|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Q. How old are your hire vehicles? A. We aim to keep all the vehicles in our hire fleet, both caravans and motorhomes, as new as possible. We would expect all vehicles to be under 30 months old. Back to Top >>>Q. Do you hire all year round? A. Yes. We are able to offer a full range of vehicles throughout the year. Back to Top >>>Q. Are your caravans and motorhomes fully insured? Does this cover my personal belongings?A. All our caravans and motorhomes are covered by comprehensive motoring insurance covering the UK and Europe. It does not cover your personal items and we would strongly recommend you consider personal travel insurance to protect yourself fully against loss or damage to your own belongings. For more details of damage deposits and the insurance excess which will apply to hires please see damage deposit as detailed below. Back to Top >>>A. The damage deposit, sometimes called a security deposit, is the sum you deposit with us over and above the hire charge. For motorhomes it is £250.00 (£500.00 for drivers 21 - 24 years) and for caravans it is £150.00. This deposit is fully returnable provided the vehicle is returned clean, undamaged and on time. In the event of damage to the vehicle or an insurance claim from a third party, the cost of the damage/claim will be deducted from this deposit before it is refunded to you. In the event that the damage repair costs exceed the deposit paid then an additional sum will be payable by the Hirer up to the level of the insurance excess. This insurance excess is currently £500.00 for motorhomes and £300.00 for caravans. For accidental damage this sum is your maximum liability and any additional costs will be covered by Tilshead Caravans or our insurance company. Some hire companies have a high insurance excess, for example £750 - £1500, and then charge you for collision damage waiver insurance (on top of the hire charge) to reduce this excess to a lower figure such as £250 - £500. Because our damage deposit and insurance excess are already set at the lower levels, you do not need to take out additional collision damage waiver insurance. Back to Top >>>Q. I want to travel to Europe. Is this allowed and are there extra costs? A. You are able to take our caravans and motorhomes to most European countries and we provide full comprehensive insurance cover for our vehicle. There is an additional cost of £60.00 per week for continental Europe hires or £30.00 per week for hires travelling to Ireland in order to offset the cost of covering this extra insurance risk. For motorhomes we also provide European breakdown & recovery services along with many items required by law in some European countries. These include a Continental 2 pin Mains Lead Adapter, small first aid kit, spare bulb kit, additional reflective warning triangle and headlamp beam deflectors. For caravans we have historically always provided breakdown and recovery services for the caravan and towcar. However with effect from 14 January 2005 the Financial Services Authority (FSA) undertook regulation of all contract of insurance products (this includes breakdown and recovery services) and as a consequence of the regulatory requirements we have now ceased to offer any insurance products, including personal travel insurance and breakdown & recovery services. This FSA regulation means that by law we are unable to offer you any advice, information or assistance whatsoever on any insurance products. As we cannot now offer breakdown and recovery services it is now the responsibility of the caravan hirer to arrange full comprehensive breakdown and recovery services to cover the towcar and our caravan, including relay and emergency repatriation of the vehicles cover, if you are wishing to travel outside the UK. Please be aware that we shall require full written confirmation of this policy prior to collection of the caravan and that this cannot be omitted under any circumstances. Back to Top >>>Q. Do I have to collect and return my hire vehicle on a particular day of the week? A. No. Vehicles can usually be collected and returned Monday - Saturday. Sunday and Bank Holiday collections or returns may be possible, depending on the circumstances and vehicle availability. Back to Top >>>Q. What are your usual collection and drop-off times for hire vehicles? What happens if I am late? A. Vehicles are usually collected at 4.00pm on the first day of the hire. It may be the case that your vehicle will be ready before this time in which case you would be welcome to collect it early at no additional cost, subject to agreeing an approximate time with us in advance! If this would be of benefit we recommend you contact us a few days prior to the start of your hire and we can advise the situation. Please do not arrive at 10.00am and expect your vehicle to be ready without checking with us first! Vehicles are usually booked to be returned by 12.00 Noon, as this then gives us the four hours to clean and prepare the vehicle for the next customer. You are welcome to return vehicles earlier than planned if you wish to do so but we regret we are unlikely to be able to offer a refund for unused days unless we can book them out to another client. We appreciate that accidents can happen and unforeseen situations can make you late, but we would ask all clients to please allow plenty of time when collecting and returning vehicles. In the event that you return your vehicle late then you risk ruining the next hirer's holiday! We do not have penalties which we charge by the hour for late vehicles like some hire companies, but we do reserve the right to