He paid the money, then submitted a complaint via Ryder's online form, and is understandably pleased that Ryder decided to refund the money. But Patrick doesn't stop there, basically saying Ryder has won his loyalty for life by refunding the money it never should have asked for in the first place. He submitted this letter to Ryder:
To whom it may Concern:
On the morning of 9/25/09 at approximately 8:30 AM, I rented a Truck from your South Plainfield NJ location. Upon rental, prior to taking possession, a walk around was done on the truck identifying any damage to the truck on the Commercial Vehicle Damage Description Report – Safe Driving Tips form. Upon the walk around me and the person accompanying me identified that the front passenger side corner cap was damaged and had duct tape on it, either holding it together or on. I made sure that it was clearly marked on the Vehicle Damage Description Report, and did not inspect it any closer as I felt that the report was sufficient evidence upon return that I was not responsible for the corner cap damage. After my last stop that day and upon empting the truck I noticed that there was pieces of plastic with duct tape on them in the back of the truck(closest to the cab). I looked up and saw that the corner cap now had a hole in it where the duct tape damage was noted that morning. I thought to myself, not a big deal, this was clearly noted on the Vehicle Damage Description Report, end of story. The vehicle was returned at approximately 8 PM on the night of 9/25/09.
On Tuesday 9/29/09 I was contacted by the rental office and was told that there was damage to the previously stated corner cap and that I was going to be charged for the repair. I said that this was unacceptable and was directed to call the Rental Manager to dispute this. On 9/30/09 at approximately 11:30am I spoke with Dan DeMichael, the Rental Manager, and told him I did not feel that I was responsible for this damage, since it was clearly noted on the Vehicle Damage Description Report, prior to my taking possession of the truck. His position was that there wasn't a hole there when I got it, it was just a piece of duct tape, and it had nothing to do with the structural integrity of the corner cap. The conversation ended there because he had no estimates for repair and did not know how much he wanted to charge me at that time. On the morning of 9/19/09 he contacted me again after getting the estimate and is now charging me $200 for the repair of the corner cap. I stated that this was unacceptable and did not feel that I should be held responsible for a repair of something that was clearly already damaged and documented on Ryder's form. I asked for documentation of the previous renter's damage claim and repair charge for the damaged corner cap with the duct tape on it, but that could not be provided. I can only assume that this corner cap was previously damaged and repaired to a sub standard state with duct tape in house to save money on the repair work. After I drove it around for 12 hours the duct tape lost its integrity and this sub standard repair fell apart. Now I am being charged for it because the previous repair was not done properly and happened to fall apart while in my possession.
I have used Ryder in the past with no problems. I have exclusively used Ryder the past few years because of bad experiences with competitors and never had any of those problems with Ryder. I have told everyone I know not to use said competitors and have always recommended that they go with Ryder. This, unfortunately, may not be the case if Ryder does sub standard in house repair work, and waits for someone with a $500 deductable to come along and then charge them for when the substandard repair doesn't hold up, regardless of the damage being noted on the Vehicle Damage Description Report, which according to your contract is what should have been done. I would like my $200 refunded so I can stay a happy Ryder costumer and continue using your services in the future.
I disagree with Patrick that the insurance is a good idea. In most situations your own car insurance should cover any damages done to the vehicle. But of course you should check with your provider before you go U-Haul crashin.'
(Photo: Atwater Village Newbie)
]]>CKY2K: 1
Jackass the Movie: 0
@H3ion: Ahh, that sucks! At least you have a fun(?) story to tell!
]]>When deciding whether or not to accept their insurance or not, consider that if you use your own insurance and something happens, your rate could probably take a hit (ie: premium increase). So depending on whether or not your insurance rate is a issue for you, you might be better served allowing THEIR insurance company to work things out. In that case, I think the only way your own car insurance company would ever find out about an incident is if there is a police report filed and it's reported to the DMV.
]]>On the other hand, if you pay for the insurance, you can do literally whatever the hell you want to that poor car. One guy brought the car back with multiple bullet holes in the side. Several people have gone drag racing or to burn-out competitions in these cars, and worn the tires down to the threads. Point is, you can beat the heck out of these cars and with the insurance you don't have to pay anything.
]]>They even made me fill out an accident report, which I filled out saying "Nothing happened".
]]>I disagree about the 3rd party insurance. It's worth the $27. My car insurance always goes up if there's a claim, no matter how worthless, and I'd rather have it on the rental agencies' record than my own.
]]>I assume that he uses their trucks for business, since that Ryder's whole gig now. I wonder if he'd have the same result as a regular schmoe moving apartment to apartment.
]]>I wouldn't get insurance. I actually sideswiped an Expidition by accident (because they parked in a right turn only lane, and I miscalculated maneuvering around them) and caused over $10k in damage to their vehicle. The Ryder truck I had was completely unscathed. And oddly, they paid the claim, not my insurance company. The point is, I am not sure what you would have to do to acutally seriously damage these trucks, short of driving under a bridge one foot too short.
]]>Only once have I had the company call me back to say I would be charged for damages I didn't cause. They charged my card anyway, I disputed the charges providing the signed form that showed I returned the vehicle in the same condition as when I left.
]]>maybe i'm just thinking with too much common sense here, but i personally would have just duct-taped the thing back together before i turned it in. that, or i would have returned the vehicle during normal business hours and brought it up immediately with a Ryder employee.
or go further yet - either ask, or check while still at ryder what the duct tape was covering up to begin with.
yes, this isn't stuff the guy should HAVE to do, but it was a peculiar circumstance, and with situations of liability like this, you need to cover your ass.
]]>"But of course you should check with your provider before you go U-Haul crashin"
Imagine if on the Jackass movie they used a Ryder or U-Haul truck instead of the Ford Contour. And they bought the $11/day insurance.
"You too can have this much fun...for only $11 a day"
]]>Final sentence:
"...so I can stay a happy Ryder costumer...."
This is a person who dresses up Ryder trucks in clever costumes for Halloween, parades and civic events.
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