Christmas Bookings

Christmas-Bookings

Christmas is coming and the vans are getting booked!

This month we have experienced a sharp rise in the numbers of vans being booked despite having added four new ones to our fleet.

Yes, we have four new long wheelbase Maxus vans.

The two main drivers are the usual added demand for vans from the various parcel delivery companies and this year the Cop26 climate change event in Glasgow has added to the pressure.

Police forces, including Essex, have been asked to supply officers for the event and we have so far reserved 15 people carriers for them.

So, if you are expecting to need a van in the next couple of months please be aware that we will need at least a week’s warning.

In the meantime to let you know we are still using all the Covid safety measures that we have put in place in the office.

Do you really need to own a car?

Buying-a-car

Do you really need to own a car?

Some people obviously need a car as a condition of their work, but if your car is mainly used for leisure is it really worth all the annual expense?

No matter how infrequently you use a car you still have to pay for road tax, insurance, and MOT fees at the same rate. Then there are the depreciation costs.

Given the increasing pressure on household budgets this could become unaffordable.

Renting a vehicle only when you need it could be a more sustainable option, not only for your household expenses but also to help the environment.

We think we are one of the very few rental companies that will rent out vehicles to people up to the age of 78, where most have a cut-off point of 70.

So if you are beginning to think about whether you actually need to own a car, why not talk to us and find out more about how rental works.

Let us know if you need to cancel your rental

Cancel-your-rental

Let us know if you need to cancel your rental

With most Covid-related restrictions now lifted and the peak holiday period upon us we are experiencing very high volumes of bookings, especially for people carriers.

However, given the very high numbers of people reportedly receiving text notices at short notice telling them they must self-isolate we are appealing to customers to please let us know if they cannot take up an already-booked vehicle as a result.

For several weeks now we have been asking customers to give us as much notice as possible to be sure of getting the rental vehicle they want, so demand has been at a peak.

So if you unfortunately have been told to self-isolate and you can therefore free up a vehicle for another customer we would appreciate your letting us know.

We hope everyone has a very happy and safe summer.

Heading out of the country on a touring holiday?

Touring-Holiday

Heading out of the country on a touring holiday?

Last year a combination of glorious summer weather and uncertainty over the travel consequences of Britain leaving the EU meant that many of us chose to “staycation”.

But this year, given the endless delays to Brexit and uncertainty about the summer weather, it is possible that we will return to holidaying abroad and many of us will choose the self-drive option.

So, if you’re thinking of renting a car for your holidays what can you expect from Robertsons?

Firstly, you will have a vehicle that is still under warranty, therefore generally less than three years old.

Secondly, all our rental vehicles for overseas driving are put into the workshop for a proper and thorough check to ensure they are in top condition.

Thirdly, all paperwork will be in order for travelling abroad. This includes a VE 103 E form which is a permission to take the vehicle out of the country plus we ensure there is a complete overseas breakdown kit as required in other countries and you will also have some basic spares, such as light bulbs.

All our rentals are covered for driving overseas. It helps to know roughly where you intend to go so that we can calculate your likely mileage per day.

At the moment you can still drive in Europe using a standard UK driver’s licence although it is possible that will change once the Brexit arrangements are in force.

For all this we charge a 25% surcharge to cover all the additional work we have to do.

For those people coming into the UK by air who rent a vehicle from us to use during their stay, we try to be as accommodating as possible.

We understand that flights do get delayed, so we will rearrange your rental to fit with any new times for no additional charge.

We do not deliver vehicles to airports, however, so anyone renting from us will normally arrange their own transport to get to the depot from which they are picking up their rental.

If you are planning to rent a vehicle for a holiday abroad, please allow us at least a week’s notice to make sure all the extra paperwork and arrangements are in place for you.

We hope you enjoy your holidays.

Help us to help you!

Car-Hire-Colchester

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

Car-checks

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.