Can You Hire A Van From The B&Q? Yes, But Here’s Why You Probably Shouldn’t

Ok, straight off the bat let’s get the obvious out of the way. No, you can’t actually hire a van from the B&Q. What you can do, however, is hire a van from Herts 24/7 Van Rental – via the B&Q.

But just because you can, does that mean you should? We don’t think so.

Here are some points to consider if you’re thinking about hiring one of these vans.

The Cost Of Hiring A Van From The B&Q

The cost of hiring a van from the B&Q isn’t a simple as how much they’ll charge you per hour.

There are hidden costs that can easily run into £thousands that you should be aware of. These are…

• The Cost Of The Hire
• Mileage Charges
• Fuel Charges
• Extra Billing Charges
• Excess (£1200)

If you damage the van in any way, even slightly, Hertz will debit your account for £1200 on the spot – there is no way around this. It’s £1200, flat.

Depending on the cost of any repairs to the van as a result, they may or may not refund some of this money back to you.

To get a feel for the service before you read on, here’s a complaint from a customer who previously used the van hire service from the B&Q.

Customer Review

“I have recently hired a van through B&Q /Hertz at Washington Gateshead. The advert sounds good on the vans £14 per hour. But what they don’t tell you is, firstly you have to buy a £14 none refundable key fob from the til, hertz then charge you 30p per mile and also £14 per hour. If you return the van early you get no refund, the fuel gauge is checked to the mile and even if you drive a few miles and don’t put fuel in they fine you £50. Now I think that is excessive. The vans were in a shocking damaged state, scruffy and they expect you to check for damage. I would just like to say I will never shop at B&Q again through this, I will also be telling everyone not to use Hertz/B&Q van hire service. One very unhappy customer”

Review End.

The only editing I’ve done to this review is to correct some grammar and spelling issues. The full rant + responses can be seen on the B&Q Facebook page here.

To be fair, this complaint was from a while ago and you no longer need to buy a fob. You can now have a pin number sent to your mobile phone that you can use to open and lock the van and the start key is kept inside.

Anyway, back to blogging, I’ve broken down the most likely costs you’ll encounter.

The Actual Van Hire

According to the B&Q website here, a 2 hour van hire can be had for £30.

Hiring a van from the B&Q, however, is a service available only at participating stores.

You can visit the B&Q store locator to see if your nearest store is participating.

Mileage Charges

The Hertz website states that you’ll be charged a maximum of 33p per mile. They are exceptionally vague, however, with what that actually means.

Does the mileage charge start from the moment you collect the van? Is it a charge for exceeding your mileage allowance? Is there even a mileage allowance? Does it rise in increments?

After digging, I couldn’t find any clarity on the topic either on the Hertz website or the B&Q website so let’s assume that it’s a 33p flat rate for each mile you cover.

That’ll be an extra £16.50 for a 50 mile round trip, £33 for a 100 mile round trip and so on.

Fuel Charges

It doesn’t matter if you hire a van from the B&Q, Hertz or use your own van, you’ll be up for the cost of fuel regardless – which is fair enough.

Hertz do encourage you to use the fuel card supplied with the van but again, are really vague on how much per litre they’ll charge you. It could be cheaper, it could be more expensive and I’m sure it’ll vary from branch to branch.

From the Hertz website: The extra fuel will be charged at the rate agreed on the rental agreement plus VAT. That could mean, well anything, really.

All they expect is for the van to be returned with at least a quarter of a tank of fuel so to make this easy on yourself, simply keep a note of how many miles you cover.

For every mile you cover, put 30p worth of fuel in the tank and you can’t miss.

Extra Billing, Fees And Insurance

From the Hertz website.

“In the event of vehicle damage, loss or theft you’ll be liable to pay an excess of £1000 for card (by card I’m assuming they meant “cars” but nobody bothered to correct the mistake) or £1200 for vans. If the repair is less than the excess, we’ll refund you the difference, minus an admin fee.”

This means if you dink, dent, scratch, scrape, bang or dunt your hire van in any way, Hertz will debit your account (credit card) for £1200.

If the cost of any repairs is less than £1200, they will refund the difference back to you at a later date.

https://www.hertz247.co.uk/bq/en-gb/About/FAQ#faq4

It’s worth noting that, in the motoring industry, garages and body shops will charge hundreds of pounds in panel work and labour costs. You shouldn’t expect much in the way of change from your £1200 for even the lightest of accidents.

When hiring a van from the B&Q, it is also your responsibility to check the vehicle for any damage that isn’t already recorded on the vehicles onboard VPI/damage sheet.

Please pay close attention to this as if the van has been damaged by the previous customer and they failed to record it, you might be liable for the cost of that repair.

Becoming A Hertz Member

Becoming a Hertz member is simple. Simply download the app and enter your credentials.

Download for Android

Download for IOS

In order to drive, you must be over the age of 21 and have held your licence for at least a year. You also need to hold a credit or Visa debit card in your own name. Registration is simple and you can be on the road in minutes!

Hertz 24/7 membership is currently £3 per year. All vans available from the B&Q can be driven on a normal category b driving licence.

Are There Better, Safer, Alternative Van Hire Options?

Yes, there are definitely better, safer and more convenient alternatives to hiring a van from the B&Q.

Hire a local man and van. Not only are you putting money back into the local economy and supporting a small business, but you’ll also have an extra set of hands-on board to help with lifting anything bulky, heavy or awkward.

A man with a van might charge you less than you would pay for hiring a B&Q van or he might charge you a little more depending on how big the job is but he is responsible for his own van.

If it gets dinked, scratched, or damaged in any way, nobody will debit your account for £1200.

The cost of fuel will also be included in the price.

To find a good local man and van, simply Google “Man & Van Near Me”.

Conclusion

So, is hiring a van from the B&Q a good deal?

Well, it’s cheap enough and convenient too if you happen to be at a participating store. Joining Hertz 24/7 is also cheap and cheerful so nothing too overwhelming there either.

There is, however, that £1200 excess that Hertz absolutely will debit your credit card for if you damage one of their vans.

They don’t state what type of damage warrants taking £1200 from your account either. That could be anything from a light scratch to a head-on collision or anything in between.

If you’re comfortable risking £1200 though then yep, go for it. If not, then using a good local man with a van company is probably a better idea.