HELP: Advice regarding criminal damage to car?

hueygeorge

Would you be able to come up wth that amount of cash in 3 days?! I know I wouldn't!

tom188

3 days is entirely unreasonable. You would not even be able to do a bank transfer in that time. 14 days minimal would seem fairer.

pieandapint_2

Entirely unreasonable is causing criminal damage in the first place, and anybody idiotic enough to do that drunk or otherwise in my opinion does not deserve to be treated fair. The exam period is almost over and he will then disappear.

What would you do given these circumstances? I'd like to know, since my approach is not being viewed favourably.

Also, yes I would be able to come up with that money in 3 days, the daily limit on a cash machine is £300!

The way I see it is that as soon as he goes home for the summer, he gets out of paying for the damage caused and then I have to foot the bill!

wifeforlife

I wouldnt have £300 sitting in my account any other day in the month than payday, it's unfair to assume someones financial situation.

If he doesnt honour his word can you not claim off your house insurance or car insurance as a last resort?

Cath

tom188

when i was a student, by this stage of the academic year i would have nowhere near £300 to my name. only after a few weeks of holiday work would i have that amount to hand.

pieandapint_2

cathy2702 wrote: »

I wouldnt have £300 sitting in my account any other day in the month than payday, it's unfair to assume someones financial situation.

If he doesnt honour his word can you not claim off your house insurance or car insurance as a last resort?

Cath

House insurance won't cover it and claiming on my car insurance will get rid of my no claims and cost me possibly in excess of £800 come renewal!

I don't mind if he pays at a later date or in installments, I just need something to guarantee he will pay. What would you recommend? Small claims court seems the only possible solution. He comes across as a bit of a yob and therefore I can imagine him trying to get out of paying up.

Is there any way of getting some form of a guarantee of him paying for the damage?

Cheers
Dave

hueygeorge

Do you have any idea how arrogant you sound? Just because YOU have £300sitting idle in your bank account it doesn't mean that the rest of us do. You do realise that you are posting on a site that helps people who are crippled with debt? Yes, its unfortunate and unfair that your car has been damaged but that's life - at least you can still drive it!!

3plus1

I'd just like to stick up for the OP, here!

I'm a student, and £280 is a lot of money for someone like me, but if I damaged someone else's property, I'd sure as hell find a way of scraping the cash together quickly! The OP is not the one in the wrong - in this case, the student is. Doesn't the student have an overdraft he can dip into, anyway?

hueygeorge

'And regarding the 3 days, I think that is more than fair! He shouldn't have damaged my property and caused me inconvenience in the first place. He's the person in the wrong, not me!'

Jackdoor - the above text is what pieandapint said. I said in my post that it was unfair etc that his car had been damaged, and yes, I do agree that the guy should pay for the damage. With regard to the above quote, I think pieandapint is being fairly arrogant - what if the guy simply does not have £300 or cannot raise that amount in 3 days? It was only after a few disgruntled postings that pieandapint stated that he would accept payments in installments - as you can see from his post he originally insisted that 3 days was 'more than fair'!!

So as for me taking the 'Great' out of Britain, I think you are wrong and maybe you should attitude check yourself?!!

Ding, ding, school's finished!!

jmc160

If you do plan on taking this to small claims, I would seriously consider being a bit more reasonable than giving him 3 days. I would try to get his details amicably and try to arrange something with him first, then I'd contact him in writing giving him 14 days. Then if still nothing, I'd write again giving another 14 days, stating the next step would be court action. This would show a judge that you'd been more than reasonable and you would be much more likely to win.

Doing it your way would just give him the chance to claim harrassment.