Council destroyed my car full of belongings

Idiophreak

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

An ex worked for a recovery company who held a number of abandoned vehicle contracts with local councils.

Basically, the driver whose area it was got a list of vehicles and their last known locations. If the vehicle was moved in that time and he spotted it on his travels, he was told to collect it unless the council specifically got in touch and said 'No, don't take it now'. Most of the time he was instructed to gain access by any means possible - ie, smash the window if you have to - and whatever a vehicle owner may say, get it on the back and get it to its final destination. He actually got commended for finding vehicles when the owners had moved them.

No insult intended, but did this trouble him at all? Did he sleep well at night?

JimmyTheWig

Idiophreak wrote: »

No insult intended, but did this trouble him at all? Did he sleep well at night?

If these were, for example, untaxed, dangerous, nuisance cars then I can't see the problem.

paddyrg

Glad you're in the process of getting it sorted! Just one thing I don't quite 'get' (and I am just being nosey, I'll own up!) Is why when they offered to deliver you the car back, you didn't want it? I can see how that may have been confusing - no tax, owner doesn't want it, but wants free parking...? :-$

mummyplus3

paddyrg wrote: »

Glad you're in the process of getting it sorted! Just one thing I don't quite 'get' (and I am just being nosey, I'll own up!) Is why when they offered to deliver you the car back, you didn't want it? I can see how that may have been confusing - no tax, owner doesn't want it, but wants free parking...? :-$

No lol, the woman dealing with the car was trying to arrange having it towed back at the council's cost because it shouldnt of been towed, but she went off on her holiday and said if it was alright with me she would sort it out on her return because it was abit complex I said it was ok as I cant actually drive the car and TBH rather nieavely (spelling!) was just glad that it was in a lock up with the council rather than somebody had nicked it! which is what we'd orginally thought.

Oh and above poster was right the district and the county council's have now started blaming eachother..

misssarahleigh

If you haven't started already my suggestions would be to:

A) detail who you have communicated with and what they have said and when

make a list of the costs you have incurred and the items in your car. (as an idea, cost of public transport, your insurance, how full was your tank with petrol. be specific)


If they start bickering about who's fault it was they could drag this out a while, and should neither decide to pay and you take one/both to court than it's a lot easier obtaining this information now and carrying on updating it rather then 6/12 months down the line when you cannot be as specific about days/times/conversations.

The more information you have the easier a case will go and the more likley a win.

chalkie99

There's another 15 minutes of my life gone .......

:doh:

paddyrg

mummyplus3 wrote: »

No lol, the woman dealing with the car was trying to arrange having it towed back at the council's cost because it shouldnt of been towed, but she went off on her holiday and said if it was alright with ...

Aaaaah gotcha! At least they've accepted it was a f/u now, I can see the next bit being a bit boring, mind, getting someone to sort it out. Doubtless it'll go to some kind of loss adjuster, so be prepared to fight your ground and calculate the claim exactly.

They will argue to pay bottom-end book for the vehicle, and you will need to inventorise everything else you are claiming for, find it in Argos catalogue, and come up with a total (plus 1-2 days worth of your time, if you missed work). Quite how you attach a value to photos I have no idea, but if you don't, they won't either. Perhaps cost them at how much it will be to get reprints done at Boots, plus the time taken. Irreplaceable doesn't mean valuable though, so be realistic. They will quibble this amount (whatever you do), so be fair, consistent, but don't expect generosity from insurance companies

mummyplus3

Well the county council have told me to "tell them what I want" in writing and then they will write back to me, So im now totting up the costs of everything I can think that was in the moving boxes in the car, plus the cost of the car and the cancellation fee's its currently £1791.89 for material things but I cant put a cost on the important things like the photos I can't replace, the letters and cards etc so I am not sure what to do? can you value sentiment?!

Forwandert

mummyplus3 wrote: »

can you value sentiment?!

Not exactly that sentimental to you if you left them in a box in a car.

JimmyTheWig

mummyplus3 wrote: »

but I cant put a cost on the important things like the photos I can't replace, the letters and cards etc so I am not sure what to do? can you value sentiment?!

Does anyone know what an insurance company would pay out for items such as these if they were destroyed in a house fire? I know it's not the same, but it might be a useful starting point.

OP, what you need to do is decide on a value where you are neither gaining nor losing out.
For example, if they offered you £1m for all those sentimental items you'd be well chuffed that the mistake had happened.
While if they offer you £1.50 for them then you'd be well miffed that the mistake had happened.
Somewhere inbetween is the point at which you would be neither chuffed not miffed. That's their value to you.
Whether the council (or their insurers) agree to that valuation is another matter, but that's their value.

For our sentimental items, I'd say that break-even point would be around £1000. But that's just me saying that off the cuff.