YOUR BEST FRIENDS TILL YOU RETURN!

Choose arnold clark as other van hire companies i have used in my local area always have horrible bashed in vans with dirty loading areas and terrible customer service. Now as the title reads once you book your van and take it away everyone is best friends and couldn't be more helpful. Warning: do not be fooled by the big white smiles. Whilst having my points checked some paper work was quickly thrown my way with no explanation "sign here" "sign there" "thanks" all whilst on the phone to dvla. Purposeful distraction to stop you noticing your signing for £750 excess i hope not. But maybe. As quickly as the papers were passed my way. They were retrieved for him to collect the keys and let me on my way. (which was fine i had a lot to be getting on with) now once you are on your way out the door " let's do a quick check over the van" fine by me, needed a clean van for an expensive fabric sofa removal. As i undertook a quick look over the vans bodywork ( which was mint, it had 1300 miles on clock) the sales woman also undertook look lasting no longer than 10seconds. "right that's you! See you later on" okay great! Let's get this on the road. Now my journey between houses in my area was no more than 10 miles all in. There was 15 mins driving in total compared to the 15 hours it took the move the big old couch from a-b. Upon returning the van i was very pleased with the day's work and the service so far at arnold clark. Now heres the the reason a review and warning has had to be made. All smiles returning the van, a different sales woman said " we need to do a check over the van first" she already didn't look like she was having a great day. She had an attitude and a grumpy face. The opposite of our sales woman! But i thought no bother go ahead! And it's monday after all who can blame her! But then this sales woman heads straight to the front window and starts rubbing over what turned out to be a small chip under the driver side dashboard. (not visible from drivers seat) she then proceeds to tell me "this wasn't there before how did this happen" now she hadn't even been dealing with my service or had she even seen the van i left in. So straight away you think, ah great there going to try the olde lets get all we can out these sorry sods. Great. My original sales woman comes out with the same attitude. Also telling me this wasn't there before she would have seen. ( in the 10 seconds she looked round the bodywork) i immediately responded saying i think i would have heard or noticed a stone chip off the window in my 7 min journeys (no radio was on) after a lot of going back and fourth and also a mechanic coming out to back up there story!! I felt cornered and annoyed that my good deed for the day (helping a friend) and great customer service was slowly crashing and burning in front of me for a quick quid stone chip repair. It's then after bein lead in to discuss this matter i had that previous paper work which was seen for 3 seconds thrown at my face and signature pointed at for 3 minutes whilst i argued my case. By this time the manager (with has hand in his pockets the whole time this situation played out!)!Strolled on in to fix the matter. Now by this point my friend who doesn't cope well with confrontation started getting very agitated and worried and tried to explain the situation but unfortunately coming across a little loud as he was nervous and felt backed into a corner. Now i calmly provided him with an explanation and argued my case that could this stone chip not have been missed? And now i'm paying the cost for an unfortunate miss by the last person to take out the van. Unfortunately he was very argumentative (i know this shocked me too. He works in "customer service" for crying out loud) he told my friend to leave and not talk to him. And told me "you signed here look look look" after arguing my case too which he fine well knew this was in fact right and viable, then said in a terrible manner "look you will never hire from here again! Fine! We will cover the cost!" making me feel unbelievably bad that i had not owned up to something i hadn't done. Absolutely disgusting service arnold clark! Never again! Official complaint has been written and sent out. Had i not argued my honest case i would have been ripped off for another 100 or so pounds!