Damage to car at Airport

littlemissfrugal

Dont know if this is the right place for this (please move if not)

Has anyone ever had their car damaged whilst at an airport car park - briefly we paid for indoor secure parking for 1 week using a discount code of course on arrival we were asked if we wanted to use their valet service which i did paid £20 - getting back a week later late at night we noticed that the side trim had been bent back and creased quite badly, pointed it out to the chap on reception he gave us a complaint form to fill in and return, we also took photographs before leaving in the presence of the attendant.

5 weeks later having had 1 letter asking for photographs of the damage we have got nowhere the cost to repair is only £49.00, each time we ring they say the manager will call us back or we will hear something by the end of the week. Can anyone advise me as to what i should do now my car looks crap but i am reluctant to get it fixed anyway incase they need to inspect it, but it is going to get worse the longer i leave it. I would be grateful of any ideas

mountainofdebt

A neighbour of mine had a similar problem but the car parking firm he used denied all responsibilty and he couldn't prove the damage had been caused at the car park because he hadn't got pictures of the car prior to the stay.

I think you can have 2 courses of action open to you:

1) write a letter, sent recorded delivery, saying that if they don't respond with 14 days of receipt you will sue them for the damages or

2) bite the bullet and pay for the repairs yourself.

littlemissfrugal

i would have no hesitation suing them as a matter of principle its just that i have no idea where to start - is it a small claims job or a solicitor - failing that i could stand outside their premises and forewarn everyone to take photographs of their vehicle before leaving it with them that may do the trick i have a day off next week

BargainHunterCat

Hmm, I don't want to sound negative but being ex- motor insurance claims myself, I believe this could be a tricky one.
"Secure parking" is onetheless at the owners risk, so unless you can prove one of their staff actually caused this damage - i.e. you find a witness to the actual alleged event, or if someone owns up (you never know!) you may well struggle to get any cash out of this.
Even if you do sue it may end up as your word against theirs - and the car park people may cast doubt on to whether the damage was pre-existing or not, so court may not be a good idea.
Personally, I would complain loudly and persistently until they give you the money to make you shut up and go away! If they have a guilty conscience, they may actually give you the money "without prejudice" i.e. without admitting liability - as a goodwill gesture.
You might want to have a chat with your insurance company - whilst you wont want them to pay for the damage, I'm guessing £49 is below your excess threshold, and you may have uninsured loss cover on your policy which means they may be able to pass the case to their solicitors. That way you'll get legal advice and it won't cost you any consultation time.
Sometimes a solicitor's letter is sufficiently intimidating to get someone to pay up.
Uninsured loss recovery services shouldn't have any effect on your no claims discount, but DO make sure you check with them first!!

Good luck!

Tom_Jones

You have to ask yourself how much a solicitors letter would cost though ? I would personally send a letter stating what mountainofdebt said in point one and if there's no reaction pay for the repair yourself and never use the car park again