levy fair additional charges, especially if we have to compensate the next hirer for missing a ferry for example! Back to Top >>>Q. Do you offer delivery & collection services for your motorhomes and caravans? A. Whilst many of our clients collect their hire vehicle from our site near Salisbury on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border, we can deliver all of our caravans and motorhomes throughout the UK if required.Delivery rates are generally based on the mileage travelled from our site near Salisbury. Motorhomes are generally not as cost effective to deliver to any particular location than caravans as we have to take another car and driver to bring home the person delivering your motorhome. We regret this but feel that for reasons of our staff's welfare we do not usually consider it is acceptable to expect members of our delivery team to attempt to travel home by other methods. Delivery and collection of caravans to and from events throughout the UK is very common. All delivery and collection services involve full siting and set-up of your vehicle so that it is ready for your immediate use. Hirers do not need to be on site when we deliver or collect, provided suitable siting instructions and key handover arrangements can be made. For more details of our delivery and/or collection services please visit our Delivery & Collection page. Back to Top >>>Q. Must I book a vehicle for a week at a time or can I specify the length of hire I want? A. You can book any of our vehicles for as long or as short a time as you wish. For example, if you want to have ten days hire, then we will just charge you for ten days. All hire rates are charged pro-rata on our usual weekly rates. However, we do have a minimum hire charge at various times of the year, so please just contact us if you have particular requirements and we can advise how we may assist. Back to Top >>>Q. Do you have minimum hire periods or charges?A. Whilst we do not have minimum hire periods, we do have minimum hire charges at some times of the year. Generally these are :
These minimum hire charges are most definitely NOT 'set in stone' but are a general guide. If you have specific requirements then please just contact us and we can chat through how we may assist you. For example, if you want a motorhome for four days in August, and we happen to have such a space between existing hires then we would be able to assist at a four day rate with no difficulty. Back to Top >>>Q. What equipment is supplied in the vehicle? What do I need to bring?A. The following equipment is supplied in every vehicle :-
You only need to bring bedding (duvets, sleeping bags, etc. as appropriate), items such as towels, tea-towels, washing up & cleaning items, toilet paper and your personal belongings.Back to Top >>>Q. Do I need a generator or mains electricity to run the lights and electrics in the vehicle?A. All our caravans and motorhomes are fully self-contained in that all appliances (such as hob, grill, oven, hot water, heating) will operate from the camping gas we supply, whilst the onboard 12V leisure battery supplies the power to operate lighting, water pumps and so on. However, all our vehicles have at least one domestic style 3-pin 230V electric socket which may be used to power your own 230V appliances, such as a mobile 'phone charger, radio/CD player, small hairdryer or similar. These sockets can only be used if the vehicle is connected to a 230V mains electricity supply such as on a campsite (this is known as a 'mains hook-up'), or connected to a generator providing 230V. If you wish to take and use your own 230V appliances and you are not going to have access to mains hook-up at your campsite location(s) then you will need to use a generator. Generators or campsite mains hook-up are also especially useful for caravan hires to maintain charge in the caravan 12V battery (motorhome batteries are of course charging whilst the vehicle engine is running). For more details on our generators for hire please see our Additional Items & Services page. Back to Top >>>Q. Are there TV's in your motorhomes and caravans?A. Whilst none of our vehicles are equipped with televisions as standard, all our vehicles are fitted with boosted omni-directional roof-mounted TV aerials in case you wish to use a television during your hire. We can offer a range of additional items including TV's and TV/Video units (which will run from the 12V batteries on board our vehicles) if required. Please just visit our Additional Items & Services page for details. Back to Top >>>Q. Do your motorhomes have seatbelts? Can I use my own child seat?A. All of our motorhomes sleeping three or more persons have forward facing seats fitted with three point lap and diagonal belt seatbelts. These seatbelts can be used to secure most child seats but we would of course recommend you visit us prior to your hire, if practical, to ensure you are happy with the fixing of your child seat. Back to Top >>>Q. Are there any speed limit or lane restrictions for caravans and motorhomes in the UK?A. Motorhomes Caravans Generally the relevant UK speed limits are :-
