Hockmeyer Motors

Having lived in the Sleaford area for some time now I have used this garage for fuel on a regular basis over the years.
This review is not about the fuel though, it is about the vehicle rental service at this garage which I used recently and found quite acceptable, except for one rather annoying «grey area» which I discovered when returning the vehicle back to the garage after using it.
I took the van (Large Luton) for 6 hours, and in that time I drove a little over 90 miles to Mansfield and back. I drove the van as I would my own diesel car (1.9 ltr Turbo Diesel) and as such I attempted to extend the MPG by observing the main rules of economy. 1) No harsh acceleration, 2) Keep the cruise speed low and steady (50mph), 3) Brake «intelligently» (try to enter roundabouts where there is a gap in traffic flow rather than having to stop and then start off again), 4) stay in top gear (the van had a 6 speed box) as much as possible (at 50mph in 6^th gear the rev counter was sitting at under 2000 rpm!).
Now bearing in mind that when I drive my own car and applying these rules I can attain an MPG figure of over 65mpg, and, having spoken to the lady who arranged my hire agreement and being told I could expect perhaps 35 MPG, I was sure that I could enhance that figure by using the methods mentioned above.
The agreement regarding refuel after use was to leave the tank on full, and indeed when I left the garage the fuel gauge was reading full. However on my return after filling up with £10 of diesel before the pump «clicked off“and checking the tank gauge was reading full (it was!) I was told that «you would be lucky to get 20mpg in that» (the van) and that £10 was no where near enough to top it up again. I explained that I had driven it carefully to optimize my economy but my comments had little bearing on the seemingly flustered man who then rather unceremoniously «marched» me back out to the pump and then had me stand and watch as he managed to «squeeze» another £13 of fuel into the tank which eventually resulted in a quantity of diesel, which I was paying for!, overflowing onto the forecourt.
Now as I have mentioned, apart from this rather demeaning episode my experience had been fine, but I found myself leaving the garage feeling more than a little annoyed at this «grey area» regarding topping up the fuel. I would have gladly filled the tank to the brim if it had been made clear to me that this was required, but as this is not a practice that I use with my own vehicles (carry only what you need to lower vehicle weight and extend range!) and as I had also been (apparently incorrectly) advised that I could expect 35 mpg, I had genuinely felt that returning the van with the gauge on full was what was required of me, I had even felt quite chuffed that I had apparently managed 45 MPG :-).
If they insist it should be «to the brim» then they should specify that and allow the hirer to visually check that this is the case before they leave the forecourt, as it is, it seemed to me at least, it was a rather cynical way of extracting yet more of my hard earned cash and worse still, it was rather embarrassing to find yourself «dressed down» in front of other customers and staff and end up feeling like a schoolboy caught stealing a bar of chocolate!
By the way, my misconceptions of economy (based on the 35mpg comment) where not so outlandish after finding a review for the VW on the internet which said «The official extra urban consumption for a 109bhp engine in a Crafter CR35 panel van has improved by over 7%, from 32.1 mpg to 34.4 mpg.». And that is certainly nowhere near as bad as the 20mpg that was later stated! OK so I was a little optimistic about a £10 refuel on hindsight, but it has just highlighted an issue that, with a little amendment to the hire agreement wording, will not cause a problem.
Overall the hire was a good experience, but I feel that the fuel issue could have been handled with a little more care!
The cost of hiring the van where:
£50 for 6 hours
£15 optional insurance waiver
£23 fuel cost
Total miles 93 driven
Total hire 5 hours 45 mins
Next time I hire any vehicle in future I will be inclined to take a dipstick!
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