why are people so dishonest.

[crockers]

Hi.
Why are people so dishonest?

Stopped to let someone out of a doctors surgery and a car backed out of a drive into my rear bumper. Not much damage just a wee scrapping of two marks about the size of your little finger nail if not smaller.

The driver got out and apologised. I could see he was sorry and he gave me his details. I said I'm sure its not expensive to fix and that I'd call him. He was young and I therefore knew he wouldn't want to make an insurance claim so (foolishly didn't ask for his insurance company).

Well to cut a long story short. I got an estimate from a body shop of £65 + vat. I called today to tell him and his father answered and said he was out but if I had anything to say he would tell him. So I told him the price and he said he could do it free. I said sorry its a new £46,000 car and therefore needs to be done professionally.

He said they would be contesting it. And did I have any witnesses? I said yes as a nurse in the surgery had said to me she couldn't believe he had backed out. The father then wanted to know if I was a Doctor. Obviously trying to see if she was an employee. He was very aggressive. Then said I had to get another quote.

My wife was in the car and afterwards said we ought to just pay the £78 to save the hassle. I said no. We can't give into intimidation and I phoned the bodyshop. The guy laughed saying if it was an insurance job they would have approved the removal of the bumper etc costing over £300.

My plan is to get another estimate. Send both to the other party recorded delivery. Add a covering letter stating I am going with the cheaper of the two and will be forwarding a copy of the receipt with my bank details for payment.

When I do that I will enclose a covering letter giving them 14 days to make payment. If after 14 days no payment has been made I will write again giving 7 days of I will claim via the small claims court which will incur them my court fees plus the invoice etc.

Always wanted to use small claims so no hesitation to do that.

One thing is I now intend to have added to the car a front and back in car camera. If I hadn't had an independent witness I would have had a hell of a job.

Rant over.

 

[Dieselman]

Just make an insurance claim against his insurance, He will wish he had just paid up then. Your company can supply the details of the other party.

 

[John]

It is sad really but there are plenty of them around.

I would have jumped at the chance to pay that if I were in the same boat.

Maybe the lad intended to pay but the dad is the dishonest nob head in this case...

I would have said "pay up or you'll go through insurance".

 

[Deleted member 37751]

It's very frustrating when you give someone the chance and they take the piss.

I had an almost similar situation but the difference was that the third parties father was a police officer, she was completely at fault but the copper did his best to play games and threaten me that he had my address and would flag up every car that I own and try his best to make my life hell! I'd originally said to her that I'll not put a claim through to save her but then the games began.

Once I played hardball and told him that I had four *FOUR* witnesses, he backed down and admitted liability.

 

[ringway]

Next time you call them, record the conversation. It won't take much to get confirmation that the prang occurred, arguing about the price would be enough.


As I was returning to my car, a woman once reversed in to my Granada estate in a car park.
She had a head start but I managed to follow her home but she wouldn't answer the door and then she started calling "Geoff, Geoff". I waited, but Geoff didn't want to answer the door either.
When I checked for damage the next day, I couldn't find any which was the best result because there's no way she'd have admitted liability.


The in-car camera idea is a good one.

If you don't get a positive response, I'm sure 10,000 MBClub members could pay them a visit.


Names below, please.

1: Ringway

 

[renault12ts]

Agreed:

1 Ringway.
2 Ringway

 

[MCFastybloke]

Honour and honesty along with integrity,not worth a w**k if its going to cost money!
What ever happened to "the right Thing"
If you claim the you will pay something for next few years as the insurance companies will bob a bit on.
see the witness get it written down go knock on his door and if he wants to be an idiot either pay or pass it on to your insurance company and let him play tough guy with the big boys,one option is cheap and one is satisfying.

 

[A210AMG]

Is yours and your wife neck ok...

You have been more than fair. I mean £65 !!! what are they thinking.

Hope you get it sorted.

 

[developer]

I clipped a parked private hire vehicle in a van. Put a note on his windscreen. Turned out he was uninsured but he still claimed and my premium suffered accordingly. It tests your morals sometimes.

 

[A210AMG]

^ My dads brand new (at the time) S211 was damaged in a hotel car park in Germany having JUST collected it from the factory.

No details left, just the dint....


He was almost certain it was a minibus with a step at the rear parked close to his car. Worse of all it was a UK minibus belonging to a private school in Chester, very close to where he lives !!!


