A TRANSVESTITE unaccustomed to high heels and a car attacked by monkeys are just two of the excuses given for damage to daily rental vehicles.

The findings from a survey heard how a transvestite’s foot became stuck on the accelerator pedal causing a collision and how monkeys attacked a vehicle in a safari park. It also heard the excuses: ‘I hit a square roundabout’ and ‘The road was too narrow so we ran into a sheep’.

National Car Rental, which has compiled the research from a survey of its 145 branches during the past year, also found unusual reasons for returning a car late and a host of strange objects left in vehicles.

The group’s top four excuses for returning a car late include:

  • ‘I thought Scotland was on a different time zone’
  • ‘I’ve lost the car’ – from a customer who had forgotten where he had parked.
  • ‘The heater wasn’t working properly – it was stuck on full heat and my shoes melted so I couldn’t drive properly after that.’
  • ‘I forgot the clocks went forward I’m only an hour late rather than two.’

    Kim Brown, marketing director at National Car Rental, said: ‘We are always sympathetic when cars are returned late and obviously if the car is damaged we have a clear process for the management of the claim. However, it is amazing some of the explanations we hear and the ‘secret life’ our rental cars have while out on a booking.’

    A list of items found in returned rental cars during the past year include a ginger toupee, a package from Ann Summers, underwear, a false leg, a tumble dryer and a rocking horse.

    National Car Rental is not the only group to receive unwanted gifts in end of contract cars. A dead goat and an unopened bag of fish and chips were two items found by respondents in the Fleet News Health and Safety survey, sponsored by Nissan (Fleet NewsNet, April 2).