Airport car park damaged car

MrWillyWonka

Hello,

My partner wrote off our car last month and the insurance claim was as a at fault claim. We looked for an identical car and the only suitable one we could find was near Nottingham but this wasn't a problem as we needed to be at Luton airport for a holiday (we live on the South Coast), not too much of a drive. We ended up driving up in a spare car, buying a new car and driving both cars to Luton airport to park.

We took photos of the car just before arriving at the airport parking, parked and went on holiday. Came back a week later at midnight and picked up the car - this was parked at the far end of the car park in pitch black darkness with no lighting and I drove home.

The next morning my partner noticed the front bumper was damaged, certain we didn't buy it like that I checked the photos and indeed, it was not like that when we dropped off the car. The damage was a large scrape on the corner of the front bumper and the bumper pushed inwards. If I was to cause that damage on the way home, I would have felt it!

I sent an email to the car park company, as suspected they denied all allegations of damage under their care. All claims had to be reported before leaving site. Normally I would however in such darkness it was be very difficult to examine the car. If I had moved my car to the well lit area to inspect the car, I would have blocked the exit lane. The company website states they have an award winning CCTV system. I have asked the company to check CCTV footage three times but they have avoided answering my question each time.

Is there anything I can do? I have legal cover on my insurance but I am unsure on whether I would have to pay an excess? I don't want to have to phone up our insurers and not proceed with a claim if this may affect our premiums again (after a claim a month ago).

I only drove the car for about 45 minutes so it's rather annoying to have the car damaged so soon afterwards!

Thanks for advice.

Quentin

If you make a claim for this from your own policy you will have to pay your excess, and your ncd will be impacted unless any liable third party can be traced and your insurer can get recompensed in full.

(Your legal cover won't be able to pursue a claim on your behalf against a (so fa)r unidentified third party - their role would be to try and recover your excess were you to put on a claim, and can identify the culprit)

shaun_from_Africa

I have asked the company to check CCTV footage three times but they have avoided answering my question each time.

Send them another letter (recorded delivery) and have it laid out something similar to this.

To the Data Controller
Name of company
Data Protection Act1998 Subject Access; CCTV Captured images.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I wish to make a request under the Data Protection act1998 ,to be given a copy of video/fixed photographic stills and images recorded by your facility in....................... ......which have images of myself.
on the ............(Date)at approximately .........am/pm
This is my right under section 7 of the act,principles 1/6/7.
Please forward me a copy of your request form,which shows your process to obtain this,in compliance of the act.

It is a legal requirement that any company that stores CCTV images of the public must make these available when requested.
Thay are allowed to make a charge of up to £10 for this and can take up to 40 days to provide the information.

vaio

Did they park the car or did you park it?

If they parked it then you'll need the CCTV of you arriving (undamaged) and departing (damaged) as well as any intervening time.

If you parked it then you'll be looking for video of it whilst it was parked to try an identify the car that did the damage

MrWillyWonka

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Send them another letter (recorded delivery) and have it laid out something similar to this.




It is a legal requirement that any company that stores CCTV images of the public must make these available when requested.
Thay are allowed to make a charge of up to £10 for this and can take up to 40 days to provide the information.

Just what I needed to know. I will try and do this. However the car park is technically on private land, do you know if the legal requirement also covers this (although it is the general public that would be attending the car park).

Vaio, They parked the car.