Great start. However it did turn out to be a really good car

 

[ringway]

Perhaps the Father of the young driver had told him not to ever admit liability in such an event, and is now showing the boy how to handle the situation like a man.

 

[markjay]

Not directly related, but...

I once cracked the rear lamp of another car in a car park.

I wrote a brief apology on the back of my business card and left it under the driver's windscreen wiper.

I then went over to the car park attendant, walked back with him to the other car, showed him the damage I caused, and left another business card with him.

Strangely, I never heard from the other driver... I still wonder why he or she did not contact me.

crockers, I hope that the mentioning of an insurance claim will bring them around.

 

[Colin_b]

To put things in perspective, I've has cars damaged twice in car parks in the past 5 years.

1st time, a minor dent, dentee left his name and phone number and happily paid £75 for the minor repair.

2nd was a bit more expensive, insurance job, but again the name and phone number was left.

For me fairly stress free, cost me a couple of bottles of scotch to say thanks for the honesty. Perhaps its northern thing?

 

[wemorgan]

Just make an insurance claim against his insurance, He will wish he had just paid up then. Your company can supply the details of the other party.

But crocker's insurance will likely increase next year because of his claim against the other driver's policy. I'm seen this done to various colleagues.

 

[crockers]

But crocker's insurance will likely increase next year because of his claim against the other driver's policy. I'm seen this done to various colleagues.

That's my concern too. Beginning to think its all not worth the hassle. But another part of me is livid and I feel I'm willing to go all the way. If it goes to small claims he'll have to pay the court costs and bailiffs will recover debt. But on the other hand waking up one morning to find 4 slashed tyres makes me feel feck it and just chalk it down to life rich tapestry

 

[wemorgan]

I'd sent the letter at least. Who knows, he may come clean and that will be the end of it.

 

[1945wickedred]

This is just human nature now I am afraid,people have no morals anymore and respect is a thing of the past.I see people using phones whilst driving,I see people not bothering to indicate anymore,no courtesy anymore and driving is just a pain in the bum.If I could get a good price for my Merc then I would sell it and not bother again.

 

[E55BOF]

I would hope that, given time to see sense, he/they will simply make the payment. If they're even slightly wise, they will avoid involving the insurance companies.

Of course, failing to report the incident to your insurers is strictly speaking also dishonest, but I wouldn't lose too much sleep over that. My wife's car was parked, fully in a bay, perfectly legally, in a Tesco car park a few years ago, unoccupied, and a git in a company BMW scraped the nearside. He nipped smartly in to do his shopping, presumably hoping no-one had seen what happened and to be long gone by the time the damage was noticed, but a witness left a note on the screen, and his insurers paid up at once. The incident was duly reported to my wife's insurers as well, and yes, they loaded her premium. I did point out that in the circumstances - unoccupied, stationary, legally parked vehicle on private land - the whole thing was no different to claiming against him if he had driven into our house, but this fell on deaf ears. No, I wouldn't lose too much sleep...

 

[sparkydude]

Heres one to make you laugh ,

Mrs went to the hospital for a check up on her finger after having a lump removed. Parked in a space in her Ford Ka behind a mitsubishi L200 pick up.

She has only been driving for over a year so not fully experienced yet. She came out to find a note on her windscreen accusing her of hitting the L200 Pickup and bending the towbar ????

She left her details and all that and advised she was reporting it to the police and her insurers.

Mrs son phoned the woman up to see what her issue was and got a mouthful of abuse and then decided to randomly bring the fact that she is preganant into the conversation. SHe sent photos through to the mrs and yes it appeared she was touching the rubber cover on the L200s tow ball , but please can someone tell me how a Ka could bend the towbar on a L200 pickup??

The mrs phoned her insurers to advise , and the police , yet strangeley nothing further has come of it. I looked at her bumper and there was not even a mark on it from the 'Impact' .

Would have loved to have been there if her insurance had sent out a loss adjuster, And so Mrs smith where exactly is the damage ?? And you were hit by what?? A ford Ka , HA HA HA


There are some real chancers out there.

Nick

 

[SilverSaloon]

You have an independent witness

You have given him a chance to sort the issue out for ~£70 (bargain for him)

Go via insurance - your insurer will write to his insurer holding them liable, and with a witness likely to have to accept liability.

He had his chance and blew it.