Nightmare delays with garda/insurance company after car broken into

HobbitRing

Apologies I am completely new to all these topics so I don't know what's normal, and what's not.

Car was broken into, window smashed. Would take around 2-3 days at local garage to fix. Not knowing any better, I reported the incident to the garda, and car was towed same night.

What has followed has been two weeks of messing about, every other day have to be dropping into them to sign new forms, the car keys, other things etc and every time you ask them is there anything else they need, they reply willth full confidence no, before the next day someone new contacts you to say "oh you actually have to come in again". They don't know what they're doing and they don't care.

So it's been two weeks and the garda have finally done the fingerprints and are finally releasing the car to the insurance company...who now are going to be messing me around again with all kinds of seperate assessmemts and checks they need to do before they start fixing it, sounds like it will take several weeks at minimum.

Weeks if not a month it will be without the car, all to replace one window. They offer some replacement vehicle for 5 days, but again messing about with more visits to them, and 5 days does nothing.

Is this normal? If so how do people put up with this?

Is it then the unspoken rule that unless your car is absolutely wrecked, you should not report it to the garda or insurance companies and just fix it yourself? If so this makes car insursance an even bigger scam that it already is..

Tow

Who towed the car and why was to towed?

The Guards have no interest in a broken window and a few bits nicked from the car.

They had sfa interest when I had a car stolen from a 100m from Garda HQ in the Phoenix Park. It was never seen again.

You should have just gone (driven) to a window repair place and had the window replaced. Paid for it out of pocket. Now you have extra hassle and costs renewing you car insurance each year.

HobbitRing

The garda towed it and said this was standard procedure as they need to take fingerprints etc. Then pretty much every step of the way they have said something contradictory about what they need to do or what I need to do, it was like the first time they had dealt with a car break in.

Some people say always report crimes but I guess...that's not always wise.

drury..

Op sounds like a regular inspector clouseau type

Trouble finds him

gipi

Was your car broken into at home? I wonder if the gardaí are being thorough collecting evidence because there might have been a spate of similar incidents in the locality?

purifol0

Sorry you're going through this OP. when my house was broken into 3 years ago, two gardai turned up a day later to take prints.

I received a letter 8 months later that they had lost the fingerprints and closed the case.

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122160457#Comment_122160457

"Lost" can mean a lot of things when used by AGS

It's a catchall term they use

Tow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122160457#Comment_122160457

You did well to get a follow-up letter.

coylemj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122160039#Comment_122160039

It's only 'standard procedure' to tow a car away to take fingerprints if it was used in a serious crime or some very valuable goods were stolen from it.

What was the value of the goods stolen from your car?

'2-3 days at a local garage' to fix a broken window! Is your car a Mercedes 600?

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122159711#Comment_122159711

Youre not guaranteed a price hike after a claim

Mine came down after my only recent claim

Extra hassle alright with other insurers if moving around

Esel

Most policies have 'free' glass cover, and a claim, while recorded, does not affect NCB.

How long have you owned the car? Maybe the previous owner was 'known to the Gardaí' and might have left a few 'bags' down the back seats?

It's unlikely it would take them that long to fit a tracker and a recording device in your car. 😲😀