Damage Policy

1) Definitions

‘Nominated Driver’ means any driver approved and recorded by Us, either on the Rental Agreement or by prior written agreement.

• We, Us, Our means Easy Truck Rental as shown in the Rental Agreement.
• You, Your means the person, firm, company or organisation renting the Vehicle or any Authorised Driver shown in the Rental Agreement.
• ‘Overhead Damage’ means damage (excluding hail damage) to the Vehicle during the Rental Period above the top of the front and back windscreens, damage to the box section of a commercial vehicle above the front windscreen or damage to third party property, caused by the Vehicle coming into contact with anything overhanging or obstructing its path, objects being placed on the roof of the Vehicle, or You or any person standing or sitting on the roof of the Vehicle;
• ‘Underbody Damage’ means any damage to the Vehicle including the drive train, chassis, steering, suspension, brakes, exhaust, floor pan and fuel systems that is caused by or directly results from contact between the underside of the Vehicle and any part of the road way or any object or obstruction including kerbs, gutters, speed or road humps, barriers or wheel stops.
• ‘Unsealed Road’ means a road that has been formed and constructed but is not sealed with a hard material such as tar, bitumen or concrete.
• ‘Off Road’ means any area that is not:

i) a gazetted road;

ii) a sealed road; 

iii) an Unsealed Road; including but not limited to unformed roads, fire trails, tracks, river and tidal crossings, creek beds, beaches, streams, dams, rivers, flood waters or any other body of water, sand, deserts, rocks, fields, paddocks or grassed areas.

2) Exclusions to Damage Protection

• With effect to minor damage our policy is, if the damage is no larger then a 50 cent piece the damage is considered fair wear and tear and is not chargeable. This damage will not be marked on the rental agreement. 
• All damage larger then a 50 cent piece is marked and advised upon pick up.
• Damages arising from a major breach of the rental contract, for all overhead damage, for all underbody damage; and for any damage caused by total or partial inundation, intrusion or immersion of the vehicle in water or exposure of the vehicle to salt water.
• Damage due to hail or lightning.
• Damage to windscreens is at customer expense. a cost reduction to windscreen damage is available.
• this reduction must be taken prior to dispatch of vehicle. 
• Damage to tyres is at customer expense.

1. 1. tyre tubes are not to be repaired but replaced;
   2. customers are only required to pay the prorata for remaining tread depth in cases of full tyre replacement;
   3. tread depths are taken at beginning of each rental and recorded on the vehicle condition inspection.

• Intentionally, deliberately or recklessly by You, any Authorised Driver, any unauthorised driver or any passenger of the Vehicle.
• By use of the incorrect fuel type.
• Damage or loss of the Vehicle due to use of the Vehicle in an area or in a way that is with a prohibited areas of use.
• Any Damage or loss or theft of the Vehicle that is not notified to us within 24 hours in accordance with the Rental Agreement.
• Any Damage, loss or theft of the Vehicle occurring more than 24 hours after the end of the Rental Period but prior to return of the Vehicle.
• Damage occurring while the Vehicle is being driven by a driver that is not an Authorised Driver

3) Prohibited Areas of Use Include

• The Vehicle must never be driven on: an Unsealed Road, Off Road;
• roads that are prone to flooding or are flooded, beaches, streams, rivers, creeks, dams and floodwaters, any road where the police or an authority has issued a warning any road that is closed; and any road where it would be unsafe to drive the Vehicle;
• onto any island that is off mainland Australia, unless we have given our written permission prior to the Start of the Rental and it is noted on the Rental Agreement; and
• driven outside the boundaries of Coffs Harbour to Bundaberg and out to Roma, unless we have given our written permission prior to the Start of the Rental and it is noted on the Rental Agreement.

4) Damage Management Liability

• What will happen if you cause damage to the vehicle during your hire?
• In our experience, our renters drive quite carefully, and few accidents happen. So, cases of damage to the vehicle are the exception rather than the rule. But it is important to understand how we will manage the damage if it does occur.
• Easy Truck Rental has a clear damage management policy to explain how we will invoice you for any damage you make to the vehicle during your rental.

Important: Always refer to Easy Truck Rental’s Hire Agreement for full details of your Contractual Obligations.

You may not be fully liable

Please note that depending on the type of protection you bought for the rental, you may not have to pay for the damage, or you may only be partially liable, or a Third Party may be liable.

