To keep prices low and make sure that all members have a good experience, we rely on all members (both borrowers and car owners) doing the right thing by their fellow members.
In the event that a member does the wrong thing, we need to:
- charge fair fees and penalties to discourage those activities
- compensate other members who have been put out
- cover our extra costs of administering 'the fix’
Traffic and parking
If you receive a traffic or parking fine, or if the owner has to move the car because you parked it incorrectly, you will be charged a fee in addition to the cost of any fines you receive.
Transferring a traffic or parking fine $40
This fee is charged to help compensate the owner and us for time spent in transferring traffic or parking fines into the name of the responsible borrower. (Note that the borrower is also responsible for parking fines that are incurred when they leave the car in a place where it gets a parking fine after their trip ends.)
It is also charged in cases where the owner or we have to pay a towing invoice or similar infringement notice on the borrower’s behalf (e.g., if the car is towed to an impound and can’t be released without payment), in addition to the cost of the invoice.
$30 of this fee is passed on to the car's owner. This fee is not charged if the borrower pays the fine before the owner is notified.
Parked illegally or incorrectly $60
This fee is charged when a borrower parks the car illegally (such as in parking space where it may only be left for a limited amount of time, facing the wrong direction, or obscuring a driveway), or contrary to the car's parking instructions – even if no parking fine is incurred. 50% of this fee is forwarded to the owner.
Cleanliness and fuel
This is a real person's car and is shared by many members of our community. Make sure you leave it clean and with at least 1/4 tank of fuel, ready for the next person to use it. Never smoke in it.
Car left messy $35 to 60, plus cleaning cost
This fee is charged if you leave a car messy or dirty. If the car is very dirty, this is charged in addition to the cost of cleaning. Most of this fee is forwarded to the affected member. Read the
Cleanliness Policy for more information.
Smoked in car $60, plus cleaning cost
This fee is charged, in addition to the cost of cleaning, if a car is left with the smell of cigarette smoke after a trip. Read the
Cleanliness Policy for more information.
Car driven on beach $60, plus cleaning and repairs cost
These fees are charged if you drive the vehicle on the beach to cover the reasonable cost to clean the car. It is in addition to the cost of repairing any damage that you may be responsible for. Driving on a beach is a breach of our terms and you may be excluded from damage cover and have your account deactivated if you drive a vehicle on a beach.
Car left with low fuel $30
This fee is charged for leaving a car with less than ¼ tank of fuel. 50% of this is forwarded to the affected Member.
Electric vehicle not plugged in after trip $30
This fee is charged for leaving an electric vehicle unplugged after a trip, as this could result in a low charge situation for the next driver. 50% of this is forwarded to the affected member.
Car fueled with wrong fuel – diesel or petrol $60
This fee is charged for filling a diesel car with petrol, or vice-versa. This is charged to cover our time in assisting with the resolution and is in addition to any costs for draining the tank and repairs that may be required.
Car fueled with wrong fuel – incorrect octane number $10 or $40
A $10 fee is charged for filling a car with a higher octane level than specified. This compensates the owners for the higher cost of high-octane fuel.
A $40 fee is charged for filling the car with a lower octane level than specified. This compensates the owner for the cost of action to prevent damage to the vehicle from the low-octane fuel.
Keys and accessories
The lockbox, keys and other accessories are what makes our Instant Keys kit run smoothly, so make sure you take care of them. Check that all the lights are off, the doors locked and windows are up before you leave the car at the end of your trip.
Instant Keys kit: Lost, damaged, not returned up to $530
You'll need to pay for any devices that you lose, damage, or fail to return to us. We may charge individually for the devices, or up to the total amount for the kit, as stated here.
The total amount: $530
GPS tracking device: $150
Secondary GPS tracking device: $100
Lockbox $250
Toll device: $30
Car left open $50
This fee is charged to the previous driver when the next driver reports that a car was left unlocked. 50% of this is forwarded to the owner.
Lockbox left open or key left unsecured $100
This fee is charged to the previous driver when the next driver reports that a lockbox was left open or unlocked or the key was not securely returned. 50% of this is forwarded to the owner.
Lost or damaged car keys $20 or $40, plus replacement cost
This fee is charged when a member loses or damages a car key. There's a $20 admin fee for most cars and a $40 admin fee for cars using our
Bluetooth technology, plus the cost to replace the actual key (the cost varies for each car).
The car keys are your responsibility from when you first take them out of the lockbox until you return them at the end of your trip. Take care of the keys — some car keys cost over $500 to replace.
