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cabinbiscuits
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# Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:03pm
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So here's a question for everyone.
If you rent a piece of equipment from an equipment rental place, and you pay for something called a "Damage Waiver" by paying a percentage above the daily or weekly rental rate for the equipment, what does that mean to you?
What I'm asking is what does that term "Damage Waiver" mean when you see it on a rental contract if it is not further spelled out in the fine print somewhere?
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bobrok
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# Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:26pm
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Well, I dont know how close this applies, but FWIW I just rented a u-haul trailer for 8 days and I took the option of a $64 insurance policy to cover Up to $5000 loss of contents AND trailer damage (long haul-1500+ miles round trip).
If I had refused to buy the policy they would have done a walk-around of the trailer and I would have been responsible for marking any damage I saw on the contract (like dings and dents to the trailer, etc.). I presume this would have left me open for nit-picky damage details when I returned it. Once I took the policy they couldn't have cared less about a walk-around and I left with the trailer.
I think its all about the money for them.
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cabinbiscuits
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2012 12:27pm
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bobrok- Thanks for your reply. I always do the same thing and take the insurance or damage coverage because I would rather pay in advance and have the peace of mind that I'm covered no matter what.
Here's the reason that I asked the question. Recently I rented a piece of equipment from an equipment rental company that I have been renting from for years. Anyway as a part of the rental I paid 9% above the rental fee for something termed as a "Damage Waiver" which they later told me is automatically added to all rentals unless you have a private insurance policy to cover their rental equipment. When I was digging my footers I hit a lot of rock and ended up breaking a tooth off the bucket and cracking the cutting edge of the bucket where the tooth bolted on. I had told the salesman that I hit a lot of rock when I returned the auger that I rented from them that did not work at all.
When I returned the equipment I notified them of damage and they told me that I would have to pay for the damage to the bucket. When I pointed out that I paid an extra fee for the "Damage Waiver" there was a lot of shucking and jiving that took place about what the "Damage Waiver" would cover. There is nothing at all on the contract itself about what it does or does not cover. I ended up speaking to a manager who said that the tooth being broken was abuse and I should have rented a bigger machine. Then he said that the "Damage Waiver" was only for incidental damages, and when I pointed out that the broken bucket was incidental to digging, he then tried to backtrack and say that the "Damage Waiver" was more to cover their cost of getting the equipment ready to rent again to the next person after it is returned. When I pointed out that the equipment maintenance he was speaking of had nothing to do with the terms "Damage Waiver" he just looked at me like I was crazy.
I told him it seemed to me that they were trying to refuse to stand behind their contract with me and that what he was saying would never stand up in court.
It seems to me that this particular rental company is charging for a "Damage Waiver" that they refuse to stand behind, if they try to charge you for damages when they occur when you are using the equipment for its' intended purpose.
Has anyone else ever run into problems with rental companies like this?
Like I said I've been renting from this company from many years, and this is the first time that I've run into a problem with them, so maybe the manager at this particular location is just a scammer, I don't know.
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larry
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2012 02:27pm
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if i may chime in. my wife used to work for HD in the rental department. the normal contract was like yours with the damage waiver policy. as it was explained to her by there legal team,I'm just paraphrasing here, the additional you pay is for the repair of equipment damaged during normal use of what is was intended to do, and the loss of revenue due to the inability to rent said equipment. so if your using a shovel to dig a hole in soil and it brakes your in the clear. however if you us it as a sledgehammer..well you get the point. so if i were you i would tell them to pucker up.
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