tipped of barrier , €1250 bill today

snowmanone

Hi ,
2 weeks ago , I went into the 'exact coins' lane at the toll booth and didnt notice it was closed.
The entry boom was down and I hit of it ,with my windscreen , bending it very slightly. ( pretty stupid I know, but dont look down for change till you stop completely).
I passed a week later and noticed the barrier was straightened and the lane was open, there was a small crease where the barrier boom was straightend but it was fine.

Got a bill today in the post for 1250 euro plus vat from nra. Just wondering should I contest it , send them a cheque , or claim on my insurance. Im driving for 18 years and never had a tip , so full ncb.
Sickened.
Thanks for any thoughts.

godtabh

I'd ask to get a quote of them and get your own and compare

triple-M

snowmanone wrote: »

Hi ,
2 weeks ago , I went into the 'exact coins' lane at the toll booth and didnt notice it was closed.
The entry boom was down and I hit of it ,with my windscreen , bending it very slightly. ( pretty stupid I know, but dont look down for change till you stop completely).
I passed a week later and noticed the barrier was straightened and the lane was open, there was a small crease where the barrier boom was straightend but it was fine.

Got a bill today in the post for 1250 euro plus vat from nra. Just wondering should I contest it , send them a cheque , or claim on my insurance. Im driving for 18 years and never had a tip , so full ncb.
Sickened.
Thanks for any thoughts.

i'd ask them for an itemised bill outlining exactly what the 1250 would be used for,parts + labour etc see if it all adds upto 1250

keithclancy

snowmanone wrote: »

Hi ,
2 weeks ago , I went into the 'exact coins' lane at the toll booth and didnt notice it was closed.
The entry boom was down and I hit of it ,with my windscreen , bending it very slightly. ( pretty stupid I know, but dont look down for change till you stop completely).
I passed a week later and noticed the barrier was straightened and the lane was open, there was a small crease where the barrier boom was straightend but it was fine.

Got a bill today in the post for 1250 euro plus vat from nra. Just wondering should I contest it , send them a cheque , or claim on my insurance. Im driving for 18 years and never had a tip , so full ncb.
Sickened.
Thanks for any thoughts.

Ask them for a full breakdown of costs.

1250 euros for a pole ... bloody hell.

Think I might rob one and sell it on the black market

mullingar

Im sure there is a "loss of earnings" in that bill somewhere, even though all drivers must go into any of the other booths:rolleyes:

godtabh

mullingar wrote: »

Im sure there is a "loss of earnings" in that bill somewhere, even though all drivers must go into any of the other booths:rolleyes:

I doubt it. Loss of earnings at a toll would be a lot more than that I would imagine

mullingar

godtabh wrote: »

I doubt it. Loss of earnings at a toll would be a lot more than that I would imagine

(I was being completely sarcastic, hence the :rolleyes:)

keithclancy

Ask them for the old barrier, so your independant expert can examine it.

TheZ

Write to them deny liability (for now)

then on without prejudice basis also ask for a copy of all CCTV footage or photographs that they have as you are entitled to them under Data Protection legislation.

Secondly ask they on what basis they have accessed the driver database to contact you as you understood that was only to be accessed for non payment of tolls

Ask them for breakdown of costs associated with damage and quote for repair and ask them to contact you so you can arrange for your own expert engineer to assess the damage and provide a quote to repair.

Tea drinker

In fairness - you should have saw it etc..... but I'll leave that alone
The flipside is their boom should be very visible to prevent this kind of thing happening. I also expect that your regular tolls should cover their insurance costs for typical damage you can expect at toll both.
So you have already paid for this. It's not malicous damage, let them submit a claim to their insurance I guess.

kasper

send them a bill for 1500 euros for damage to your car

godtabh

mullingar wrote: »

(I was being completely sarcastic, hence the :rolleyes:)

I dont do smilies

notel70

When I approach a toll I look at the electronic display at the top, its huge.

X = Closed
Yellow Tick = Open

monkeypants

I think he meant that the barrier was down. If the lane was closed, then there could be no possible claim for loss of earnings.

€1250 for straightening out a metal pole sounds steep.

Was there any oil spilled in the lane?

muckwarrior

snowmanone wrote: »

there was a small crease where the barrier boom was straightend but it was fine.

Sounds like they just pulled it straight. €1,250 for something that may have only taken 5 minutes?

Get them to give you a full breakdown of the cost. If they don't tell them to go'an shite.

djimi

Do they have a policy of fining drivers for damaging property maybe? A lad I know got a bill for €1000 for hitting a lamppost last year; apparently that is a standard charge issued by the council in that situation.

Regardless, its a ridiculous amount of money for the damage caused and I would very much not pay it unless they can justify every penny.

Owen

Its possible the motor the barrier is physically connected to was also damaged. That would be pretty expensive to replace. Even bending the barrier a small bit would push the centre pole of the motor off position and damage the bearings.

squod

Do they not have insurance?

Alun

squod wrote: »

Do they not have insurance?

