issue and they suggested that I either park the van at an angle (terrible decision regarding you would not be able to sleep at an angle and that I'm also on blood thinners) or visit a bodyshop for the repairs without any consideration to compensate me for the time I'm taking out of my paid rental time to phone up garages to arrange repairs, drive to and from the bodyshop, or the fuel cost (driving the van economically costs about £10/50 minutes).
The host knew I was stationary at a festival, a more viable approach was to make the calls themselves and send a mobile mechanic down to make the repairs while the vehicle is stationary but rather expected the paying customer to fix the vehicle on their own time. I made temporar repairs but had to wait until midday as I was in a quite-family camping area and could not be noisey. The tarp I placed on top also meant I have lost all aspects of natural light from the roof nor was I able to watch the starts or sky as I slept.
I tried to ask nicely for a compensation for the water leak that woke me up at 4.30AM but instead being offered a 9% compensation of my original fee which is laughable considering they see the issue of a water leak as minor rather than something major - it is a small van with not much place to sleep or go. They then told me "We do not gurantee our own vans". What a re-assuring response.
This is a harsh host that would punish the customer and claim for maximum damage if the customer is at wrong but would not return the favour the other way and rathert would want to compensate "proportionally". wonder what compensation they would ask for had they too got woken up by chinese water torture at 4.30AM.
Now sadly I'm having to take the dispute root.
July 2024
Response from Jo
the client messaged us with a photo of a 1cm damp patch on the bed - it seems that a tiny drop from the vintage window.. Obviously we were sorry for it but needed a solution . a local garage would have put some sealer on it very fast and then all be well.
the client refused to move giving us mo option to rectify it .
he then wanted compensation of a 3rd of the hire fee which is not proportionate to the issue given that the van generally was perfect , we offered what is suggested by terms and confusions.
client is difficult and dramatic and has strange expectations that vans should never go wrong .
I suggest to read terms and conditions you book by and what happens in the event of something happening so you dont need to be surprised .
having said that most of the time nothing happens as we do our very best to make sure.
I find the comment on the pick up quite strange . . this site , which he booked off is a peer to peer site and he is renting of an individual . it so happens we are a company yes but thats not what he booked. he cant really have expectations of a company however such as meeting time !!
if you are booking with an individual you could wait many more time
at 15.00 we often have many clients to dispatch so he had to wait 40 mins - not end of world !
funny some clients really
Frederik
Anna
Carola
Arvid
Bridget
Ericka
Rebecca
Mohamed