Damage in car park
Discussion
My wife,who`s car is covered by my motor traders policy,touched a car in Waitrose car park,very minor scuff,simple job to fix.Me being a really nice chap,I told the owner I would collect his car,provide a loan car and have the damage fixed at my expense.It would probably cost me £250 and his car would be perfect.
Now then his wife is making a big fuss and "wants it done properly" either insurance or their local dealer.He gave me an estimate of £975!! which is ridiculous.If it went through insurance it would probably cost me well over £1K what with excess and loss of no claims.
Now my question,what is the legal position? as its private land do I have to provide my insurance details? if I said p-- off would the police be interested? would it be just a civil matter? do I HAVE to follow his demand ?
I`ve made a very fair and reasonable offer to rectify the damage,whats my position lads?
Now then his wife is making a big fuss and "wants it done properly" either insurance or their local dealer.He gave me an estimate of £975!! which is ridiculous.If it went through insurance it would probably cost me well over £1K what with excess and loss of no claims.
Now my question,what is the legal position? as its private land do I have to provide my insurance details? if I said p-- off would the police be interested? would it be just a civil matter? do I HAVE to follow his demand ?
I`ve made a very fair and reasonable offer to rectify the damage,whats my position lads?
I wouldn't trust you, in his position.
I certainly wouldn't want you to take my car away.
I think that's unreasonable.
Perhaps offer £500, and give him some bodyshop numbers to deal with it? You could remind him that if it goes through his insurance, he will pay more next year regardless...
I certainly wouldn't want you to take my car away.
I think that's unreasonable.
Perhaps offer £500, and give him some bodyshop numbers to deal with it? You could remind him that if it goes through his insurance, he will pay more next year regardless...
Some people are like that.
I have a new car and if someone bashed it and then said "Don't worry about going through the insurance mate, I'm in the trade I'll sort it for you just give me the keys" I'd likely be running a mile unless I knew **exactly** how it would be dealt with.
It's their car and their choice who repairs it - the only thing you can take from it is don't damage their vehicles in the first place and you won't have to deal with it.
I have a new car and if someone bashed it and then said "Don't worry about going through the insurance mate, I'm in the trade I'll sort it for you just give me the keys" I'd likely be running a mile unless I knew **exactly** how it would be dealt with.
It's their car and their choice who repairs it - the only thing you can take from it is don't damage their vehicles in the first place and you won't have to deal with it.
Really OP? You think they're being unreasonable? Even though it's them who now have a damaged car because of your wife's action?
I'd do exactly what the other party are doing i.e. go through my insurer and as such via a main dealer to have the job sorted properly. No way would I trust someone who said that he's going to sort it himself, regardless of how much he promises for the car to be fixed "perfectly".
I'd do exactly what the other party are doing i.e. go through my insurer and as such via a main dealer to have the job sorted properly. No way would I trust someone who said that he's going to sort it himself, regardless of how much he promises for the car to be fixed "perfectly".
drdel said:
You could invite them to your premises to satisfy them, and show them the sort of bodyshop you have and the loan car.
You could ask they get 3 quotes.
It's not up to him to start saying get three quotes though.You could ask they get 3 quotes.
His wife is the offending party and the innocent party wants to let the insurance companies sort it.
Similar thing happened to me about 5 years ago. I was parked at work and a young girl skidded into me, it was a bit icy, but a couple of hundred cars managed fine. She was very upset, I went out to speak with her and her father and mother turned up, how so fast I don't know. Father says I have a bodyshop, I say thanks but I need to have it assessed (front corner hit) then the Mother starts saying it looks like it will be just T-cut and I am not helping.
Anyway I said to Father, ignoring mother, I would prefer insurance route. He said, straight away, sure it's your car and under a year old looking at reg. As we walked over to her car to sort insurance, he said to daughter "pedal to the metal again?". I felt better.
So we went through insurance I got car fixed, cost £575, so not a hard hit. He was a gentleman and accepted liability. Mother was not ladylike. Poor little daughter needed protection and anyway it wasn't her fault apparently. I was in the way, it was my inconvenience, my damaged car and the Father knew that.
Anyway I said to Father, ignoring mother, I would prefer insurance route. He said, straight away, sure it's your car and under a year old looking at reg. As we walked over to her car to sort insurance, he said to daughter "pedal to the metal again?". I felt better.
So we went through insurance I got car fixed, cost £575, so not a hard hit. He was a gentleman and accepted liability. Mother was not ladylike. Poor little daughter needed protection and anyway it wasn't her fault apparently. I was in the way, it was my inconvenience, my damaged car and the Father knew that.
Since no one else has mentioned it, Waitrose car park may be private land but it's public for the purposes of road traffic offences.
You might be unhappy about the idea of losing NCD, paying more in the long run than you could get away with paying, but that's not your choice to make.
FWIW I wouldn't accept anyone's offer to repair my car off the books, it's a given (this thread proves it) that it would be done at the least cost. More importantly I'd have to recourse at all if I were unhappy with it - which I would going via insurance.
