Any advice please

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  • Arklight
    Arklight Posts: 3,171 Forumite
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    worried123 wrote: »
    I wonder whether anybody can advise me please.

    Driving home last night down a main road just off my street i clipped a wing mirror of an obviously parked car. I was in the flow of traffic so couldnt stop or pull over and it sounded like a very minor clip (my car has been clipped many a time and you feel its part of life and no major damage done).

    This morning there was an envelope under my wing screen wiper. It had a registration number on the front of it and what i feel to be a very rude and threatening note inside. However, absolutely no name, telephone number or address. terrible writing that isnt even joined up and to my mind appalling manners. (had this person said these are my contact details and i would appreciate you contacting me to discuss this i would not have minded.

    The note reads, `I`ve looked at my CCTV and its your car what has struck mine and broken my wing mirror. I will give you just one opportunity to come and do the right thing or I will be forced to go the police`.....And thats it... no contact details and just a threatening letter.

    (in the grand scheme i cannot help but feel this persons car could have been parked badly and certainly he/she should have pushed their wing mirror in (mine was literally smashed off before i learned to remember to push it in like everyone else when i park outside my house). Certainly i have never clipped anybodies mirror before and driven down that road thousands of times and didnt clip any of the other parked cars....(if wing mirrors didnt get clipped nobody would push theirs in and everybody does).

    I am annoyed at this persons rudeness and the fact they have simply threatened me......also how did they know where i live.

    I rang my local neighbourhood police station today...only an answerphone but explained that i accidently clipped somebodies wing mirror and that i had received a threatening note left on my car but no contact details and could they please advise me.
    I have not heard back from them.

    (apologies - female....never had to deal with anything like this before...i am also concerned that if i do finally manage to track down this person they will rip me off concerning their wing mirror because they sound very hostile and rude anyway.....

    I dont know where to go from here.......any advice would be much appreciated. thank you.

    Are you friends with the guy who doesn’t think speed cameras should be allowed to flash you twice in the same morning?

    Go and find the car you damaged and leave your contact details under their wiper with an apology. The other car owner probably didn’t want to leave you theirs as the only thing they know about you is that you smashed their mirror and drove away.

    I’m sure if you explain that you’re female and hitting other cars and driving off is a part of life they’ll understand. But if not you may just want to buy them a new mirror.
  • Car_54
    Car_54 Posts: 8,213 Forumite
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    alan_d wrote: »
    I assume you must have been parked near (and therefore live very near) the car you hit?
    Otherwise they would have had little chance of finding you.

    I'd suggest (as you have no contact details) that you put a note on their car, apologising for the damage, and offer to cover the repair cost if they could get some quotes. Give your mobile number.


    I'd suggest you should give the detais which the law required you to give at the time of the collision, i.e. your name and address.
  • Alfrescodave
    Alfrescodave Posts: 990 Forumite
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    Interesting that they managed to find your car (at night) unless you live very near by and have an unusual vehicle.

    My theory is that the note was left by someone who witnessed you hit the car and not stop. They then followed you and left this note with no contactable details on it hoping that this will panic you into going back to the damaged car with your details.

    In no way am I suggesting that you do not own up and pay for your action (or lack of) but the events are puzzling.
  • fred246
    fred246 Posts: 3,620 Forumite
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    Years ago I had a lady driver go on my side of the road and hit my door mirror. The glass smashed as she hit me. She just carried on and I couldn't turn round quickly so she disappeared. The glass was £20 from the main dealer and very easy to fit. I was glad in the end that we hadn't exchanged details etc. If I had ended up telling my insurer it was a collision it would have resulted in increased premiums for five years.
  • Geodark
    Geodark Posts: 1,048 Forumite
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    I had some clip mine, it was a powered mirror and it broke the mechanism, about 12 years ago it cost me best part of £150 to get it fixed.
  • unholyangel
    unholyangel Posts: 16,863 Forumite
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    wgl2014 wrote: »
    Is this a wind up?

    There is nothing threatening or rude in that note.

    If the note said:

    "what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you pay for my wing mirror now, that'll be the end of it."

    That would be a threat.

    Other threats can be found here: https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/film/news/a6951/the-best-movie-threats-of-all-time/

    (For the avoidance of doubt, go and pay for the mirror or pass your insurance details over)

    Actually that may not be a threat. It usually has to be explicitly stated.

    Found that out when my friends abusive ex was calling her and telling her "this means murder" and all sorts of snash and the police said that because he hadn't specifically stated he was going to kill her, their hands were tied.
    fred246 wrote: »
    Years ago I had a lady driver go on my side of the road and hit my door mirror. The glass smashed as she hit me. She just carried on and I couldn't turn round quickly so she disappeared. The glass was £20 from the main dealer and very easy to fit. I was glad in the end that we hadn't exchanged details etc. If I had ended up telling my insurer it was a collision it would have resulted in increased premiums for five years.

    You probably should have told your insurers about it anyway - it will usually be a condition of your policy you need to tell them about any incidents whether they result in a claim or not and of course new policies usually ask if you have had any incidents (again, whether they resulted in a claim or not). Of course, probably little chance of your insurers finding out you've committed fraud unless the other driver were to report it.
    You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means - Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
  • fred246
    fred246 Posts: 3,620 Forumite
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    I had better not mention that my bumper hit some branches from a tree in my garden last night when I came home from work. I haven't told the insurer. My fraudulent activities continue. I should be listening for sirens. I will soon be taken away.
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,098 Forumite
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    Alfrescodave wrote: »
    Interesting that they managed to find your car (at night) unless you live very near by and have an unusual vehicle.

    My theory is that the note was left by someone who witnessed you hit the car and not stop. They then followed you and left this note with no contactable details on it hoping that this will panic you into going back to the damaged car with your details.

    In no way am I suggesting that you do not own up and pay for your action (or lack of) but the events are puzzling.

    The OP states clearly that it was on a main road 'just off my street', so not too difficult to find the car...
    If the OP commonly drives like this and then fails to stop, I'd imagine that her car is quite well known in the locality...
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • tiggerbodhi
    tiggerbodhi Posts: 410 Forumite
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    CardinalWolsey wrote: »
    1. You clipped their wing mirror, you need to rectify.
    2. They reviewed their CCTV footage? So they have domestic CCTV that covers the public highway, sufficiently to identify a vehicle clipping their own vehicle's wing mirror? That is hardly likely to be GDPR compliant...

    GDPR and CCTV doesn't cover domestic installations, they are recording images in a public place, no permission needed, no different to you videoing in a public place.

    Although it must be pretty good CCTV if it was able to get a registration number in the dark, more likely was able to identify make and model and find the one locally with a corresponding damaged mirror.

    They could be very upset as the quote to repair/replace the mirror housing and glass on my 5 Series BMW from a main dealer was just short of £900.
    every time I manage to get one more breath into this body, I will sing a song of thanks to you my brothers, my sisters, my friends, may your sleep be peaceful, and angels sing sweetly in your ears.
  • neilmcl
    neilmcl Posts: 19,460 Forumite
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    tiggerbodhi wrote: »
    GDPR and CCTV doesn't cover domestic installations, they are recording images in a public place, no permission needed, no different to you videoing in a public place.

    Although it must be pretty good CCTV if it was able to get a registration number in the dark, more likely was able to identify make and model and find the one locally with a corresponding damaged mirror.

    They could be very upset as the quote to repair/replace the mirror housing and glass on my 5 Series BMW from a main dealer was just short of £900.
    Wrong. Although data protection rules don't apply to CCTV on a household premises it can apply if cameras are monitoring a public space, ie, the road outside your house.
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