Money matters – 2 – Key and language notes

My son hired a van from Renault London West. I paid £110 in rental and a £1050 deposit. We checked there was no damage when we returned the van but, two days later, Renault said there was a dent in one of the doors, but, two days later, Renault estimated the repairs would cost £560. We were shocked at this price and were told we could have the van for 24 hours to get it repaired ourselves. We were quoted £320, but it became difficult to collect the van. Eventually we agreed that Renault could repair it for £529. It did this, but refused to return the balance of my deposit because I had messed them around.

Language notes
Renault London West – this is presumably the name or branch of a firm – hence the capitals
Did you notice that the sum of money is spoken as ‘a hundred and ten pounds‘?
in rental – as an amount paid or received as rent for goods / products
if you rented a TV you would be paying a rental, because it’s for a consumer good / or a product but you pay a rent for a property eg a flat, house, garage, holiday home
to pay £1050 deposit = to pay a deposit of £1050
a dent – a slight hollow in a hard, even surface made by a blow, or pressure. If your car hits the kerb (the edge of a pavement) you might get a dent in your wheel.
to be quoted – to be given an estimated price
We use ‘quote‘ in business transactions – it means to give s.o. an estimated price. Eg ‘I’ve had a quote from two builders for around £200.’
balance – the amount of money held in your account. If you take out £100 you might check the new balance – i.e. what your account stands at now you have withdrawn some money from it.
the balance of my deposit – the money owed to me after subtracting the cost of the repairs (£529) from my £1050 deposit – i.e. £521
to mess someone around – informal – to inconvenience someone, by being unreliable, indecisive, or problematic in some way

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