Hi there:
I hired a TURO car (car share company) for one day in October 2024. I got the minimum cover plan they offer which is a AU$1,500.00 excess. I had a small accident during my rental period where a girl driving an Hyundai iLoad hit me at the driver’s rear panel, close to the rear wheel. The damage caused a big yet shallow cosmetic dent. I took photos of the damages in both cars and was able to grab the rego of the car she was driving and took a photo of her driving licence. I immediately called the owner of the car to notify what had happened and got in contact with TURO to report the incident. I filled out an accident report in their app. I also shared the driving licence of the girl who hit me and the rego of the van she was driving. After I explained what happened in detail by replying to an email they sent, two days later they asked me to pay $500.00 claiming I was responsible for the car while renting it as they state in their T&C’s. They mentioned that they were going to investigate the matter and if the damages where to be less than $500 to fix they were going to reimburse me the remaining. After a month of waiting they finally reached out stating that the repairs for the van I hired were more than $1,500, therefore I had to pay $1000.00 within 24 hours threatening to send me to collections if I was not to pay even if I was not at fault of the accident. I asked the outcome of the insurance companies and they said that “sometimes it is difficult to contact the third party’s insurance”. They also said that regardless the outcome I have to pay that money and it won’t be reimbursed in any case. I have asked if the period of time to pay can be extended I order for me to find out if I can get some legal advice (I obviously didn’t mention the reason for it) and they can only arrange a payment plan. Is there anything I can do?
I hired a TURO car (car share company) for one day in October 2024. I got the minimum cover plan they offer which is a AU$1,500.00 excess. I had a small accident during my rental period where a girl driving an Hyundai iLoad hit me at the driver’s rear panel, close to the rear wheel. The damage caused a big yet shallow cosmetic dent. I took photos of the damages in both cars and was able to grab the rego of the car she was driving and took a photo of her driving licence. I immediately called the owner of the car to notify what had happened and got in contact with TURO to report the incident. I filled out an accident report in their app. I also shared the driving licence of the girl who hit me and the rego of the van she was driving. After I explained what happened in detail by replying to an email they sent, two days later they asked me to pay $500.00 claiming I was responsible for the car while renting it as they state in their T&C’s. They mentioned that they were going to investigate the matter and if the damages where to be less than $500 to fix they were going to reimburse me the remaining. After a month of waiting they finally reached out stating that the repairs for the van I hired were more than $1,500, therefore I had to pay $1000.00 within 24 hours threatening to send me to collections if I was not to pay even if I was not at fault of the accident. I asked the outcome of the insurance companies and they said that “sometimes it is difficult to contact the third party’s insurance”. They also said that regardless the outcome I have to pay that money and it won’t be reimbursed in any case. I have asked if the period of time to pay can be extended I order for me to find out if I can get some legal advice (I obviously didn’t mention the reason for it) and they can only arrange a payment plan. Is there anything I can do?
