Chrsitmas Rentals
Christmas rentals, bike awareness and the rise of the SUV
Private rentals of ours for the Christmas period are coming in fast so if you know you will need to rent a car, let us know as soon as possible.
The road safety charity Brake has been highlighting the dangers to cyclists during 2018 Road Safety Week. It says that those travelling on two wheels are 63 times more likely than drivers to be killed or seriously injured when out on the road and that a rider is killed or seriously injured on UK roads every hour, two thirds of these accidents occurring on rural roads.
Last year, according to Government figures, 100 cyclists died on UK roads and 470 pedestrians were killed, an increase of 5%.
Among Brake’s tips for drivers are giving cyclists more space, leaving riders a 150cm gap when overtaking and opening a car door using the ‘Dutch Reach’ method. The procedure involves the driver or passenger opening their door from the inside with the hand that’s furthest away from the door handle, which forces them to turn their body and increases the ability to look out of the car and spot passing cars and cyclists.
This technique may feature in an updated Highway Code, which is among the possible measures the Government is considering to improve cycle safety.
Among other suggestions is encouraging insurers to offer motorists cheaper insurance if they take a course to make them more aware of cyclists on the roads and giving local councils more powers to tackle parking in cycle lanes.
The rise of the SUV
This is the time of year when we start to put in our orders update our fleet of rental cars and we have discovered that many of the manufacturers are discontinuing the large saloon cars, such as the Toyota Avensis and the Vauxhall Insignia.
The popularity of these cars has been diminishing in recent years, making them uneconomic for the manufacturers to produce as demand has risen for SUVs.
Fleet Rental for your Business?
Preparing your car for the winter
It’s that time of year again! The weather may not yet have thrown its worst at us, but as the last year has shown with the “Beast from the East” followed by an unprecedented long, hot summer, we need to be prepared for anything!
At the start of the autumn this means getting your car ready for winter driving.
The checklist includes making sure it has an annual service. Many of the problems caused by the cold can be prevented if you do this.
Battery: the average life of a battery is about five years, and the battery comes under additional strain not only from the cold weather but from heavier use of lights, heater and blower.
Tyres: a good tread is essential for efficient braking and steering, so they need to be at the correct pressure as well as having sufficient depth of tread.
Antifreeze: engine coolant should be a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze and this can easily become diluted if you have topped up the system with water over the year. Don’t forget the screen wash – a good quality 50% mix of screen wash will reduce the chance of freezing when it is particularly icy.
Windscreen and wipers: give the windscreen a thorough clean both inside and out. Any smears can cause visibility problems when light shines on them. Wipers will get heavier use during the winter so make sure the wiper blades are in good condition with no nicks and tears.
Lights: these, too, need to be cleaned.
Underseal: when the roads are gritted in icy conditions many don’t realise that the grit contains salt. This can cause damage to the car’s bodywork, so you should also check for scratches and dents in the paintwork to ensure it is not vulnerable to damp getting through to the metal and setting up the conditions for rust to develop.
If you are driving in the winter the advice is to carry a winter emergency breakdown kit with you. This should contain a shovel, blanket, warm coat, torch and for long journeys a hot drink in a flask and a fully topped-up mobile phone.
If you want to avoid all the winter check hassle, you can always rent a vehicle from us. While we can’t supply a personalised winter breakdown kit we do make sure that all our vehicles have been properly checked and prepared for winter driving.
Preparing your car for the winter
Preparing your car for the winter
It’s that time of year again! The weather may not yet have thrown its worst at us, but as the last year has shown with the “Beast from the East” followed by an unprecedented long, hot summer, we need to be prepared for anything!
At the start of the autumn this means getting your car ready for winter driving.
The checklist includes making sure it has an annual service. Many of the problems caused by the cold can be prevented if you do this.
Battery: the average life of a battery is about five years, and the battery comes under additional strain not only from the cold weather but from heavier use of lights, heater and blower.
Tyres: a good tread is essential for efficient braking and steering, so they need to be at the correct pressure as well as having sufficient depth of tread.
Antifreeze: engine coolant should be a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze and this can easily become diluted if you have topped up the system with water over the year. Don’t forget the screen wash – a good quality 50% mix of screen wash will reduce the chance of freezing when it is particularly icy.
Windscreen and wipers: give the windscreen a thorough clean both inside and out. Any smears can cause visibility problems when light shines on them. Wipers will get heavier use during the winter so make sure the wiper blades are in good condition with no nicks and tears.
