Collision Damage Waiver

[AndrewSchofield]

Not really sure if this should maybe have gone in the car fourm but its not directly related to cars? Anyway, we hired a mini-bus last weekend and have done before in the past. When hiring there is usually a deposit to pay which covers the excess on the insurance policy if there is any damage to the vehicle whilst you're hiring it. This can be anything from £500 upwards. In the past the hire company has always offered to reduce this deposit in exchance for an additional charge - typically £10 extra to reduce the excess to £100 but this company didn't offer it. I've contacted my insurance company and they say you can buy 'Collision Damage Waiver' insurance of the internet and i've found some which will pay the whole of the excess charge for a fee of £4.50 a day.

My question is, has anyone ever bought this kind of product off the internet and can anyone recommend a reputible company that offer this. Do they try and wriggle out of paying out if they can like other insurance companies can tend to do.

 

[Steve]

A sad world that you can now buy insurance to cover insurance. Why do you have to pay a deposit? Surely a CC number would be sufficient as a deposit? As in a hotel.

 

[JohnD]

I am very unimpressed with car rental companies. If you haven't got CDW they often claim that they looked at the car after you had gone and it had a dent or scratch in it. Bit like the way they claim they checked the petrol and it wasn't full.

It is especially easy for them to fleece you like that if you return the car out of hours, or drop it off an an airport and they won't inspect it with you before you leave.

If you haven't got CDW they will suck the money off your credit card and you have little leverage to argue the case.

 

[nickso]

I am very unimpressed with car rental companies. If you haven't got CDW they often claim that they looked at the car after you had gone and it had a dent or scratch in it. Bit like the way they claim they checked the petrol and it wasn't full.

It is especially easy for them to fleece you like that if you return the car out of hours, or drop it off an an airport and they won't inspect it with you before you leave.

If you haven't got CDW they will suck the money off your credit card and you have little leverage to argue the case.

tis true, i used to work for one of them. if they have lost out for any reason on another car the manager will often try to claw that money back to "balance the books". depends on the manager i suppose. i wouldnt risk it myself, i even take pictures of the car when i park it up so they dont try to say i left it with the rear end stoved in or something ridiculous.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

A sad world that you can now buy insurance to cover insurance. Why do you have to pay a deposit? Surely a CC number would be sufficient as a deposit? As in a hotel.

Steve - you're dead right, when we've hired in the past they either taken a cheque for the deposit but they don't cash it they just give it you back if the vehicle is returned undamaged or they take your CC details just in case. I have hired a mini-bus once though where the hirers took the deposit off my card then refunded it when we took the bus back. Its just that, in our case, we hired a 15-seat bus for 9 adults and 5 children so obviously if anything had happened it would have cost us over £50 each - which is a lot (well it is to me anyway!) Nothing has ever happened when we've hired in the past, but you never know, someone else may damage the bus but not stop and i'm pretty sure the hirers would say thats our problem - not theirs. We had to park the bus in a very muddy field which was being used as a car park at the weekend - would have been very easy for someone to bump the bus while slipping in the mud and be long gone by the time we returned. It just puts quite a lot of pressure on the driver when they are driving a mini-bus as its the rest of the people on the bus that have to stump up the cash if anything happens.

 

[foxhole]

A sad world that you can now buy insurance to cover insurance.
All insurance is insured by the insurance company via a re-insurer, no one likes to take risks.

 

[DP]

One of the problems with third party CW is that should you have a bump, your plastic is hit by party that has hired the vehicle to you. It is then upto you to claim back the charges from people that covered you for CW

 

[securespark]

I am very unimpressed with car rental companies. If you haven't got CDW they often claim that they looked at the car after you had gone and it had a dent or scratch in it. Bit like the way they claim they checked the petrol and it wasn't full.

It is especially easy for them to fleece you like that if you return the car out of hours, or drop it off an an airport and they won't inspect it with you before you leave.

If you haven't got CDW they will suck the money off your credit card and you have little leverage to argue the case.

I have been phoned by companies twice during my quarter century history of hiring vehicles, claiming that the vehicle I have returned has been damaged and I will be billed for it. I have never damaged any hire vehicles.

My response was, I left that vehicle with you at the end of the hire period. If you did not or could not check it at that time,that is not my fault. I cannot be held liable for any damage occurring to the vehicle after the hire period. Now, if you persist with persuing payment from me, I would like to issue legal proceedings over the matter. I would be happy to allow a judge to decide whether I am liable for the vehicle outside of my hire period.

Guess what?