# hirebuddies



## Riggy (May 9, 2005)

i remember on the old forum that there was a posting about a company called Hirebuddies .

has anyone had anything to do with this company and what was the service like.

im thinking of hiring out our motorhome but before i do i want some sort of feedback from anyone who signed up with them.


all the best 

Riggy


----------



## hymmi (May 9, 2005)

Hi Riggy,

i saw that i don't think anyone had any dealing's with them,they did say you had to put money up front,£90 i think,with no guarantee's.Also you have no control over who hire's it.

I saw them at Peterboro show the stand was empty.

If you want to hire it out, why not do it yourself with local adds,you will soon get known.


----------



## Riggy (May 9, 2005)

hello hymmi

i was just testing the water to see what the company was like, because when it was on the old forum, i think there was a couple of people who had signed up with them.

i cant get out in ours every week, so with it being a 6 berth, i would think it would be good rental stock.

but i might have a go at renting it out myself, if hirebuddies looks like a waste of time.

maybe this will re-open the debate and refresh peoples minds

any thoughts welcome

cheers

Neil


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

Hi Riggy. This may not be the one, but it seems quite reasonable:-

http://www.private-leisure-hire.co.uk/index2.html


----------



## Riggy (May 9, 2005)

has anyone used such companys, and what service did you get from them.


----------



## 89125 (May 14, 2005)

*Hirebuddies*

Hi All,
I joined Hirebuddies 2 months ago, the cost up front was £99 for a years membership. They do not give any guarantees but they do supply you with a decent range of literature, stickers, copy ads etc to give a helping hand with local marketing. They have been very helpful so far! I have 1 confirmed booking in June already so personally speaking I am happy so far! I wanted to find a way to make my van more affordable & hiring it out seemed a good idea. Deposits are taken, and they arrange the insurance which I might add is expensive if you wish to hire your van out on your own. I have a Swift Sundance 590RS which is nearly a year old, I am 40 with a clean licence but only 1 years no-claims & was quoted £2500 a year for hiring it out as the insurance people see you as a business, not as an individual who is trying to save some money!
Hope this helps!

Best wishes

Tony


----------



## Riggy (May 9, 2005)

thanks for the info devonexile

i now own a CI Riviera 141 its a 6 berth and a good size for a family.

i too am looking for a way to cover some of the running costs that it takes to run a motorhome every year.

can tell me how much you charged the people

if you dont want it public then send me a PM and we will keep it a secret. (thats if you dont mind )

and who sets the price you or Hirebuddies.

cheers


----------



## 89146 (May 15, 2005)

I would not do this for a number of reasons although obviously this is a personal opinion.
First of all, do your sums properly. As already stated, insurance for this use is very expensive. The excess may be high too. Who is responsible for ensuring that your van is roadworthy and safe? How much will this cost? And who cleans out the mess when it comes back having had a pet c*** on the seats or vomit in the bathroom..... or petty breakages? You may THINK you are renting out to a nice middle aged couple but how do you know they are not handing it over to their 20 year old son and his mates?
Finally, your income is taxable, if you don't declare it there is always a risk that you will be caught - the Inland Revenue are constantly on the look out for this.
I looked into it briefly, not with the firm mentioned but another, all the risk and expenses (apart from marketing) were mine and their commission was 50% so it simply wasn't viable financially.

overthehill


----------



## Detourer (May 9, 2005)

Hi

Firstly I should declare an interest: I am in the Mhome Hire/Tour business (but regulars already know that)

Good idea if you do your sums and are happy with that. BUT, insurance is an issue. You can't just keep ringing up your broker to add and cancel extra drivers. They will soon work out what you are doing. You ARE in the "Hire and Reward" area........very expensive.

Be very aware of damage........interior mostly. I am amazed, and dread to think, what must go on in hire Mhomes. How do tables get stood on/ripped off the wall. Burnt fabric. Doors pulled off. Windows broken (yes!) etc etc etc. Prep/service time is a factor. We allow a min of 4/6 hours turn around just for cleaning..............repairs extra.

Be mindfull of ill-intensions i.e. Theft of vehicles.... You hire it in the UK and it gets wizzed off to some distant land. Client "don't know nothin'". One of ours found its way to Sicily......stolen while the client was tucked up in a hotel in France. Yeh right, hire a Mhome and stay in a hotel......first mistake!