Lights: these, too, need to be cleaned.
Underseal: when the roads are gritted in icy conditions many don’t realise that the grit contains salt. This can cause damage to the car’s bodywork, so you should also check for scratches and dents in the paintwork to ensure it is not vulnerable to damp getting through to the metal and setting up the conditions for rust to develop.
If you are driving in the winter the advice is to carry a winter emergency breakdown kit with you. This should contain a shovel, blanket, warm coat, torch and for long journeys a hot drink in a flask and a fully topped-up mobile phone.
If you want to avoid all the winter check hassle, you can always rent a vehicle from us. While we can’t supply a personalised winter breakdown kit we do make sure that all our vehicles have been properly checked and prepared for winter driving.
Have you considered fleet rental for your business?
Have you considered fleet rental for your business?
August is peak holiday season when there is time to relax, regroup and, for business owners, to consider plans for the future.
Whether it is about cutting costs or improving cash flow for growing the business, one of the considerations could be whether you rent or own your fleet of vehicles.
The advantages of fleet rental
Fleet rental is much more flexible than leasing, which ties you into a contract for a specified period of time and can restrict maximum mileage.
With rental, there is no mileage restriction and the rental period can be as flexible as you need for both cars and vans, so you can return the vehicle when you no longer need it without incurring any early cancellation costs.
If you are intending to rent for a reasonable length of time, we can remove the Robertsons branding from the vehicles and you can substitute your own decals of your own company branding.
We do all maintenance, servicing, MOTs and any repairs that may be needed and you will always get an equivalent replacement vehicle while the work is being carried out.
The process of renting depends on who is insuring the vehicle.
If you wanted to use our insurance, we would need to check the licences of all your drivers, who would have to come into our offices, and we would then need to do a DVLA check for each driver every 21 days as a condition of our insurance cover.
If you opt to use your own company’s insurance, we need a copy of the fleet policy. Your drivers’ licences and DVLA checks will still have to be done but it is your company’s responsibility, so your drivers would not have to attend at our offices.
If your company does not already have an account with us, we ask for a payment in advance of a week’s rental plus a deposit, and then invoice you weekly.
So if your fleet arrangements are coming up for renewal or you are considering replacing the vehicles your company owns, why not give us a call to discuss your needs.
Help us to help you!
Help us to help you!
While we are delighted that demand for our vehicles is extremely high, we never like to let any of our customers down.
But the long period of sunny weather seems to have persuaded people to take more day trips than would normally be expected even at this time of year and so demand for cars for a day has never been higher.
This is only likely to become more intense once the school holidays have started.
But it’s not only demand for cars, it’s also vans as people take advantage of the good weather to have a good clear-out, catch up with the D.I.Y. and sort out their gardens then want to rent a van for a short time to cart away all the rubbish.
So, on a few occasions recently when people have popped in hoping to be able to instantly rent a vehicle we have been in the unfortunate (or fortunate depending on your point of view) position of having to tell them that we have absolutely none available.
Therefore, we are asking all our customers to please call us and give us some warning of when they’re going to want to rent a vehicle.
You won’t have to wait too long because short term rentals will turn over quite quickly, but it helps us to ensure that there’s a vehicle ready for you when you are going to need it, and of course, when you do pop in to collect it the paperwork only takes on average 25 minutes to complete.
Long may the good weather continue!
How we take care of all our rental vehicles
Renting a vehicle for a self-drive holiday overseas
It is important that our clients and customers feel safe and comfortable in any vehicle that they rent from us, so inspection, care and maintenance are all carried out regularly.
For the 7.5 ton lorries, there are very strict rules including a PMI (Preventative Maintenance Inspection) check every eight weeks and these are very extensive.
They are done to a strict schedule and the check includes the vehicle’s fuel system, exhaust system, electrical system, steering, suspension, brakes, mirrors, windows, wipers, speedometer, plugs and cables, emissions, tire wear, lights, seat belts, airbags, gear shifts, indicators and air conditioning.
If a lorry is out with a customer, we arrange to collect it and supply a substitute while the check is being carried out. This check is in addition to the usual annual MoT and the servicing whose frequency depends on the specific mileage each vehicle has done. Generally, we will replace lorries every ten years or sooner if the mileage requires it.
Our rental cars are replaced every three years, when the warranty runs out. This is partly because it is more cost effective and partly because we find that customers generally do not want to rent a vehicle that is more than three years old.
