Real Life MMD: Should I keep schtum over damaging neighbour's car?

EccentricRavenJewellery

elvis86 wrote: »

Frankly, whether she "understands it" or not, if the neighbour did choose to spend their hard-earned cash on a new car and parks it outside their house, I think that they have a right for it not to be damaged by other people.

Not wishing to be nitpicky, but how do we know the cash was hard-earned?
We don't need to moralise about the car owner being somehow in the right, do we?
Because even if he/she had bought the car with the proceeds of drug dealing of people trafficking, the right thing for the OP to do is still the same.

The car owner can be wronged without the huge sob story of how hard they worked?

I am trying to raise a smile and make people think, not start World War 3.
And very much sympathise with the person who said park it in a garage/cover it with one of those flash canvases, etc.. It helps avoid rusting.

IDProtected

kerri_gt wrote: »

Own up - if the shoe was on the other foot that's exactly what you'd exepct somone to do, and you'd be pretty p*ssed off if they didn't wouldn't you.

Yes it was an accident, but that doesn't change the fact that the damage has been done.

I quite agree with this comment - as it was an "acccident" maybe your "accident" insurance cover might be able to help cover costs. Someone did this to my car, Ok my car is rather, shall be say, elderly, but it is certainly the best car (OK, the only car) that I have, and I was more than a bit cheesed off about it!

ska_lover

hiper wrote: »

I had a friend living with me who was listed on my insurance. He accidentally reversed into a car parked on the opposite side of the street caving in the door (no damage to my car). On returning from the journey he noticed the damage which I suppose he originally thought was just a "bump".

We spoke to the neighbour and it turned out it was his sons car who was visiting (hence parked on the street). They were very calm about it, the son was impressed by our honesty.

Since this was an accident it was reported to the insurers, and as we were both very hard up at the time we made a claim (I had NCD protection), and this was the big mistake. For about £250 of damage (if that) the settment was for over £2,000 if I remember correctly.

Even though I wasn't in the car at the time, and have a spotless record, I've had to pay for this in increased premiums since and it makes looking for insurance more difficult since I have to inform prospective insurers of this accident.

I suppose my quiestion is, where do you draw the line about a bump that can be settled with a handshake and when to inform the insurers.

I think you have to be careful about things like this as you can end up being stung, and no leg to stand on - if when you turn up at someones door with a bill for repairs you have paid for, and expect them to do the honest thing and cough up and they do not for whatever reason fullfill their end of the bargain. You can't report it to the police (that someone has failed to pay for damage they have caused), because failing to report an accident to your insurers is apparently a crime.

This happened to my dad last year.

elvis86

EccentricRavenJewellery wrote: »

Not wishing to be nitpicky, but how do we know the cash was hard-earned?
We don't need to moralise about the car owner being somehow in the right, do we?
Because even if he/she had bought the car with the proceeds of drug dealing of people trafficking, the right thing for the OP to do is still the same.

The car owner can be wronged without the huge sob story of how hard they worked?

Sounds like another of the "Why should I pay?" brigade's reasonings; "Well, the neighbour has a nice car, therefore they're probably a criminal or drug dealer, so that justifies me not owning up" (I know that's not what you were saying).

Unfortunately, despite your "not wishing to be nitpicky", I think you were.:cool: I don't recall reciting a "huge sob story" to support my point, and I can't help but think that it's fairer to assume that someone with a nice car has worked hard for it, rather than to wage a character assassination as below:

Fishcakes wrote: »

I however, would describe them as ostentatious, egotistical symbols of avarice, conspicuous consumption, and brainwashed aspirational vulgarity. They exemplify to me much that is wrong with the modern world and people in general.

EccentricRavenJewellery wrote: »

And very much sympathise with the person who said park it in a garage/cover it with one of those flash canvases, etc.. It helps avoid rusting.

Whilst it may well be a sensible suggestion for that reason, what the person who said that was actually suggesting in their post, was that people with nice cars should garage their car, or expect other people to damage it.

dunncha

I have heard of this happening to nice cars and not so nice cars. I even had the bumper knocked off my car once and have many dings in my doors.

