Post by Lux on Jan 14, 2009 19:17:31 GMT 12
Rental firm billing victims' family 'crass' - PM
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Two good Samaritans have offered to pay the outstanding bills of parents whose sons were killed in the Fox Glacier ice shelf collapse last week.
Car rental company owner Edwin Chan drew anger from both sides of the Tasman after insisting the parents of two men killed in the Fox Glacier ice fall pay a fee of about $2000.
Akshay Miranda, 22, is believed to have been carrying the keys to the Toyota hire car when he and his brother Ashish, 24, were killed under hundreds of tonnes of ice and rocks at the South Island's Fox Glacier last Thursday.
Ashish Miranda's body was recovered later the same day but the body of Akshay Miranda is still missing.
Constable Paul Gurney from Franz Josef Police Station said he had been approached by an Auckland man, who wished to remain anonymous, but would pay the outstanding bill.
"I had a phone call today from a man living in Auckland wanting to pay the bill. I have sent his details off to the family. They may give him a ring or just say thank you," Mr Gurney said today.
"The public are a bit, not outraged, but just think it is insensitive what the rental company has done."
Earlier Prime Minister John Key accused the rental car company of being crass.
A Port Douglas resident also contacted smh.com.au offering to pay the $100 accommodation charges on behalf of the grieving family, and says he is trying to set up an online fund to cover the larger car rental bill.
"There's a company that needs to get money and a family that doesn't want to be going through more pain and heartache,'' he said. ''I'd like to make a random act of kindness and personally pay for the accommodation charges to stop this now to allow both [parties] to move on.''
New Zealand Car Rental Specialists owner Edwin Chan said the family should pay for the car to be towed back to Wellington, after the keys were buried with one of the brothers beneath tonnes of ice.
He also criticised the men for costing the government thousands of dollars for the search and recovery mission, and said their actions contributed to their deaths.
The cost for the new keys and towing could be up to $1950.
Mr Key, who is also tourism minister, was asked for his reaction to it.
"I thought that company should have shown more compassion than they did," Mr Key said.
"I mean, quite frankly they may have a legal point but sometime businesses should look beyond their legal obligations to recognise that this was a tragic loss of two Australians.
"And that to be out there effectively charging their families now for the lost keys is crass at best and probably truly bad business practice, I would have thought," Mr Key said.
Earlier Mr Chan said that the company has "already waived all the other expenses", including the late return of the car.
He said the company would not write off the costs as a gesture of goodwill, saying that other people, such as the tow company, would charge his company.
"Somebody's not making money" if the cost is written off, he said.
He told Australia's Herald Sun newspaper that he does have compassion for the family but that he cannot be expected to pay.
"We have a business and we have to pay the bills. No one will say to me you do not have to pay the bills. They can't use emotional blackmail."
Mr Chan questioned why Ashkay had the rental car keys in his pocket when only his father and cousin had permission to drive the car.
FIRM CRITICISED
His comments have made him unpopular on both sides of the Tasman, with the Herald Sun referring to Mr Chan has a "heartless Kiwi".
Comments on the Herald Sun's story online were split down the middle, with some calling for a boycott of the car rental company and wishing a "tragic death" of Mr Chan and his family, and others who supported Mr Chan's view.
Constable Paul Gurney of Whataroa police contacted the car rental company to voice his opinion on the charge and to urge some compassion for the family.
The family was in too much shock to think about the rental car, he said.
The Mirandas were expected to return to Australia within days with the body of Ashish.
Authorities may wait for the ice to melt before they retrieve Akshay's body.
A leading PR practitioner has said the best thing for Chan to do now would be to back down completely, apologise and explain his concern for his business momentarily overcame his sympathy for the family.
Mango Communications managing director Claudia Macdonald, whose clients include Air New Zealand, Mobil, Lion Nathan and McDonald's said the business owners had taken the worst possible approach to the situation.
"It's shocking, it really is. While many would understand the predicament of small business owners in these cases, the greatest sympathy by far is with the bereaved parents.''
In Chan's case by insisting on billing the parents he created the impression he put money before people.
"He has seriously damaged his brand, which is now associated with 'heartless Kiwi'.
"This will affect his business long term and may cost him even more that what he has lost through the unpaid bill.
"It is especially bad that it has received so much negative publicity in Australia, where one assumes much of his business comes from.''
Macdonald said Chan should have let the Miranda family mourn in peace then approached them in a diplomatic way later about any outstanding bills.
"Most people would happily settle bills once they are over the shock.''
Macdonald said for business owners in a similar ethical situation the first rule of thumb was to think about the impact of the action they felt like taking.
"Put yourself in other people's shoes - the family, the public, potential customers.
"Then look at whether there's another way of doing or saying something which would get the same result but without the possible negative reaction.''
~~~~~~
This firm will hopefully pay there dues in loss of business.
I think its pretty disgusting that this family is being hunted down to pay this bill before one of their son's body has even been recovered.
