Advice needed: Damage to my car by Asda staff

Yetikoa

My local Asda has a "drive through" petrol station where you fill up at the pump and then drive forwards to one of two pay stations. I was filling up this afternoon, however one of the pay stations (the nearest one) was shut. This meant, when I finished fueling I had to pull sharply to the left to reach the only open pay station.

Once I had fueled, I pulled forwards and to the left, but as I did an Asda employee who had been standing near the second booth beckoned to me to stop as he was opening the second pay station. I stopped suddenly, and as I did a car pulling forward from the other side of the island, hit the rear passenger side of my car. There isn't much damage, but there are some scuff marks and scratches from the contact with the other car.

Now my issue here is that this incident was entirely the fault of the Asda staff. Firstly, the second pay station was not open, forcing drivers to turn dangerously towards the open pay station. Secondly, the member of staff who shouted at me quite genuinely caused the accident. Surely this is not the correct manner in which to behave on a forecourt?

I think rather than get insurance companies involved, it should be Asda that pay for the damage to both cars. Does anyone have any advice on how best to go about this?

Azari

This is not going to end well.

SuperHan

I'd say (and I guess they'll say) that no matter what the colleague said, it was your responsibility as a driver to check that it was safe to stop your vehicle.

meer53

The Asda employee wasn't driving your car, or the one that hit you, why would they be at fault ?

skivenov

According to the Highway code, any traffic direction given by a member of the public should be regarded "with respect", rather than obeyed blindly.

However, I'm inclined to say it's the fault of the person behind you for being that close, unless you'd barged in in front and not left a suitable gap then suddenly stopped.

Personally, I'm a believer in things called "mis-haps" this is where something unplanned happened and everyone involved had a part in it. No one died, we're not in America, so we don't need to sue everyone, get the car to a bodyshop, and from the sound of your description, they'll probably just charge you an hour's labout to mop the scratches out of that corner.

DCFC79

Yetikoa wrote: »

My local Asda has a "drive through" petrol station where you fill up at the pump and then drive forwards to one of two pay stations. I was filling up this afternoon, however one of the pay stations (the nearest one) was shut. This meant, when I finished fueling I had to pull sharply to the left to reach the only open pay station.

Once I had fueled, I pulled forwards and to the left, but as I did an Asda employee who had been standing near the second booth beckoned to me to stop as he was opening the second pay station. I stopped suddenly, and as I did a car pulling forward from the other side of the island, hit the rear passenger side of my car. There isn't much damage, but there are some scuff marks and scratches from the contact with the other car.

Now my issue here is that this incident was entirely the fault of the Asda staff. Firstly, the second pay station was not open, forcing drivers to turn dangerously towards the open pay station. Secondly, the member of staff who shouted at me quite genuinely caused the accident. Surely this is not the correct manner in which to behave on a forecourt?

I think rather than get insurance companies involved, it should be Asda that pay for the damage to both cars. Does anyone have any advice on how best to go about this?

Surely the other driver saw you were pulling to the left so should have stopped.

Jim_Jupiter

Reminds me of a quite serious accident I was involved in when I was a toddler - my dad was waved out of a junction by a car on the opposite junction only for another car to my dad's left plough right into us. Who's to blame? Well my dad of course!

It's your car, you were driving, you should have been aware of everything around you - although on the upside it actually sounds like the driver who was behind you is at fault.

societys_child

Now my issue here is that this incident was entirely the fault of the Asda staff

Are you for real? I really don't know which emotion to use . . .
:undecided :doh: :think: :silenced: :wall: :dance: :doh: :shhh: :rudolf:

DCFC79

Hope you get it sorted 1 way or another OP.

mttylad

Go into Asda and see if they do T-Cut. (Aisle 14).

Buy some, use it.

skivenov

Microfibres are cheaper in the household aisle than the car aisle.