Client Alert -
Avoiding the pitfalls when you are hiring mobility equipment
in
Tenerife
Unfortunately, as the recession has started to bite,
the mobility market in Tenerife has attracted
several cowboys and rip off merchants who have
little or no experience in the mobility market.
Holidaymakers have lost money to these people,
believing the claims made on their websites which
change their offers frequently, saying anything to
get you to book with them. Some claim to have become
Tenerife's’ No 1 choice even though by any measure
they are small one man bands. Others claim to be the
islands number 1 holiday hire shop (but fail to give
the address of the shop) or they are “the premier
mobility hire company in Tenerife” Some of these
cowboys even use variations of our long established
trading names of Orange Badge and Blue Badge
Tenerife to confuse and con you into dealing with
them instead of the real thing. Some, incredibly,
claim to be the number one choice for service and
repair of disability equipment in Tenerife and then
give their work to a German operator in Tenerife!
The lies, deceptions and half truths are easy to
spot if you know what to look for.
For your own safety and security,
before booking any mobility equipment on any
website, ask yourself the following questions:-
Question
Does the website give
full details of who you
are dealing with? Namely
the individual or
company concerned, their
full address, phone
number, fiscal details
etc? Some websites
explain who they are not
rather than explain who
they are and only give
phone numbers or e mail
addresses, or forms to
fill in. Ever thought
why? The entity could be
nothing more substantial
than a trading name with
no insurance or
anything. . If the
website has no address
or fiscal details as
required by law then we
would advise you to walk
away regardless of how
cheap the price is. If
something goes wrong, or
the equipment
malfunctions, or you
have an accident you
only have a mobile phone
number and a website to
complain to.
Orange Badge Standards
Orange Badge the holiday
mobility specialists
website gives all these
details and has done for
the last 14 years. We
offer the widest range
of our own equipment on
the island. All our
rental equipment is
serviced and certified
by us. We do not rent
products from other
competitors on the
island, nor do we
believe in having our
machine serviced by
someone else. We
certainly do not lie or
advertise we are the
number one company and
then get someone else to
do it!
You can
trust Orange Badge.
Question
Is the “business” a
proper Spanish S.L.
company with a CIF
Number? Or is it just an
individual pretending to
be a substantial
business? If the
business has a NIE or
NIF number it is a
trading individual like
Del Boy off “Only Fools
and Horses”. Any British
Ltd company should be
showing its VAT Number
if it is of any size or
substance and should
show its UK trading
names and addresses. Or
worse is it just a
British agency or
trading name with no
jurisdiction in Spain
whatsoever? Our advice
is to check the website
for these details as any
business operating in
Spain is subject to
Spanish law.
Orange Badge Standards
Orange Badge is a proper
Spanish SL Company with
CIF is B38387221. and
operates under Spanish
law. We have a large
staff and 5 delivery
vehicles
You can
trust Orange Badge.
Question
Have you read and
understood all the small
print, booking
conditions and
disclaimers on the
website? What are their
get out clauses? Many
websites are only
booking agencies who own
no scooters at all and
take your booking to
give to someone else and
take a commission for
doing so. Our advice is
to read all terms and
conditions very
carefully.
Orange Badge Standards
Orange Badge website is
simple and clear in its
conditions. We own,
operate and service all
our own equipment as
well as operate our own
airport transfers. We
are the only English run
company to offer this
service
You can
trust Orange Badge.
Question
Does this “website” have
a proper trading
commercial address here
in Tenerife or in the
UK? Some say they are
open 7 days but what
they mean is their phone
may be switched on some
of the time! Some
operate illegally from
private rented
addresses, move premises
or some have no address
at all!
Some
operate illegally from
private rented
addresses, move premises
or some have no address
at all!
Orange Badge Standards
Orange Badge has been in
the same premises for
over 10 years. Unlike
everyone else we give a
service to you by
keeping our office open
7 days a week 363 days
of the year. We also
offer a 24 hour
helpline. Our advice is
only to use those
companies that give
their full name and
address on their
website. At least then
you have somewhere to
start if things go
wrong.
You can
trust Orange Badge.
Question
Does the “business” have
a 922 fixed line number
rather than just a
mobile number? If there
is no fixed line, the
chances are that the
“business” can disappear
at the drop of a hat
with your money. This
has happened in the
past. Our advice would
be not to deal with any
website that offers only
a mobile phone number
and e mail address.
Orange Badge Standards
Orange Badge has had the
same 922 797355 phone
and fax number for over
10 years.
You can
trust Orange Badge.
Question
When your rental
equipment is delivered
to you, Is the piece of
paper offered for you to
sign a legal commercial
contract registered in
the Spanish Registro
Mercantile? Indeed are
you given any paperwork
at all?
Orange Badge Standards
Orange Badge offers all
the protection you need
with its registered,
legally binding
contract. You can trust
Orange Badge.
Question
Is the
contract written in both
English and Spanish as
required by Spanish Law,
or is it a just scrap of
paper riddled with
spelling mistakes which
gives you the consumer
no protection or rights
at all?
Orange Badge Standards
Your
Orange Badge contract is
in both English and
Spanish to give you the
protection you need.
You can
trust Orange Badge.
Question
Does the “website” offer
meet and greet for the
disabled at the airport,
alongside the major Tour
Operators like Thomson,
Thomas Cook etc? Or does
it get someone like
their major competitor
Lero/Orobus to do it on
their behalf?
Orange Badge Standards
Orange
Badge is the only
British run SL company
allowed to offer this
service at the airport.
You can
trust Orange Badge to
work with major Tour
Operators.
Question
Does the website offer
transport with its own
Minibuses or does it
give “Free” Transfers
included in the price
using who knows what
type of transport? Some
offer cheapest prices
guaranteed. Our advice
is to check prices on a
like for like basis
Orange Badge Standards
Orange
Badge uses its sister
company "Orange Bus" which is the
only official British
run transport company in
Tenerife with all the
correct SP Transport
licences etc. You can
trust Orange Badge.
Question
Is the
equipment offered the
“business” equivalent to
the Orange Badge
product?
Orange Badge Standards
Orange Badge offers a
wide range of scooters,
with both right or left
hand controls, solid
tyres (no punctures)
differing handlebar
configurations etc. As
they are not legal over
here we do not offer
tandem scooters for 2
people. We also do not
offer very large All our
manual wheelchairs come
complete with
comfortable cushion and
are not cheap transport
chairs.
There are
many websites and known
con men operating in
Tenerife keen to rip you
off by making false
claims and promises,
offering the wrong
machines for silly
prices and no deposits.
When something goes
wrong (Your transport is
not SP registered, they
don’t turn up, the
equipment is not what
you ordered, you have an
accident/damage the
machine etc. etc.) you
have booked with these
cowboys at your own risk
and it may well be too
late to stop a holiday
being ruined. If you
damage a machine or do
anything wrong you will
pay heavily for it. They
will claim anything to
get your money.
Do you
always buy the cheapest
guaranteed price or do
you go for the safest
and best value for
money?
Why risk
using anyone else but
Orange Badge, the long
established company you
can trust.