1) Vehicle Inspection

Damages identified at pickup

1. As per your Hire Agreement, we recommend that you inspect your vehicle ensuring that the condition of the vehicle is consistent with that noted on your hire agreement.
2. Should you notice any discrepancies before you depart (over and above Fair Wear and Tear) please return to the office where one of our staff members will assist you.

• If you have already left the rental branch, please ensure you take photos within 60 minutes of pickup (including a photo of the Vehicles number plate) and email us at contactus@easytruckrental.com.au

2) Damage incident whilst on Hire

• If You have an Accident whilst you are in possession of the vehicle:
• Get the names and addresses and phone numbers of all persons involved, including witnesses ii) Take as many photos as is reasonable of the Easy Truck Rental vehicle, any Third-Party vehicle and location of the incident
• Contact us on the phone number 1800 863 279

3) Damages identified with you at vehicle return

If you identify some damage (fair wear and tear excepted) with the Easy Truck Rental agent or representative when you return the vehicle:

• Our agent will inspect the vehicle with You
• The agent will highlight any new damage not noted on Your Rental agreement
• You will be asked to complete an Incident report form
• You are obligated to provide as much information as possible including any third-party details

4) Damages identified after you have finished the rental and departed

For example, you left the vehicle outside opening hours, or did not stay for a joint inspection with the Easy Truck Rental Agent

If the Easy Truck Rental Agent or representative identifies some damage (fair wear and tear excepted) when they inspect the vehicle after you have finished the rental and departed:

1. 1. Our agent will attempt to contact you for 24 hours after the return, notifying you if new damage was identified on the vehicle you rented.
   2. If you are contacted, you will be asked to provide information to complete the incident report form with the Easy Truck Rental Agent over the phone.
2.  
3. If not contactable our Agent will submit the form to our Claims team, with the information they have available to them, and you will then receive your Initial Case Notification

5) Vehicle Repairs

Repair costs vary depending on the type of damage:

• Light damage which does not affect the safe driving of the vehicle, such as light scratches; light impacts on the windshield, scratches on bumpers: Charges are based on an itemised estimate of the replacement or repair costs obtained from an authorized repair shop.
• More substantial damage impairing the use of the vehicle and requiring its temporary immobilization, such as bodywork damage. This type of damage will be evaluated by an independent expert and invoiced according to the expert’s report, or a cost estimation made by an independent auto-repair garage. This can take time depending on availability of parts.

6) Claims Procedure

a) Once a damage claim is created Easy Truck Rental will communicate with you as follows:

     i) Initial Case Notification

• Following Case creation, you should receive an email:
• Notifying you of the claim, including copies of:
  • Incident report form
  • Signed Rental Agreement
  • Photographs of the damage
  • Requesting that any additional information, photos or Third-Party involvement information are provided to Easy Truck Rental as soon as possible
  • Advising that once we have validated the case, we will progress to the next stage

7) Intention to Charge

Once we have determined the loss, typically between 3-60 days after Initial Case Notification:

• We will notify You advising that charges will be applied in 7 days (but in some cases earlier where a claim involves settlement of a third-party loss)
  • In accordance with your Rental Contract
  • Up to the cost of the Damage Liability Fee (Providing there is no breach of the Rental Contract)    

We will provide verification documents of the charges to be applied:

• • Repair Quote or Invoice
  • Loss Of Use calculation
  • Third Party Loss support (if applicable)
  • Administration fee

Note: The cost of repairs can take longer than 60 days due to lack of parts availability. Receiving proof of loss from a third party or their insurer may also take some time (if applicable)

8) Payment/Receipt

Once the charge has been applied, we will send You a copy of your invoice

9) Claims Dispute

• If you wish to contest the damage identified, you should contact us by email within 14 days of the Intention to Charge notification being sent
• Easy Truck Rental agents will endeavour to resolve all customer queries within 10 business days. If a query cannot be resolved within this time, Easy Truck Rental agents will contact you prior to the 10th day to provide an update on the query.
• Once a query has been fully investigated and an outcome determined, Easy Truck Rental agents will advise you of the outcome along with an explanation of why the decision was made.
• Should You dispute this final decision, Easy Truck Rental agents will escalate the query to the Escalations team as per the Final Resolution process wherein a final review of the query will be conducted. If the outcome is determined to be accurate, you will be notified of this decision and provided with the Australian Car Rental Conciliation Service contact details should they wish to further dispute the decision.