On Sunday, April 13th, my boyfriend and I rented a van from Diks. I've rented from Diks several times over the past few years and I know how things work there. Up until last week, I was always very satisfied.
However, on the morning of April 13th, my boyfriend and I picked up three pieces of furniture in our region. After that, we drove back to Amsterdam. By then, it was late morning. The loading area of the van is separate from the cabin, and the cabin had three seats. I was in the driver's seat, my boyfriend sat next to the passenger-side door, and the middle seat was left empty. We did not change anything in the cabin setup. I only touched the steering wheel, pedals, and gear stick.
To unload, we parked in Amsterdam around noon with the hazard lights on for about fifteen minutes. We brought the furniture inside, I fed the cat, and walked the dog to the tree on the corner. My boyfriend waited in the van. After this fifteen-minute break, the van wouldn't start.
Since we couldn't imagine the battery was the issue -- we had been driving all morning and hadn't turned on anything extra -- we called Diks, and they referred us to their roadside assistance service. The roadside mechanic arrived and got us going again. On his form, he noted "jump start provided." We still had more items to collect, so we continued on our way and returned the van at the end of the afternoon.
Normally, I receive my deposit back within a few days, but this time I received an invoice for an additional payment, including €350 for the roadside assistance! I understand that if you cause the problem yourself, you're responsible for those costs. However, in this case, we strongly believe we didn't cause it ourselves. We didn't turn anything on in the cabin or loading area -- it's quite possible the battery was simply old, because being parked with the hazard lights on for fifteen minutes should not cause a failure under normal conditions.
For this reason, I've emailed my story to Diks multiple times, but I keep getting the same standard reply: that I signed a contract and therefore must pay. I disagree with this, for the reasons mentioned above. Not only do I feel my complaint is not being taken seriously, it also feels like a major injustice to a loyal customer. read more