Possibly, but why should they claim off it when they know exactly who did it?

snowmanone

there was a huge red cross to say lane was closed alright , but I was planning to go through one next to it till a car went into it, and I wasnt really looking up after that, (no excuse I know).

They did give me a break down on it. It says pole ..... 500 and something , then there was 300 for labour and the rest was admin .
Thanks for all the advice

Owen

Could be worse. I was driving into a multistorey in Cork about 6 years ago, and Hunky Dorys had the hottest girls I'd seen in ages in skin tight lycra shorts and very low cut tops giving out packets at the exit. The exit was right next to the machine for me to get my ticket from. So there I was crawling forwards getting closer to the machine, car in front went, I kept edging forwards absolutely hypnotised by the greatest ass I'd ever seen about 6 inches from my wing mirror when the barrier came down on my roof and I drove the whole way through.

Best bit? The girlfriend I had back then was sitting there next to me watching the whole thing happen.

P.C.

snowmanone wrote: »

there was a huge red cross to say lane was closed alright , but I was planning to go through one next to it till a car went into it, and I wasnt really looking up after that, (no excuse I know).

They did give me a break down on it. It says pole ..... 500 and something , then there was 300 for labour and the rest was admin .
Thanks for all the advice

'Hey Joe, someone drove into the boom - when you get a chance, check the CCTV and get the reg.'

'No worries Dave, by the way how much do those things cost these days?'

'I would charge him about €500.'

'Right so. And to fix it?'

'€300 labour should cover it.'

'OK, anything else?'

'Yeah - charge him an admin fee - €600 odd should cover that - we need some money to pay bonuses later in the year.'

Eric Cartman

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Its possible the motor the barrier is physically connected to was also damaged. That would be pretty expensive to replace. Even bending the barrier a small bit would push the centre pole of the motor off position and damage the bearings.

the arms are made of 2mm alluminium, theyre designed to bend before the bearings would even feel stress, the likelyhood of the motor/bearing/ support for the arm being broken are incredibly low , the arms are considered a 'consumable' because they're hit so often and cost 200 euro a piece max depending on the model , the ones on the M1 tollbridge i know are from an old electro system and are actually 53 euro to replace as theyre just an alluminium pole, foam and tape

* please note all prices quoted are probably a little outdated and trade prices, if i had a contract with the NRA id rip them off too, but not to the tune of 1200 euro

bazzachazza

I'd cough up if I were you. It was your fault they have evidence hence them catching up with you via cctv. I guess you didn't stop and say sorry I hit some of your equipment. The admin fee will include looking back at cctv may be it was several hours or days after the tip so it might have taken sometime to review. Then they have to get you car details. You don't have a tag hence using the exact change booth so that would include going through I imagine the Gardai to get the owners address then they have to get someone to repair the damage and contact you with the bill once all the paper work is sorted.

If you don't cough up the bill will get larger and larger with admin and legal fee's. This is the cheap bill.

Accidents happen, sometimes its your fault and you have to be a man and pay up.

messymess

I'd normally be tempted to get on my moral high horse and say if you've broken something you should pay for it but personally, I'd contest this.

Get them to send you the CCTV footage for starters. 1250 mightn't be enough for them to go to court over even.

If you do end up paying it, take your plates off and do it again! That'll learn 'em

RATM

OP Id say that you are certainly going to have to pay something but Id be questioning the severity of the bill- ask for a full breakdown of everything charged- it should add up to what it cost to fix it without scope for the council making a profit from it.

slimjimmc

Eric Cartman wrote: »

the arms are made of 2mm alluminium, theyre designed to bend before the bearings would even feel stress, the likelyhood of the motor/bearing/ support for the arm being broken are incredibly low , the arms are considered a 'consumable' because they're hit so often and cost 200 euro a piece max depending on the model , the ones on the M1 tollbridge i know are from an old electro system and are actually 53 euro to replace as theyre just an alluminium pole, foam and tape

* please note all prices quoted are probably a little outdated and trade prices, if i had a contract with the NRA id rip them off too, but not to the tune of 1200 euro

Yeah they're flimsy by design. The security guards in a local shopping centre are often pushing bent barrier arms back into shape. It takes very little effort to straighten them, no damage to the barrier, the car or the security guy.

Leprechaun77

kasper wrote: »

send them a bill for 1500 euros for damage to your car

My Grandad did this years ago. I think he tried to get through without paying the toll and zoom after the car in front. The barrier came down and gave his car a smack....


....wait for it.....

He sent a counter claim for damage to his car on the basis that there were no explicit warnings about the barrier coming down, or that it could cause damage....old people, you gotta love him...they probably looked at this and said this chaps a nut, leave it be. I'd never get in the car with him back then, he hadn't a clue. He drove up the road one night with just the sidelights on, barely visible....wtf..."sure I never use the headlights in an uplit area", referring to the street lamposts. :eek:

Andrew33

Counter sue them for not making the barrier more visible.

slimjimmc

Andrew33 wrote: »

Counter sue them for not making the barrier more visible.

