PAC: NZ man offers to pay costs of dead men's car hire
14 Jan 2009 7:31 PM
MELBOURNE, Jan 14 AAP/NZPA - The parents of two Melbourne brothers killed in an ice collapse on a New Zealand glacier have brought the body of one of their sons home.
And New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has denounced as "crass" a car hire boss who insisted on the grieving family paying for lost car keys and towing fees.
Ronnie and Winnie Miranda flew into Melbourne on Wednesday night with the body of their 24-year-old son Ashish - his brother Akshay, 22, is still buried under tonnes of ice at the Fox Glacier on New Zealand's South Island.
As the Mirandas prepared to return home, the owner of NZRCS car rental in Christchurch, Edwin Chan, insisted they pay $NZ2,000 ($A1,650) for their hire car keys which were believed to be in Akshay's pocket and for towing the vehicle back to Wellington.
But after a day of trans-Tasman debate, including Mr Key calling him crass, and the offer from an Auckland good Samaritan to cover the costs, Mr Chan reportedly agreed to waive the outstanding expenses.
The New Zealand Press Association reported that he had told Tourism New Zealand late on Wednesday that he had changed his mind.
Management of the South Beach Motel and Holiday Park in Greymouth which had billed the Mirandas $105 for a room they did not use following the tragedy also changed their mind, saying they had refunded the cost of the room.
"We have decided to do this as an act of compassion and goodwill. Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time," they said.
Earlier at a press conference, Mr Key said charging the family for the lost keys was "crass at best and truly bad business practice."
While the firm may have had a legal point, "sometimes businesses should look beyond their legal obligations," he said.
Constable Paul Gurney from Franz Josef Police Station said he had been approached by the charitable Auckland man.
"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," Const Gurney said on Wednesday.
"The public are a bit, not outraged, but just think it is insensitive what the rental company has done."
Mr Chan had earlier said the cost the car company was claiming would cover towing the car back to Wellington, in the North Island, and new keys for the vehicle.
He said he had already waived fees for the late return of the hire car, but groups such as the towing company would continue to charge his business for the towing and key cutting.
Authorities in New Zealand said Akshay's body may not be recovered until there was another big ice collapse or a flood dislodged the corpse.
The brothers were killed on January 8 when the ice collapsed after they ignored warning signs and climbed over security barriers onto the glacier.
