Hyundai Kona - can I make a claim

General discussion
#1

Hi,

I’ve had an Onto car for over a year. Started with a brand new Hyundai Kona and ended up keeping it for over a year.
Decided that electric was definitely for me and have now purchased a Model Y.
I’ve had an invoice from Onto for several scratches, near side quarter panel, near side rear door, near side passenger door, near side front wing.
I don’t understand why these are not regarded as wear and tear on the car with the exception of the front wing, which was my fault.
These tiny dints are selfish people in car parks not being careful. I didn’t even realise I had them until the inspector came to pick the vehicle up.
I don’t think there’s any point arguing with Onto, but I am interested in hearing the community’s opinion.
Also, I have a policy with I4CH. Is this something I can claim for, even though there has been no accident? The total bill is £588, which I don’t think is unreasonable.
Thanks

#2

Yes you can claim from I4CH for the £588, you have to pay it first, then claim back, make sure you have all the details, and invoices / reciepts from OntO then claim…

And Good Luck…

2 Likes
#3

Many thanks Mozzauk.
Given that these dints could have occurred at anytime during the last 12 months, I’m restricted to really citing the last month of my rental on the insurance claim form. The invoice is dated the end of November, a couple of weeks after the car was returned.

#4

You’ll have to claim that the damage occurred in the last month effectively and it should all go through without issue. Let us know the outcome on here.

#5

@burnt_crisps2 , I will do that.
It sounds like I need to wait for the payment to be made (I assume Onto will send a receipt) and then I’ll claim. Nothing off my card yet.

#6

Your payment will be taken 7 days from the invoice but you can call or chat with Onto to say you accept the charges and ask them to take the payment straight away if you wish.

You’ll get a receipt from Stripe (Onto’s payment processing company) shortly after the payment clears. Or you can show them your bank statement as evidence of payment for I4CH too.

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#7

If that’s the case, read the BVRLA guidelines and question the decisions with Onto. They’ve removed charges in the past where the damage is within the guidelines.

3 Likes
#8

@BenR_at_Onto, I wonder if you can help.
I’ve had the Kona since new and kept it for over 12 months. Aside from the bird damage which occurred when I was away, I have been extremely careful with this vehicle.
Can you explain why the two door dints are being charged to me rather than treated as wear and tear? They occurred on the passenger side, were identified by the inspector as minor and caused by other vehicles in car parks.
You only have to read the report to see that this car has virtually nothing on it apart from what you might expect after 12 months.

I’d be grateful for an explanation, which I’m sure would benefit everyone in this community. When does wear and tear stop and my liability take over?

#9

Hi @citnow,

I’ll be more than happy to help, can you send me a direct message with your account email and I’ll have a look into this for you? :grin:

3 Likes
#10

A quick update on this claim.

BenR (Onto) was helpful and looked into my claim quickly. His view was the invoice still stands as I had exceeded the number of dints in their guidelines.
I don’t see any point arguing with this, even though the photography and invoice only refers to 4 minor repairs, the worse of which was the bird damage (my fault).
Over a 12 month hire, I can’t imagine many cars coming back with less damage.
The insurer might take a different view as this all had to happen inside one month. Claim is in and the Onto invoice was taken automatically after a few days of sending me the inspection report.
The claim form is a little tortuous. Always think numbers, especially when putting in the month. I kept trying to type October instead of entering 10. After refreshing once and trying a different browser, my thick head realised the error of my ways.
I’ll provide a final update once I have a conclusion from the insurer (I4CH).

On a more esoteric point, I think Onto could have behaved a little differently. I like many, used their service to see what driving an EV was like. Could it work for me? I eventually stayed for well over 12 months with the same car. I’m sure others must have done the same.
I had lots of miles not used and 9,217 points. I went to France twice and am looking forward to a lot more European trips (one of the reasons I’ve now bought a Tesla MY).
My points were never used for the French admin, (which was painful the first time and late the second). They used my credit card. I spotted late that I could have reduced my excess with my points. I was too late so it never happened.
Some will argue that I should have read more, planned better and realised the full benefits. Sure.
A business really focused on customer care would have alerted me to these loyalty benefits and suggested a change to my account. Reducing my excess would have been a real benefit for someone with a 12 month + car.

2 Likes
#11

Hope you can provide an update once the claim with I4CH has finished. Like someone else said it should go through.

As for the loyalty points that is one thing that tends to get missed as a positive for using onto. I’ve only been a member of onto since October 2022 and already have £25.96 worth of points. If I remember rightly they also give you free bonus points after 6 months.

1 Like
#12

Possibly an unpopular opinion but I had a brand new BMW i3 from Onto (then Evezy) for over a year, and when it went back it was basically as new. No scratches, no “dints”.

I avoided these by treating it like it wasn’t my car, and parking it away from anywhere I thought it might pick up damage, including tight parking spots. If this isn’t practical then there is always I4CH - which you’ve luckily taken out, and I accept that I am probably an exception to the norm in terms of treating other people’s property with extreme care.

I’m not sure what the gripe is here. You returned a car with damage, it’s possible to hire one of these cars without returning it with damage. You paid for excess cover, and are able to use it so you won’t be out of pocket?

3 Likes
#13

Life on the open road.

I have had many small dents and paint chips over the years caused by motorway driving. The more miles you do the more risk there is of damage.

I had a golf ball size stone cross the carriage way and hit the windscreen of a brand new Kona with only 700 miles on the clock. It was scary to see it heading for me as I was doing 70 in the outside lane. Couldn’t be avoided.

It’s just part of the risk us driving, but I know their claims can be a little OTT so look carefully at any invoices and pictures sent and compare them with the ones you should have taken when you sent the car back.

I got charged to remove swirl marks from the back of an ID3 gloss boot??? It had done 17,000 miles.

1 Like
#14

I final update on my claim and the I4CH policy.
I submitted my claim before Christmas, using the online form which is branded Swinton Insurance. As others have mentioned, be prepared to upload images of the damage, Onto’s invoice and proof of payment.
I assumed the lack of response was because of Christmas and gave them a gentle email nudge last week. They came back via a human with a request for all information again and a new reference number to be used in future.
The online reference I had was useless. If you don’t have a claim number reference which starts C100, you’re not in their queue.

The questions you need to prepare answers for:

-A copy of your rental agreement including the CDW/Excess amount
-A copy of damage report with the description of damages
-Damage Invoice indicating the breakdown of damages
-Credit Card Statement or screenshot of your online banking
-Photos of the damaged vehicle
-On the submitted online claim form, your preferred payment method was bank transfer, however please reply on this email and indicate the following bank details such as Name of Bank, Name on Account, Account Reference and Sort Code
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44 (0)208 649 6710.

I’ve read elsewhere that others have successfully submitted a claim via their online form. I thought I’d also done the same, especially as I received a reference for further correspondence. I would ignore the online form and speak directly to the insurer, when starting a claim.

I resubmitted via email last Friday. I was paid in full this afternoon, Monday 16th January.

Perhaps I was put into an express lane?

While I don’t believe Onto’s damage claim of £588 excessive, I still question why they think two passenger door chips caused by other cars in public car parks, selfishly not being more careful, is my responsibility?
It’s a hire car. That’s why I pay a monthly premium for the service and this should be regarded as wear and tear over the 12 plus months I rented the vehicle.

Happy New Year