Parking Damage

[Sammyb349]

So walking home and there is a lady trying to squeeze into a spot that her car is too big for. The spot unfortuantwly is right next to my car and she is bumper to bumper with me and the car in front of her. Long story short is I helped her out but she has left a scratch on the front bumper and grill - taking all the paint off the plastic. A respray job. I literally just got the car back from a full detail and ceramic finish. Couldn't be more angry.

Anyway I've taken her details. Got a picture of her number plate (it's her boyfriends car) and her mobile number.

Question I have for you fine folks is what do I do? I've been in this exact same spot before (it took 5 years for my cracked bumper saga to come off my insurance which was fully no fault claim) - I don't want to claim on my insurance because I get dinged for it "have you ever made a claim" unfortunately they don't care for no fault claims and won't remove it from the database but at the same time how do I get her to pay - a front bumper and grill respray won't be free and certainly the detail and ceramic and exo coating wasn't either.


All advice and help greatfully received.

[FaisalJ]

Surely the options are

1. She pays outright

2. Her insurance pays (rather than yours)

Any witnesses/CCTV in case she doesn't cooperate?

[doodlebug]

But, be warned, she may report to her insurer in which case your insurer will find out anyway.

The wife had something similar recently and the offender paid. We advised our insurer and they were entirely happy that the other party paid direct.

Not informing your insurer generally doesn't help anyone.

[Rw@@dy]

I had a woman reverse into me earlier this year, broke the headlight washer and scuffed the bumper. She'd only
Been driving a month, I talked it through and said I'd get a quote for the repair work and then you pay for it instead of going through the insurance. She paid me the money and I got it repaired.
I was lucky with it as she could have easily not answered the phone or replied to me

[Covkiller]

I had a woman reverse into me earlier this year, broke the headlight washer and scuffed the bumper. She'd only
Been driving a month, I talked it through and said I'd get a quote for the repair work and then you pay for it instead of going through the insurance. She paid me the money and I got it repaired.
I was lucky with it as she could have easily not answered the phone or replied to me

Call her and be really polite and gentlemanly and see if she will pay for the scratch. You never know there are some honest people about, as above.
Otherwise I would just foot the bill.
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh !! I hate this sort of situation too, I got sacked over my dink !

[Sammyb349]

Thanks guys. She was very stressed by it all - her most endearing comment was "come on these are bumpers, they are designed for bumping. I didn't crash!"

It was her boyfriends car - so she needs to speak to him. She didn't know who the insurer was. I have her on video parking, plenty of photos and my wife as a witness. Have her name and phone number (she didn't have her driving license on her)

Will give her a call today and see if we can come to some arrangement - i'"" post up the minor damage later and get your collective thoughts on cost to repair.

Thanks

[Shoppinit]

I got sacked over my dink !

How come?

[Rw@@dy]

I had a woman reverse into me earlier this year, broke the headlight washer and scuffed the bumper. She'd only
Been driving a month, I talked it through and said I'd get a quote for the repair work and then you pay for it instead of going through the insurance. She paid me the money and I got it repaired.
I was lucky with it as she could have easily not answered the phone or replied to me

Call her and be really polite and gentlemanly and see if she will pay for the scratch. You never know there are some honest people about, as above.
Otherwise I would just foot the bill.
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh !! I hate this sort of situation too, I got sacked over my dink !

She did pay in my case with no problems

[Ian_C]

Thanks guys. She was very stressed by it all - her most endearing comment was "come on these are bumpers, they are designed for bumping. I didn't crash!"

Is she French

[Sammyb349]

Close - Italian!

Pictures of her bumpercar parking and resultant damage

[Sammyb349]

Any thoughts on cost. Grill needs a respray. Bumper might polish out mostly - if not small repair area needed. ?

[doodlebug]

Couple of hundred quid at a decent friendly paint Shop. 1500 quid at Audi.

[Ian_C]

Close - Italian!

Pictures of her bumpercar parking and resultant damage

Haha! So living up to the stereotype.

Blimey, Russ Swift would have a job getting an A4 in there!

[ahoooga]

"come on these are bumpers, they are designed for bumping. I didn't crash!"

Close - Italian!

If you've ever driven in Naples, you will realise she is a typical Italian driver with typical attitude. You've heard about drivers in Rome, well Naples is worse !

[skirs6]

Go straight through your insurance mate. You may find she has also broken some of the clips behind the bumper once it's checked properly.
Similar thing happened to me a while back. Your insurance will pass it to a third party to sort out in my case it was Albany assist.
They will sort out the repair then take it to her insurance. It won't then show on your claims as its all on hers. Keep all the video,photos and note her comments at the time. In my case the women who hit mine flatly refused to admit anything, even though I was sat in the car at the time.