Tuesday 19th November 2002

Where There's Blame...

...there's a scumbag on the make

---

[mondeoman]

The compensation culture and years of neglect have finally caught up with us.

Expect to see a plethora of speed cameras go up to cover the shortfall........

[northernboy]

On the other hand, I'm sure we'd all be pretty upset if a pothole damage our rims or suspension, if the council had neglected its responsibilities.

[GregE240]

northernboy said: On the other hand, I'm sure we'd all be pretty upset if a pothole damage our rims or suspension, if the council had neglected its responsibilities.

Totally agree, but is it not out of this world to fcuk off the inspectors no doubt bleeding the council dry to spot the pot holes and get in some navvies to fill the damn things in ? Mind you, no doubt it would impress some tart if you told her that you spotted holes for a living.
What happened to people being proactive ?

>>Edited as I can't seem to spell either "it" or "is"

>> Edited by GregE240 on Tuesday 19th November 14:42

[tekta]

So how many PHers have

a) complained about a pothole?
b) claimed compensation for damage from a pothole?
c) received compensation for damage from a pothole?

Personally I ain't done any of em - if I complained about every pothole I saw here in Gloucestershire I wouldn't have time for things like working and sleeping. I suppose I might try if I bust a wheel in one of the craters they leave round here, if there was an opportunity to make money then you should try shouldn't you? Or perhaps it's just one of those things - sh!t happens so get on with it.

Sort of follows on from Ted's Rules thread. Seems that nowadays we feel we deserve the perfect life, free from incident, intrusion and compromise and the law backs us up. It allows us to seek compensation for any minor aggravation, which is a nice idea until the real cost filters back down.

It's all Anne Robinson's fault really, she's the one that made whinging popular!

[andymadmak]

Except that being law abiding citizens we will get nowt for our damage.
I know from personal experience that damage to ones vehicle which results from poor road maintenance (as opposed to falling into an unmarked bloody great hole during roadworks) is rarely paid out for.
Cost me hundreds!
Andy 400se

[andymadmak]

tekta said: So how many PHers have

a) complained about a pothole?
b) claimed compensation for damage from a pothole?
c) received compensation for damage from a pothole?

Personally I ain't done any of em - if I complained about every pothole I saw here in Gloucestershire I wouldn't have time for things like working and sleeping. I suppose I might try if I bust a wheel in one of the craters they leave round here, if there was an opportunity to make money then you should try shouldn't you? Or perhaps it's just one of those things - sh!t happens so get on with it.

Sort of follows on from Ted's Rules thread. Seems that nowadays we feel we deserve the perfect life, free from incident, intrusion and compromise and the law backs us up. It allows us to seek compensation for any minor aggravation, which is a nice idea until the real cost filters back down.

It's all Anne Robinson's fault really, she's the one that made whinging popular!

Err no,
I complained, got my car badly damaged, and still got no compensation. I know of two others in the same boat.

Andy 400se

[Jarcy]

This Blame and Claim culture that has arisen really makes my blood boil. Sure there are genuine cases where compensation should be due to unfortunate victims of accidents, but these ads on tele are really pandering to money-grabbers who are purely after making a fast buck.
'Hold on...Oh, yes I remember, I tripped over a crack in the pavement 3 years ago and bruised my elbow. Since then I've been phycologically scared, afraid to leave the house, and I will never again be able to stand on the cracks in the pavement again. That should be good enough for 6 grand off the council.'
And who pays for all of this? You and me though our increased insurance premiums.
Rant over.

[tekta]

Andy 400se - What did the council say? Did they accept liability for the road being in a poor state?

I wish I could get cash for the battering my suspension has taking. Unfortunately the roads that are most fun to drive on are the ones in the sh!ttest condition

>> Edited by tekta on Tuesday 19th November 15:46

[Froth]

I don't like the claim culture as it puts hundreds on my car insurance and hence I wouldn't sue over the damage my car takes. However the point here is that the motorist pays £41 billion in road tax and only £4 billion gets spent on the roads. So there's no reason why we should have to put up with the shocking excuse for tarmac that frequents the English road, because we've all already paid for 1st class roads. Unfortunately the other £37 billion goes straight into Gordon Brown's coffers never to be seen again! The fact that the government's refusal to spend any money on the road network is actually costing it money, is not only ironic but very very sad.

[jc8542]

But then, if they get claims, then the accountants will decide that fixing the pothole becomes more valuable thing to be done, assigning more people to do it and perhaps getting a higher priority? On the other hand..... speed cameras are sooo easy!!

[northernboy]

That's right Froth. The government takes that 37 billion and just keeps it. Every year, they put it in a box, and just look at it.

Do you really believe this?

[mondeoman]

northernboy said: That's right Froth. The government takes that 37 billion and just keeps it. Every year, they put it in a box, and just look at it.

Do you really believe this?

Nope - they pour it down the black-hole called Social Services and the NHS.

Reform these to make service provision better at the sharp end, stop the horrendous fraud, revise the working practices etc etc etc and this country would be a lot better off, both physically and financially

And before anyone gets up on their high horse about anything, yes I do believe in help for the worse off, but I TOTALLY disagree with scams on the social. If you're fit to work, then get of yer arse and do something for the money we give you.

