Hi All,

I was just after a bit of advice. I've taken a campervan hire company to small claims over a damage dispute. Long and short of it is that the company are claming there is damage to the roof and withheld my deposit. The roof was not included in either pre or post inspection, due to the height of the van a standard visual inspection was impossible, I was not offered any ladders and the check out document was signed off as 'all good' with no damage recorded other than a window chip. The business then carried out an inspection, using a ladder, 24 hours post my returning the van and notified me they were witholding my money. When I asked for all the documentation the inspection document had been adapted with simply 'Lines???' as a drawing.

The case has already been seen by a judge, there was a mix up with dates so I couldn't attend or the business owner, but I heard the judge said she wanted to speak to us both because the hire business has submitted a witness statement from a garage saying on the morning I picked up the van they carried out a service and inspected the roof and it was fine?

Can this genuinely be considered as evidence? Why would they inspect the roof for a service? But more than that, the inspection wasn't in my presence, either the prior one at the garage, or the one when the apparant damage was discovered. The garage inspection was also carried out at a different location to where I picked the van up from? But most of all the inspection sheet, notes no damage other than the addition of the lines? drawing?

Thanks all in advance