Sundrive Hire (Camper Van / Motorhome Hire) Anyone Used Them?

[Morse Code]

As Sundrive are aware of this thread, and plenty of suggestions have been made here for how Sundrive could increase people's confidence in the services they claim to offer, I can't help but wonder why they've not done any of those things - particularly as they'd be very easy for Sundrive to do, and instantly effective.

As for the "threats to their company with various people saying they are going to trash their campervans at Glastonbury", aside from it being a threat by just one person, the post was made by a person who shares the same ISP as the suspiciously supportive of Sundrive posts that have been made here (all by people who've just registered to make those posts), so I wonder if that's a post made by someone at Sundrive as their ready-made excuse for why they'll let people down over Glastonbury bookings.

eFestivals - both me personally and as a company - of course condemns that post. Whatever Sundrive might do, trashing motorhomes is not any answer.

But how could their vans be trashed anyway? I hugely doubt that they'll be branded as Sundrive as no branded vans have ever been seen. So why would their insurance company refuse to insure the vans? And are their insurance company randomly googling about their customers to find that post? It seems very unlikely to me.

Just about everything Sundrive is ever supposed to have said doesn't make sense to me, all that happens from them is that my suspicions are raised even higher that there's something not right about them.

If Sundrive are all they claim, why do they do nothing to address the concerns people have?

[redmosquito]

Looks like another managed business address - 4100 Park Approach, Thorpe Park, LS15 8BG. Let us know if you find anything.

[enzo68]

Subject: sundrivehire: camper vans & festivals

Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2011 18:19:18 +0000

Dear Sir or Madam

Some months back you ran an article on making life easier at festivals by hiring a camper van for your stay.

One of the companies you recommended was Sundriver hire, who we promptly booked with for Glastonbury.

Whilst all contact with this company has not given us any reasons for concern, the internet has not produced any reviews or feedback for them. Most of the posting have been negative & express a doubt that they actually exist & can fulfil their bookings.

Can I ask, what evidence was provided to the Times that made you confident enough to use them in your article?

Our delivery date is quickly approaching & any help or reassurance you can give us would be greatly appreciated.

Yours

Terry Hoey

Times+ reference:u00146411417

This e:mail was sent to the Times today, if we get a reply I will post on here. Our campervan for Glastonbury is due to be delivered on the 22nd June, If it turns up I will take pictures and post to put everybody's mind at rest, but from talking to various people in the campervan game I wont be holding my breath then again you never no.

[dannym]

I have checked and it is not showing yet. The refund reciept is dated 30/5/11 but I have just called my credit card company and they said for some merchants it can take up to 7 days before it shows on your account. They advised me to wait until Tuesday and if it is not showing they will raise a dispute which is a legal matter to resolve it. Will keep you posted. Hope your refund comes through ok.

[Morse Code]

Subject: sundrivehire: camper vans & festivals

Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2011 18:19:18 +0000

Dear Sir or Madam

Some months back you ran an article on making life easier at festivals by hiring a camper van for your stay.

One of the companies you recommended was Sundriver hire, who we promptly booked with for Glastonbury.

Whilst all contact with this company has not given us any reasons for concern, the internet has not produced any reviews or feedback for them. Most of the posting have been negative & express a doubt that they actually exist & can fulfil their bookings.

Can I ask, what evidence was provided to the Times that made you confident enough to use them in your article?

Our delivery date is quickly approaching & any help or reassurance you can give us would be greatly appreciated.

Yours

Terry Hoey

Times+ reference:u00146411417

This e:mail was sent to the Times today, if we get a reply I will post on here. Our campervan for Glastonbury is due to be delivered on the 22nd June, If it turns up I will take pictures and post to put everybody's mind at rest, but from talking to various people in the campervan game I wont be holding my breath then again you never no.

[LusciousLucy]

Sounds like a task for...

DON'T GET DONE...GET DOM!

Maybe you'll all feature in a future Fake Britain episode?

[enzo68]

Not sure my mate Terry read about Sundrivehire in the Times newspaper, when you read about a company in a newspaper like that you tend to believe them. The only reason we are still hopeful is the fact that we havent actually found anybody on the web who has been ripped off by them yet. Unless on a certain day they push a button and we all get ripped, but surely they wouldnt still be on the web and you wouldnt be able to talk with them . I phoned last week spoke to some bloke said he knew all about the blogs and his company were taking legal action and had been in contact with the police. So still hopeful.