Back to Top >>>Q. Do you have a list of caravan sites that we can use?A. In each of our vehicles we provide a current year camping, caravan and motorhome UK campsite guide for use during your hire. If you wish to look through such a guide prior to your hire then we can sell you a new copy at the prevailing retail price plus P&P or you may be able to request a copy from a local newsagent or library. The guide we use is the 'Cades Guide' (www.cades.co.uk) but there are a number of European and UK guides available on the market. Back to Top >>>Q. Are pets allowed in your motorhomes and caravans?A. We have no objection to family pets in our motorhomes or caravans. We do however ask hirers to be responsible for their pets and to ensure that they are provided with their own beds/blankets as necessary. Please remember that some vehicles have more floor space suitable for pet areas than others, so bear this in mind when deciding on the vehicle you require. Back to Top >>>Q. Are there any age restrictions when hiring your caravans and motorhomes?A. There are no age restrictions for hiring caravans. If towing our caravans then you must have a suitable driving licence and have been driving for at least one year. For motorhomes, all drivers must be over 21 and under 72 years of age at commencement of hire. All drivers must have a suitable driving licence and have been driving for at least one year. If drivers are outside these age limits, have good driving records and are of good health then we can refer to our insurance company who will decide if the driver is acceptable to them. There is very rarely any additional cost but the damage deposit may be increased in these circumstances. Please see our Terms & Conditions of Hire for full details. Back to Top >>>Q. Do I need a special licence to hire a motorhome or caravan?For more details on UK licences, please visit the website of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) at www.dvla.gov.uk or contact us A. Motorhomes UK full licence holders
obtained before 01 January 1997 UK full licence holders
obtained since 01 January 1997 Our 6 Berth Coachbuilt motorhomes have a MAM of 3750 - 3800kg. Whilst this does offer a reasonable payload and helps to prevent users from inadvertently overloading the vehicle, this weight restriction means that to drive these motorhomes you will need to gain a C1 category of your licence. For all licences obtained since 01 January 1997 this means you will have to take an additional driving test. A. Caravans UK full licence holders
obtained before 01 January 1997 UK full licence holders
obtained since 01 January 1997 For example, an average family saloon car (e.g. Ford Mondeo) may have an unladen weight around 1400kg and a MAM of around 1850kg. If this was towing one of our larger caravans which had a MAM of 1350kg, then this would be well within the limits of your licence restrictions. If you wished to tow a caravan with a much larger tow vehicle, for instance a 4 wheel drive towcar with a MAM of 2600kg then you will need to pass an additional driving test to gain the B+E category entitlement on your licence. This then entitles you to tow a trailer or caravan over 750kg MAM (as all our caravan are) with a tow vehicle weighing up to 3.5 tonnes MAM. For more details on UK licences, please visit the website of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) at www.dvla.gov.uk or contact us. Back to Top >>>Q. Do your motorhomes run on petrol or diesel fuel and how many miles per gallon can I expect?A. All our motorhomes run on diesel fuel. Miles per gallon will vary according to driving style and conditions but we would expect around 25 - 30 mpg from motorhomes with engine sizes of up to 2.3TurboDiesel and 20 - 25 mpg from motorhomes with 2.5TD and larger engines. Back to Top >>>Q. Do you hire motorhomes with automatic gearboxes?A. Regrettably at present all our motorhomes have manual gearboxes. Back to Top >>>Q. Can I have more than one driver for the motorhome. Is there an additional cost for this?A. Provided that all drivers meet our usual eligibility criteria (as per our Terms & Conditions of Hire) and we can inspect original driving licences on collection of the vehicle we have no objection to there being a number of drivers for the motorhome during your hire. There is no additional cost to you for extra drivers. Back to Top >>>Q. We wish to tow a trailer, do any of your motorhomes have towbars?A. Unusually for hire vehicles, many of our Coachbuilt motorhomes are fitted with towbars and twin towing electrics. If you wish to hire a motorhome and anticipate towing please advise us prior to booking in order we may assess the suitability of the trailer and motorhome combination and allocate you a suitable vehicle accordingly. We shall need details of the length, width and weight of the trailer at the time of booking in order we may inform our insurance company, along with details of the categories on your driving licence in order we may ensure you are entitled to drive/tow such a vehicle. Please be aware that the trailer will only be covered for third party risks by the motorhome's motor insurance. Any damage to the trailer will not be covered by our insurance and should be insured by the trailer's owner accordingly. Back to Top >>>Q. What happens if the hirer before me is involved in an accident? Have you spare vehicles?A. Unlike some smaller hire firms which may only have a few vehicles, we have a large fleet of caravans and motorhomes available for hire throughout the year plus any sales vehicles on site. This means we nearly always have a number of each type of vehicle, which gives us a great deal of flexibility. In the event of the hirer previous to you returning the vehicle in a condition unsuitable for your hire we will endeavour to replace it with a similar vehicle, or a different model with your approval. Back to Top >>>Q. Can I leave my car with you during my motorhome hire. Is there a charge for this? A. You are welcome to leave your car with us for the duration of your hire. There is no charge for this service and clients vehicles will be stored in our fenced and locked yard in view of our closed