Hi all, I was involved in a small (perhaps not so small) accident with the car on a curb and it is now required to be sent to a third party body shop. When I visited the service center (which is 100 miles away from where I live) to drop of my car, the service center arranged a rental car from enterprise for me. However, now they are saying that since the car is no longer at their service center. I have to pay for the rental car for the remaining or I have to return it tomorrow from now... I wonder whether there is a way to convince them to cover the rental until I have my car back from the repair... Any suggestion? Thank you all in advance!
Why would you expect them to cover it? It's on you or your insurance to take care of a rental due to an accident.
What did they tell you when they gave you the loaner car? Was it something like this car can be used while your car is being repaired? If so verbal agreement has a power of contract.
I wasn't, but they told me they would provide one free of charge to me while my car is being repaired. That's sort of the only reason I took the rental car. They said it only verbally. I wasn't vigilant enough to make a recording or have them write it down on a paper, so I don't know what's the best course of action is right now.
Typically dealerships (yeah, I know Tesla doesn't have dealerships but I don't know what else to call them) only provide a rental car or loaner car when they are performing warrenty repairs. I've never heard of the dealership providing you with transportation due to you being in an accident. Typically your insurance would provide that if your coverage includes it.
Same impression I had. Rental cars are typically covered by insurance in accidents. Loaners by the dealer is only provided as a convenience for work done by the dealer (although to be fair, not necessarily just warranty work; maintenance or other paid fixes unrelated to accidents, also most dealers will provide a loaner if they have available).
update 1: so I contacted Tesla and it seems that they are willing to have me return the rental at my village and then cover the cost of a different rental when the repair is done (so i can get to the Tesla service center to pick up). Thanks to everyone bearing with my complaints XD (This has been quite stressful)
Really you shouldn't have gotten a loaner car at all. They should be only for warranty work and are a courtesy and not even guaranteed for that. Your insurance should cover a rental car up to the policy limit (usually a dollar amount per day and up to 30 days).
your insurance company covers rental expenses if it was in an accident, and you have rental coverage. or, if it is someone else's fault, their insurance will cover it. if Tesla gave you a rental or a loaner car, it was a good will gesture and nothing they were required to do.
Actually my BMW i3 was rear ended and ended up needing a new bumper and rear quarter panel. I did not have rental reimbursement on my insurance so BMW provided me with a loaner for the SIX weeks it took to repair. To add insult to injury, the dude had no insurance (but i did have uninsured motorist coverage). Glad my insurance covered it; 6500 bucks to repair. It was at a body shop that the local BMW dealer recommended. Great work performed by the way. BMW service was always impressive, although often slow (this repair took special adhesive, only available from BMW Germany, to adhere the plastic body panels to the carbon fiber chassis members).