Car damaged.....how to progress

Wil Tierney

Hi

I am looking for some advice. Almost 2 months ago my neighbour was reversing out her driveway when she clipped the concrete cap on the wall with her mirror and knocked it into my car causing 2 dents and scratches right down to the metal. She admitted guilt straight away, even in front of my landlord who had called to pick up post.

Since then she has send out a relative to try polish out the scratches but the car is still damaged. I've called into her multiple times and I always get "I'll get that sorted", "leave it with me" but she doesn't seem to be doing anything. I even offered to find a place to repair the damage and she settle the bill but she is adament she'll sort it out.

I'm getting pee'd off to say the least and just want the car repaired. Getting sick of asking her about it and getting the same response again and again. How should i procede?

whippet

Wil Tierney wrote: »

Hi

I am looking for some advice. Almost 2 months ago my neighbour was reversing out her driveway when she clipped the concrete cap on the wall with her mirror and knocked it into my car causing 2 dents and scratches right down to the metal. She admitted guilt straight away, even in front of my landlord who had called to pick up post.

Since then she has send out a relative to try polish out the scratches but the car is still damaged. I've called into her multiple times and I always get "I'll get that sorted", "leave it with me" but she doesn't seem to be doing anything. I even offered to find a place to repair the damage and she settle the bill but she is adament she'll sort it out.

I'm getting pee'd off to say the least and just want the car repaired. Getting sick of asking her about it and getting the same response again and again. How should i procede?

contact her insurance company and lodge a claim

Wil Tierney

whippet wrote: »

contact her insurance company and lodge a claim

Can I do this without her having notified her insurance company??

October

Yes you can. Just get her policy number from the disc on her windscreen and a note of her reg no. Her insurers will then contact her.

biko

Not a DIY issue, moved to main Motors forum.

Wil Tierney

October wrote: »

Yes you can. Just get her policy number from the disc on her windscreen and a note of her reg no. Her insurers will then contact her.

Thank you very much. I think this is exactly what I should do because I'm at my wits end trying to deal with this person. The only contact I have with her is when I call over to see has she done anything about arranging to get my car fixed.

Wil Tierney

biko wrote: »

Not a DIY issue, moved to main Motors forum.

Sorry. On my mobile. Thought i had put it in the msin forum.

biko

No worries, let me know if you decide go have a go at fixing it yourself in which case DIY will be right.

You could get a quote from a bodyshop and approach her with that? Get the money up front.
If that doesn't work, contact her company with photos and a written statement. Add details of your landlord but make sure he/she is ok with it.
The neighbour is probably not trying to shaft you but keeps putting it off.

djimi

Insurance is definitely the way to go. You probably wont even have to proceed fully with the claim; chances are once she realizes she is at risk of losing her NCB over something as relatively minor as this it will give her a kick up the arse to get it sorted.

October

Just one more thing, if she does decide to finally deal with it herself, she cannot force you to go to a particular garage if you are not happy with that place. Nor can she force you to have the repairs done by a relative (I see she already had a relative out to try and solve the problem). The best option for you is to go through her insurance and get the repair done. If she's concerned about the effect on her premium, she can reimburse her insurers to protect her bonus.

aristotle25

2 months gone and not sorted yet? Yes, just send a claim in against her insurance.

But be aware if you do that without mentioned it to her (you don't need to) then she might be a bit miffed and whatever relationship was there will be damaged somewhat.

Wil Tierney

Do I need to get a quotation for the work before contacting the insurance company??

I'm thinking to just submit the claim because I'm sick of it dragging on. Only ever dealt with her with regard to this so there's no relationship there to compromise.

Wheres My ForkandKnife

I would go and get a couple of quotes and let her know.Give her the choice of paying directly or putting it through insurance.Put it to her that it's going to cost €X hundred to repair and what would she prefer to do?Although you have been very patient to date try to keep things civil as you will still have to live beside her afterwards.

It's hard to see you remaining friendly with her anyway because,from reading your post, she seem to think that there's f... all wrong with your car,hence the relative with the bottle of polish.

Find out the cost of the repair and go from there.She can hardly sort it out as she can't bring the car anywhere for a quote.

Wil Tierney

Wheres My ForkandKnife wrote: »

I would go and get a couple of quotes and let her know.Give her the choice of paying directly or putting it through insurance.Put it to her that it's going to cost €X hundred to repair and what would she prefer to do?Although you have been very patient to date try to keep things civil as you will still have to live beside her afterwards.

