Long-term rental, the incredible mess of delivery delays and absurd end-of-contract checks
The woes of the Nlt: registered cars that inexplicably sit on forecourts for months and are not delivered. Cars that are put under the magnifying glass at the return to look for every micro defect
"Good morning, we inform you that the car will no longer be delivered at the beginning of February, but in June'. There are many individuals or employees who have been given the benefit of a company car who receive such e-mails announcing delays for unspecified reasons. And which, often, are not justified. And it is already good if the operators deign to warn because many times, especially in the business Nlt, the users (who are then the ones who choose the car) are in the dark.
A situation we have directly encountered with first and very first-rate players: and there is no need to name names (yes, they are the ones at the top of the market).
The absurd thing is that many of these cars have not only been manufactured but also have licence plates and are out in the rain, the weather and even hail, so that the bump on the roof that we don't notice when we pick them up will be charged to us, and heavily, when we return them (but more on that in a moment). Moreover, trying to unblock the situation is like trying to break through a veritable wall of rubber, as if the car were bogged down in bureaucratic fetters to make it available, communications from the hirer that don't arrive or are as slow as the 1950s Post Office. Waiting six or nine months is not acceptable and, especially in private hire, creates image damage for car manufacturers.
Not to mention the carelessness on delivery: sophisticated cars, full of Adas, maybe plug-ins or electrics brought to the customer by a delivery man who has the competence and desire of the rider who brings the kebab in a downpour. And it happens that then someone is left with a stranded car because no one has told them that if they are away for a week they have to activate the battery reset. It happens that cars are delivered in winter with summer tyres and then the user is forced to waste a day to have winter tyres fitted, and here the question arises: why not fit excellent all-season tyres straight away, if one is not a pharmaceutical sales representative in Val Pusteria, four-season tyres are just fine: less time, less expense (but perhaps less business for the operators). And it happens that cars are delivered with complimentary accessories from the manufacturer unmounted and stuffed without a word into a cardboard box in the boot.
As for the ugly issue of return: there are often those who do not understand, or pretend not to understand, the difference between real damage and normal wear and tear. And what happens? Simple, that one finds oneself, especially if the renter is a private individual, paying extra. It almost seems as if Nlt operators want a new car back that has been maniacally maintained by a detailer and then put cars in a less than pitiful condition back on the market, the famous remarketing. It is therefore understandable that a private individual would think twice about long-term leasing. As for companies, they should watch out for questionable behaviour by their suppliers.