[northernboy]

You know, I could swear that many of the people who complain at the poor level of state pension also complain about the large cost of social security.

We only have 5% unemployment in this country, so although we should definitely keep working to stop the scams, it's not as though they account for a large proportion of the spend.

[andymadmak]

tekta said: Andy 400se - What did the council say? Did they accept liability for the road being in a poor state?

I wish I could get cash for the battering my suspension has taking. Unfortunately the roads that are most fun to drive on are the ones in the sh!ttest condition

>> Edited by tekta on Tuesday 19th November 15:46

A kerbstone became loose following some council work outside my house. It was reported several times and nothing was done about it.
I had to drive over the kerb to get into my drive. One day, the kerbstone, having become very loose, flipped up as I drove over it in my TVR and ripped out the whole rear exhuast setion and rear valance!
The council were called. They promissed to pay.
Next morning, 8.00am, some men came and repaired the road/kerb.
When I submitted my forms the council said they would do an inspection of the road.
Lo and behold, the road was perfect!
"tis perfect, couldn't have been our fault" they said
"but you've just repaired it " said I
" Ahh, but can you prove it wasn't like that before the incident"?
"yes, I've got pictures!"
"ah, well, we'll get back to you"

6 months goes by. Councils loss adjuster calls.
" not going to pay you sir"
"why?"
"it's not our fault"
"how does that work then?"
" well, because you reported the kerb was bad a few weeks before the incident (my neighbour reported it too, and had recorded the call!) that means YOU knew it was bad too"
"and your point is?"
"well, if you knew it was bad, you shouldn't have driven over it. Ergo, it's not our fault"
"so if, I'd not reported the fault then it would have been your responsibility then?"
" no sir"
"eh?"
" we are only liable if we know about the fault and don't repair it, so if you hadn't reported it we'd still not be liable. Now if someone else had an accident on it we would be liable, but we're not for you cos you reported it"


See what I mean?

Andy 400se

[Tabs]

I cannot go into details, but my insurance company (as it was 4 years ago) has just had to pay out, £11,000 claimants costs, £5,500 defendants costs and £4,750 compensation!. It's easy, just get 4 related people to give similar statements, and the other person (me) doesn't stand a chance! No wonder premiums are rocketing, and ambulance chasers laughing.

[DrSeuss]

I spotted a newspaper ad the other day - one of these ambulance-chasing firms of solicitors was advertising for a canvasser (sorry, I mean a "claims advisor") to stop people in the street and find out if they'd had any accidents in the last 3 years or whatever. OTE was quoted as £51,000 pa for generating 10 successful leads per month. It's big business alright.

[daydreamer]

I'm with Tabs here - I had an accident in Scotland in May last year where I ended up parked backwards in the wrong lane. After coming to a halt someone came the other way and ran into the back of me at 70 mph (ouch) - so much for being able to stop in the area that you can see to be clear .

The police agreed that there was certainly no negligence on my part and that I was just unlucky. I'm not trying to lay the blame on the other party, just trying to set the scene.

Anyway, the compensation claim came through (I ended up in hospital, he was out of the car on his mobile immediately) for £1,500 for whatever. On learning that I was driving a company car however a few weeks later (don't know why this makes a difference) the claim went up to over £8k. The reason - he had missed an amature bagpipes competition due to his injuries.

Not really having a go at the guy, he really was very reasonable at the scene. Just looks like someone has got hold of him and made him aware that 'there's a bit of cash in this' though.

I'll stress again that even the Police said that I was just unlucky. I was following a stream of traffic and still can't explain what happened. Accidents do happen and people do have to accept this. Both myself and the other guy are very lucky to still be around. 70mph is a pretty serious head on. It would appear that we are in a market pricing situation here. The claim has nothing to do with the 'cost' of the incident, more what the going rate is for a certain type of crash.

:stillfeelingsillyforhavingdoneitthough:

Rich

[Froth]

northernboy said: That's right Froth. The government takes that 37 billion and just keeps it. Every year, they put it in a box, and just look at it.

Do you really believe this?

You've missed the point. The £37billion may well be spent on other things, perhaps even neccessary things. But that £37 billion if it's needed should come from general taxation and not from the motorist. If they take £41billion in road tax they should spend £41 billion on the roads. Or if they refuse to spend more than £4billion then they should only take £4 billion from the motorist. One way or the other road tax should be used for what it's there for - maintaing and improving the road network.

[MoJocvh]

"try if I bust a wheel in one of the craters"

You don't have to "bust" a wheel to knacker it.
Have a feel round the inside rim for any uneveness, or for the full effect, wait until the tyre fitters refuse to fit your new tyres 'cos your wheels are out of true classic pothole damage and you don't even know it. MoJo.

>> Edited by MoJocvh on Tuesday 19th November 21:07

[Captain Muppet]

OK - now who hasn't damaged a car on a speed bump? Can't get the buggers on neglegence on that one can we.

8k for missing a bagpipe competition! FFS I only got 5K for a fractured spine, busted fingers and three months off work. Arseholes. I really hate lawyers.