It's hard to see you remaining friendly with her anyway because,from reading your post, she seem to think that there's f... all wrong with your car,hence the relative with the bottle of polish.

Find out the cost of the repair and go from there.She can hardly sort it out as she can't bring the car anywhere for a quote.

This is what I can't figure out but every time I call to her I get the same thing......"Oh I'll sort that out". I'm getting really annoyed with the whole thing. I'm beginning to think she's trying to fob me off for so long that I just get annoyed and fix the car myself.

October

Her insurers will probably try to persuade you to use one of their approved repairer so there won't be much point in getting your own estimates, that will be just taking up more of your own time.

Wil Tierney

October wrote: »

Her insurers will probably try to persuade you to use one of their approved repairer so there won't be much point in getting your own estimates, that will be just taking up more of your own time.

Would it better to get the quotes and then say it to her one last time.......like "these are the quotes. Are you paying or is your insurance?"

Never had to do stuff like this before so sorry for all the questions.

djimi

To be honest you have been more than patient enough already. Dont bother getting your own quotes; put in the insurance claim and leave the ball in her court. If she wants to let the insurance proceed then happy days, otherwise let her come to you to try and sort it out.

Caliden

She's had 2 months to sort it and you've been more than accommodating so just proceed through the insurance. If she asks why, just tell she had 2 months which was more than enough time to fix it if she even intended on doing anything about it.

Wil Tierney

Thanks guys. Is there any way to get her insurance details with just the reg or would I have to get them off the disc. She parks round the back of her house so want to avoid hassle. If I have to I have to though. Don't care too much at this stage.

Henry Ford III

Stop pussyfooting about OP.

Go see your neighbour. Tell her the issue has dragged on too long already and that you now want it fixed immediately. Ask her for her insurance details - she's obliged give them to you.

It's a bit confrontational unfortunately, but a softly softly approach hasn't worked clearly.

_Kaiser_

I would just go into her with 2 quotes for the work and say "ok.. this is going on 2 months now so you can either pay for the work directly or I'll lodge it with your insurer to sort out"

Can't say she wasn't warned then. It's easy to say "do it anyway" but people can get very vindictive and petty over "minor" stuff like this and although he may not talk to her otherwise, he does still have to live beside her.

October

You will need to see her disc to know who her insurers are but yes, you can ring up with just her name, address and reg no. It's your choice how to proceed. You have been more than patient, if it was me I would go through the insurers now. You could tell her as a matter of courtesy that you are contacting her insurers.

ba_barabus

October wrote: »

You will need to see her disc to know who her insurers are

Or you could just call your insurers and tell them a person with the reg number ****D12345 has damaged your car and you'd like to claim from their insurance policy.

scamalert

If OP decides to go insurance company way,wouldn't insurance company ask why there was such a long delay in reporting it ? not that im saying theres a time limit,but reporting after two months would require explanations,then witness etc :cool: .
Id agree to people who said get quote or two from garages,bring it over to her and let her choose its either you take her insurance number or she pays cash on the spot and the way you go.

ba_barabus

scamalert wrote: »

If OP decides to go insurance company way,wouldn't insurance company ask why there was such a long delay in reporting it ? not that im saying theres a time limit,but reporting after two months would require explanations,then witness etc :cool: .
Id agree to people who said get quote or two from garages,bring it over to her and let her choose its either you take her insurance number or she pays cash on the spot and the way you go.

You have up to two or three years to lodge a claim.

Also as the neighbour has attempted a repair already that would go a long way towards accepting liability for the damage.

I don't see this being a difficult one to settle.

Wil Tierney

ba_barabus wrote: »

You have up to two or three years to lodge a claim.

Also as the neighbour has attempted a repair already that would go a long way towards accepting liability for the damage.

I don't see this being a difficult one to settle.

Liability isn't an issue here its just getting her to repair the damage.

ba_barabus

Wil Tierney wrote: »

Liability isn't an issue here its just getting her to repair the damage.

I know that but when you contact her insurer they will be very likely to pay out as it would be very difficult for them to argue it never happened if the other party has attempted to repair it

No Pants

Nip round and take a quick pic of her insurance disk, that way you'll have the insurerer and the policy number. Also get the concrete cap on the wall fixed or something similar will happen again. You were unlucky; if I hit the capping with a mirror, even loose capping, I'd expect the mirror to give way.

Wil Tierney

No Pants wrote: »

Nip round and take a quick pic of her insurance disk, that way you'll have the insurerer and the policy number. Also get the concrete cap on the wall fixed or something similar will happen again. You were unlucky; if I hit the capping with a mirror, even loose capping, I'd expect the mirror to give way.

I was actually parking in a section of the yard I never usually park in because I had visitors. She'd agreed with the landlord to get that repaired too but as with the car nothing done yet. Its down off the wall until its repaired.

I'm going to get some quotes and show them to her, let her decide what way to go then. Going to take down her insurance details too just in case she drags her heels any further.

October

ba_barabus wrote: »

Or you could just call your insurers and tell them a person with the reg number ****D12345 has damaged your car and you'd like to claim from their insurance policy.

Wil's own insurers won't be interested unless he was claiming against his own comp policy first and then they would seek reimbursement from her insurers.

Her insurers will probably ask why he took two months to report it but when he explains that she initially said she would settle privately but then failed to do so, this will explain the delay. And the statute of limitations for property damage is six years!

ba_barabus

October wrote: »

Wil's own insurers won't be interested unless he was claiming against his own comp policy first and then they would seek reimbursement from her insurers.

Her insurers will probably ask why he took two months to report it but when he explains that she initially said she would settle privately but then failed to do so, this will explain the delay. And the statute of limitations for property damage is six years!

Have you ever made a claim?

I have and I guarantee that his insurer will have no issue doing what I outlined above and her insurer won't be happy that she never informed then of the crash.

bazz26

Wil Tierney wrote: »

I was actually parking in a section of the yard I never usually park in because I had visitors. She'd agreed with the landlord to get that repaired too but as with the car nothing done yet. Its down off the wall until its repaired.

I'm going to get some quotes and show them to her, let her decide what way to go then. Going to take down her insurance details too just in case she drags her heels any further.

If you are going to giver her another chance to sort it, then you need to give her a deadline date or you are going through her insurance. Otherwise you will be fobbed off again with bull$hit excuses and delays.

Wil Tierney

bazz26 wrote: »

If you are going to giver her another chance to sort it, then you need to give her a deadline date or you are going through her insurance. Otherwise you will be fobbed off again with bull$hit excuses and delays.

Good idea.

No Pants

bazz26 wrote: »

If you are going to giver her another chance to sort it, then you need to give her a deadline date or you are going through her insurance. Otherwise you will be fobbed off again with bull$hit excuses and delays.

Agreed. "Here are some quotes I got from X, Y and Z. Pick one and come back to me. If I don't hear back from you by four o'clock on [insert day of your choice], I'm putting it through the insurance." Or something like that. Don't bother saying which insurance, she'll get the message.

Whatever deadline you give, set an alarm on your phone and stick to it. Do not let one more minute slip by.

October

ba_barabus wrote: »

Have you ever made a claim?

I have and I guarantee that his insurer will have no issue doing what I outlined above and her insurer won't be happy that she never informed then of the crash.

No, I have never made a claim. I'm only speaking from 30 years experience of working in a claims department

No Pants

I've only ever made one claim. Similar to the OP, it was damaged caused by someone else while my car was parked. I had photos, a liability admission, insurance details and a police report. My insurance and her notified on Sunday night, follow up on Monday. Car dropped in for repair on Wednesday. Back the following Wednesday. Didn't care how long it took as her insurer paid for a hire car.

ba_barabus

October wrote: »

No, I have never made a claim. I'm only speaking from 30 years experience of working in a claims department

Doesn't make much difference how long you're there if your not aware of how cases are handled.

I've rang my insurer on two seperate occasions and once on behalf of another person and all I had was a reg number from the other party. On all occasions the insurer was told the claim is against the other parties insurance. They handled it from there and found out the other parties insurer and got them to settle the case. At no time did a claims handler like yourself advise me to go behind the persons house to where the car is parked and attempt to retrieve the policy number from the disk as that's just idiotic advice that could potentially create a whole host of other issues for the OP.

All you need is the reg number and if they are insured your insurer will follow up with theirs.

Kace

ba_barabus wrote: »

Doesn't make much difference how long you're there if your not aware of how cases are handled.

I've rang my insurer on two seperate occasions and once on behalf of another person and all I had was a reg number from the other party. On all occasions the insurer was told the claim is against the other parties insurance. They handled it from there and found out the other parties insurer and got them to settle the case. At no time did a claims handler like yourself advise me to go behind the persons house to where the car is parked and attempt to retrieve the policy number from the disk as that's just idiotic advice that could potentially create a whole host of other issues for the OP.

All you need is the reg number and if they are insured your insurer will follow up with theirs.