[douchebag alert]

hi all....i am new to this....i actually just registered here to possibly help people looking for motorhomes before glastonbury cos i used this discussion to check out SUNDRIVE and am glad i did look here cos they appear pretty illigit!! i managed to get a motorhome last week thru www.motorhome-city.co.uk it will be my first time at glastonbury and im massively excited about it :)i have always camped at festivals...this is my first time for staying in a motorhome, i kept walking past them in years gone by thinking "one day, im gonna stay in one of those badboys!" what is the atmosphere like in the motorhome park, is it good banter yeah?! i know im a 'newbie' and have seen the slating some of them get but i thought i'd try and share what i found with u guys

[Sundrivehire]

Press Release June 2011 – Immediate Cancellation of Glastonbury Bookings

Dear Readers,

It is with great regret, that I must inform you that for the reasons stated below, we are no longer able to facilitate Motorhome/Campervan hire for the Glastonbury Festival 2011.

Please be aware that this decision has not been taken lightly, and is ultimately the result of factors out of the control of Sundrivehire. Due to this Internet forum which we believe was originally started by our competitors and continuouslyaided by the owner of Efestivals Mr Neil Greenway, Sundrivehire has encountered an exceptionally high level of cancellations for Glastonbury as well as threats to our staff and vehicles.

This adverse publicity, brought on by this forum users and Efestivals,has also included slanderous lies, fake encounters with Sundrivehire, accusations of fraud and threats to our staff and property. It is also with great sadness that we find those genuine customers, whom we see had made positive comments after using our services, also found themselves to be victimised by certain forum users.

Furthermore, our reception and sales staff have been subject to direct abuse and personal threats against them, which is totally unacceptable, and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The Police have been informed of these incidents.

Throughout this unfortunate situation, I must state that I am very disappointed to see that Efestivals, has continued to support and aid users on a campaign to destroy our vehicles, staff and reputation. Furthermoreit concerns me that Efestivals has never denied our previous queries, into how much extra revenue has been generated for this site due to the increased traffic as a result of this smear campaign. To end this legal proceedings have now formally commenced against Efestivals.

I can confirm that, had Mr Neil Greenway of Efestivals acted more professionally as the arbitrator of this forum by removing certain detrimental posts or closing it down altogether,the impact on our business and decision to cancel Glastonbury bookings would not have been necessary. I can only assume that the benefits of increased website traffic on his site form our advertising campaign far outweighed for him,the detrimental impact on Sundrivehire and our customers.

The uncontrollable behaviour of a minority of customers and forum users, has affected our level of risk and business to such a degree that we are simply no longer able, or now willing to fulfil bookings for the Glastonbury Festival.

Due to the Efestivals forum and the bad press against Sundrivehire we had accepteda high level of cancellationsand until now we were determined to still provide a service to our genuine customers. Howeverthese cancelation levels and the overall bad press has resulted in a large number of our third party providers, and individual vehicleowners backing out of contracts to supply Sundrivehire with vehicles. It is with regret that many Glastonbury bookings had been directly affected, and I now have no alternative but to pull out of Glastonbury hire altogether.

All of our customers affected by this should now be receiving our written confirmation of the cancelled booking and we have already processed the majority of refunds in full. Those customers whom have yet to receive written confirmation should expect to do so in the coming days. Rest assured that all bookings cancelled by us will result in a full refund of all fees paid. Please note that I have also made provisions for compensation payments to those customers who can prove that they are at a further financial loss as a result of the cancelation.

Any customers who wish to claim compensation form Sundrivehire, may do so by requesting a Compensation Claim Form from our customer services department. Full contact details are provided on the letters sent to thosecustomers affected. All claims for compensationwill be handled by customer services and assessed by our solicitors. They will all result in counter claims being swiftly put to the owner of Efestivals for damages.

Whilst I can understand that this may be very frustrating for genuine customers, it was never the intention of Sundrivehire to cancel Glastonbury bookings. Please try to understand that we are a young business and we were simply not prepared for the damage that this forum could do to our ability to facilitate Glastonbury bookings.

Please be aware that a number of non Glastonbury bookings have also been affected by the Efestivals campaign and in some cases Sundrivehire has had to cover the cost of alternative hire arrangements, accommodation and costs incurred as a result of this forum. Unfortunately we cannot accommodate such upfront costs in relation to Glastonbury cancellations. As stated above any claims for compensation must go through the proper channels.

If, as I suspect, it was the intention of Mr Neil Greenwood of Efestivals and our competitors to put Sundrivehire out of business altogether, I must say that whilst I will not allow them to succeed, their campaign has certainly put Sundrivehire under a great deal of pressure. Since Neil has previously stated that he has never had any desire or intention to rent a Motorhome or Campervan, his accommodation arrangements at Glastonbury will not be affected. I wonder if he has even purchased a ticket? After all I can’t see how he will have time to be at Glastonbury, update this forum and cash in on the increased traffic and revenue from my advertising and his smear campaign all at the same time!

I am though, truly sorry to all the genuine customers that have been affected as a result of this and I sincerely hope that given the circumstances you can now understand why I have no alternative but to pull out of Glastonbury.

