Glastonbury campers unhappy after van hire firm fails to deliver
June 22nd 2011 15:25
Glastonbury campers unhappy after van hire firm fails to deliver
Hundreds of people heading to the Glastonbury Festival next week have had their plans ruined and are owed thousands of pounds by an online campervan hire company.
Customers attracted by cheap rental decided not to search official van hire sites such as thiose offered by VW's selection of vans
The BBC Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox was nearly one of them when friends booked a van for her and her family with Sundrive Hire, a company claiming to offer vans at rates 40-50 per cent cheaper than the industry standard. However, before money was paid, her partner Ben Cyzer became suspicious.
People who paid in full have received letters to say that their vans have been cancelled. Reasons given include an alleged internet hate campaign, including alleged threats to damage Sundrive’s vans at festivals.
The company is now the subject of an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
Cox said: “The deal sounded too good to be true, plus their instructions were so vague — ‘turn up, you can’t miss us’.”
Several people have changed their credit card details after Sundrive passed the information to other companies without permission. Others have been charged multiple times for the same booking.
Natalie Watkins, 27, a New Zealander working in London as a live-in carer, booked a campervan in April. The van cost £1,496, but in May the money was taken twice.
“They said they would give us a refund for the overpayment. But no money was ever returned,” she said.
On June 6 the van that was supposed to be delivered failed to materialise. After two days Sundrive agreed to arrange for a hire van with another rental company, before passing on her credit card details without her permission and asking the company to charge the full cost of the new vehicle. Ms Watkins is still owed nearly £3,000.
The company, which is not registered with Companies House, claims to operate a fleet of branded vehicles from a site in Shropshire, but has no premises and operates from a “virtual office”, the contract for which has now been terminated.
Sundrive’s internet site was set up in February, a few weeks before the Glastonbury ticket resale, yet it claims to have 15 years’ experience. The website was changed soon after it emerged that the pictures of vans had been lifted from the website of Abacus, another rental company.
Gary McFadden, the owner of Sundrive, who lives at an exclusive address in Chelsea, West London, says that fewer than 100 bookings were affected and that the cancellations were the result of sabotage on the eFestivals website forum, started by competitors jealous of his cheap rates.
Mr McFadden said he intended to use third-party suppliers who pulled out after seeing the negative publicity, and refunds were delayed after HSBC closed down his merchant bank account amid the deluge of negative comments. “We are not a scam, we are a real company with plenty of satisfied customers. I can tell competitors that Sundrive is here to stay,” he said.
Hundreds of people heading to the Glastonbury Festival next week have had their plans ruined and are owed thousands of pounds by an online campervan hire company.
Customers attracted by cheap rental decided not to search official van hire sites such as thiose offered by VW's selection of vans
The BBC Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox was nearly one of them when friends booked a van for her and her family with Sundrive Hire, a company claiming to offer vans at rates 40-50 per cent cheaper than the industry standard. However, before money was paid, her partner Ben Cyzer became suspicious.
People who paid in full have received letters to say that their vans have been cancelled. Reasons given include an alleged internet hate campaign, including alleged threats to damage Sundrive’s vans at festivals.
The company is now the subject of an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
Cox said: “The deal sounded too good to be true, plus their instructions were so vague — ‘turn up, you can’t miss us’.”
Several people have changed their credit card details after Sundrive passed the information to other companies without permission. Others have been charged multiple times for the same booking.
Natalie Watkins, 27, a New Zealander working in London as a live-in carer, booked a campervan in April. The van cost £1,496, but in May the money was taken twice.
“They said they would give us a refund for the overpayment. But no money was ever returned,” she said.
On June 6 the van that was supposed to be delivered failed to materialise. After two days Sundrive agreed to arrange for a hire van with another rental company, before passing on her credit card details without her permission and asking the company to charge the full cost of the new vehicle. Ms Watkins is still owed nearly £3,000.
The company, which is not registered with Companies House, claims to operate a fleet of branded vehicles from a site in Shropshire, but has no premises and operates from a “virtual office”, the contract for which has now been terminated.
Sundrive’s internet site was set up in February, a few weeks before the Glastonbury ticket resale, yet it claims to have 15 years’ experience. The website was changed soon after it emerged that the pictures of vans had been lifted from the website of Abacus, another rental company.
Gary McFadden, the owner of Sundrive, who lives at an exclusive address in Chelsea, West London, says that fewer than 100 bookings were affected and that the cancellations were the result of sabotage on the eFestivals website forum, started by competitors jealous of his cheap rates.
Mr McFadden said he intended to use third-party suppliers who pulled out after seeing the negative publicity, and refunds were delayed after HSBC closed down his merchant bank account amid the deluge of negative comments. “We are not a scam, we are a real company with plenty of satisfied customers. I can tell competitors that Sundrive is here to stay,” he said.
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