Chain pain a drain on family snow trip
It was meant to be a fun family day up in the snow; instead it left a Blenheim woman feeling helpless and $700 out of pocket.
Bex Vultich, her mother-in-law and 19-month-old daughter Amelia, went to Rainbow Ski Area last Saturday, but when they left it was on the back of a tow truck.
The family hired chains from a man operating in a public car park at the base of the access road. Vultich had never fitted them before so she asked him to put them on.
Near the top of the road, Vultich noticed a clunking noise and, after pulling over for another vehicle, her 2010 Volkswagen Gulf would not start.
She found the back pair of chains had ‘‘disintegrated’’ and the chains on the front had been pulled inside the vehicle, damaging the brake system.
‘‘We were stuck up there with no way to move, we felt quite helpless and it was snowing really heavily,’’ Vultich said.
After a short wait, a Rainbow staff member helped them move the car off the access road.
Vultich described the chains the man supplied her with as ‘‘like little necklaces,’’ but when confronted he claimed they were worth $350 from the Netherlands.
The damage they caused to her car resulted in Vultich paying $200 to the AA to cover the excess cost of a tow back to Blenheim, and she anticipated a further $500 excess charge.
Rainbow Sports Club chairman Jo Rainey said the club, which operated the ski field, was aware of the man but the car park was a public space they had no jurisdiction over.
‘‘Safety on our road is our number one priority, we’ve gone to great lengths to make drivers understand they need to use chains,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s quite a challenging road and we’ve had the snowiest July and August in a decade, but we’ve had very few accidents which we’re extremely grateful for.’’
A Marlborough District Council spokesman said the council had spoken to the man, who was operating from a campervan without a current registration or warrant of fitness. He did not have a licence to occupy a public space, which was necessary to sell anything from the side of the road. The man could not be reached for comment.