[Resolved]  Zoom Car — Holding me responsible for a damage not done by me

Address:

400101

Booking id: jps6tglbe
Car: maruti ciaz - regn # ka51c3811
Travellers : 2 - my wife and i

I had done a booking for pickup at chennai airport on 24 june at 9am.
After several calls the car arrived only after 930am.
The return was scheduled for 26 june at 7pm. I requested for an extension of 30 minutes. It was declined.

The car was not even cleaned and even the inside of the car was dirty.
In one of the photographs you can observe the zoom driver wiping the car with a cloth.

I observed that the car was dented at several places and even brought it to the notice of the driver. He said it was minor and will not affect the performance of the car.
In one photo u can see him looking at the rear bumper which had come off the clips. The bumper was also badly scraped on the sides which was the reason why it had come off the clips at the back of the car.

However since we were already late for our trip we took off based on the assurance of the driver

Within 2 hours as we were cruising along the east coast road to pondicherry i heard a sound from the rear and in the rear view mirror i saw the bumper flying off and landing in the middle of the road. There was good traffic moving at high speed on the highway. I managed to reverse the car and collect the bumper from the road and placed it safely in the rear seat which was at considerable risk to my safety when i exited the car on the highway.

Thereafter, i immediately called up zoom car and explained the incident and also sent pictures of the bumper placed on the rear seat.

This incident happened on the highway
No car hit me from behind
The picture of the bumper (Taken when the car was returned to chennai depot) clearly shows that it is not damaged on the rear which is proof of the fact that i did not cause the damage.
The bumper flew off on the highway due to air friction - because the clips of the bumper had come off and therefore the bumper was already loose and this calamity was just waiting to happen

Earlier, when i had spoken to zoom customer assistance, mr aboo told me to get the bumper fitted and zoom would reimburse the costs. I told him that it would not be practical for me to hunt around to get that job done and further spoil my day. I told him that for all the trouble i had to undergo for no fault of mine, i should be offered a discount or some form of compensation. He said it will be considered. He was very reasonable and provided some solace and i have to appreciate that.

I got the car washed at my expense - see how clean the car looks in the picture when it was returned to the chennai depot

On my return journey i filled in rs 1000 worth of petrol and loaded the bill on the zoom site.

But i was in for disappointment when i finally returned the car at the chennai depot. The customer assistance guy told me most insensitively that i have to pay the damage charges of rs 10, 000. He refused to listen to reason and kept repeating that i have to pay rs 10, 000
I was shocked

For all the mental trauma i had gone through for no fault of mine, and the risks i undertook on the busy highway while collecting the bumper, this is the insensitive treatment i finally received from zoom.

After a lot of argument we were dropped back to the airport

Now in my account on the zoom site i am asked to pay an outstanding amount of rs 4000 i. E damages rs 10, 000 less security deposit rs 5, 000 less petrol rs 1, 000

This was the nastiest experience of my life

Zoom can be very demanding and very un-professional and very insensitive

To reiterate:
1. The damage was not caused by me
2. The bumper flew off on its own
3. The rear of the bumper is not damaged as is clearly visible in the picture
4. My holiday was ruined
5. My friends & relatives could not join me on my holiday with a bumper sitting in the rear seat of the car

For the inconvenience and the trauma that i have faced, for no fault of mine,
I would be surprised if an insensitive company like zoom could offer any refund or compensation

For the moment, all i ask for is:
A refund of my security deposit of rs 5, 000
Plus
Reimbursement of petrol filled in the car : rs 1, 000
Total refund: rs 6, 000

Jairaj nair

Ps
If the pictures of the bumper are enlarged one can clearly see the gaps evidencing that the bumper had come off the clips

I tried loading the photos but this site does not accept above 2mb
Each photo is above 2mb
What do i do