Scratched bumper

[Cindylou]

My husband was waiting for me in asda supermarket car park when an elderly gentleman came round a corner and smashed into the front of our car and scratched the bumper bar,we exchanged addresses and we also took his registration number,he said he would be in touch,that was nearly 2 weeks ago,we have tried telephoning him but all we get is the answer machine ( is he not answering on purpose ) Can anyone tell us where we stand on this? Is he liable or is it his word against ours? Thanks for any advice

[Gemma1984]

He is liable. I take it you didnt have any idependant witnesess? i would get in contact with your insurance company and give them his details?

[Cindylou]

Hi Gemma

  Thanks for the advice,but my husband says if we let the insurance company sort it out we maybe still end up having to pay about �100.He says he has heard of cases like this before where the other persons insurance company have tried to get out of it and the innocent party like us still end up out of pocket.  

[ronianna]

Sorry to say, but I have been in a similar situation and I ended up having to get the repair done myself at my cost.

An old git in a wreck of a car hit my year old car whilst I was filling it woth fuel on the BP forecourt. He first claimed it was my fault (how? the car was stationary as I was 'filling it with petrol' - hello?!) then he claimed that knocking into other peoples cars was just a fact of life and don't get so angry about it!

He wouldn't give me his insurance details so I took his registration and asked the garage for a copy of the security tape (aha!).

I sent both to my insurance who later confirmed he had NO insurance and was an ex taxi driver. They said there was no point in reporting to police because it wasn't on the publice highway.

So I had two options, to pay myself (�450 ish) or claim on my insurance and pay the excess (�250 at the time) - on the premise that my insurance would have gone up by more than the difference the follwing year had I have claimed on it - I paid for it myself. The insurance company did suggest chasing him through the small claims court, but they didn't hold out much hope of him paying if found guilty.

Sometimes you just have to walk away. Isn't the UK law so useful sometimes!

[Cindylou]

Your story really makes my blood boil.I think we will just have to get the repairs done ourselves,what makes me really mad is they get away with it, and now its us thats going to be out of pocket because of some silly old man that cant see where he's going,i mean come on how can you not see a car in front of you as you turn a corner.

[Jay70]

Hi Cindylou,  Sorry to hear about your car.  If you have his address and it's not too far away could your hubby not just pay him polite visit or could you not send him a letter via registered mail so you know he has recieved it (keeping a copy).  If he is ignoring you I would look into how much it would cost you if you told your insurance and work on the fact they may go knock for knock.  As without a witness insurance companies will try this on if its his word against yours.  And even if you have protected no claims and the result is a knock for knock claim your next premium could well increase as has happened to a friend of mine.  You quite often find that these old gits always try it on.  I hope you get it sorted and the old git has to cough up.

[Cindylou]

Hi Jay

The old man in question only lives at the other end of town,we were thinking of paying him a visit tonight,i dont think he'll answer the door do you?I think it looks like we will have to pay for the repairs ourselves,husband says it will cost us �100 i am so mad, i can think of a lot of things that i could buy with �100.I dont know how these people sleep at night knowing they have caused someone grief,if it was me i would be very apologetic and pay up,but thats what an honest and decent person like me would do.

Thanks

[Cockney_si]

Send the boys around, that way he may think that it's someone else calling for him.

[Cindylou]

Good idea Cockney,but i dont want the old b....r having a heart attack,he might think he was going to get done over.The point is if i went and scraped his car with a key on purpose out of revenge, i would be committing an offence and could be arrested for criminal damage but its ok for him to smash into our car and damage  the bumper and he gets away with it,wheres the justice?

Thanks  

[spammylou]

ok - you have his details and address.  Contact the MIB (not the men in black) it stands for Motor Insurers Bureau. They deal with claims where possibly the third party was not insured.  If you give them all the details, they will help you, for no charge, and you can get the work done anyway.  I used them some years ago, and it turned out the woman was insured but felt she wasnt to blame but clearly was so I took her to court and won. She had to pay all my costs, but her insurers paid up anyway.  Even if they hadn't, the MIB would have covered it. So all is not lost.

Check out their website: www.mib.org.uk 

 

[apex204]

Sorry to hear about your sickening story Ronianna. I suggest you contact Direct Line about insuring your car. As of August last year they became the first insurer in the UK to change the rules in the event of a claim like this. In your case, they would have waived your excess for you and not reduced your NCB at renewal, saving you �450. Whilst they may be more expensive than your current provider they really are the only insurer I'd want to be with.