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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want to just pay this

176 replies

Tututuna · 30/01/2019 10:04

We have had the police at the door saying a month ago DH hit a parked car and the person has a couple of witnesses.

Their car is very damaged and they are asking for the money to repair it but do not want to take it to court.

The thing is, DH swears blind he hasn't hit anything nor is there a mark on our car. Whilst the accident did happen near where we live, DH was away with work from around 8am through to the evening.

Annoyingly he hasn't asked who the witnesses were or what time they said it happened so I need to find that out but AIBU to think that firstly, if someone's car is damaged enough to need hundreds of pounds worth of repairs, DH would be aware he'd hit it and two there would be evidence on our car of an accident?

I know most people say this but I genuinely believe him that he isn't aware of any accident.

OP posts:
tillytrotter1 · 30/01/2019 11:48

I don't think that the police would be involved in getting the money, it has scam written all over it. Let your insurance know, including the visit from the 'police'.

notangelinajolie · 30/01/2019 11:51

Something does not sound right here.
It sound like a scam to me.
Police don't go knocking on doors chasing up money for car accidents. I would contact the police first and verify that it was actually them that knocked on your door before doing anything.

Don't contact the insurance company until you have spoken to the police - there is nothing for them to investigate at this stage.
The insurance company will mark their records to say that your DH was involved in an accident regardless if he was involved in one or not, it won't matter to them is the accident is fraudulent or not his premium will shoot up and he will have to declare a non fault claim on future insurance quotes.

Ihavealwaysknown · 30/01/2019 11:53

I had a similar incident but was contacted by my insurance. An accident had happened in my university city whilst I (and my car) were 100miles away at home.

It went on for weeks until I asked my insurance company to get a description of the car and the person driving. A man in a canary yellow car.... I’m a woman and the insured car was red!!! Why the insurance hadn’t checked this is beyond me!

DeadBod · 30/01/2019 11:55

The police would deal with this. When 2 cars are involved in an rtc (non injury) then they exchange details to comply with the law and report to their respective insurance companies.
The police have become involved as one party has failed to stop and leave their details at the scene.
I doubt the officer demanded money, he may have explained what the other party was wanting. The time delay can be explained by the police being busy. He may have headed back to the station and reported to the damaged vehicle owner that your DH is denying responsibility and advising that the insurance company should take it from there as it's one word against another.

shallichangemyname · 30/01/2019 12:00

This is a screenshot from another thread which may help

To not want to just pay this
Original poster
Tututuna · 30/01/2019 12:01

He doesn't have an iPhone! Sad

OP posts:
Orchidflower1 · 30/01/2019 12:08

Does he have a smart phone that may do similar things with his location op?

ShowMeTheKittens · 30/01/2019 12:10

Making a false allegation and false insurance claim - criminal offences.

BettysHotpot1 · 30/01/2019 12:26

Hi Op, my husband had a similar experience. Got a call from the police to say a third party alleged my husband's van hit their parked car as he reversed out from the space next to it. Husband asked where/when/how they knew it was him, as he was 100% sure he didn't hit anything.

Third party said there was damage to rear panel and green paint. They'd checked CCTV and my husband's vehicle was observed parked next to them. They gave the reg. no. to the police, who checked the system and confirmed he had a green van, so it must have been him. Except - my husbands van was blue and always had been. There was an error on the original log book which had never been corrected.

What they also didn't know was my husband worked for a company who could check the car park CCTV themselves. It clearly shows him leaving the parking space and no contact at all between the vehicles.

Just because they said it was him, doesn't mean it was him!

Notwiththeseknees · 30/01/2019 12:29

I wouldn't contact my insurance company just yet. You are not accepting liability, you say you haven't hit the other car and there is no evidence that you have.

Perhaps they saw a similar car cause the damage, drove around looking, spotted yours & took the registration down - either as a genuine mistake or not.

Once you involve swapping details, it is harder to insist you haven't done it, otherwise why would you inform/swap?