circuit TV cameras along with our hire fleet. Please be aware that we need to retain the keys to any vehicles left with us in case of emergency. All vehicles are left at owners risk and we can accept no responsibility for any damage or loss unless caused by the negligence of our employees. Q. Can you collect me from an airport or train station when I collect my motorhome?We are happy to collect clients from, or setdown clients at, local trains stations or from any major airport as required. For rail passengers we suggest using Salisbury station or Grateley station, both on the railway mainline out of London Waterloo. Pickups and setdowns from these stations are free of charge. If clients are flying into the UK then we can meet you at Arrivals at most airports. Please contact us for details as costs will vary depending on the airport, time of arrival and number of passengers to be carried. Back to Top >>>Q. What happens if I have to cancel my hire?A. If you cancel your hire then we shall endeavour to re-let the vehicle to another client. If we are able to do so, then you will get a full refund of monies paid less a small administration charge, currently £30.00+VAT. If we are unable to do so, the Hirer will be liable to pay the administration charge plus costs on a scale proportionate to the length of time before the hire commences, as set out below :-
You would get a full refund for any delivery/collection charges paid if we have not incurred any costs in this respect. We may be able to offer a credit note to offset against a future hire, depending on the circumstances. Hirers are advised to obtain their own insurance cover to safeguard against such losses. Please see our Terms & Conditions of Hire Back to Top >>>Q. Do I have to pay the full hire charge on booking? A. A deposit of £250.00 for motorhomes or £150.00 for caravans is required on booking to reserve a vehicle for you. This deposit then acts as the damage deposit during the hire and is fully refundable within ten days of the end of the hire provided the vehicle is returned clean, undamaged and on time. The vehicle hire charge itself, along with any charges for delivery/collection, extra items and so on, is payable 28 days prior to the commencement of hire and we would usually send a reminder prior to this date. We can accept payment by most credit/debit cards, cheque and bank transfer. Back to Top >>>Q. Do you offer discounts for long term hires? A. We can usually offer discounts for hires in excess of 21 days. If you are hiring for 22 - 42 days then we would usually expect to offer a 10% discount on our usual hire rates. If your hire is for a period in excess of six weeks then additional discounts will be tailored to your hire according to your requirements. Please just contact us if you need more details or a quotation. Back to Top >>>Q. Is my towcar suitable to tow your caravans? Please also see the FAQ section on towbars and stabilisers shown below. A. There are many factors to consider when matching towcar and caravan, but one of the most important is the weights of the vehicles. As a general rule of thumb it is recommended that the laden weight of the caravan should not exceed 85% of the kerbweight of the towcar. For example, an average family saloon car (e.g. Ford Mondeo) may have an unladen weight around 1400kg. If this was towing one of our larger which was loaded to 95% of the caravan's maximum technically permissible laden mass (MTPLM) of 1250kg, giving a laden mass of 1187kg, then the caravan would be 84% of the towcar kerbweight which should be a nice towing match (even with such a heavy caravan loading!). Other factors such as the towcar engine size, the weight of items loaded into the caravan, the type of towbar fitted, how well the caravan weight is distributed and even how far and where you are travelling will all make a difference to the safety of your car and caravan combination. Overall, we consider that a common sense approach is the key to determining which caravans are suitable for your towcar. Please remember that the day you arrive to collect your caravan is not the best day to realise that it is not up to the job! For safety reasons we will not allow caravans to leave the site if the towcar is clearly not suitable. If you would like us to advise please just contact us and we would be delighted to offer assistance in any way we can - even if this is to deliver and collect the caravan so you do not have to tow it! Please also see the FAQ section on towbars and stabilisers shown below. Back to Top >>>Q. What kind of towbar do I need to hire your caravans? Do you fit stabilisers? A. Your towcar will need to have a 50mm 'extended neck' towball with either single or double 7-pin electric sockets or a 13-pin electric socket.Stabilisers are additional equipment to attach towcar and caravan in a manner designed to damp out excess movement by the caravan, such as pitching or swaying. All our caravans would usually be equipped with an integral stabiliser which clamps onto the towball on your towcar. These stabilisers are fitted as standard equipment on all our caravans by the caravan manufacturers. Although no special fittings or clamps are required to be fitted to your car, there is a specific style of towball to fit these many of these stabilisers and your towcar will need to meet these requirements in order to tow our caravans. For more details please click on the link below to view the product brochure sheet produced by the stabiliser manufacturer. www.Al-Ko.co.uk : Correct Use of Towballs with AKS stabilisers This file on Alko-Kober's website can be read online or printed using the free Microsoft Word Viewer. If you do not have this software installed on your system, you may download it from Microsoft's website. If
