towed a portable generator

I think I saw you - towing the wheelbarrow ...

John T.

n doing so, I destroyed the wheels. I thought that a 5 mi ride would not b e that much. It ended up over heating the plastic wheels [with no ball bea rings] and they melted. It was intentionally designed to fail as I had done this with a 1950 [all metal wheels] wheelbarrow.

eirs. I think that they were rated for that, probably had a hitch.

they seem to attribute every damage on that unit to my doing on a heavily used unit, EC86COOL which they claim is worth $5K.

towed behind a truck? I think if someone sues a ladder company due to not putting a notice for some stupid lack of notice, i.e. don't stand on top r ung, can I pull this off on the rental.

I'm betting you didn't tow it when you picked it up? If they saw you hooki ng it up and leaving that way, that would be your first defense. But if not and it doesn't have a hitch then I think you're hosed. Did you damage it o ther than the wheels? How much are new wheels if you bought them? I'd say that amount plus $75 to $100 is fair, assuming it's easy to swap the wheels . They are also entitled to loss of use, for the time its out of service. I f they want that, ask them to prove that all similar units were rented duri ng the time that it was out of service for repair, by showing you their ren tal records. You can try to lawyer out of it by offering to pay a fair amo unt and no more. If they want more, refuse to pay, they will have to sue yo u and it's not likely they will. And read the contract, what does it say ab out damages?

Man up and pay your "idiot tax"

I will pay for actual damages. However, I am being charged full replacement value on the parts and labor. A case in point, when I had some clothes damaged by the cleaner, they paid 20% of their value, as they were used. Ditto, if I get into an accident, the insurance pays the damages, but only at the "assessed value" of the car, usually even just 80% of that. Yes, I am being a prick, but we live in a society where this is common.

And if you destroyed the whole generator, they would similarly be entitled to whatever the current fair market value of a used generator in similar condition before the damage was worth. But you're saying that it's less to fix it, so what's the problem now?

Yes, if you total the car. Did you total the generator? If the damage to the car is less than the fair market value, then the insurance company pays full market price for parts and labor. What's the problem? Did you damage more than just the wheels? How much are they charging you?

Doesn't give you an excuse. What you did was STUPID.

That is common too ----

Clare Snyder posted for all of us...

Ya can't fix it...

Did this generator have a trailer license plate on it?

Fenders?

Turn signals, running and brake lights?

Tongue hitch for standard 1-7/8" or 2" ball?

Street-legal tires?

If you can answer yes to all five, you might be able to "lawyer out" of this.  Otherwise, be prepared for a severe Judge Judy beat-down.