Or for not having a sign warning drivers to look up and pay attention instead of looking down whilst rummaging for change.:D

Darsad

Dont ignore it write back to the NRA and request a breakdown of the invoice and a detailed listing of all parts fitted. ask why repairs were undertaken without your acceptance of liability ,consent or opportunity to defend or seek alternative estimates of repair. A nicely worded letter with lots of questions and a few statements of your rights and clearly indicate that you intend to vigeriously defend any further actions in relation to the matter.It might just be enough for them to bin the bill .

Mr NoTV

If the lane was closed, out of order or whatever, surely there should have been a cone placed in the middle of the lane close to the boom in order to ensure nobody can drive through? Other countries manage this - it's called accident prevention or Health and Safety.

dbyrne

I saw a fellow on a motor bike get hit one time when the barrier came down and hit him on head. He and anothe couple of fellows were trying to get through with out paying but he was very lucky that he had a helmet on and wasnt going to quick as it could have caused seriuous damage. I remember an alarm going off and the barrier raising immedietly....

tommyhaas

bazzachazza wrote: »

I'd cough up if I were you. It was your fault they have evidence hence them catching up with you via cctv. I guess you didn't stop and say sorry I hit some of your equipment. The admin fee will include looking back at cctv may be it was several hours or days after the tip so it might have taken sometime to review. Then they have to get you car details. You don't have a tag hence using the exact change booth so that would include going through I imagine the Gardai to get the owners address then they have to get someone to repair the damage and contact you with the bill once all the paper work is sorted.

If you don't cough up the bill will get larger and larger with admin and legal fee's. This is the cheap bill.

Accidents happen, sometimes its your fault and you have to be a man and pay up.

That attitude is whats wrong with this country imo. Lets rip someone off, why?? well because we can. Charging €1200 to repair a barrier worth about €200. Its that sort of rip-off culture that drives up insurance costs for everyone and that hits the ordinary man in the pocket. Typical semi-state company bull****

cyclopath2001

tommyhaas wrote: »

Typical semi-state company bull****

They could've reported him for failing to remain at the scene of an accident? He damaged property and and then drove off.

djimi

RATM wrote: »

OP Id say that you are certainly going to have to pay something but Id be questioning the severity of the bill- ask for a full breakdown of everything charged- it should add up to what it cost to fix it without scope for the council making a profit from it.

This would be my advise as well. Youre going to have to pay something, I dont think you can (or should expect to) avoid that, but €1250 is way over the top. See if you can seek independant advise to get a proper quote as to what it would cost to fix.

And tell them to shove their "admin charge"...

L1011

What toll road does the NRA operate that has coin-only car lanes anyway? The Westlink has no barriers and I can't remember the DPT having *any* car lanes other than the tag express one?

The other roads aren't operated by the NRA... would be odd if the NRA were the ones chasing damages for them!

I've seen a barrier pole being changed on one of them (M4/M6 I think) and it looked like a few minute job - two bolts, lightweight pole pops off, new one on, two bolts. Sorted. Can't see where 300 comes from for labour.

Esel

I would write and tell them I have photographic evidence that the same barrier was in service after the date of their demand, and include a cheque for €20 to cover the cost of straightening it in situ. I know this would be admitting liability, but, as they have you on camera anyway.... Also, the points made as to how they obtained your name/address could raise interesting issues.

VolvoMan

Tell them to fcuk off.

We've paid for that bridge a good ten times over now I'd say.

skiman

Hi,

First, you did say that you hit the barrier? The general axiom is if you strike into a stationary object or parked vehicle you're liable. Just how much is the question. You could make enquires regarding the repair from the NRA, and you could get your own estimate. The post about how well the barrier is visible is a good observation. However, one thing to be mindful of is, how often do you use this toll road and pass thru the lanes. t is a reasonable expectation that there is a barrier on the lane and it could be in the down position. You mentined yourself that you were concentartig on the coins and then your windscreen struck the barrier. This is a case of damage limitation for you. Try and negotiate the cost. The longer you leave it, could cost you more. Get advise from a legal professional, or call into a citizen's advice bureau and get some informed advice.

Your post below :
Hi ,
2 weeks ago , I went into the 'exact coins' lane at the toll booth and didnt notice it was closed.
The entry boom was down and I hit of it ,with my windscreen , bending it very slightly. ( pretty stupid I know, but dont look down for change till you stop completely).
I passed a week later and noticed the barrier was straightened and the lane was open, there was a small crease where the barrier boom was straightend but it was fine.

Got a bill today in the post for 1250 euro plus vat from nra. Just wondering should I contest it , send them a cheque , or claim on my insurance. Im driving for 18 years and never had a tip , so full ncb.
Sickened.
Thanks for any thoughts.

cyclopath2001

skiman wrote: »

Get advise from a legal professional, or call into a citizen's advice bureau and get some informed advice.

+1
There's no mention by the OP if he tried to inform the owners of the property he damaged, or being unable to do so, if he reported the accident to the Gardai as soon as possible afterwards.

If the tool-booth owners had complained the Gardai, a charge of careless driving might have been considered, so, it seems they've take a relaxed approach.