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Original poster

Daughter accidentally scratch car on street!

130 replies

SmellyNelliey · 03/09/2023 22:15

Hi all today my DD 7 accidentally scratch a car on the street while riding her bike.
Shes only been aloud to play out this week and now that privilege has been take.)

I've spoken to the Dad of the car owner. i've apologised for what my dd has done and they can get a quote for the damage as will I I'm willing to pay the cost.
He's now demanding 500 pound says his mate will get a new bumper and we will call it a day.
I'd also like to get my own quote but he doesn't want this.
The thing is this scratch is a very small light scratch on the bumper.
Am I being unreasonable to say we will go through insurance and pay what ever the quote rather then his friend? There is no way this car needs a new bumper.
I've spoken to online police chat who said they won't be getting involved and with being an accident and a child of 7 that we should come to some sort of agreement.( they have threatened to ring the police)

(DP is saying he's not paying nothing from a "friends" quote and we should go through correct channels if they want the scratch sorted but this is a whole other thread!)

Daughter accidentally scratch car on street!
OP posts:
Monkey987 · 03/09/2023 22:49

I had similar but I reversed slowly into a car. They claimed it was crazy expensive as well. In the end I gave them £100 just to get the stress to go away.
No way is this £500. Your daughter wasn't in a car so it doesn't affect your car insurance and would be hard to prove.
Is there cctv?

Frabbits · 03/09/2023 22:51

That looks like it would t-cut out. Tell him to jog on and give him nothing.

NisekoWhistler · 03/09/2023 22:51

Good god they are royally taking the mick. Please do not give in to this chancer, no way. It's a T cut job, not a £500 job at all.

I really hope that your daughter isn't aware of what is going on in the background!

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 03/09/2023 22:52

You have done the decent thing and he is using it as an opportunity to get a new bumper.

No, he is using it as an opportunity to get a bottle of T-Cut and pocket nearly £500 for himself. He can't be that car-proud if that tiny scratch is bothering him, but he's happy to leave the bad chips as they are.

WomanHereHear · 03/09/2023 22:52

Yeah there’s a reason he’s hiding the cctv footage.

ny20005 · 03/09/2023 22:52

Check your house insurance, you might well be covered for this.

We were when it happened to my ds. Cheeky neighbour only wanted car to go to a dealership & took 1/2 car rental for the scratch to be repaired. Claim ended up over £800 in total Angry

WomanHereHear · 03/09/2023 22:52

@FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper exactly!

Userno01 · 03/09/2023 22:53

Surely that can be covered with some T cut. Costs less than a tenner !

Ontheperiphery79 · 03/09/2023 22:54

Why are you punishing your 7 year old child for losing her balance?!
Jesus...

Monkey987 · 03/09/2023 22:54

Userno01 · 03/09/2023 22:53

Surely that can be covered with some T cut. Costs less than a tenner !

This.
Offer to get your own friend to give him a quote!

Original poster
SmellyNelliey · 03/09/2023 23:01

I've got a bottle of T-cut in the shed 🤣
All jokes a side ill message him tomorrow (he's taken all my details & gave me his phone number although we live on the same street) and I'll explain I'll get the 3 quotes from reliable companies and pay the company directly to sort the scratch out.
If that's not good enough I'll suggest the insurance.

OP posts:
Northernsouloldies · 03/09/2023 23:05

The car wash did more damage than your little girls bike. New bumper don't think so. Bottle of Tcut n cloth. What a fucking chancery.

Hating11 · 03/09/2023 23:07

Tell him to fuck off.

Ladyj84 · 03/09/2023 23:12

My brother owns a garage and he's just said that would be the max £100 unless your a piss taker. It's so light apparently it will rub out. He says they've dealt with serious bumper paint work jobs from accidents and even then insurance hasn't asked them to change a whole bumper. Don't ban your little girl totally different when it's a accident bless her

PlipPlopChoo · 03/09/2023 23:12

What car is it? That is a £100 job on most cars unless it is something really expensive.

If he keeps taking the piss tell him to forget it.

Justaboutawake · 03/09/2023 23:14

This happened to me- neighbours child (probably around 7 or 8) was riding her bike and fell. On her way down the handle managed to scratch the entire passenger side of my brand new car. I bought one of those filler pens from Amazon and coloured the scratch in. All it cost me was £10 and it cost the kids mum a bunch of flowers and a grateful hug.
To quote Judge Judy, “Accidents happens, that’s why they’re called accidents and not on purposes”

Monkey987 · 03/09/2023 23:17

Make sure you get him to sign a piece of paper to say this is the end and final payment if you give him any money.

QWE96 · 03/09/2023 23:24

Ontheperiphery79 · 03/09/2023 22:54

Why are you punishing your 7 year old child for losing her balance?!
Jesus...

I was thinking the same!

Original poster
SmellyNelliey · 03/09/2023 23:26

It's a ford fiesta.
Unfortunately DD knows what's going on as he shouted at her infront of DP 😕 I've told DD she's not in trouble and that accidents happen.

I just don't want any kind of trouble I'm home alone with the children alot and the last thing I need is trouble at my door.

OP posts:
OnTheBoardwalk · 03/09/2023 23:27

To be fair you can’t be telling him to go out of his way to get 3 estimates, that’s a lot of hassle on his part

tell him to report it to his insurance company and give you the claim number and if you’ve got legal insurance on your motor or home insurance give them a ring tomorrow. Don’t interact with him direct

Serendipitoushedgehog · 03/09/2023 23:31

Call his bluff and let him call the police. £500 indeed.

GrimGrinningGhosts · 03/09/2023 23:31

That’s incredibly similar to a scratch I put on my bumper a few weeks ago by accidentally catching it with the charger. I was gutted, brand new car, but before I went to chips away etc I bought a tube of T Cut Green polish and the scratch disappeared instantly.
DH, who was very much in the ‘that won’t work’ camp, was so impressed he bought a tube of red and did his car. They sell it in the range, it’s about £8. Matey boy here is a chancer.

ReginaRegina · 03/09/2023 23:37

£500 sounds like a lot tbh, but it's also sometimes the case that they can't just touch up the damaged area and need to spray the whole panel to blend it.

My friend had a kid open a car door onto her GTI and said not to worry as thought it'd be a £100 touch up. All the quotes were around £600 because despite the damaged area only being the size of a 50p coin she was told by several body shops that her type of paint would show the touch up and wouldn't blend. Would need to respray the whole side of car.

It was cheaper in the end for her to get a second hand door from a breaker.

strawberryandcreams · 03/09/2023 23:39

GrazingSheep · 03/09/2023 22:20

Hi all today my DD 7 accidentally scratch a car on the street while riding her bike.
Shes only been aloud to play out this week and now that privilege has been take.)

Were you supervising her?

Yes and she watched it happen. Does that make a difference ffs. Go away.

ReginaRegina · 03/09/2023 23:41

T Cut is defo worth a try though. It'll only work if the scratch is in the clear coat though and shallow enough not to catch a fingernail when running nail over it.