A Few Q&A’s on our Flexible Car Contracts

November 12, 2020

Flexi-Rental

Since our last article featuring a few Q&A’s on Car Subscriptions, we’ve had a few customers ask us about our Flexi-rental (Flexible Car Contracts) vehicles, with many asking what the difference is between a Car Subscription and a Flexible Contract.

So lets delve into a few Questions:

Questions & Answers

What is a Flexi-rental?

There are so many different names for this sort of contract from Flexilease, Flexirent, Long Term Car Hire, it can get confusing. But its a long term rental program that you can take from 1 month, but with our best prices from 90 days.

You can send the car back at anytime, giving us at least 5 working days notice via the Returns Request form. So long as you’ve had this vehicle for 90 days, you pay the lower rate.

If you return it before, you pay the higher rate. The important point of these contracts is that they are flexible and can run up to 12 months without the awkward swapovers that many other companies do.

Are there any upfront charges?

We don’t charge any joining fee’s , but we currently charge a documentation fee. Whilst this isn’t charged on our Car Subscriptions, this product does include free delivery in England & Wales, which can save you quite a bit.

What is the minimum term?

Again, the minimum term for our flexible car contracts is just 1 calendar month, but to get the advertised rate, you do need to take the vehicle for a minimum of 90 days, sometimes longer on the higher end performance cars.

Is Delivery & Collection Included?

Delivery in England & Wales is included, but collection is chargeable, unless you take another vehicle and the swapover takes place on the sameday.

You can of course return the vehicle to the specified de-fleet centre free of charge to save a collection cost, if you are not having another car.

Do you include maintenance?

Maintenance which includes items such as routine services is included on most of our flexible car contracts, but please do check on screen. Most of the cars also include tyre provision also, exception to this are the high performance cars or hot hatches.

Is it cheaper the longer we have the car?

No, the price would be the same if you took it for 90 days or 12 months. Due to manufacturer terms, we’re unable to offer longer periods or fix you into a contract on many of our flexi-rental products.

How miles are included?

Another benefit over the Car Subscription vehicles is the mileage allowance, most come with a generous amount and this can be increased on request at a reasonable cost.

Where is your Fleet Centre?

This depends on the make/model of your vehicle. The majority of the vehicles are in the Northern area with access to major train stations. If you would like to know the location, please do ask the question.

Are their any hidden charges?

We like to be upfront here at Cocoon and we’ve already said that a collection charge is chargeable if you aren’t having a replacement car. We charge a Documentation Fee as above but includes delivery in England & Wales.

The only other charges you need to be aware of are if you were to receive a parking ticket, congestion charge, speeding fine. We charge an administration fee for processing these.

You would also need to pay for a VE103B if you were to take your car abroad.

Unlike other companies, we do display our advice of charges on our website, just click on the highlighted link.

Do you include insurance?

No, we don’t provide insurance for any of our short-term solutions. We ask all customers to cover the vehicle on a fully comprehensive insurance policy or fleet policy.

We always recommend using or transferring an existing policy to the vehicle or taking out a 12 month policy and moving it to another vehicle where required. It can work out much cheaper this way than taking out a short-term car insurance policy.

Just make sure that you inform your insurance company that you are not the registered keeper or owner of the vehicle.

Can I change vehicles?

Yes, you can. You can change at any point so long as the minimum qualifying period has been done to get the agreed rate.

Also, so long as the documentation fee is paid on the new vehicle, you will not need to pay a collection charge for your old vehicle. This applies to flexi-rental vehicles and fixed short-term car leases only, not car subscriptions.

Do you supply VAT invoices?

Yes, we supply VAT invoices for businesses. Our system will automatically send you out a monthly invoice to your email address.

You can claim the VAT back, where allowed. Usually 50% of the VAT is reclaimable for the rental element and 100% of the maintenance element.

What happens when I return the vehicle?

If you take another vehicle, the swapover usually takes place at the same time and place. The drivers will go around your vehicle and carry out a walkaround inspection, this isn’t to be confused with the supplier inspection.

They will makr down any visible marks, so please make sure your car is clean. The vehicle will then be returned to the supplier who will then carry out a thorough inspection of the vehicle.

This is mainly to pick up previous poor repairs or damage not visible to the drivers.

Any damage or excess miles over the contracted mileage along with rental credits are reconciled and debited from your refundable deposit (if applicable) or your bank account/card.

If we owe you money, we will request you bank details and this will be paid on receipt.

We don’t like charging anyone for any work, so as per our honesty policy, we publish our return standards on our website, so please do have a read as short-term vehicles do not follow the BVRLA fair, wear and tear guides.

Are these vehicles covered by the BVRLA Fair, Wear & Tear?

No, short-term vehicles do not follow the BVRLA fair, wear and tear guides. However, we are upfront and honest about our return conditions, this is why we display them on our website, include them within our contracts and send you our booklets out in the post.

Wear and Tear should not be confused with damage resulting from impact, negligence or accidents. To be totally transparent, please see the following link to our return standards.

We do however, follow the BVRLA’s code of conduct and proud of the way we work.

Will I require a Credit Check?

Yes, all customers business and personal will have to go through a credit check and supply documents to comply with AML and the FCA.

The documents usually required include Driving Licence in current address and a utility bill dated within the last 3 months. Our experienced underwriters may ask for further documents, depending on your credit status.

If you don’t have perfect credit or you are an Expat Customer, then please do get in touch. We can still help you. Our speclists underwriters will look at all applications on a case-by-case basis.

How old are the vehicles?

Most of the cars we have are brand new or pre-registered with delivery mileage. We do occasionally have vehicles that have got a few miles on, but we will inform you of this before an order form is sent out.

What brands do you offer?

We have a wide range of cars on our flexi-rent service including Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen.

We do offer other brands on our short-term fixed car leases.

How do I set up a credit line?

Setting up a credit line is nice and easy and our simple online application takes no longer than 5 minutes. Once we have received this, its sent across to our underwriters who will assess yor credit status.

If accepted, the credit line is put in place. Those who don’t have perfect credit may have different terms offered, these can include a refundable deposit, higher documentation fee, guarantees or a higher initial rental.

More Information

If you require any additional information, you can visit our Flexible Car Contracts page, call the team on 01332 290173 or complete the ONLINE FORM.

The post A Few Q&A’s on our Flexible Car Contracts appeared first on Cocoon Vehicles Ltd.

There are so many circumstances where you may need that flexible vehicle, just call the team on 0330 330 9425 to see how we can help you!

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