They'll be facing huge bills in the near future - Even funeral directors have the common courtesy to bill relatives a few weeks after a death and funeral.
and remember this...Many New Zealand businesses benefit from our tourism industry.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Two good Samaritans have offered to pay the outstanding bills of parents whose sons were killed in the Fox Glacier ice shelf collapse last week.
Car rental company owner Edwin Chan drew anger from both sides of the Tasman after insisting the parents of two men killed in the Fox Glacier ice fall pay a fee of about $2000.
Akshay Miranda, 22, is believed to have been carrying the keys to the Toyota hire car when he and his brother Ashish, 24, were killed under hundreds of tonnes of ice and rocks at the South Island's Fox Glacier last Thursday.
Ashish Miranda's body was recovered later the same day but the body of Akshay Miranda is still missing.
Constable Paul Gurney from Franz Josef Police Station said he had been approached by an Auckland man, who wished to remain anonymous, but would pay the outstanding bill.
"I had a phone call today from a man living in Auckland wanting to pay the bill. I have sent his details off to the family. They may give him a ring or just say thank you," Mr Gurney said today.
"The public are a bit, not outraged, but just think it is insensitive what the rental company has done."
Earlier Prime Minister John Key accused the rental car company of being crass.
A Port Douglas resident also contacted smh.com.au offering to pay the $100 accommodation charges on behalf of the grieving family, and says he is trying to set up an online fund to cover the larger car rental bill.
"There's a company that needs to get money and a family that doesn't want to be going through more pain and heartache,'' he said. ''I'd like to make a random act of kindness and personally pay for the accommodation charges to stop this now to allow both [parties] to move on.''
New Zealand Car Rental Specialists owner Edwin Chan said the family should pay for the car to be towed back to Wellington, after the keys were buried with one of the brothers beneath tonnes of ice.
He also criticised the men for costing the government thousands of dollars for the search and recovery mission, and said their actions contributed to their deaths.
The cost for the new keys and towing could be up to $1950.
Mr Key, who is also tourism minister, was asked for his reaction to it.
"I thought that company should have shown more compassion than they did," Mr Key said.
"I mean, quite frankly they may have a legal point but sometime businesses should look beyond their legal obligations to recognise that this was a tragic loss of two Australians.
"And that to be out there effectively charging their families now for the lost keys is crass at best and probably truly bad business practice, I would have thought," Mr Key said.
Earlier Mr Chan said that the company has "already waived all the other expenses", including the late return of the car.
He said the company would not write off the costs as a gesture of goodwill, saying that other people, such as the tow company, would charge his company.
"Somebody's not making money" if the cost is written off, he said.
He told Australia's Herald Sun newspaper that he does have compassion for the family but that he cannot be expected to pay.
"We have a business and we have to pay the bills. No one will say to me you do not have to pay the bills. They can't use emotional blackmail."
Mr Chan questioned why Ashkay had the rental car keys in his pocket when only his father and cousin had permission to drive the car.
FIRM CRITICISED
His comments have made him unpopular on both sides of the Tasman, with the Herald Sun referring to Mr Chan has a "heartless Kiwi".
Comments on the Herald Sun's story online were split down the middle, with some calling for a boycott of the car rental company and wishing a "tragic death" of Mr Chan and his family, and others who supported Mr Chan's view.
Constable Paul Gurney of Whataroa police contacted the car rental company to voice his opinion on the charge and to urge some compassion for the family.
The family was in too much shock to think about the rental car, he said.
The Mirandas were expected to return to Australia within days with the body of Ashish.
Authorities may wait for the ice to melt before they retrieve Akshay's body.
A leading PR practitioner has said the best thing for Chan to do now would be to back down completely, apologise and explain his concern for his business momentarily overcame his sympathy for the family.
Mango Communications managing director Claudia Macdonald, whose clients include Air New Zealand, Mobil, Lion Nathan and McDonald's said the business owners had taken the worst possible approach to the situation.
"It's shocking, it really is. While many would understand the predicament of small business owners in these cases, the greatest sympathy by far is with the bereaved parents.''
In Chan's case by insisting on billing the parents he created the impression he put money before people.
"He has seriously damaged his brand, which is now associated with 'heartless Kiwi'.
"This will affect his business long term and may cost him even more that what he has lost through the unpaid bill.
"It is especially bad that it has received so much negative publicity in Australia, where one assumes much of his business comes from.''
Macdonald said Chan should have let the Miranda family mourn in peace then approached them in a diplomatic way later about any outstanding bills.
"Most people would happily settle bills once they are over the shock.''
Macdonald said for business owners in a similar ethical situation the first rule of thumb was to think about the impact of the action they felt like taking.
"Put yourself in other people's shoes - the family, the public, potential customers.
"Then look at whether there's another way of doing or saying something which would get the same result but without the possible negative reaction.''
~~~~~~
This firm will hopefully pay there dues in loss of business.
I think its pretty disgusting that this family is being hunted down to pay this bill before one of their son's body has even been recovered.
They'll be facing huge bills in the near future - Even funeral directors have the common courtesy to bill relatives a few weeks after a death and funeral.
and remember this...Many New Zealand businesses benefit from our tourism industry.