As the police have access to the MI Database, if it was necessary, they could have given the details.

Get YOUR evidence together, before anything else.

  • You/your = he/him/his
Original poster
Tututuna · 30/01/2019 12:50

Yes, I am slightly concerned about setting something off if I contact the insurance company.

They have made absolutely no contact with us whatsoever so it seems unlikely that this person has informed their insurers.

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 30/01/2019 12:52

Absolutely do not contact the insurance company. As far as you are concerned there has been no accident so why should you? And as I said it took me months to clear my insurance record in similar circs.

Drum2018 · 30/01/2019 12:58

Why would you contact the insurance company? Your Dh hasn't been involved in an accident. Contact the police asap and verify if they did in fact call to your house.

DesdemonaDryEyes · 30/01/2019 13:00

I agree, don't contact your insurance company.

wombat1a · 30/01/2019 13:06

Do not contact your insurance company, just the act of saying he might have been involved in something is enough to get your premiums increased. The other part since they have your DHs number plate can tell their own insurance company and that company can then contact your DHs, who will ask him if he was involved in an incident. He can say as far as he knows no, they will then ask to inspect his car to double check. Job Done,

SerenDippitty · 30/01/2019 13:07

I can't believe it was really the police either. They would only get involved if it was criminal/malicious damage surely, not an accident?

Orchidflower1 · 30/01/2019 13:16

You can contact the police yourself op as they called to your house. That way you can see if it’s genuine or not.?

Redglitter · 30/01/2019 13:22

He doesn't have an iPhone

That feature isnt unique to iphones. Androids have it too

CurtainsOpen · 30/01/2019 13:22

Sounds like total bollocks

Original poster
Tututuna · 30/01/2019 13:36

Spoken to him, they were in uniform but no reference number was given.

Would they give it us even though we were not the ones to raise the complaint?

OP posts:
Redglitter · 30/01/2019 13:45

Yes they should do. They may not give you any info since it was your husband that theyre dealing with but if he calls 101 they can ascertain who the officers were and ask them to get back in touch with him. He can be ready with all his questions then

If hes sure he wasnt involved get his diary and phone locations checked before they contact him

Seniorschoolmum · 30/01/2019 13:46

Op, if your dp was genuinely elsewhere, just tell them no.
If it came to court, mobile phone tracking would prove his location, plus sworn statements from those he was visiting. Plus a lack of damage to your car.
I doubt it was the police but at the very least, you need the business card and email address of the police officer concerned to pass onto your insurance company.
Sounds like a scam to me.

Redglitter · 30/01/2019 13:50

Its unlikely its a scam if thsy were 2 uniformed officers. Its more likely the OPs husband hasnt taken in everything they said. U understandable getting an unexpected visit from the police.

MojitoMonkey · 30/01/2019 14:09

We received this letter from the Met Police's Collision and Prosecution Investigation team when our hit and run was being looked into. Not much damage to our car so I was surprised they got involved at all. Was only concluded 4 months later when I got the go ahead from the insurance company to get the car repaired with no excess as a no-fault claim, losses paid by third party insurers.

To not want to just pay this
LadyinLavende · 30/01/2019 14:10

There's a lot of this kind of "you hit my parked car and I want you to pay for the damage" scamming around..... a young lad I know had just got his first car and it came with a scratch on it. He bought it from someone local to his parents' home and drove it to Uni 250 miles away. After about a month some chancer left a note under his windscreen wiper claiming he'd damaged their BMW and the scratch was proof thereof and they had CCTV and he needed to pay up. He was horrified and panic stricken as he was certain that he really hadn't hit anything (and a claim would do horrible things to his insurance). But he demanded to inspect the "damaged" vehicle and when he did so it was obvious that their damage did not line up with the scratch on his car at all!
If you are certain that you have done nothing wrong then you need to challenge the so-called victim.... and it sounds as if you have plenty of evidence to do so and they have very little, if any!
I agree that calling the police and enquiring about a crime number is the logical next step.