Charges from return checks: fuel, AdBlue, kilometres and damage
When the return check is signed, what the customer owes is worked out from it. That covers kilometres or hours over the allowance, missing fuel, AdBlue and charge, a lost key, and new damage marked to charge. Damage waits for a manager; the rest goes on the next bill.
PLANSEvery plan
The problem it solves
- The car comes back a quarter empty and the counter waves it through.
- A lost key costs you hundreds and is never recharged.
- Damage charges are typed onto the invoice from memory, sometimes twice.
How it works
- Set the prices once in Settings > Fuel at Return: Fuel per litre, AdBlue per litre, Charging per kWh and a Refuelling fee. Set the tank, AdBlue and battery sizes on each car.
- Give a check point a Charge If Failed (and a Part to Replace) for things like a lost key or a missing charging cable.
- Do the return check. The fuel, AdBlue and battery readings are compared with the going-out check; meters with the rate plan's allowance.
- On signing, the charges appear on the order's Charges tab with the check as their source. Usage, fuel and failed points are ready to bill; damage waits To Confirm.
- A Rent Manager confirms or drops each damage charge. Everything ready goes on the next invoice.
Everything it does
What becomes a charge
- Usage Over: km, miles, engine hours or kWh over the rate plan's allowance, at its Price Over
- Fuel / Energy: the share of the tank, AdBlue tank or battery missing times its size, at your price per litre or kWh. Less than half a unit is not charged
- Refuelling fee: added once when any fuel, AdBlue or charge is missing
- Failed check points with Charge If Failed, invoiced as the Part to Replace where set
- New damage marked Charge Customer with an Estimated Cost: kind Damage, To Confirm
Charges list
- Rental > Billing > Bills > Charges and the order's Charges tab; filters To Confirm, To Bill, Billed
- Kinds: Usage Over, Fuel / Energy, Cleaning, Damage, Fine / Toll, Delivery / Collection, Late Return, Early End, Repair, Extra, Other
- Add others by hand on the order, such as cleaning
- Confirm (Rent Manager) or Drop; a billed charge is credited on the invoice instead
- An order cannot be closed while a charge is still to confirm or to bill
Who uses it
Yard staffDo the return check with the readings, points and damage.
Rent ManagerConfirms or drops damage charges and sets the fuel prices.
AccountsBills the charges with the next invoice.
Where you use it
- Web: the order's Charges tab; Rental > Billing > Bills > Charges; Settings > Fuel at Return
- The SmartMy Rental Staff app: the return check that makes the charges (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Not taken from the deposit by themselves: staff press Use on the deposit
What you control
Settings
- Fuel per litre, AdBlue per litre, Charging per kWh, Refuelling fee: empty, so nothing is charged until you set them
- Charge If Failed per check point: 0 (nothing)
Approvals
- Rental charge: damage charges wait To Confirm. Confirm and Drop go through the Rental charge chain, Rent Managers by default, on every plan, with levels by amount
Notifications
- No message of its own: the charges show on the next invoice and the readings on the check report
Questions
Is damage billed without a manager seeing it?
No. Damage charges are made To Confirm. A Rent Manager confirms or drops each one before it can be billed.How is missing fuel worked out?
From the fuel gauge share at handover and return times the car's tank size, at your price per litre, plus the refuelling fee once.Can we charge for a lost key?
Yes. Give the Keys check point a Charge If Failed. When it fails at the return, the charge is made by itself.Do electric cars work?
Yes. Read Battery (%) at both checks and set the car's Battery (kWh) and your Charging per kWh price.Related features
CHECKSHandover and return checks with photos, meters and signaturesEvery handover and return runs through a check from your own template. Check points are cards by team, answered with one tap. The check also takes required photo angles, meter readings, the item list and damage marks. Each team signs its part, and the customer signs last. The new check starts from the last one, so readings show their value before and known damage is already listed. The signed report goes to the customer as a PDF.RATESIncluded kilometres or hours, and excess chargesSet how many kilometres, miles or engine hours each rental includes, per day, per month or per rental, or make them unlimited. What is used beyond that becomes a charge on the hire by itself, from the readings of the handover and return checks.CHECKSDisputes on check reportsAfter a check is signed, the customer has a set number of days to dispute the report from their web page. Staff can open a dispute too, a Rent Manager even after the window, and the salesperson is given a to-do to answer it.CHECKSAI damage spotting with suggested repair costsOn a return check, the AI compares each photo with the same angle from the last check. It lists new damage it sees, with its confidence. It can also suggest a repair cost for each new damage line. Nothing is charged by itself: staff check every line. It comes with Growth and Scale and runs once switched on, using AI credits.BILLING AND PAYMENTSDeposits taken, topped up, used and refundedEvery confirmed hire that asks for a deposit gets its own deposit record, held on a liability account. You take it, top it up, use it for what the customer owes and refund the rest. The order cannot be closed while money is still held.BILLING AND PAYMENTSBilling in advance or in arrears, with Bill NowBill short hires at once with Bill Now, and long hires on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly or end-of-hire cycle. Bill in advance or in arrears, grouped as you like. Rent stops at the call-off or return, and time billed ahead and not used comes back as a credit.
See your fleet on it.
Tell us how many cars or machines you hire out, from how many depots, and how bookings reach you today. We will set up your fleet with you on SmartMy Rental.