Hi everyone! We currently have a rented campervan in Tasmania for two and a half weeks.
About 9 days into our hire, we had a very severe issue with the battery: it started to smell weird, was very hot and emitting smoke and gurgling. RACT came out (about 1am by the time they got to us) and disconnected the battery and advised us not to sleep in the van as the fumes are toxic. The rental company arranged a battery replacement the next day, and this technician identified the problem was the solar panel was putting too much charge into the battery and overheating it. He also confirmed that the gas was toxic, and had we slept in the van and not noticed the battery, the fumes would have been very dangerous and the battery was likely to have exploded.
There’s a whole host of extra detail and failings (we believe) from the rental company (eg we noticed battery issues on day 1 and notified them and they dismissed us; we’ve since noticed some of the appliances in the vehicle haven’t been tested since 2019, etc etc) but the crux of the issue is that they are claiming the battery issue wasn’t as dangerous as we think, and all they are offering us is refunding 3 days’ worth of hire (or more if we return the van early before the initial hire period ends).
We believe this could amount to criminal negligence and they likely haven’t complied with relevant electrical regulations. And as such the compensation offer is woefully inadequate. Our question is where do we from here? Can we push them for more or should we be pursuing formal legal routes? Do we have a leg to stand on?
Happy to provide any more detail if needed!
About 9 days into our hire, we had a very severe issue with the battery: it started to smell weird, was very hot and emitting smoke and gurgling. RACT came out (about 1am by the time they got to us) and disconnected the battery and advised us not to sleep in the van as the fumes are toxic. The rental company arranged a battery replacement the next day, and this technician identified the problem was the solar panel was putting too much charge into the battery and overheating it. He also confirmed that the gas was toxic, and had we slept in the van and not noticed the battery, the fumes would have been very dangerous and the battery was likely to have exploded.
There’s a whole host of extra detail and failings (we believe) from the rental company (eg we noticed battery issues on day 1 and notified them and they dismissed us; we’ve since noticed some of the appliances in the vehicle haven’t been tested since 2019, etc etc) but the crux of the issue is that they are claiming the battery issue wasn’t as dangerous as we think, and all they are offering us is refunding 3 days’ worth of hire (or more if we return the van early before the initial hire period ends).
We believe this could amount to criminal negligence and they likely haven’t complied with relevant electrical regulations. And as such the compensation offer is woefully inadequate. Our question is where do we from here? Can we push them for more or should we be pursuing formal legal routes? Do we have a leg to stand on?
Happy to provide any more detail if needed!
