Not upheld: unfair charges for missing vehicle accessory complaint against Volvo Car UK Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr S complained that VCUK unfairly charged him £437.14 for a missing parcel shelf when he returned a hired car. Mr S claimed he had the parcel shelf available at his home and had asked the inspector to retrieve it, but was refused. VCUK maintained the parcel shelf was required to be returned with the car at collection in accordance with BVRLA guidance and applied the charge. The ombudsman found no persuasive contemporaneous evidence supporting Mr S's version of events and concluded VCUK acted reasonably in applying the charge for the missing accessory.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found no persuasive contemporaneous evidence supporting Mr S's account that he had informed the inspector the parcel shelf was available and requested time to retrieve it. The ombudsman noted that if this had occurred, it would likely have been mentioned in Mr S's earliest correspondence challenging the inspection findings. The ombudsman considered it reasonable for VCUK to expect the parcel shelf to be returned with the vehicle in accordance with BVRLA guidance and to apply a charge when it was not present at collection.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website