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AIBU?

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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:
lto2019 · 04/09/2023 15:23

Nightsku · 04/09/2023 15:12

No but you can do the leg work yourself.

Show quote history

I was more than happy to - but I was giving them the choice of garages rather than just the cheapest I could find.

Nopenopenopenopenopenope · 04/09/2023 15:25

God I wouldn't even bat an eye at that scratch. T cut and elbow grease!

Original poster
SmellyNelliey · 04/09/2023 15:38

Just for a bit of information the car is 11 years old not that's it matters but it isn't a new car.

OP posts:
WhatALotOfAFussAboutNothing · 04/09/2023 15:41

Bit of T-cut from Halfords and jobs a goodun!

Fluffypuppy1 · 04/09/2023 15:48

Hugely irrelevant that the car is 11 years old. It’s someone else’s property, and your DD has damaged it. You need to pay to get it repaired.

AdobeWanKenobi · 04/09/2023 15:55

Fluffypuppy1 · 04/09/2023 15:48

Hugely irrelevant that the car is 11 years old. It’s someone else’s property, and your DD has damaged it. You need to pay to get it repaired.

Hugely relevant to the thread given a previous poster was suggested it was 5 years old.
I don't see a single post where the OP hasn't acknowledged she needs to pay for the repair, what she is doing, and rightly so, is getting quoted for that repair.
Unless you're genuinely saying you'd take his word for it and hand over £500 😂

kitsuneghost · 04/09/2023 16:01

This is why you shouldn't have said anything
You try to do good and people take the piss

Just say - no, sorry, I thought it would be cheaper, I can't afford that, you will need to go through your insurance

GingerIsBest · 04/09/2023 16:05

He's a complete piss taker and is trying to use you to sort the damage done previously. Your approach is much better - get some quotes and pay the company directly. But it's also good you're getting the quotes - I had a man drive into my door and he wanted me to drive around finding multiple quotes and he would then pick one. I told him he could get it done by my garage or he could go through insurance - he went through insurance! Grin.

If your guy refuses to accept your offer, put it in writing and confirm that he is choosing not to accept it. If he wants to then try taking it further just produce the proof that you have offered to fix it, got quotes etc, and ignore ignore figure.

MyrrAgain · 04/09/2023 16:19

OnAir · 04/09/2023 13:50

Why should he claim on his insurance which will put it up and cost him more in the future for something that wasn't his fault. Child shouldn't be riding near parked cars anyway as it's a hazard in itself. Take your kids to the park or somewhere safe for them to ride at that age.

Show quote history

Why?? Because this is what you need to do when accidents happen. No it's not your fault, that's why it's an accident and part of life admin. if you don’t want to deal with this kind of stuff, then don’t own a car or anything, or take out insurance etc.

Original poster
SmellyNelliey · 04/09/2023 16:23

The thing is,if she's not actually insured to park it on the street and is insured to park on there drive will this mean her insurance is void? I did try asking about insurance yesterday and he said it was nothing to do with me.

OP posts:
Scaryghost · 04/09/2023 16:23

When ds was about 10 he scratched a car with his bike. He Knocked the door and told the owner who took it to the garage and it cost us £70.

MyrrAgain · 04/09/2023 16:23

Deathbyfluffy · 04/09/2023 00:55

You obviously have no idea how liability works - if any party crashes into or damages a car parked up they’re automatically responsible.
Its a parked object, to hit it you must be negligent.

You’re liable as a parent of the 7yo, and titre teaching them to weasel out of things in life if you think they’re not.

Luckily for the car owner they can just sue you for the cost of the repair (they’ll have your address as they’ll see where the child goes home to, and can pay £3 for homeowner details from the land registry).

I’ve gone down a similar route in the past for damage by a minor, and the family soon paid up when a summons landed on their doormat 😅

Show quote history

Except OP has accepted responsibility and offered to pay. They have exchanged details and done all the right things. In this instance the car owner is being a dick. He's got no legal leg to stand on now given op has given him her details. So yes, now get the insurance company to organise the repair at a garage and contact op. She's not refusing to pay for the damage just refusing to be taken for a ride.

enchantedsquirrelwood · 04/09/2023 16:27

Why should he claim on his insurance which will put it up and cost him more in the future for something that wasn't his fault. Child shouldn't be riding near parked cars anyway as it's a hazard in itself. Take your kids to the park or somewhere safe for them to ride at that age

This is the problem with insurance. I don't know why anyone has it because nobody wants to claim because it will put their premiums up.

enchantedsquirrelwood · 04/09/2023 16:28

You obviously have no idea how liability works - if any party crashes into or damages a car parked up they’re automatically responsible

Not if a car is parked where it shouldn't be. If for example a car is on a pavement and it is badly scratched by someone with a pram or wheelchair trying to get by, that is on the car driver for parking where they shouldn't.

