Single and in debt.

RosaBernicia

Hi Sundy

As far as I could tell at the time and from the photo I took (it was dark) it was only minor paint scratches and no dents. So it should just be paint repair and not a new bumper, and there weren't any marks other than on the bumper. I think the issue is that they are taking it to a main dealer who is treating it as an insurance job. (It's a 58 reg Mazda, btw.) The owner has been reasonable about it and as my insurance excess is £500 anyway, am so far going to pay them direct after seeing a hard copy of info, which at least preserves my no claims. I can't very well back out now as they could trace me and I'd have to pay via the insurance anyway. So waiting on copy and will see how it looks then. Just so cross that trying to do the right thing turns out to be unfairly expensive. Now I know that the thing to do is pretend I didn't notice and walk away!

R xx

sarahb123_3

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Hi Sundy

As far as I could tell at the time and from the photo I took (it was dark) it was only minor paint scratches and no dents. So it should just be paint repair and not a new bumper, and there weren't any marks other than on the bumper.

When this happened to me (someone drove into the back of me and damaged my bumper, leaving a few scratches) I just told her to forget it as the damage was minimal and it wasn't really worth all the fuss of getting it repaired. £500 is ridiculous and stories like this make people unwilling to leave their details. I can't imagine I will from now on anyway. (Not that I did before:o )

SunderlandBlackCat

sarahb123 wrote: »

Are you allowed to still do that if you've admitted responsibility and agreed to pay? I am a bit clueless about these things.

Actually I have no idea, I've only ever been on the receiving end & when people have been decent enough to leave their details, I make an effort to got it sorted as cheaply as possible if they don't want to involve their insurance.

skint_spice

on the one occasion I scratched someone's car they were in it and when they called the next day with a quote £350 for one wee scratch I asked them if they would take it somewhere else and get another quote to compare - he did and it ended up costing £75. I thought the warranty thing was only for work on the car not cosmetic but maybe not.

I just read that back - I would have left details even if they weren't in it as karma will come back and bite you on the bum otherwise!

runmichellerun

This all reminds me of a time I was reversing out of a space in a car park. It was really dark and raining so my car was all steamed up inside and I couldn't see out the back. Another car had parked behind me but wasn't in a proper space so I backed into it, quite hard too. My flatmate at the time was with me, and when it happened we looked at each other and then he said 'Drive! Just drive!!!' So I sped out of there quicker than I've ever driven.

I don't regret it for one minute, and todays conversation has made me feel I did the right thing.

Rosa, think of it as a learning experience. You'll never do that again.

RosaBernicia

when people have been decent enough to leave their details, I make an effort to got it sorted as cheaply as possible

I do feel they could have taken it somewhere cheaper and I have said I wasn't expecting it to be that expensive, but they haven't made any other offer and I don't want to explain my skintness to them - plus if they did go to my insurance it would cost me the dealer price anyhow. So unfortunately yes, it has just meant I won't do it again. It doesn't seem any of the system is designed to encourage honesty! And frankly, they have probably assumed that leaving my details means I can afford to pay whatever. Which really annoys me - being honest has nowt to do with being rich. (See, I'm cross enough that my accent is re-emerging. Though that might also be the beer )

Thank you Sundy for being our resident car expert again :kisses3:

Edit: all challenges suspended until 2009 at which point I will say, as I do every year, "this year will be my year!" By the law of averages, one year I'm going to be right.

:rotfl: nice one Sarah... I was dithering about whether to think of some 2009 resolutions but as you say, one year I have to be right!

Rosa xx

sarahb123_3

sarahb123 wrote: »

stories like this make people unwilling to leave their details. I can't imagine I will from now on anyway. (Not that I did before:o )

Hmm, am getting a bit worried that people think I would drive off after damaging someone's car! The most I have ever done is bang someone's bumper whilst reversing very slowly and I didn't check for damage as I assumed there wouldn't be any. I always thought it was illegal not to swap names and details if you seriously damaged someone's car, but I admit I wouldn't bother if it was minimal eg a tiny scratch, which if it was on my car I wouldn't bother about, simply because I wouldn't trust them not to exaggerate the damage to get money out of me.

And I think I am fine on the karma front because I have never pursued people for damaging my bumper by actually driving into me, which happened twice last year. The people who open their doors right on to mine and scratch them in supermarket car parks never bother leaving details anyway:mad:

sarahb123_3

SunderlandBlackCat wrote: »

Actually I have no idea, I've only ever been on the receiving end & when people have been decent enough to leave their details, I make an effort to got it sorted as cheaply as possible if they don't want to involve their insurance.

But not everyone behaves as fairly as you. Some people would see it as an opportunity to make some money and I wouldn't want to risk getting involved in a situation like that. To be honest, if someone damaged my car and actually left their details, I would be astonished.

RosaBernicia

a lot of the stuff in my wardrobe is for the life I want and not the life I have

Sarah, I have only realised this pretty reocently and it's partly down to moving out of London - now my lifestyle has changed a bit and things are less hectic, I know that if I do need clothes for a special occasion I will have enough notice to shop for them. In London I could be invited to smart places at v short notice and kind of used it as an excuse to stock my wardrobe for any eventuality! It was actually the shoes that made me realise - I'm not really a high heels girl but noticed when unpacking my stuff that I have a pair of satin high heels in almost every colour. And I never ever wear them because they're too uncomfortable to even wait for the bus in, never mind dance in - so they stay in the wardrobe. Even though most of them were from sales, I'd have been better off buying something I'd actually wear and enjoy. Like good lingerie

I've been thinking about working out a kind of 'minimum wardrobe' so will post if I come up with anything.

R xx

sarahb123_3

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Sarah, I have only realised this pretty reocently and it's partly down to moving out of London - now my lifestyle has changed a bit and things are less hectic, I know that if I do need clothes for a special occasion I will have enough notice to shop for them. In London I could be invited to smart places at v short notice and kind of used it as an excuse to stock my wardrobe for any eventuality! It was actually the shoes that made me realise - I'm not really a high heels girl but noticed when unpacking my stuff that I have a pair of satin high heels in almost every colour. And I never ever wear them because they're too uncomfortable to even wait for the bus in, never mind dance in - so they stay in the wardrobe. Even though most of them were from sales, I'd have been better off buying something I'd actually wear and enjoy. Like good lingerie

I've been thinking about working out a kind of 'minimum wardrobe' so will post if I come up with anything.
R xx

I have been thinking about the fact that my clothes represent what I want not what I have and the fact that a lot of them are still in the bags. I don't really have enough space at the moment to get them all out but I would have if I had a big clear out. But thinking about this has made me realise that even if I did have the space I wouldn't unpack them I would still keep them in the bags. Some of them are 3 years old! Am a bit alarmed to realise this. It's like I'm saving them for my fantastic new life But I can't keep doing that and having nice clothes just to look at is a bloody expensive hobby. Am very confused now.