French dealer asked /35,000 for rescue
Page 10
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
N by Charles Young
A French truck dealer was accused of overcharging a British haulier by £30,000 for the recovery of his artic which had caught fire.
Alex Greaves, of Billingham-based Cavalier Trailers, also claims that two new tyres were taken from his truck while it was being held at the dealer's yard, and that diesel had been drained from the tank.
Greaves's Renault Major Turboliner 385 caught fire last January near Troyes in central France. The trailer, which had a hazardous load, was gutted by the fire, and the driver ended up in hospital for two days.
The Renault dealer originally sent Greaves's insurers a bill for the equivalent of nearly £35,000. The work included clearing up and disposing of what was left of the trailer, and taking the unit to its yard.
But when Greaves's insurers. Royal Sun Alliance, questioned the bill, they managed to reduce it to just £5,000.
A spokesman for Royal Sun Alliance says they often come across bills which can be significantly reduced. But Claude Pechiodat, director of the Renault dealership at Troyes. says the original invoice was just an estimate. He adds that he doesn't know anything about any tyres going missing. but doubts Greaves's claims with respect to the loss of the tyres because the yard is secure and patrolled by guard dogs.
Greaves, who runs two trucks on international work, says: "It's a no-win situation. It's lucky I was insured for everything, including medical expenses. otherwise we would have been in big trouble."