Lights left on $50
This fee is charged to a member if a car's lights are left on at the end of their trip and the battery does not go flat (if it does, the 'flat battery' fee applies). 50% of this is forwarded to the owner.
Flat battery $100
This fee is charged to a member if, as a result of their actions, a car's battery goes flat. 50% of this is forwarded to the affected member.
Damage
Accidents happen, and damage and loss are included when you borrow cars through our platform. If you're responsible for damage, the most you'll pay is your excess (subject to exclusions).
Damage handling (in addition to repair costs) $60
If you damage a car, we have to spend time coordinating between all stakeholders to get the vehicle damage investigated and reviewed, as well as organising quotes and/or repairs. This fee is to compensate for this time and is included in your excess. If the cost of repairs falls below your excess, you'll be charged the repair costs plus this fee.
Repair Validation Costs
As part of our commitment to ensuring damage repair costs are accurate and within industry guidelines, we will appoint qualified motor vehicle assessors to review damage quotes. The cost of this assessment will be included within the excess charged to you.
Punctuality
Our car-sharing community relies on all members doing the right thing by each other and returning the cars on time at the end of their trips. Make sure you return the car on time or extend your trip if you need a little longer.
Late return not affecting next trip $20
This fee is charged to a member if they return a car later than their trip end time. This fee is in addition to the normal booking charges, including the extra time that they used the car. Tip: Extend your trip rather than running over time.
Late trip extension $10
This fee is charged to a member if the trip end time has already passed at the time they extend their trip. Tip: Extend your trip before the scheduled end time.
Late return affecting next trip $50
This fee is charged to a member if their late return of a car affects another member's booked trip on that car. 50% of this is forwarded to the affected member.
Cancellations
Trip cancellations can cause inconvenience and potential loss of income to owners and borrowers. If you need to cancel or change a trip, remember that you may be charged a cancellation fee.
Borrower cancellation
Borrowers cancelling or editing trips within 48 hours of their start time may be charged in line with our
cancellation policy.
Owner cancellation (including car or key unavailable) $20 or $40
These fees are charged to an owner who cancels a borrower's booking or fails to make their car and key available for a booking. These fees are passed on in full to the borrower to compensate them for the inconvenience.
Read more.
Other issues
We may charge a fee reflective of our costs of dealing with other issues not specifically listed below.
Fee for using a service not included in your plan,
or after your plan has finished. $10 fee + cost
This applies when a member takes advantage of a service that isn’t included in their Membership or Sharing plan, or continues to use our services after their vehicle has been delisted. For example, an owner who calls for Roadside Assistance using our account after their vehicle has been delisted would be charged $10, plus the cost of the callout ($120) and the cost of any parts provided on-site.
To confirm what is included in your car’s plan, see Sharing Plans.
Fuel not paid for by borrower $60 + cost
This fee is charged to cover reasonable costs ensuring fuel is properly paid for e.g. the costs incurred by owner attending the petrol station to pay for the fuel, or by us doing so on behalf of the owner.
Comments
On 31st Dec the car was continuously asking to replace key batteries which I notified Ben instantly. As I was far away from Sydney I was concerned and had to come back to Ben to replace key batteries. As a result I couldn't use the car for about 12 hours. On 1st Jan 2021 i came back to get the car back but I had to wait about an hour before owner was able to replace batteries. I would request to consider this when finalising my refund/payment. Thanks. Also the owner probably doesn't know how to say please when asking for something. Thanks
I don't see anywhere here the compensation for owners when a borrower steals their car, it has to be collected by an agent and then cleaned and dealt with. Where is that information? What does the borrower get charged and when etc? In between when the car is collected and when it is returned, what does the owner get in compensation for missed time off the platform? That information needs to be clearly indicated here.
Hi Kate, thankfully instances of car theft are very rare but when they do happen we take care of recovering the car and organising any repairs or cleaning required. The Borrower would be responsible for any costs associated with that, and we wear the risk of the Borrower not paying so the Owner would never be charged for that. Those fees aren't detailed here as they vary from case-to-case but are covered by the final sentence: "We may charge a fee reflective of our costs of dealing with other issues not specifically listed above."
What sort of fine and compensation is set for using a vehicle off-road when this is clearly not permitted? Damage may not be immediately evident and present well after the person has returned the car.
A bond should be held by CND (min $1000) that is forfeited by the borrower if a car is found to have been used off-road.
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