your towcar is a 4 x 4 model If your towcar has:
Swan-neck style and
Detachable style towballs If your towcar has:
Bolt-on style towballs
Should you have an older style bolt-on towball then we can supply the 'extended neck' version to you if required. We can also supply spacers and towball bolts if needed. Please just contact us for details and prices. Please note: The checking and fitting of replacement towballs and spacers can only be undertaken by appointment and this may not be possible at the time of caravan collection. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the need to meet these towball specifications, but we do feel that as the stabilisers are fitted by the caravan manufacturer and designed and built by the chassis manufacturer, they are raising the safety standards of our caravan fleet and as such are to be welcomed. Finally, please
be aware :- Back to Top >>>Q. Do you supply a rear number plate for caravans? A. A rear number plate for the caravan to match the towcar is included free of charge for all caravan hires. This number plate is usually supplied by us, although some clients will have a number plate from previous hires or other sources.With effect from 1st January 2003, new legislation introduced by the Department of Transport came into force regarding the supply of vehicle number plates. By law, number plate suppliers need to be registered with DVLA (Driver & Vehicle Licencing Agency) and are now unable to supply number plates unless specific criteria are met and full details kept of every number plate issued. To supply number plates without meeting these criteria and keeping these records is now a criminal offence. If you are hiring a caravan and require a rear number plate for the caravan, and the following documentation is not provided when the vehicle is collected, we will, by law, be unable to supply a new number plate. You will need : Proof of Individual’s Identity Current Photocard Driving Licence OR Bank/Building Society statement or recent utility bill with one of the following :- Current paper driving licence Passport Credit/Debit card with photograph Travel Pass card with photograph UK Armed Forces identity card Foreign National identity card You will need : Proof of Entitlement to the registration plate (the purchaser of the number plate does not have to be the registered keeper) Vehicle Registration Document V5 OR one of the documents below : Vehicle Licence renewal V11 Certificate of Entitlement to a mark V750 Cherished transfer retention document V778 Certificate of Vehicle Registration V379 Vehicle Export Certificate Authorisation slip from DVLA local office with DVLA stamp Letter of Authority from Fleet Operators on company headed paper with full contact details – must note V5 document reference number Copy of schedule of vehicles supplied by a hire/leasing company under the hire contract agreement together with a letter of authority on company headed notepaper – must note V5 document reference number If hirers already have a rectangular number plate to match the towcar; for example from a previous hire where we supplied the number plate to you at the end of that hire; then we shall be happy to fit this to the caravan. However please be aware that this may involve the drilling of fixing holes in the number plate itself. Back to Top >>>Q. I am going to a specific event. Can you site a caravan there ready for me? A. We can deliver all of our caravans throughout the UK and siting caravans at specific sporting events, exhibitions, shows, seminars, camping grounds and campsites is very common for us.Delivery rates are generally based on the mileage travelled from our site near Salisbury. All delivery and collection services involve full siting and set-up of your vehicle so that it is ready for your immediate use. Hirers do not need to be on site when we deliver or collect, provided suitable siting instructions and key handover arrangements can be made. All you need to do if ensure that there is a space reserved for your caravan and inform us accordingly! If you would like a quotation for our delivery and/or collection services please just contact us and we shall be happy to advise the costs involved. Back to Top >>>Q. Do you sell caravans and motorhomes? A. Yes. We are proud to be an authorised dealer of Abbey Caravans and can demonstrate a range of new caravans to you. Please see our New Caravans page. If you are looking for a pre-owned caravan or motorhome then we usually have a range of vehicles to offer. Please see our Caravan Sales & Motorhome Sales pages for more details and sales lists. Back to Top >>>Q. What do you do with your caravans and motorhomes at the end of the season?A. We strive to provide the best possible caravans and
motorhomes for hire and aim to keep our hire fleet as new as possible. Back to Top >>>Q. I really enjoyed my hire - If I now buy the vehicle from you, will I get a discount? A. We are usually able to offer a 'try before you buy' discount. If you hire from us and then decide to purchase a vehicle from us (it does not have to be the one you hired), we can usually offer a discount of up to the first week's hire charge you have paid, on the price of the sales vehicle. If this may be of interest please just contact us or see our Try before you Buy page for more details. Back to Top >>>CURRENT LOCATION >> HOME >> FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)Copyright © 2008
Tilshead Caravans. All rights reserved.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