Whilst Sundrivehire have decided not to recommend other hire companies, or individuals for your hire requirements, this decision has been taken as early as possible to allow enough time for you to make alternative arrangements. Please note that we are unable to re-arrange bookings regardless of price or incentives that might be offered to us.

May I take this opportunity to sincerely ask that you refrain from taking out your frustrations on our sales and customer service staff. They are not personally at fault for this unforeseen and regrettable situation.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise to our customers for any for any inconvenience caused by this event and I truly hope that this situation does not have an adverse effect on yourenjoyment of the festival.

Yours Faithfully

Gary McFadden

Proprietor

Sundrivehire

[covicymru]

So everyone was right about sundrive then... well done efestivals for warning people from making further bookings with them.

[Bubblepopelectric]

Um, why did you not speak up earlier? Why did you not answer any queries that came up?

[bumpy_capers]

Bluff and bluster.

[robin]

LOL

That is a pretty funny press release.

[StoneCircle]

Looks like others have already not received their pre-booked Motorhomes too.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftoptitle-107087-sundrivehire-anyone-had-any-experience-of-using-this-company.html

[android-app-developer]

I'm no legal expert but I would suggest Efestivals does the following:

1. Read this page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A1183394

2. If the worst does happen and you are taken to court for libel perhaps you should take learn from Private Eye magazine and set up a fighting fund and ask readers to all donate £1 or £5. I guess you could do this on www.justgiving.com and that way people will be able to pay easily and also see who has donated what and what the current total stands at.

I have no opinion as to the merits or otherwise of the claims regarding the motor home rental company in question but I do rely on Efestivals for my pre-Glasto build up each year and would not like to see anything happen which disrupts this - where would we be without the nail-biting weather thread and info on re-sales each year?

[eFestivals]

Furthermore, our reception and sales staff have been subject to direct abuse and personal threats against them, which is totally unacceptable, and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The Police have been informed of these incidents.

I'm currently waiting to hear back from the Met* as to whether this complaint has been made as stated.

(* Gary McFadden has just told me on the telephone that the complaint was made at Wimbledon Police Station yesterday).

Throughout this unfortunate situation, I must state that I am very disappointed to see that Efestivals, has continued to support and aid users on a campaign to destroy our vehicles, staff and reputation.

This is not true. I have interjected some information, and summarised where people's concerns are. I have suggested how Sundrive can address those concerns, which they've chosen to not do.

Furthermoreit concerns me that Efestivals has never denied our previous queries, into how much extra revenue has been generated for this site due to the increased traffic as a result of this smear campaign.

The revenue amounts to approximately* twenty two pounds and 69 pence.

(* an exact figure is impossible to obtain. The quoted figure is based on the number of reads of this thread, at the average price per ad across the whole of efestivals for the month of May 2011. However, it should be noted that the revenue for forum ads is lower than for ads on the main part of the website).

To end this legal proceedings have now formally commenced against Efestivals.

If this is really the case I look forwards to my day in court. Any action will be rigorously defended.

I can confirm that, had Mr Neil Greenway of Efestivals acted more professionally as the arbitrator of this forum by removing certain detrimental posts or closing it down altogether,the impact on our business and decision to cancel Glastonbury bookings would not have been necessary.

There is a legal precedent for dealing with slanderous and libellous posts on forums, as your solicitor would have been able to inform you. Sundrive have made no attempt to use that procedure.

They will all result in counter claims being swiftly put to the owner of Efestivals for damages.

Unless Sundrive are able to win the legal action they claim to have started, such counter claims will have no basis for success in law.

If, as I suspect, it was the intention of Mr Neil Greenwood of Efestivals and our competitors to put Sundrivehire out of business altogether

It has never been my intention unless Sundrive are a fraudulent company, as of course I would wish any fr5audulent company to go out of business.

I have made reasonable suggestions about how Sundrive might address people's concerns. Sundrive have chosen to not address those concerns.

Since Neil has previously stated that he has never had any desire or intention to rent a Motorhome or Campervan, his accommodation arrangements at Glastonbury will not be affected. I wonder if he has even purchased a ticket? After all I can’t see how he will have time to be at Glastonbury, update this forum and cash in on the increased traffic and revenue from my advertising and his smear campaign all at the same time!

Like every other normal Glastonbury go-er, I have purchased my ticket thru the public sale system. I can bring forwards witnesses to confirm my attendance at Glastonbury for the last 25 years - including literally hundreds of people last year, and expect there to be a similar number of witnesses this year.

Edited June 9, 2011 by eFestivals

[eFestivals]

Looks like others have already not received their pre-booked Motorhomes too.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftoptitle-107087-sundrivehire-anyone-had-any-experience-of-using-this-company.html

Thank you for this.

[eFestivals]

I'm currently waiting to hear back from the Met* as to whether this complaint has been made as stated.

(* Gary McFadden has just told me on the telephone that the complaint was made at Wimbledon Police Station yesterday).

