Money Moral Dilemma: Should neighbour pay as her son smashed the window
Comments
-
All I would advise is to tread with extreme caution as yes, the neighbour's kid broke the window and she came round but unfortunately didn't offer to pay, as she should have done if she was half decent! But, if persuing this to the ends of the earth - and it may come to that, some people are tight as hell! - it could end up with her becoming the neighbour from hell and having lived with that situation myself, it makes your life hell and it just isn't worth the aggro, in my opinion, from my past!
So please be careful, for your peace of minds sake!
I'd love to say, knock her block off and make the !!!!! pay, as that's what I believe!!! but life isn't that simple always nowadays!!!!! lol0 -
Yes the neighbour should pay! It is her child who broke the window so she is responsible for their actions, if she is short of money she could make an arrangement to pay in installments with the OP. Yet another parent trying to evade responsibility for the actions of their child, sigh. Liability is simple in this case, unfortunately getting the cash is not. Given the small amount involved there is no way the OP can really pursue without incurring possible further costs which may not be refundable, the only thing I can suggest is a professional-looking typed letter threatening to take her to the Small Claims Court - the threat alone may be enough to make her pay up.2020 Wins:
0 -
kneelbeforezod wrote: »Well with a defeatist doormat attitude like that I'm not surprised you get walked over.
My father and I have both undertaken and won a number of small claims actions. Hell, I even got my bank charges back before the door was shut... If i'd sat there moaning how everyone gets away with it that wouldn't have happened.
Well done you! I know a lot of people that ahve never recieved a penny through small claims, Would you like to advise me on how you force someone to pay?? I can assure you I am not a defeatist!!!!!!! when the person who stole my car doesn't work & has no fixed address! obviously whoever owed you money was someone like me who wouldn't want the fact that I owe someone money hanging over my head!!0 -
Accident or not, the damage has to be paid for. I would contact the neighbour, initially in person, and suggest that if she cannot afford to pay all at once then she could pay in reasonable instalments. If she refuses, the damage should be reported to the Police. If she accepts, draw up an agreement which states payment amount and due dates etc., Both sign the agreement in the presence of an independent witness.
I assume the child responsible has pocket money? Could a deduction be made as a means of teaching the child to be more careful. How old is the child - could odd jobs be done to repay some of the debt?0 -
If they refuse to do so, you should definatley either have your insurer recover the money or pursue it in small claims. If they get away with it once it will be a sad lookout for all the other windows in your area...give them an inch...0
-
'no ball games ' signs should mean just that.i lived opposite one of those signs and had my windows broken more than 15 times.i rest my case.0
-
i think if this was me, i'd think very carefully about now likely the neighbour would be to visit retribution on me, then i'd tell them very apologetically that i couldn't afford the cost either, so unfortunately i was going to have to put it through my insurance company, and give the insurance company their details, for the company to pursue the claim. if the neighbour's son was older and had 'accidentally' crashed into the car with his car, the result would be the same.
this is sadly symptomatic of the current age, where people seem to think they shouldn't have to take responsibility for their actions, and their effects on others, and that the world owes them a favour. doesn't matter how the damage occured, it's still damage, and the neighbour is not doing her son any favours by teaching him that he can basically do what he likes without suffering the consequences.0 -
Now that she knows the cost to you is £50 she should pay you back. She can make her son aware of this payment and get him to contribute (back to his mother) by way of jobs around the house or through his pocket money. We all need to learn the value of politeness, money and responsibility0
-
If I were the person who had my window broken I would want an apology and some form of redress from the child who broke the window, plus some kind of acknowledgement from the child's mother that the child had caused damage which had to be paid for or compensated somehow. I would try being reasonable and friendly (but firm), and try to explain why I thought it was important that the child made some kind of restitution, to learn that damage has to be paid for. I would suggest £1 a week from the child's pocket money for 10 weeks + a few hours closely supervised labour (polishing the car windows?). I would not insist on the full £50 unless I was as badly off financially as the other family. If the mother did not agree, I would tell her that I was disappointed that she was missing a chance to put her child on the right path in life, and leave it at that (hoping not to start a vendetta).0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 343K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.6K Spending & Discounts
- 235.1K Work, Benefits & Business
- 607.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173K Life & Family
- 247.8K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards