Neighbours carer keeps tapping my car!

[Namechange880]

Hi all

So my neighbour over the road has a carer in every morning, the other Carers park outside my neighbours house but one particular carer parks outside my next door neighbours, there isn’t much room for them to park as my car is there and then my neighbour has a drive. Rather than park elsewhere this carer is squeezing up to my car, tapping it and then moving back slightly leaving about 5 cm gap between our cars!! I saw her do it the other day and she literally just stared at me and walked off! I’ve woke up this morning and she’s parked about 5cm away again so I assume she’s again tapped my car to know when she’s moved up enough. I can’t see any damage to my car but it’s not the point, it’s really starting to anger me!! What should I do?

the carer has a low paid stressful job looking after a vulnerable neighbour, what are the ways you could make her life easier i wonder?

So because someone has a low paid stressful job it's ok for them to go around tapping other people's cars when parking??
Ridiculous.
There's no excuse for doing this.

OP should go out and confront her and ask her to stop.

Just tell her that you have a motion sensor alarm in your car which sends an alarm to your phone if the car is touched and the alarm is waking you.
My car does this and it’s very sensitive (VERY sensitive!). It would definitely go off if another car touched it’s bumper..

Put your mobile phone In the window each morning recording video. If she hits, you have evidence. If she doesn’t, then you can delete it.

the carer has a low paid stressful job looking after a vulnerable neighbour, what are the ways you could make her life easier i wonder?

That's not an excuse to drive badly. If someone ran you over on the road, what are you going to do if they get out and tell you they are a carer? Apologise and pay for the damages to their car?

She's damaging someone else's car because she can't drive. That's not OK no matter what her job is.

@Namechange880

She looks like she is from the UK but I can’t be 100%. She could well think it’s normal, I can’t think of any other reason she would think it’s acceptable! ! It’s usually the front of my car she taps as that’s the way I park usually but I’m gonna start moving my car in the middle during weekdays until I can get a tow bar fitted or something and will try capture her doing it and confront her. So annoying!!

"She looks like she is from the UK..." WTF?!?!?!

Paap1975 - this was the OP's response to another poster asking if the carer is from this country. Apparently "bumping cars gently" is common in other countries, hence the other poster asking the OP is the carer was from the UK or not.

Why don't you just ask her to stop as she might inadvertently damage your (and her) car? If you miss her in the morning when she arrives, just knock on your neighbour's door and ask for a quick chat. You can be friendly about it. No need for CCTV and tow bars at this point, surely?

Wonder what the neighbour thinks of all this going on outside her house! I would guess it’s entertaining for her watching people fight over space in front of her home. Is there no room at the front of your own house?

Just put a note on her car to say "You keep parking less than 5cm away from my car -the other day you hit it and didn't even apologise (I watched you hit it) -please can you consider others when parking and leave enough space to get in the boot and pull out forwards. Your reg has been noted. CCTV is pointed towards the end of the drive and the the car and anyone hitting it is clearly visible. " then move CCTV to point at it or get a cheap car camera. £34 and job done. www.amazon.co.uk/Apexcam-170%C2%B0Wide-Angle-Dashboard-Recording-Detection-Black/dp/B07PVDVJ36/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&psc=1&keywords=car+camera+for+parking&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNUdURk5JN09ZRlE0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDc5NTY5MUNZS0NZMTBISFM3OSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTQ1ODUyNDFLQVpJRDVMSFlSJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1596096650&sr=8-1-spons

@Llioed, yes, we understand that, but @paap1975 is wondering how you can tell whether someone is from the UK just by looking.

This would drive me crackers!

As others have said - she could be causing unseen damage, especially as there will be repeated stress in the same place your bumper each time.

It's a shame that you have to go to the expense of a tower, though. I would just park so that she can't get in, and tell your neighbours that if they have family/friends visiting, you will be happy to move your car to accomodate them. Explain why you are changing you parking habits.

@Llioed

Paap1975 - this was the OP's response to another poster asking if the carer is from this country. Apparently "bumping cars gently" is common in other countries, hence the other poster asking the OP is the carer was from the UK or not.

My issue is not with that. I have lived in several countries where this is indeed the case.

What I have an issue with is how anyone can LOOK as if they are from the UK

I'd have gone out when you saw her bump into your car, it could cause hidden damage.
Definitely park so theres not space to squeeze another car in that space.

[quote OxenoftheSun]**@Llioed, yes, we understand that, but @paap1975 is wondering how you can tell whether someone is from the UK just by looking. [/quote]
Ah right, I misunderstood. I thought the "WTF??" response was maybe that poster thinking OP was being racist, when in fact she wasn't. It's hard to tell in text what people mean by their one worded responses 🤷‍♀️

She looks like she is from the UK..." WTF?!?!?!

Heh,you were searching the thread for something like that weren't you? now it can be derailed beautifully and start your day off quite nicely.

Seriously OP, just contact the company she works for to have a word or pop a note on her windscreen or through neighbours door saying she'll be billed for any damage.

Dash cam motion cameras are cheap enough though if you want the faff.

@stovetopespresso

the carer has a low paid stressful job looking after a vulnerable neighbour, what are the ways you could make her life easier i wonder?

Ah yes, keep allowing her to hit your car op. It will make her day so much easier.

@paap1975 of course people can look as though they're from the UK. There's nothing wrong with saying someone looks English. It isn't racist to recognise that different nationalities have different characteristics.

Why don't you move your car 10cm?

Speak to your next door neighbour and say you will be parking differently for a couple of weeks due to someone pranging your car whenever they park there. If they have visitors over just to let you know and you’ll move so they can park there. Or keep an eye out for the career and rush outside with your phone and video her parking each time. I know that’s not easy with young dc, but you only need to do it the once and hopefully she’ll stop.

Could you not mention it to the neighbour? Or after her shift, have a chat with her as she's getting into your car?

A slight tap won't do much damage, I'm sure the amount of people that swing their car doors onto other cars at supermarkets does more damage!

Not to the OP, but also what difference does it make if she is UK or foreign? Some people...no need to bring ethnic backgrounds into a chat about tapping cars, its not something that people in other countries do - I've seen it here myself loads of times by all sorts of people!

I can't believe so many people are agreeing that they would see this as a problem. It's gentle, there's no damage. So what exactly is the problem??

*There's nothing wrong with saying someone looks English. It isn't racist to recognise that different nationalities have different characteristics.

Boris Johnson, Priti Patel and David Lammy are all English. Do explain how we would know this by looking at them from a distance.

Livelovebehappy I am parked outside my own house thank you!! She’s parking outside both mine and my neighbours house but tapping my car to avoid blocking neighbours drive.

This thread has purposely been derailed as some people just love sitting with a magnifying glass, picking apart each and every word people write and twisting it to cause an argument/debate. Hiding behind a keyboard is very brave ya know!!

Thank you to the genuine posters with proper advice will take it all on board x

Attach a lid of squeaky toys to your bumper, maybe an air horn. Or just go out and say "excuse me, you've just bumped my car when parking, please don't do that". One of the two.

😳
Reading these comments and suggestions, MNetters are so aggressive and confrontational. What a negative way to live your life. A towbar for God’s sake?!

The only sensible idea was from @ToyKitchenSink to, you know, speak to her in a calm manner. If the carer doesn’t listen/argues/ignores then simply move your car back so she won’t have enough space to park there. If she is absolutely awful then consider letting her workplace know.

I’m sure most people giving these ridiculous ideas would only ever type them but not do them in person