Every time a rental car is returned to us we check the tyres, water and water bottles, ensure all the light bulbs are working properly and do a thorough clean both inside and out.
Servicing again depends on the mileage reached and our system alerts us to when a service is due, so that even if a car is with a customer it can be recalled to the depot for a service.
As you can see we take our customers’ safety and security very seriously.
Renting a vehicle for a self-drive holiday overseas
Renting a vehicle for a self-drive holiday overseas
A self-drive holiday gives you the flexibility to go where you want and explore interesting places you may come across without having to stick to an itinerary.
If you are thinking of renting a vehicle for a holiday in Europe here’s some basic information to help you.
We will need at least a week’s notice if you want to rent so that we can put the vehicle through our workshop to ensure it is in the best possible condition. The minimum hire period is two days and there is no maximum. All our vehicles are Right-hand drive.
You need to be at least 21 years old to rent a vehicle and, as with all our rentals, we do check how long you have been driving, whether you have driven in the country previously and that your insurance cover is in order.
Robertson’s will arrange Green Card breakdown cover for you. That means it’s fully comprehensive, covered by the AA and we also only rent cars still under warranty for overseas trips.
In common with other rental companies, we do charge a 25% surcharge on top of normal UK rental fees. This is to cover the costs in terms of travel and time away from the office should we have to send a member of staff out to wherever you are if you have been involved in a traffic collision or the car has broken down.
We supply the basic, legally-required accident warning kits, such as triangles, but not hi-visibility jackets or breathalyser kits that are a legal requirement in some countries. However, we can give you advice on what you will need to carry depending on where you are going.
In some countries, the legal requirements on kit you need will vary with the time of year, so, for example, you may need to have snow tyres and snow socks in the winter in some countries.
Robertson’s will do everything possible to ensure you have a safe, legal and enjoyable holiday. Call us to find out more.
We’re expanding!
We’re expanding!
No, we haven’t been eating too many Easter Eggs, we’re delighted to report that we’ve won two new and very large commercial contracts, both due to start in May.
One of these contracts will mean that vehicles will need to be delivered, mostly to locations in Norfolk and Suffolk but also to Kent.
We’ll be acting as sub-contractors for two large vehicle supply companies, Nexus and Assured Vehicle Rental.
So not only are we expanding our fleet and have bought some new KIA CEED 1.6 estate cars, which can be used for multiple purposes, but we’ve also taken on an extra person in the office to cope with the extra admin.
In addition, we’ve taken on five casual drivers and we are looking to recruit more, so if you or anyone you know can help please do get in touch.
Please also get in touch if you’re a mechanic looking for a new position. We service and maintain all our cars on site, so we employ our own mechanics and as the business expands we need more.
We’re sometimes asked whether private rental customers can specify the size and type of car they want. The answer is yes you can.
The vast majority of people rent when their own car is at the garage being fixed and these tend to be the smaller vehicles of the Fiesta and Peugeot type. However, if we don’t have one available when you need it we may have to supply something a bit bigger. There’s no additional charge for this so there’s no need to worry.
If demand increases as we expect we will also be looking to add to our stock of private rental cars over the coming months.
That’s it for this month – and it’s all good news!
Ours Customers’ Data is Secure
Reassurance that our customers’ data is secure
As many of you will know, the laws protecting customers’ identity and personal details are being changed and strengthened and businesses must ensure that they are following the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) that come into force in May this year.
While the emphasis has been mainly on online records, the regulations also apply to paper-based records.
At Robertsons, we have computer-based recording systems that are supplied by a specialist. In our case the information is stored on our supplier’s servers, not on our own computers. However, we have ensured that all our computers are protected and regularly updated.
Our suppliers, Pro Hire, run a specialised rental company data programme and have confirmed that they have spent £100,000 on ensuring they are GDPR compliant.
We, and they, both have appointed data operations managers to be responsible for both security and regular updates of stored data.
At Robertsons, we also have to keep paperwork for three years for insurance purposes and customers sign agreements that include their personal details plus a copy of the transaction, again with details of the credit or debit card used.
All our paper records are stored in a locked, reinforced cabinet to which only a small number of named individuals are keyholders. We also keep a list of what all the folders storing this paperwork contain.
We hope this reassures our customers that we are doing everything possible to be GDPR compliant and to ensure their personal information is kept securely.