More stories that would make your hair curl but it would look anti-enterprise.......and i'm not........go for it if it's good for you.

Ray


PS......Spell checker????


----------



## Riggy (May 9, 2005)

thanks ray for the input

i knew that there would be some scary stories out there,too many to mention here,but there must be a good side to it as well.

insurance has always been an issue ive been aware of, thats why the hire/loan companys for motorhomes sound a good idea.

its something to look into for sure,

not sure if i would get put off by the first scratch on the side...suppose i would have to go through that to see how i would feel.

cheers


----------



## badger (May 9, 2005)

No help to your request for info......but......

No way Miguel!!!!

My wife and I love our MH too much and one of the plusses (as we couldn't afford new) was that although the van was second hand, the conversion itself was brand new. No one had slept in the bed, cooked on the stove or sat on the loo etc......

Badger


----------



## 104998 (Jun 6, 2007)

*Hirebuddies No Customer Service*

I had a bad experience with Hirebuddies. I and 3 others had booked and paid a deposit for a campervan for Glastonbury weekend. The remainder of the balance needed to be paid so I telephoned Hirebuddies to make arrangements. They then informed me that the motorhome we had booked had been in an accident and that they could not guarantee a replacement. I then found out that they had been aware of this for 7 days. Why did they not inform me? If I had not have telephoned I would not have found out.

Then to make matters worse they informed me that they had no available motorhomes. I checked this out and they actually had available ones in the north of england. They had been misinforming me. In other words they were not willing to transport one down to Bristol.

I went through their TERMS AND CONDITIONS which states
'hirebuddies, on behalf of the motorhome operator, will of course offer you the choice of an alternative motorhome (if applicable - is applicable as there were motorhomes available in Scotland and the north of england) or refund as described above.

There were other signs of fibs that I will not go into.

My advice is - Hirebuddies from my experience, have a poor customer service and I would not recommend them them to anybody as they have no backup plan if anything goes wrong. Being offered a refund is no use when you have already booked and paid for flights.

I have now booked through another company and I hope that everything goes according to plan with them.


----------



## eddievanbitz (May 1, 2005)

How do you insure somthing you don't own? Is the insurance fully comprehensive? I thought that insuring against a loss on a vehicle owned by a third party was considered gaming!

I should want a copy of the terms and conditions and a copy of the insurance certificate before considering to hire out my motorhome!

Who would get the money in a total loss situation? me? or the hire company? How would I guarantee to get the money from teh hire company?

Doesn't make sense to me to be able to have an insurance policy that is paid by ABDX Hire, with me as the named benificary, Mr X as the named driver but held by ABCX Hire :? 

Having said that I guess that there are inurance guys out there reading this that may know better

cheers


----------



## 98585 (Apr 9, 2006)

Hiring out your motorhome to a stranger could only be done if it wasnt your pride and joy. I couldnt bear the thought of someone elses bare bum on my lovely thetford.


----------



## eddievanbitz (May 1, 2005)

I was having trouble with the thought of you bearing your bum Jim


----------



## 98585 (Apr 9, 2006)

eddievanbitz said:


> I was having trouble with the thought of you bearing your bum Jim


Eddie, I'm having trouble with the thought of you thinking about it :?


----------



## 101368 (Oct 12, 2006)

*Re: Hirebuddies No Customer Service*



bladetj said:


> I had a bad experience with Hirebuddies. I and 3 others had booked and paid a deposit for a campervan for Glastonbury weekend. The remainder of the balance needed to be paid so I telephoned Hirebuddies to make arrangements. They then informed me that the motorhome we had booked had been in an accident and that they could not guarantee a replacement. I then found out that they had been aware of this for 7 days. Why did they not inform me? If I had not have telephoned I would not have found out.
> 
> Then to make matters worse they informed me that they had no available motorhomes. I checked this out and they actually had available ones in the north of england. They had been misinforming me. In other words they were not willing to transport one down to Bristol.
> 
> ...


Don't take this personally but I'd have thought four mates going to Glastonbury would be many owners idea of a nightmare.


----------



## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

I don't know Jim, but, from his avatar I don't want to think about his bare bum. 
But, to keep on topic, I would have to be convinced that the majority of the hire fee was coming to me before I would consider risking even my elderly van with hirers. 
We have hired boats in the past, and are doing it again this year in the middle of our motorhome trip to France, and although we do not set out to trash someone else's property it is not treated quite the same as our old van. 
If you have paid the insurance you don't mind the odd bump!!


