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We rented VW Transporter campervan Eric through GoBoony belonging to James at Campbell Highland Hire (CHH) in Inverness for 7 days. Leaving our car with CHH we headed out to complete the NC500, in a clockwise direction. Collection & handover was fine, the briefing good, & all seemed well.
However on day 4 - a Sunday - in the middle of nowhere north of Wick, pouring with rain, the VW died on the road. The quick version (as the long is not pleasant) after waiting hours we were collected & taken by transporter to our camp site in Wick. With everything closed, on Monday a mechanic diagnosed the problem to be the alternator. Not available locally, the VW was to be transported back to Inverness to be repaired, some time on Tuesday. With no alternative vehicle available, potentially losing 3+ days, the prospect of a ‘some time transporter ride’ & the loss of completing the NC500, we were left on our own to figure out a solution to salvage the trip.
Locals told us of a Wick to Inverness train, so we purchased tickets Monday afternoon to get back to our car. Again, in short, 4.5 hours to Inverness arriving 2030, meeting with James, collected our car, drove back up to Wick arriving midnight. Next day transferred all belongings van to car, & booked hotels driving back down to complete the NC500. We had to throw away all our food, & remaining camp sites were non-refundable. We lost time and money with this vehicle failure. Seeking some kind of remuneration, GoBoony were immediately empathetic & refunded 4 days as a gesture without hesitation.
CHH James however was not empathetic to our situation. James believes refunding the train tickets Wick to Inverness to be a ‘favour’, & not a responsibility/obligation to get us back to our car & origin… our problem his VW failed! Contracts required the VW to be returned fuel tank full. Being 3/4 full as just re-fuelled, it was impossible to top up a dead vehicle! At least he accepted that point not charging us. In light of what happened he offered us 50% off a future rental as the only ‘goodwill gesture’. (Like airline vouchers, the majority are never used by inconvenienced passengers anyway, saving airlines money!). When you undertake a ‘once in a lifetime’ road trip, not likely to return, and experience breaking down in the middle of nowhere (not an incentive to use the same company!), that is not a journey to repeat. We lost time and money, so are not impressed at the lack of understanding and empathy shown by James CHH. His line is blurred between responsibility, obligation, and goodwill.
Apparently we are to be grateful of the costs CHH absorbed behind the scenes in recovering the VW due to a dispute with his breakdown cover. The only saving grace we had was not driving the NC500 anti-clockwise, like most do. To be stranded out west, single lane road, totally deserted & hours from anywhere would have been horrendous.
Our advice to renters: totally clarify the responsibility of CHH if a breakdown occurs BEFORE leaving Inverness, & download ‘WhatThreeWords’. Breaking down in the middle of nowhere is impossible to pinpoint in many places on the NC500. Those 3 words are lifesavers!
Potentially a good company, but due to the attitude shown to us when things went wrong, we cannot recommend Campbell Highland Hire. Customer service is about owning the problem when things go wrong, & it only took a gesture to help offset the cost of what we lost. Shame James does not support that ideal to avoid all writing this.
Juli 2026
Sinead
Tim
Nicola
Suzanne
Jason
Quentin
Jon
Phil
Ann
Jerry
