Kindly shared by S. Charlton
What happened
After my son lost his job and house in London due to Covid-19 he was forced to come home until he can find a new job. I live in Berwick-Upon-Tweed and as he does not drive so the only option was for me to hire a van and pick him and his belongings up myself. As I live in a rural area there are limited car/van rental services on my doorstep. Finding what appeared to be a locally advertised firm online - SC Vehicle Hire, I rang them on Sunday 7th June, and was able to book a Ford Transit SWB (or similar) for the following weekend. The arrangement was that the van would be dropped off at my address at 11.00 am on Saturday 13th June, and then collected at approx 11.00am on Monday 15th June. The booking was confirmed by email on the 8th of June. Interestingly, the confirmation came from Nationwide Hire. When I made later enquiries I find the SC Vehicle Hire is a 'sister company', in other words, a non-existent local firm, with a web page designed to attract local business. As I am an older and vulnerable person, everything had to be done quickly to minimise any risk to me at the London end. It involved a strict social distancing, not only by my son but also other housemates. It also meant the Estate Agents couldn't bring viewings to the property until my son had left. The day before the journey, Friday 12th June, I received an email from Nationwide Hire, informing me they were upgrading me to the larger LWB at no extra charge. I immediately rang up and said I did not want an upgrade. The larger van was totally unsuitable to drive into inner London, to a residential area where parking is difficult and restricted, and to an address, where there is a tiny residential car park marked with single-bay parking. In addition, there is limited and restricted parking and driving where I live in Berwick, a small 'character' town with little cobbled lanes. Further, as an older person, I wasn't sure that the larger van would be suitable for me to drive, particularly on a 700-mile round trip. I also pointed out that whilst they were offering a 'free upgrade', it would actually cost more money in diesel for the long journey. The young lady I spoke to was unhelpful - stating if I didn't want it then they would just cancel. This wasn't an option for me (due to the arrangements in London), I requested that she ask another of their customers who may have been given the order of their choice i.e. a transit van, but who would not mind being upgraded. She said she would try but would not promise anything. Clearly she did not try as within a short time of my call being made a driver turned up with the large LWB. The delivery was made in the afternoon of the 12th June, when it should have arrived on the morning of the 13th. The van was an Enterprise marked hire a van, a Vauxhall LWB. It was then I realised that Nationwide must act as some sort of broker between hire firms. The nearest Enterprise rental is approximately 54 miles away. I felt I had no option but take the van on Saturday morning. Needless to say, it was a very anxious drive for me. It was difficult navigating out of where I live, other residential cars having arrived home since the van was dropped off, but, more importantly, I wasn't sure if I would get the van anywhere near where my son lived. Fortunately, I did, but not without a great deal of difficulty and careful manoeuvring. My anxiety levels were screaming!. The van took up two of the residents parking spaces and jutted out considerably. I didn't sleep that night as I was anxious whether I would be able to get the van out in the morning. Fortunately, with my son's guidance, I did. It was also difficult navigating the residential streets that had cars and vans parked on both sides, and on the corners. I was eventually so relieved to get back to Berwick and turn of the van engine! The van was collected on Monday morning. The gentleman was very apologetic when he found I had been to London. He himself said Berwick was bad enough for him to bring the van into, he did not know how I had managed driving and parking it in London. He said he was a 'Trainee Assistant Manager' and would report back, and that I would get an email from the company within a couple of days. I am still waiting. To my horror, on Tuesday morning I realised I had left my purse in a small bag under the driver's seat of the van. Immediately I rang up Nationwide. I have never dealt with such an arrogant and unsympathetic person, that did not care - even after explaining the purse contained credit and debit cards, driving licence, senior rail pass etc. All she said was that she would send a note to Customer Service and they would ring me. I waited. No phone call. I phoned again and spoke to the same lady. She was rude and claimed there was nothing she could or would do. As this was an Enterprise van, I phoned Enterprise to see if they could help where the van would be. The first man I spoke to 'Gary' said as the booking was with Nationwide it wasn't his problem - he then hung up on me. I tried ringing Enterprise again, this time a more understanding lady answered. She at least told me that the van had come from their Ashington Depot (53 miles). She tried to contact them but they weren't answering their phone, so she said she would get back to me. That was Tuesday 16th June and I'm still waiting. Meanwhile, on the late afternoon of the Tuesday, Sophie from the Customer Serice of Nationwide rang me. She seemed very concerned, apologies for the wrong van hire and stated it should not have happened and said she had contacted Enterprise and the van was now on another hire, no purse had been found. When I was adamant that the purse was in the cab of the van, I made clear that this means either the van had not been cleaned properly (COVID alert) and the purse was still concealed under the seat, or, someone in the chain had stolen the purse. Sophie agreed to have Enterprise contact the customer hiring to look if it was still there. She said she would ring me back. I am still waiting. On Wednesday 16th June, still not having heard anything, my son found a number for the Ashington branch and rang them. He was told that nothing had been handed in, and, the van was out on hire until Friday 19th June. The lady said she would contact the customer and ring my him back. It is now Friday 19th June and no-one has rung my son back. My grievance is twofold: the wrong van being delivered - causing extreme anxiety and difficulty. In addition, the conditions of driving have aggravated a back/neck condition. I am still in pain and discomfort resulting from the drive. Also, I do not know how much more the diesel would have cost for this vehicle, but, clearly, it would have cost more for the journey than using the Transit Van ordered. In addition, the customer service, or should I say dis-service was appalling by both Nationwide and Enterprise in trying to locate and retrieve my purse.
What I wish had happened
As soon as the upgrade was rejected, a suitable van that I ordered in the first place should have provided as per the contractual obligation. Now the incident has happened, I would expect a refund (either a full or percentage) as compensation for the pain and anxiety they caused and the extra diesel money. Additionally, the missing purse should have been dealt with in a sympathetic way and I should have been updated regularly to the progress of the investigation. The purse should also have been returned by now, it is disgusting how something as valuable as this has been disregarded the way it has.
Where this happened
Other - Over the telephone
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