Third Party Liability in the UK

Hi there,

I've read a lot about insurance scams with the rentals... What is the truth about purchasing a third party liability insurance in the UK? My credit card company (AmEx) covers my car, so I'll be declining the damage waiver, but I feel that I need liability protection.

But I read online that UK law requires 3rd party insurance to be included in the rental by default? Is this true with Enterprise? The website doesn't say anything about it.... Does TPL come with the rental contract or do I need to pay extra? How much can I expect to pay? The customer service rep on the 1800 number did not say.

Thanks!!

(I accidentally posted this in the Employees-UK forum, sorry..)

[Tim O' Tei]

If you're hiring the car privately (ie: as a retail customer) then 3rd party is included in the price - when i worked there it cost around £2.50 and would show up in the right hand column of your contract. In reality it actually cost about 75p to purchase from whoever insured them (can't remember). Some managers would either not bother including this - and adding the extra £2.50 to the daily rate, falsely inflating their income, or would include it, then rewrite the contract on their system, putting the £2.50 back on top of the daily rate but allowing it to show on the paperwork. If you got into an accident it was easy enough to quickly rewrite the rates to include it.

As for your AMEX card covering the car. I'm not sure. Technically the car is uninsured by ERAC with regards to damage to the vehicle that is hired. ERAC own the car. If it comes back with any damage, loss control would look at it and decise whether to repair or write off, dependent upon the amount of money it could make in resale. A couple of years ago there was a Daihatsu (an incredibly cheap car) that had it's window busted and radio stolen, and ERAC London decided that the amount of money it could make by reselling it to a dealer damaged for them to repair and resell, was greater than the amount it would make as a rental vehicle given the amount of time, bother and cash it would take to repair. Your AMEX card would cover your excess/deductible but initially the branch are within their rights to take the deductible off of you by running the credit card and then allowing you to claim it back from AMEX. The reason behind this is quite simple - if they let you go and don't claim the money immediately, there is no guarantee that AMEX would pay, leaving them £250 down. As for 3rd party cover - not sure. Personally I can't see AMEX covering you for hitting a car which could in theory be a Bugatti Veyron and writing it off, especially when the rental car company can provide coverage for a couple of quid.

Originally Posted by Tim O' Tei

If you're hiring the car privately (ie: as a retail customer) then 3rd party is included in the price - when i worked there it cost around £2.50 and would show up in the right hand column of your contract. In reality it actually cost about 75p to purchase from whoever insured them (can't remember). Some managers would either not bother including this - and adding the extra £2.50 to the daily rate, falsely inflating their income, or would include it, then rewrite the contract on their system, putting the £2.50 back on top of the daily rate but allowing it to show on the paperwork. If you got into an accident it was easy enough to quickly rewrite the rates to include it.

As for your AMEX card covering the car. I'm not sure. Technically the car is uninsured by ERAC with regards to damage to the vehicle that is hired. ERAC own the car. If it comes back with any damage, loss control would look at it and decise whether to repair or write off, dependent upon the amount of money it could make in resale. A couple of years ago there was a Daihatsu (an incredibly cheap car) that had it's window busted and radio stolen, and ERAC London decided that the amount of money it could make by reselling it to a dealer damaged for them to repair and resell, was greater than the amount it would make as a rental vehicle given the amount of time, bother and cash it would take to repair. Your AMEX card would cover your excess/deductible but initially the branch are within their rights to take the deductible off of you by running the credit card and then allowing you to claim it back from AMEX. The reason behind this is quite simple - if they let you go and don't claim the money immediately, there is no guarantee that AMEX would pay, leaving them £250 down. As for 3rd party cover - not sure. Personally I can't see AMEX covering you for hitting a car which could in theory be a Bugatti Veyron and writing it off, especially when the rental car company can provide coverage for a couple of quid.

Well I think your full of shit what do you think about that?

[Tim O' Tei]

Originally Posted by ERAC SUCKS BALL VEINS

Well I think your full of shit what do you think about that?

I think - grammatical errors aside - that you are a bleed-green fool without much more in life than kissing arse to overgrown frat-boys who have no idea how to run a business that doesn't involve some level of high-fiving, ineptitude, mismanagement and social inadequacy.

Now jog on.

Originally Posted by Tim O' Tei

I think - grammatical errors aside - that you are a bleed-green fool without much more in life than kissing arse to overgrown frat-boys who have no idea how to run a business that doesn't involve some level of high-fiving, ineptitude, mismanagement and social inadequacy.

Now jog on.

TIM IWAS JUST FUCKING WITH YOU. I KNOW YOU ARE ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS. I HATE ERAC TOO< THEY STINK ON ICE!

Originally Posted by Moshi

Hi there,

I've read a lot about insurance scams with the rentals... What is the truth about purchasing a third party liability insurance in the UK? My credit card company (AmEx) covers my car, so I'll be declining the damage waiver, but I feel that I need liability protection.

But I read online that UK law requires 3rd party insurance to be included in the rental by default? Is this true with Enterprise? The website doesn't say anything about it.... Does TPL come with the rental contract or do I need to pay extra? How much can I expect to pay? The customer service rep on the 1800 number did not say.

Thanks!!

(I accidentally posted this in the Employees-UK forum, sorry..)

Ok, 3rd party liability insurance gets included in your rate, it is a given! CDW is your chjoice. If you are coming in from the states then you can choose; if you have coverage, to cover the car on your credit card. The majority of US credit cards, especially platinum and gold cards carry this benefit.
However if you bring the car back damaged and have declined the optional CDW, you become liable for the charges for the damage, up to and including the whole value of the car. Enterprise will charge you the rrp of the car if it arrives back on a transporter as a total loss.

Enterprise is the only company at the airport that doesn't include CDW in their rates when booking on the internet. Their quote may seem cheap, but it becomes more expensive when you add on the extra insurance.

Enterprise will also charge you 13% of the rental as an airport access fee, which can work out to be hundreds of pounds! Other companies charge a one off fee of around £20 and that is the standard. Be watchful of the counterstaff and their sales techniques, they are quite simply after as much money as possible, but they will smile sweetly in an effort to secure a high customer service score as they take all your holiday money!

In short, if you want easy hassle free service, rent from someone else, it's really going to be worth it in the end.

Good Luck!

[Robert]

Originally Posted by Tim O' Tei

I think - grammatical errors aside - that you are a bleed-green fool without much more in life than kissing arse to overgrown frat-boys who have no idea how to run a business that doesn't involve some level of high-fiving, ineptitude, mismanagement and social inadequacy.

Now jog on.

All that horseshit goes on in the UK too?

[Tim O' Tei]

Originally Posted by Robert

All that horseshit goes on in the UK too?

Daily. Very embarassing and cringe-inducing.