Did they put up your premium for those instances ? I'm assuming not as it had nothing to do with your policy, but I've heard tales that this is counted as a 'claim' that you are obliged to mention when shopping for insurance. Sounds rubbish I know but that's what I was told.

ba_barabus

Kace wrote: »

Did they put up your premium for those instances ? I'm assuming not as it had nothing to do with your policy, but I've heard tales that this is counted as a 'claim' that you are obliged to mention when shopping for insurance. Sounds rubbish I know but that's what I was told.

No insurance premium loading and no I didn't have to declare it (I told them but they said it didn't matter as the claim wasn't against me and was closed)

Wil Tierney

No answer from door last week. Put letter in the door fri along with estimates i got to repair damage. Still no reply so i think i'll be contacting insurance tomorrow.

Thanks for all the advice. Should i contact gardai first??

bazz26

Wil Tierney wrote: »

No answer from door last week. Put letter in the door fri along with estimates i got to repair damage. Still no reply so i think i'll be contacting insurance tomorrow.

Thanks for all the advice. Should i contact gardai first??

The Gardaí will not get involved once no one was injured, it's a civil matter. Get onto her insurance company first thing tomorrow morning (assuming she is insured), it's fair to say at this stage that she is ignoring you and hoping you quietly go away. If she has no insurance then that would be a matter for the Gardaí.

colm_mcm

Lets hope she's actually insured

Wil Tierney

bazz26 wrote: »

The Gardaí will not get involved once no one was injured, it's a civil matter. Get onto her insurance company first thing tomorrow morning (assuming she is insured), it's fair to say at this stage that she is ignoring you and hoping you quietly go away. If she has no insurance then that would be a matter for the Gardaí.

Its fairly obvious she's ignoring me. I've been more than patient so its time to contact insurance. Not sonething i wanted to do but this has gone on too long

Wil Tierney

colm_mcm wrote: »

Lets hope she's actually insured

She's insured.......well her windscreen says she is. Could be a different story once i ring the insurance company

prodigal_son

Attempting to fix or pay to have something fixed does not under the law mean you are liable. You are only liable when you admit it in person, her saying she was liable in front of a third party will go more towards the issue than her trying to pay to fix it.

Someone crashed into the back of me when I was sitting in traffic. When I contacted their insurance they flat out refused to pay and said they had another claim in against someone else and I could get lost.

When I contacted my insurance they told me my insurance would go up, id lose my bonus and I may never get them back. They got in touch with the other persons insurance who told my insurance they were not paying.

Eventually it all got sorted, but be under no illusion that it will always be lovely calming experience, cause sometimes its a nightmare to get money out of them.

Also if you're gonna get a quote only get one, they can cost money to get and even if her insurance wants you to use someone else you can use whoever you want to get it fixed but they won't be handing over hundreds of euro because you ran around to every repair shop in the city getting quotes.

colm_mcm

Wil Tierney wrote: »

She's insured.......well her windscreen says she is. Could be a different story once i ring the insurance company

You hear of people that get it on installments, pay the first one then cancel. Hopefully that's not the case here

Wil Tierney

prodigal_son wrote: »

Attempting to fix or pay to have something fixed does not under the law mean you are liable. You are only liable when you admit it in person, her saying she was liable in front of a third party will go more towards the issue than her trying to pay to fix it.

Someone crashed into the back of me when I was sitting in traffic. When I contacted their insurance they flat out refused to pay and said they had another claim in against someone else and I could get lost.

When I contacted my insurance they told me my insurance would go up, id lose my bonus and I may never get them back. They got in touch with the other persons insurance who told my insurance they were not paying.

Eventually it all got sorted, but be under no illusion that it will always be lovely calming experience, cause sometimes its a nightmare to get money out of them.

Also if you're gonna get a quote only get one, they can cost money to get and even if her insurance wants you to use someone else you can use whoever you want to get it fixed but they won't be handing over hundreds of euro because you ran around to every repair shop in the city getting quotes.

Well she has admitted fault to my landlord as well so i should be covered on that front too

No Pants

bazz26 wrote: »

The Gardaí will not get involved once no one was injured, it's a civil matter.

If someone damages your car, is that not criminal damage?

bazz26

No Pants wrote: »

If someone damages your car, is that not criminal damage?

Criminal damage is when somebody intentionally goes and damages your property. This was a traffic accident where the woman accidently damaged the OP's car. Unless she was driving without insurance what do you think the Gardaí are going to do?