The Met have just called me back and informed me that they have searched their systems, and that there is no record of a criminal complaint by Gary McFadden or Sundrive Hire.

[eFestivals]

I'm no legal expert but I would suggest Efestivals does the following:

1. Read this page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A1183394

2. If the worst does happen and you are taken to court for libel perhaps you should take learn from Private Eye magazine and set up a fighting fund and ask readers to all donate £1 or £5. I guess you could do this on www.justgiving.com and that way people will be able to pay easily and also see who has donated what and what the current total stands at.

I have no opinion as to the merits or otherwise of the claims regarding the motor home rental company in question but I do rely on Efestivals for my pre-Glasto build up each year and would not like to see anything happen which disrupts this - where would we be without the nail-biting weather thread and info on re-sales each year?

I'm aware of the libel laws.

I'm also aware of how the libel laws are implemented with regard to forums. eFestivals is not liable for any libel made by other posters (the posters themselves are), unless a formal complaint has been made about particular posts to eFestivals and eFestivals has not acted on those complaints.

No formal complaint has been made about this thread. No direct contact has been made with eFestivals by Sundrivehire about this thread.

eFestivals is of course responsible for their own posts. I am of the belief that none of the posts I've made are libellous - tho of course I'm happy to let a court decide.

Thanks for the suggestion of a 'fighting fund'. If legal action is happening and if it's necessary then this is a great suggestion.

Edited June 9, 2011 by eFestivals

[sundrivehirearebrilliant]

This adverse publicity, brought on by this forum users and Efestivals,has also included slanderous lies, fake encounters with Sundrivehire

[redmosquito]

What a tool, he could have easily closed this thread down a long time ago by taking proper steps to prove that his business is genuine, instead he seemingly went a bit odd, tried underhand methods that just further fuelled the fire against him and now instead of proving us all wrong by actually fulfilling peoples booking's he's taken the bizarre step of throwing his toys out of the pram, tarred all his customers with the same brush and if his business was genuine then it looks like he's just thrown all his hard work down the toilet. I can't see how anyone would book with them after this, surely that can't last until the end of the summer season.

Neil, any fighting fund would gladly be topped up by me although like you've already mentioned I can see on what legal basis he's bringing any alleged court action.

[eFestivals]

What a tool, he could have easily closed this thread down a long time ago by taking proper steps to prove that his business is genuine, instead he seemingly went a bit odd, tried underhand methods that just further fuelled the fire against him and now instead of proving us all wrong by actually fulfilling peoples booking's he's taken the bizarre step of throwing his toys out of the pram, tarred all his customers with the same brush and if his business was genuine then it looks like he's just thrown all his hard work down the toilet. I can't see how anyone would book with them after this, surely that can't last until the end of the summer season.

Neil, any fighting fund would gladly be topped up by me although like you've already mentioned I can see on what legal basis he's bringing any alleged court action.

Thanks for the support - I hope it's not needed, but you never know.

I'm currently doing the necessaries so that I'm able to mount a robust defence from any legal action.

Having contacted a few people in the no-doubt-about-it-genuine motorhome industry to ask if they'd be willing to give evidence in my defence if it comes to it, they're all dead keen. They seem to feel that Sundrive have caused no end of problems for their genuine operations.

[PabloCoke]

There has been many ways for this thread to be concluded but sundrive have simply not done any of them, they have made claims they simply have not backed up. They have projected through their claims the appearance of a fraudulent company, if they are or not is another matter, but if it looks like a scam what else can you think.

I personally think this forum may have saved a lot of people from being ripped off. Job well do to Neil.

[ukslim]

This is hilarious.

Although, I do feel for anyone who was relying on getting a camper from this lot. I can't see how the circumstances could possibly justify Sundrivehire reneging on a contract.

Neil - I hope the amusement it gives you isn't outweighed by the hassle.

[eFestivals]

Neil - I hope the amusement it gives you isn't outweighed by the hassle.

if it goes to court then I suspect the hassle has the upper hand.

But I've not let this thread run for 'amusement' anyway. I've let it run because genuine questions, and concerns, and comment, and opinions, are all permitted in law as 'fair comment', unless the fair comment angle is being used as an underhand way of unreasonably slurring a company.

If forums don't allow fair comment, what is the purpose of any forums?

I feel there's more than reasonable justification for the comments made. For example, mention of the fact that Sundrive's websites have used materials from other companies websites definitely falls under 'fair comment', because it's true. And of course, it then follows that people have concerns about whether the company is genuine or not because they've copied other websites - so the expression of those concerns is also fair comment in my opinion.

There's more I could say for why I've let this thread run, but given the circumstances I feel it's better that I don't. That's not me running scared, that's me 'keeping my powder dry' for any forthcoming legal action that might happen. Any legal action will be defended, and I'm confident that it can be successfully defended.