I've been shafted: any ideas on what to do?

supremo_2

My house was broken into recently. My car keys were taken and my car was stolen. A week or two later my car was found a mile from my house. The police called a recovery company who removed it and held it for a week whilst the police scenes of crime waited to turn up.

I got my car back today, it cost me £480.

I didn't ask for it to be recovered by a recovery company. I could have nipped round with my spare set of keys and picked it up if I'd been informed it was there before the recovery company were. Do I have any right to complain about that?

The main gripe I have however is the fact that when I picked my car up today there was not a lick of petrol in it, and I mean absolutely bone dry! This is despite the fact there was half a tank in it when it was stolen. Now obviously most people would think that the thiefs ran my car dry- but it was only parked 1 mile from my house and the mileage hasn't changed. The thiefs left my 46 inch tv, presumably because it was too large to carry, so I find it highly implausible that they would go to the bother of carrying drums of petrol, nor do I believe someone who had just burgled a house would act so silly as to start siphoning out petrol from a car in the middle of the night in a a resedential area from a stolen car.

I believe that he recovery company have siphoned the petrol out my car as they know that it was stolen and I can't prove it. I am more angry at this than I am about my car/house as it is motivated by utter greed, abuse of position and it's kicking someone who is already down.

What do you think is the best course of action to take, bearing in mind that I can't prove what happened?

DevCoder

If you can't prove it then move on with your life.

Building_Surveyor

In terms of financial losses due to the theft would this not come under the insurance?

If you can't prove it, it might be a non starter. The theives may not have taken the fuel, nor the recovery company, it could have been anyone.

I feel for you OP, but It could have been worse, the car might not have been recoverd, or could have been written off by some joy rider. I know thats no consolation but with little proof, little you can do.

goonarmy

You have absolutely no idea where the fuel went. None at all.

forgotmyname

They may have left it running and nobody noticed.

Or they nicked the fuel to put into their car which was parked ready and waiting.

Not complaining about the £480 to get the car back but upset about the £50 or so worth of fuel?

Found a week or 2 later with only 1 mile added? Are you sure?

AdrianC

supremo wrote: »

What do you think is the best course of action to take, bearing in mind that I can't prove what happened?

Send the recovery invoice to your insurer.

Forget the fuel.

BeenThroughItAll

OK, so it was found a mile from your house; but how many additional miles were on the odometer?

What, you don't know?

Chalk it up to bad luck and move on.

fivetide

forgotmyname wrote: »

Found a week or 2 later with only 1 mile added? Are you sure?

Depends on the car. Sometimes parked up to see if it has a tracker or been stolen for a possible job.

And for beenthroughitall (but not the first post it seems)

OP wrote:

but it was only parked 1 mile from my house and the mileage hasn't changed.

MX5huggy

Get in touch with your Police and Crime Commissioner you elected them so use them.

BeenThroughItAll

fivetide wrote: »

And for beenthroughitall (but not the first post it seems)

Actually, I had. If it was found a mile away, clearly the mileage would have changed, by at least a mile.

I read 'the mileage hasn't changed' as being post the car being found, not pre.

maninthestreet

So what happened to the keys??