Different if you are on your own driveway and someone cycles into the car, or you're in a car park within the lines and your car is minding its own business when someone drives or reverses into it.

ZadocPDederick · 04/09/2023 16:34

Fluffypuppy1 · 04/09/2023 15:48

Hugely irrelevant that the car is 11 years old. It’s someone else’s property, and your DD has damaged it. You need to pay to get it repaired.

Why are you telling OP she needs to do what she has already said, more than once, she is going to do?

ZadocPDederick · 04/09/2023 16:35

SmellyNelliey · 04/09/2023 16:23

The thing is,if she's not actually insured to park it on the street and is insured to park on there drive will this mean her insurance is void? I did try asking about insurance yesterday and he said it was nothing to do with me.

To be fair, he was right about that.

ZadocPDederick · 04/09/2023 16:37

Deathbyfluffy · 04/09/2023 00:55

You obviously have no idea how liability works - if any party crashes into or damages a car parked up they’re automatically responsible.
Its a parked object, to hit it you must be negligent.

You’re liable as a parent of the 7yo, and titre teaching them to weasel out of things in life if you think they’re not.

Luckily for the car owner they can just sue you for the cost of the repair (they’ll have your address as they’ll see where the child goes home to, and can pay £3 for homeowner details from the land registry).

I’ve gone down a similar route in the past for damage by a minor, and the family soon paid up when a summons landed on their doormat 😅

Show quote history

If you sue someone who has said they are perfectly ready to pay and who is reasonably checking what the actual sum should be, you would be an idiot, because you would waste your court fee and end up having to pay the other party's costs.

bruffin · 04/09/2023 16:42

enchantedsquirrelwood · 04/09/2023 16:27

Why should he claim on his insurance which will put it up and cost him more in the future for something that wasn't his fault. Child shouldn't be riding near parked cars anyway as it's a hazard in itself. Take your kids to the park or somewhere safe for them to ride at that age

This is the problem with insurance. I don't know why anyone has it because nobody wants to claim because it will put their premiums up.

Thats nonsense, it may not be eorth claiming on small things as may be under excess. But someone went into DH the other day and 11k later he was more than happy he had insurance.

Frabbits · 04/09/2023 16:44

Fluffypuppy1 · 04/09/2023 15:48

Hugely irrelevant that the car is 11 years old. It’s someone else’s property, and your DD has damaged it. You need to pay to get it repaired.

It's totally relevant. An 11 year old car will have bumps and scrapes on it, so if the owner is using a teeny tiny scratch as an excuse to get a new bumper they can GTF.

Balloonhearts · 04/09/2023 16:47

Rule 243 Highway code....no parking on bends. He shouldn't have been there

Also says no cyclists are permitted on the footpath so if you want to get technical, neither should she have been there.

zingally · 04/09/2023 16:48

Perhaps I'm an arsehole, but I wouldn't even have mentioned such an inconsequential little ding.
Honestly, cars get knocks and scratches all the time - mine has plenty, and I've only had it about 18 months. Anyone who is that precious about a car either needs to keep it in a garage or on off-road parking.

LardoBurrows · 04/09/2023 16:58

zingally · 04/09/2023 16:48

Perhaps I'm an arsehole, but I wouldn't even have mentioned such an inconsequential little ding.
Honestly, cars get knocks and scratches all the time - mine has plenty, and I've only had it about 18 months. Anyone who is that precious about a car either needs to keep it in a garage or on off-road parking.

I totally agree.

No wonder so many people are reluctant to leave their details after a ding, people like this neighbour don't exactly encourage others to be honest after hitting a car.

Gnomegnomegnome · 04/09/2023 17:05

Tell him to use t cut and that if he shouts at your child again you’ll call the police.

Why did you go through the dad and not the registered owner of the car?

Newnamefor23 · 04/09/2023 17:07

T cut/red crayon(the sort halfords etc sell) + polish.

He wants a new bumper because of the, unrelated to you, paint flakes above.

What type/old is the car?

Original poster
SmellyNelliey · 04/09/2023 17:16

I wasn't sure who owned the car at first until he said it was his daughter,I ended up taking DD home as she's was petrified.
He was demanding she apologised and shouting at Dp your daughter has damaged My daughters car...I understand protecting his dd but it was an accident and I had already apologised on behalf of my DD 7 around 5 times! I accepte responsibility for my child's accident.
It's a 12 plate ford fiesta

OP posts: