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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU To have expected this stranger to have acted differently and WWYD?

87 replies

Birthhippy9 · 12/04/2012 21:14

Myself husband, toddler and baby were sitting in the car park of a big shop this afternoon with engine off discussing where to drive next when "Thud" a car who was aiming to park in the space to my right went into the back of us bumping our car forward, a few scratches and two gouges to the right side of the bumper under the lights some of his paint on there and he has similar to his left side of his front bumper. I was a bit shaken as I had the children with me and the bump really took me by surprise.
He drove through and I could see he was thinking about driving away then stopped and got out.
I said "could I get your phone number?" and went to see what the damage was, it was quite a shunt so I was surprised at how little was resulting.
His response was to swear at me and say "Your car's not worth f*ing anything anyway" (My car is only worth £2-3k) and I respond "I've not had this before what do we do? Do we need to call insurance companies?" He swore a bit more and said "You shouldn't get me to pay my excess for something you could use a but of T-cut on" I asked what that was and he told me I could get it from Halfords for a couple of pound. He gave me his name and mobile number after my husband got out of the car.
FWIW I spent an hour in Halfords and they said I'd need to spend £36 on materials for the scratches which would take the best part of a day to sort but I'd need to get the gouges done by a body work person and they thought it would cost £200 from a garage if I dealt with the scratches separately. I texted that to him and received no reply. Are my premiums going to go up do you think as I'd have to answer "yes" to "have you been in any accidents in the last 5 years" question?

AIBU to have expected him to act differently and WWYD in this situation?

OP posts:
Lindax · 12/04/2012 21:55

try running you details through for a quote online to see how much it will go up by. mine went up by £40 when someone bumped me.

I;d be tempted to put through insurance just to get him back for his awful behaviour.

upahill · 12/04/2012 21:55

One thing I have done when people have hit me (Twice in 5 years - it's not an everyday occurance!!!) is when they give you their mobile number I tap it straight into my phone and ring it to make sure. i just say 'Oh I hope I have put this in right!! Just to check they are not giving a false one.
2nd I use my phone to take a picture of not only the damage but the surroundings to put the crash into context.

Kitchendiva80 · 12/04/2012 22:00

In all likelihood your insurance premiums will go up. You do have a duty to be honest with your insurer/future insurers. Basis of insurance is utmost good faith. If you were to say you had not had any accidents in last 5 years and they were to establish that you had them they would be within their rights to void your policy. Depending on the insurer it may not come to that but they could view it as if she lied about this what else is not true. You should be able to report incident as notification only if you don't intend to claim but it's up to your/the insurer if this will affect your premium. If you do intend to claim then you need to contact your insurers ASAP and give them all the evidence you can. If there is CCTV footage see if it caught incident - unfortunately cameras in supermarket car parks have very narrow ranges. Also ask if supermarket will release to insurer as some companies have a policy of only giving to police. Then it will depend on constabulary if they would release to insurer. If going through insurance for repairs they should try and get back the costs they incur from the other party/their insurance. If they deny it the onus is on the claimant to prove the other party's guilt. If unable to do this then they will not be able to get the money back. Sorry for long reply.

penguin73 · 12/04/2012 22:01

Another option (which is legal) is for him to pay for the damage without involving the insurance companies. Get a quote and contact him with it and offer him the choice - his insurance will go up more than yours so he might prefer to deal with things that way. However you can't get the insurance company involved once you go down this route if he subsequently refuses to pay up so get the money from him before you pay anything out.

Kayano · 12/04/2012 22:02

I hit another driver when pregnant

Totally my fault Sad

I got out of car to apologise and give details when my BIL passenger grabbed me, shouted in my face to never admit
Liability and then started swearing at the man!!!!

I tried to make him stop and I was totally mortified. I was 6months pregnant and was upset I had hit him anyway but absolutely deco stated by BIL and his rage and total awfulness I burst into tears and started sobbing!

I managed to write down my details and got the mans but couldn't even speak! BIL had to drive my car home as I was actually hysterical.

I have hated him ever since. DH knows it. The other driver knows it

I did accept full responsibility for the accident and we sent an email to the man (who actually sent a nice One back)

I have never ever given BIL a lift anywhere else and never ever will again.

BlueyDragon · 12/04/2012 22:05

I suggest you ring the shop first thing and get them to preserve the CCTV tapes, if there are any. Some shops don't keep their CCTV records very long and overwrite them, so the quicker you speak to them the better.

If all else fails you can try the Motor Insurers' Bureau system to get the repairs done, although I don't know if they cover this situation.

Original poster
Birthhippy9 · 12/04/2012 22:10

Lindax good idea. I just checked comparable insurance quotes and it's going to put my premium up £15 per year :(

I just called the shop to leave a message a night shift guy answered and said the cameras dont extend that far :(

OP posts:
igggi · 12/04/2012 22:12

When I had a an accident that was entirely the other driver's fault my premiums did not go up. The forms usually give you space to say what the result was, not just the fact you had an accident. Last time someone hit me he admitted liability at the scene (ie he said "I'm sorry, that was my fault I pulled in too fast") and the insurance company said that was irrelevant, doesn't count for anything (he subsequently said it was my fault - ended with 50/50 blame and an increase in my premium!)

Choctottie · 12/04/2012 22:15

A similar thing happened to me recently, my car engine off on a car park, was hit by another car reversing out of the adjacent space. Called it in to my insurance company who promptly insisted they replace the car seat my two year old was sat in as it had now been in an accident and shouldn't be used. Shopped around when renewing insurance and got a cheaper quote than last years before accident happened. Easy to say take photos, get statements etc but in the shock of it all I completely forgot, although it was witnessed and I went back for statements the next day.
I am also currently fighting another case where idiot turned from side road and drove into my car, stationery in a queue of traffic on the main road. I got his reg but he drove off. Insurance company chasing it, driver admits he was at the scene but didn't cause any damage ! My word against his now, looks like I will have to pay for repair - insurance company can't make him pay. Should have made a fuss at the scene and got statements and pictures - because previous accident was dealt with so well I presumed this would be too - wrong. These are my only 2 accidents in 25years of driving but now I feel jinxed !

Original poster
Birthhippy9 · 12/04/2012 22:17

Is there a chance that he could try to blame me for this damage? With the type of damage, where it is surely I'm not at risk of this guy trying to put blame on me?

OP posts:
Kayano · 12/04/2012 22:18

He
Could
Try it but how can he blame a
Stationary car in a parking space. He would come across as idiotic

ImperialBlether · 12/04/2012 22:21

Your car was stationary. His was moving. He was to blame. He may try to blame you but he won't get anywhere. Please don't worry about it. You're getting in a state but really, this happens every day. You have right on your side and they will realise that.

Original poster
Birthhippy9 · 12/04/2012 22:25

New car seats! Would my insurers reasonably expect me to pay for two new car seats and want to inspect the receipts/look at them in place? I just cant afford that :(

This guy hasn't responded at all.

I'm going to have to tell my insurance now aren't I? I understand they'll put next years premium up, but will this years stay the same? Will they insist I pay to repair the paint and bodywork to bumper and new car seats? This is a nightmare :(

OP posts:
Original poster
Birthhippy9 · 12/04/2012 22:26

Sorry I think I was intimidated, can't afford any surprises like this and I've not had a car accident before.

OP posts:
catsareevil · 12/04/2012 22:31

What sort of insurance do you have? is it fully comp or third party?

rhondajean · 12/04/2012 22:32

Take a deep breath.

If he refused to give you his details or gave you false details he has committed a criminal Offense, you go to the police and they will help more than your insurance. If you are talking a couple of hundred pounds then you should pursue it through your insurance and get the car sorted properly. You also need to get a repair shop to do a assessment as theirs may be underlying damage you cannot see and halfords aren't qualified to assess that. Worst case scenario is your car fails a future mot because of it. Don't risk it.

Your insurance will not go up all tht much, honest. But deal with it properly.

Original poster
Birthhippy9 · 12/04/2012 22:33

It's fully comp, weirdly it was less expensive than 3rd party which I thought was great at the time.

OP posts:
rhondajean · 12/04/2012 22:33

Oh and do t put it through your insurance, they will want you to pay your excess the they claim it back it's clear he is at fault so insist between the police and your insurance company that he admit liability and you won't have to pay anything out in advance.

Sausagedog27 · 12/04/2012 22:35

They won't put this years up and usually you just pay the excess and they pay for all the repairs. If its a no fault Liam you will get your excess back. Try not to worry.

Sausagedog27 · 12/04/2012 22:35

Claim, not Liam!

igggi · 12/04/2012 22:36

Right your insurance company will pay for all repairs at a garage of their choosing. You can get new car seats and they will pay for those. What they then do is try to claim the money from someone else (ie person who hit you's insurer). If they win, they're happy. If they lose, they still cover your costs except for excess and, as you think, will prob put premium up as you've made a claim. It will be ok Smile

rhondajean · 12/04/2012 22:38

You can use whatever garage you choose.

You can also say you don't want repair done until the other party admits liability, thus no paying excess out. Similar thing happened to DH in the last couple of months, it took police involvement to get it sorted but sorted it was.

And not a penny out our pockets, and his insurance renewal quote is down o last year.

CommanderShepard · 12/04/2012 22:44

Deep breath, cup of tea/something restorative and another deep breath.

You need to ring your insurers who will be able to tell you what to do. It's up to you whether or not you want to claim on his insurance (are you fully comp?) but they will be able to advise you about what to do next.

Given he hit your car with enough force to shunt it I really would urge you to at least get the carseats looked at - if they need replacing you can claim on his insurance (assuming again you're fully comp)

Original poster
Birthhippy9 · 12/04/2012 22:45

I think you're right I need to make sure the bumper isn't about to crack or something else that I haven't seen has happened for safety's sake.

When contacting my insurers I will need to do what Rhondajean has said as I just can't afford to pay the excess (nor should I morally need to..I've done no wrong!)

OP posts:
Babylon1 · 12/04/2012 22:47

He hit you right? You were stationery?

If you google the reg number you may be able to find out who he is insured with and report it yourself, thus cutting off any contact with him. It was not your fault and IME it shouldn't affect you premiums as your insurer won't have to pay out, it will be his premiums that go up - IF he had insurance that is.

Good luck x

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