----------



## 108584 (Dec 2, 2007)

*Hirebuddies withheld deposit without reason*

I hired a camper van from hirebuddies. They charged an extra £400 because it was for Glastonbury. But then they took the whole £1500 damage fee and are still withholding £300 without any reason. They have been saying for 5 months now that they will send a copy of a photo of damage and a receipt for the repairs but still nothing has come. We didn't cause any damage. Here is a sample letter I wrote to them.

"I am absolutely amazed at this. We have acted in accordance with the agreement, we have acted reasonably and in fact I think it is reasonable to expect you to pay us compensation and/or a full refund.

I cannot open the file you have sent. Please send a version that I can open (tif, gif, jpg, bmp format) or tell me what common program can be used to open it.

1.	The table was returned to the collection driver in the same condition as it was when it was delivered. The delivery driver disassembled it and as no manual was provided neither he nor we could work out how assemble it into a bed or back to being a table.

2.	You will note from the document I signed on receipt of the vehicle that the water filler cap lock was broken when I received the vehicle.

3.	I have no idea what you are referring to as I cannot see the photo. I assure you that we did not damage the rail and I cannot imagine how something as robust as that could have been damaged.

4.	I was told when I hired the vehicle at a rate approx 50% higher than the normal price, that this was because the lender expected it to be dirtier than normal. I think that the £300 premium should cover this cleaning. We did clean it however and had intended to do further cleaning on it. On dropping the vehicle off the driver said that, contrary to our agreement, he would be collecting it at the end of the week. I was very surprised to receive a call from him at 5pm on the Tuesday saying that he would be here at 6pm. That gave me one hour to do the best cleaning I could.

We agreed that the van would be delivered to us promptly at 8am on the Thursday. I called you at 9.30am explaining that we were still waiting. I was told that you (the guy who answered) were too busy to investigate and that I should wait for a further 2 hours before calling back at which point he would find out what the delay was. Finally the vehicle arrived at around 11am. You left a family including children sitting at the door with bags packed waiting for 3 hours without even offering any confirmation that it was on its way or attempting to find out what the delay was. We only wanted it for the long weekend. We were due to be at Glastonbury at the time the van arrived. We lost half a day of our 5 day trip i.e. 10%. For this I am due at least a 10% refund i.e. £110.

The delivery driver told us that we had to use special toilet paper, that this should have been provided and if we had to buy any more then you would reimburse us. Where exactly did you expect us to buy this toilet paper in the middle of a field in Glastonbury when we were already half a day late and you hadn't given us any details such as this in advance? Actually you told us the day before to expect a Chausson Flush and that if we wanted any information on it we should use Google. The vehicle that arrived was a Ford Rimor Superbrig and not a Chausson Flush at all.

The only manual provided was written in a foreign language and did not cover much of functionality. The van had an on board computer for controlling gas, water etc. Again no manual was provided and the instructions that the computer displayed were in a foreign language so on two

No mechanism was provided for getting water into the van i.e. no water carrying container and no funnel.

The vehicle was left hand drive. We were not informed of this in advance. I have never driven anything of this size before and explained my concerns on booking. This is why I was so keen to know in advance what kind of vehicle it was, why I said I'd prefer a 5 birth, and why I wanted the van delivered at 8am. To give us a vehicle which is left hand drive was extremely dangerous and irresponsible, particularly for roundabouts, left turns and entry to motorways. I feel that in this respect you put our lives at risk and that you were certainly in breach of contract.

As for your assertion on the phone that you have proof in the form of dog hair that a dog had been on board, this is clearly a lie or proof that you used the vehicle after collecting it from me, as Glastonbury don't allow dogs and searched the van on entry and as you delivered it late and collected it early we had no opportunity to put a dog on board, and don't own one anyway.

In summary, having been given a vehicle that was dangerous to drive, with no water, no instructions and no toilet paper we had a very unpleasant hiring experience for which I feel entitled to a full refund. I certainly don't feel that I owe any money for you collecting the van ahead of the agreed time so before it had been cleaned, and for you not inspecting and reassembling the vehicle prior to taking it away. Please refund my deposit in full immediately."


----------



## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

Hi SamG, hmmm doesnt sound too good. You mention an attachment you couldn't open, what type of attachment was it and what was it called ?
I am sure we can tell you what u need to open it

You can leave feedback for Hirebuddies here: http://www.motorhomefacts.com/leave-feedback-535.html


----------



## 108584 (Dec 2, 2007)

*Hirebuddies withheld deposit without reason*

I think I deleted the file when it transpired that Hirebuddies didn't know how to open it either. Today they sent me an August quote from a garage saying that a replacement table would cost the £300 that they took from me. Pretty meaningless imho as it doesn't show that they proceeded with replacing it. It seems even more unlikely now that they did replace it and therefore even more unlikely that the table was damaged. They have said that they haven't seen any evidence of damage to the table and that I need to contact the vehicle owner directly to pursue it. I have contacted him and he has said he doesn't want to talk to me and that his relationship, like mine is with Hirebuddies.


----------



## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

> I have contacted him and he has said he doesn't want to talk to me and that his relationship, like mine is with Hirebuddies


y I believe this is one of the major issues with third party hire companies of motorhomes. IMHO it sounds like the owner complained to Hirebuddies, they took his word for it and billed you via your deposit.

Surely Hirebuddies should be able to provide evidence (photographic or otherwise) it has been damaged to satisfy you that your funds were spent correctly ? Hirebuddies probably didn't buy the table, they would more likely have paid the owner the £300 in recompense if my understanding of how these type of business relationships is right.

Caveat: My own personal opinion


----------



## teenakj (Jan 11, 2011)

Hirebuddies are the worst, I have ever come across. I did a booking, and never got the campervan. On the day of picking the vehicle, I was standing in front of the owner's house, when I came to know that he has rented the vehicle to somebody else, and also that he had already communicated this to hirebuddies. These guys were sitting with the information, but never passed it on. Since 30thDec(the start day of my hire), I have been calling them again and again, everyday. they are the most rude of the lot. The concerned person Natalie, never comes on phone, and the other lady that picks the phone does not give any updates. the only answer that I always get is "Natalie will get back to you", which she never does. I have paid a huge amount for a campervan, which I never took, and now these people dont come on phone, or reply to the emails. The only way now is to log a complaint against them to get my money back. Well said in another of the reviews that I read.. I would never refer them even to my worst enemy.


----------



## teenakj (Jan 11, 2011)

Very bad in relationship and communications..;They will rent out the MH to two different people and people will start harassing you...Never go to them ..un-reliable of all


----------



## apache (May 22, 2006)

*Hirebuddies have changed hands*

Hi, I would like to let everyone know that I have taken over Hirebuddies and would like this oppertunity to appologise for past experiances and to address any problems that are still outstanding. We bought Hirebuddies over in March this year and have a totaly different business model. Regards, Anne.


----------



## heathersirmon (Sep 10, 2011)

Avoid hirebuddies
I paid them over 1100 pounds for a motorhome they did not have available to hire. They told me that I would not get a penny of it back. I have got a county court judgment against them which is registered at York County Court but they tell the bailiff that the company has closed and they change their address.
If you check the company details which they have on the website you will find that that it does not correspond with the details at company house.
Draw your own conclusions from this information. All the facts are there ready for you to check out.


----------



## cypsygal (Dec 19, 2009)

So Heathersimon -would you share with us the date of your problems with 'hirebuddies'? Do your issues pre date the take over by Apache? Or have you had your problems since MArch this year?


----------



## gnscloz (Oct 4, 2008)

*Re: Hirebuddies have changed hands*



apache said:


> Hi, I would like to let everyone know that I have taken over Hirebuddies and would like this oppertunity to appologise for past experiances and to address any problems that are still outstanding. We bought Hirebuddies over in March this year and have a totaly different business model. Regards, Anne.


why would anyone take over a bussiness with such a bad reputation and not change there name? seems suspicious to say the least


----------



## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

I've just had a look at Hirebuddies web site - www.hirebuddies.com

They seem to be part of the Motorhome Hire Network and include - www.motorhome-city.co.uk - 
www.fosmotorhomehire.co.uk

Clicking on 'Terms and Conditions' on the sites seems to be a waste of time as nothing appears.


----------



## cypsygal (Dec 19, 2009)

I think that hirebuddies was INCORPORATED into the seemingly large motorhomecity group.

I would be really interested to know if HEATHERSIRMON'S problems were pre or post this acquisition?


----------

