BLUESG DRIVER PUNCTURED TYRE WHILE DRIVING, 3 MTHS LATER KENA $632 CHARGE

BlueSG charged me $632 for a punctured tyre

Hi all, writing this to seek advice.

I was using one of BlueSG’s car on 10 Apr night. All were fine for the first 15 min of the journey to drop my friend off. The car started to rattle when I resumed driving. That was when i realised something is wrong with the tyre. It took me almost an hour to reach BlueSG (their hotline waiting time is horrible) and the call lady informed me to park the car at the nearest BlueSG lot.

Fast forward to today, I received an email from BlueSG:

“We wish to inform you that as a result of your accident/incident occurring on 09 April 2023 arising out of your rental #5179012 involving the BlueSG car (registration no.: SNJ9798D), you have been found responsible for damages caused to the tyre(s) and associated parts.

In accordance with section 9.5 of the terms and conditions of access to and use of the BlueSG service which you read and accepted when you subscribed to our service, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY AND ALL LOSS OF OR DAMAGE TO THE BLUESG CAR THAT YOU CAUSE WHILE YOU ARE IN POSSESSION OF IT.

Accordingly, you are liable to BlueSG for:

(i) repair costs (for the tyre(s) and associated parts) in the amount of Singapore dollars FIVE HUNDRED FIFTY (S$550); AND

(ii) administration and GST charges in the amount of Singapore dollars EIGHTY TWO AND FIFTY CENTS (S$82.50),

collectively referred to as “Charges”.

We will proceed to impose these Charges on your account within the next two (2) days from the date of this message.

Should you have any queries or require further clarifications, please do not hesitate to respond to this message.”

Just wondering if there is any room for me to dispute this claim given that I have not driven in any inappropriate way that directly lead to the flat tyre (at least I am not aware of).

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Netizens’ comments

1. Their agreement is written in a way that you have zero chance of winning any dispute.
   Just be happy it wasn’t more money.
   Those car sharing companies want you to get in an accident, as its a huge income revune for them.
2. You will have to dispute that you started the rental with the defect and it was the last renter who caused it. I know it’s a bit after-the-fact now, but you need to take tons of photos before start of rental to safeguard yourself when renting.
   More folks need to be aware of this: claiming you excessively for damages is part of, if not the main business model of these carsharing companies. They are not going to be able to stay afloat charging you pennies like a lanshop charge students for playing counterstrike in the early 2000s.
3. It’s not just the cost of the tyre. The lost of rental during the repair period is also charged to OP.