You might be unhappy about the idea of losing NCD, paying more in the long run than you could get away with paying, but that's not your choice to make.
FWIW I wouldn't accept anyone's offer to repair my car off the books, it's a given (this thread proves it) that it would be done at the least cost. More importantly I'd have to recourse at all if I were unhappy with it - which I would going via insurance.
I had some guy reverse into my Impreza and crack headlight and bumper etc. He wanted his mate at a garage to sort it. Needless to say I went thrlough insurance.
If he had suggested a bodyshop to take it to get a quote I would have looked into seeing if they looked any good but just "give me your number I'll get my mate to sort it" wasn't going to cut it.
If he had suggested a bodyshop to take it to get a quote I would have looked into seeing if they looked any good but just "give me your number I'll get my mate to sort it" wasn't going to cut it.
vanordinaire said:
I'm no insurance expert and may be completely wrong, but I thought a motor trader's policy was only for use in the course of the motor trader's business, not for a member of his family to do the shopping?
Depends on the policy, but it isn't unusual for a trade policy to allow members of the policyholder's family to drive vehicles for SDP. Cat
There's absolutely no way I'd let you take my car away to fix it and you're being completely unreasonable to expect someone to allow you to do that. They have no idea of the quality of your work. What comeback would they have when you do a really s
t job?
What I would do and have done on more than one occasion is for someone to give me cash to get my car repaired at a garage of my choosing. Cash in my hand in 7 days or goes through insurance.
t job?What I would do and have done on more than one occasion is for someone to give me cash to get my car repaired at a garage of my choosing. Cash in my hand in 7 days or goes through insurance.
Old Merc said:
My wife,who`s car is covered by my motor traders policy,touched a car in Waitrose car park,very minor scuff,simple job to fix.Me being a really nice chap,I told the owner I would collect his car,provide a loan car and have the damage fixed at my expense.It would probably cost me £250 and his car would be perfect.
Now then his wife is making a big fuss and "wants it done properly" either insurance or their local dealer.He gave me an estimate of £975!! which is ridiculous.If it went through insurance it would probably cost me well over £1K what with excess and loss of no claims.
Now my question,what is the legal position? as its private land do I have to provide my insurance details? if I said p-- off would the police be interested? would it be just a civil matter? do I HAVE to follow his demand ?
I`ve made a very fair and reasonable offer to rectify the damage,whats my position lads?
The owner is not being unreasonable at all and unfortunately for you it is their decision at the end of the day. I think I'd do the same tbh. Sure you may be a trustworthy bloke who will repair the car properly but the person with the damaged car doesn't know that.Now then his wife is making a big fuss and "wants it done properly" either insurance or their local dealer.He gave me an estimate of £975!! which is ridiculous.If it went through insurance it would probably cost me well over £1K what with excess and loss of no claims.
Now my question,what is the legal position? as its private land do I have to provide my insurance details? if I said p-- off would the police be interested? would it be just a civil matter? do I HAVE to follow his demand ?
I`ve made a very fair and reasonable offer to rectify the damage,whats my position lads?
I agree with the above, you (or more accurately, your wife) should really pay for the repair option the car owner prefers.
You do have my sympathy in that the way it's been described is that the car owner was perfectly happy for you to sort him out, only now his wife's stuck her oar in about it to change that, and I can see how that would be annoying - especially as "dealer" sounds to me like a loaded main dealer quote as opposed to a pro bodyshop quote, which I imagine would have been more reasonable.
In their position, I'd decline your offer to fix it too, but I'd get a few quotes from decent places to make sure it was a reasonable price, simply because you were being ok with me about making good for the damage.
You do have my sympathy in that the way it's been described is that the car owner was perfectly happy for you to sort him out, only now his wife's stuck her oar in about it to change that, and I can see how that would be annoying - especially as "dealer" sounds to me like a loaded main dealer quote as opposed to a pro bodyshop quote, which I imagine would have been more reasonable.
In their position, I'd decline your offer to fix it too, but I'd get a few quotes from decent places to make sure it was a reasonable price, simply because you were being ok with me about making good for the damage.
IMHO - it's quite simple, it's his car that has been damaged albeit in a very minor way, but if it was me I'd want to make sure the car was checked out and everything was sorted and the only way to make sure I would have legal recourse would be to go through insurance, I certainly wouldn't take a stranger who was related to the person who caused the issue at face value...
Sorry but that's the way it is...
FWIW, the picture below was take after a lady drove in to the back of my car in very slow stop/start traffic last October...
I went through insurance and the bill ex VAT came to around £1,300.... not everything was immediately visible especially where the rear bumper
had flexed...
Sorry but that's the way it is...
FWIW, the picture below was take after a lady drove in to the back of my car in very slow stop/start traffic last October...
I went through insurance and the bill ex VAT came to around £1,300.... not everything was immediately visible especially where the rear bumper
had flexed...
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