A scratch, an empty tank and a fine with no name
The courtesy car comes back at five. The advisor is busy, so the keys go in the box. The next morning it goes out again with a different customer, who points out a scratch on the rear bumper. Was it there yesterday? The paper form has a sketch with a few crosses, none of them near the bumper.
Two weeks later a speed camera notice arrives for the same car. The paper forms are in a folder somewhere. Working out who had it that afternoon takes an hour.
Paper forms and a key box
Courtesy car fleets are run on a paper agreement, a key box and the service desk's memory. It works when things go right.
- Condition is recorded as a sketch, often in a hurry.
- Fuel level is noted, sometimes.
- Return times are agreed verbally.
- Fines and tolls arrive weeks later, with only a date and time.
- Nobody sees which cars are out, overdue or due for a service.
What the paper costs
Damage without evidence is usually absorbed by the dealership. Fines have to be traced by hand and are sometimes paid rather than transferred because nobody can find the form in time. Cars come back late and the next customer waits.
Courtesy cars also need their own maintenance, and a car overdue for its own service is not a good look in a service department.
Availability suffers too. When nobody can see which cars are out and when they are due back, advisors promise a courtesy car that is not there, and the customer who booked a service on that basis either waits or is sent away in a taxi at the dealership's expense. The fleet feels too small when the real problem is that nobody knows where it is.
How we build the courtesy car log
- Each courtesy car has a record with registration, mileage, service due date and current status.
- At handout, the advisor uses a tablet to record the customer, the linked service job, licence details your insurer requires and photos from set angles, plus fuel and mileage.
- The customer signs the agreement on screen, and a copy with the photos is emailed to them.
- At return, the same photos are taken and compared side by side with the handout set, and fuel and mileage recorded.
- The fleet board shows every car: out, overdue, in, being cleaned or off the road, and warns before a car's own service is due.
- When a fine arrives, entering the registration, date and time shows who had the car at that moment.
| Question | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Was that scratch there? | Sketch on paper | Photos at handout and return |
| Who had it on the 14th? | Search the folder | Enter date and time |
| Which cars are overdue? | Ask the desk | Fleet board |
| Fuel charge | Argued | Recorded at both ends |
What you charge for fuel, damage or fines is set by your courtesy car agreement. The log provides the evidence.
A fleet you can see
The service desk knows which cars are available at the start of the day. Damage disputes are settled with a pair of photos. Fines are traced from a date and time instead of a folder. And courtesy cars get their own services on time because the board reminds you.
Is your courtesy fleet run like this?
- Condition is recorded on a paper sketch.
- Damage on courtesy cars is usually absorbed.
- Tracing who had a car for a fine takes time.
- Nobody can see at a glance which cars are out.
- Courtesy cars miss their own services.