And Never Never Never have a heard of anyone owning up.

It pretty easy to type but I bet lots of people that have said they would own up haven't in the past.

ska_lover

dunncha wrote: »

I have heard of this happening to nice cars and not so nice cars. I even had the bumper knocked off my car once and have many dings in my doors.

And Never Never Never have a heard of anyone owning up.

It pretty easy to type but I bet lots of people that have said they would own up haven't in the past.

You know, I thought the EXACT same thing. I said on the last page that I wouldn't own up and think I was the first one who dared to be honest

7089police

I work hard for my pay and one of my loves in life is the car I drive, its people like you that really start to destroy the fabric of society, why there are so many issues around respect and honesty in younger generations, why britian is not so great any more. You are responsible for the action of you child and as such shoud ensure that they are taught how to conduct them selves, after all the learn by your example, Shame on you, I dony even know why you have to pose the question in the first place!

John_Pierpoint

7089police wrote: »

I work hard for my pay and one of my loves in life is the car I drive, its people like you that really start to destroy the fabric of society, why there are so many issues around respect and honesty in younger generations, why britian is not so great any more. You are responsible for the action of you child and as such shoud ensure that they are taught how to conduct them selves, after all the learn by your example, Shame on you, I dony even know why you have to pose the question in the first place!

I do hope you are misinformed and not posing as a member of the police.

You should know that there is an ever increasing underclass of "can't pay wont pay" people in this country and you don't have a snowball's hope in hell of getting them to take responsibility for seriously delinquent activity by their children.

The only certainty is to try to fence them out, because it will be you in court, not them, if they injure themselves.

Now returning to the scratched car? If you parked a greenhouse in the middle of a public roundabout - would you really expect to return in six months time and find it undamaged ?

There is no way that I would park let us say £25,000 of new car on a public highway overnight, if I could avoid it; and if I was rich and foolish enough to afford a £25k brand new car, I could probably afford a garage to keep it in and not rely on tarmac supplied at the public's expense.

If you want some free entertainment try sitting in an open air cafe in Naples and play a game called "Spot the undamaged car"

It is only a mass produced metal box with a wheel at each corner.

All it does is hold me and my bus pass up until we get past you in the bus lane.

milvusvestal

Don't you have one shred of decency in you?

OK, you say the damage was accidental, but nobody other than you and your child caused it, did they? You are wholly responsible for his actions. You allowed him to sit in the car. You held the door open. Your neighbour was nowhere around, and it's immaterial whether she/he is wealthy and can afford to have the damage repaired themselves. Your sister has nothing to do with it, so don't try and pass the blame for your thoughtlessness onto her.

You seem to be the type of person who, if the boot was on the other foot, would be jumping up and down claiming compensation. It's people like you who seem to have forgotten what the words honesty and integrity mean.

elvis86

7089police wrote: »

I work hard for my pay and one of my loves in life is the car I drive, its people like you that really start to destroy the fabric of society, why there are so many issues around respect and honesty in younger generations, why britian is not so great any more. You are responsible for the action of you child and as such shoud ensure that they are taught how to conduct them selves, after all the learn by your example, Shame on you, I dony even know why you have to pose the question in the first place!

I would just like to point out that I'm only 24, and I've been arguing that the OP should own up. I rather suspect that most of the people saying they wouldn't own up are significantly older than me, so it's not neccessarily a straightforward generational thing. More of a decent people vs poor, envious, bitter, irresponsible, selfish people kind of thing, IMO.:cool:

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

There is no way that I would park let us say £25,000 of new car on a public highway overnight, if I could avoid it; and if I was rich and foolish enough to afford a £25k brand new car, I could probably afford a garage to keep it in and not rely on tarmac supplied at the public's expense.

If you want some free entertainment try sitting in an open air cafe in Naples and play a game called "Spot the undamaged car"

It is only a mass produced metal box with a wheel at each corner.

All it does is hold me and my bus pass up until we get past you in the bus lane.

Conversely, there is no way I would travel by bus. Eeeew. I'll stick to my comfortable mass produced metal box, thanks.;)