[tartan cleaning]

hi i was working last mon round a block of flats i clean every month getting on into the afternoon this guy comes out saying i've scratched his car i am usually very careful round cars i go and look at car scratches look very fine to me should polish out though he claims different the car is ten years old was parked in a residential car park he his a chap who loves his car unfortunately for me has been getting quotes to sort his scratches cost £150 min to £500  for a respray he has contacted chips away not personally spoke to them they say its too deep to sort so can anyone advise me i sort of feel like this guy think i'm some sort of bottomless pit i am insured though i have to pay first £100 so anyone had a similar thing happen to them any input gratefully received?   

[xxmattyxx]

He has to prove it first surely?

It might have been you, but who says?

[Majestic]

Did he or anyone else see you do it, do you think that you did it

[tartan cleaning]

hi i can only assume he saw us do it as he seemed to come and check it specifically unless he is the sort that walks round his car every day?

my wife and i work together on this particular job and she was the one who spoke with him first she thinks its possible that we could have caught the front of the car with our hose

[Majestic]

One time I was working off a ladder and put my foot on a tiled extension, a tile slipped out ( nowhere near where I was working ) slid down the roof and landed on the house owners car bonnet.She was not in but I did tell her and I had to pay to get it repaired.

I think that you have 2 choices

1 Claim it on your insurance , then it will go up.
2 Get a quote yourself for the work and then you pay for it to be repaired

[tartan cleaning]

hi thanks for info i have to say that i am not the sort of person to lose my temper but this guy really got on my nerves ! I personally don't want to talk to the guy he irritates me. so will probably leave it up to my insurance.  when you claimed on your insurance did it go up alot? i am currently insured up to 5 million cost me around £130 for the year don't particularly want to claim though. I have never had a claim before though i am not sure how liability insurance works do you get no claims discount?   

[Ian_Giles]

Tell him you will attempt to T-cut it first (for your own piece of mind) yo ucertainly will not do any harm to the car for sure...
And a 10 year old car?
Is he having a laugh??
Is it a really posh car?
If it's an old Mondeo it probably isn't even worth £500!!!
Can you replicate the accident? Just to be sure the hose could actually have dragged along the car in the manner needed to scuff it?

But definitely make him let you try T-cutting it first, if it polishes out it's easier all round.
Also, what makes him think it was you that scratched the car??
If he tells you he saw the hose go across his car then fair enough...but don't let him get away with a re-spray

Ian

[Majestic]

I paid it myself , the bill was about £140 so I had to pay the first £50 anyway so rather than my insurance go up I paid it all

[tartan cleaning]

hi its a ford escort chav mobile alloys v shiny 1998 probably not worth £500 funny you mentioning t cut he reckons it dangerous ! not entirely sure what he ment by that?

[Ian_Giles]

Mmm. I don't think I'd let him have it easy over this, burden of proof and all that...

And what planet is he on?
Bodyshops use T-cut or similar all the time, in fact, if it is sprayed whatever body shop is used will probably use T-cut on it after it has been sprayed...certainly did when I worked in a garage...though that was a long time ago mind!

Ian

[Tosh]

hi its a ford escort chav mobile alloys v shiny 1998 probably not worth £500 funny you mentioning t cut he reckons it dangerous ! not entirely sure what he ment by that?

Are you sure he's not taking the micky of out you?

Are you sure you actually caused the damage?

Crickey, I once had a customer reverse his car into one of my old bangers causing a fist size dent in the rear door and I told him 'never mind, just remember me at Christmas; I like a good bottle of 'red''!

Tell him on further consideration you know you didn't damage his car and think he's extracting the urine.  Tell him to phone the police, a solicitor, or the Samaritans (the police won't want to know; trust me on this).

I personally don't want to talk to the guy he irritates me.

This is a good enough reason for doing so.

[DASERVICES]

He is having you on, there are people out there that will try these scams out. What he will be looking for is to pay him the cash, he will have no intentions of sorting that scratch out.

With regards to a hose causing a scratch there is very little chance of that happening.

[simon knight]

Your insurance company won't pay a penny unless you tell them you definitely did it and on the claim form describe how it happened. You seem unsure if you did do it or not so if I were you I'd give myself the benefit of the doubt.

[steve m]

where is the scratch???. if its low on the car anything could have done it, and if its on the bonnet or up high, hows the hose gonna get up there in the first place

[supernova77]

Just ignore it mate!

Don't own up to it if you're not sure if you did it or not!

Andy

[steve m]

first rule of insurance - DONT ADMIT NOTHING!!!!!!!!

[macmac]

just a wee tip

Tell him to f@@k right off, ass@@les like that should take a bus!

tony

[Wayne Thomas]

Innocent until proven guilty in this country.
Does he have any witnesses?
Are you positive you actually caused the damage, if you're not sure then get him to prove it.
If you did cause the damage then he has to supply you or your insurance company with a quote for the work to be carried out after your insurance agrees to pay the claim for the scratched paintwork to be repaired.
Don't pay him cash as he sounds the type of person that is trying it on with you in the hope you'll pay out cash and he'll never get the paint job done (apart from maybe T-Cut the paint himself) and laugh about it amongst friends down his local pub.

[tartan cleaning]

We have decided to talk to our liabily insurers on monday for advice? I think you are right i certainly had a fair amount of doubt if i did it or not so unless he had a video camera on me i don't know how he can prove thought this at the time. I did how ever feel like going back in the night and actually making a scratch on it tempting as it may seem i can't be bothered with him I will leave him to the insurance people as they will give him a hard time as he will have to prove that i did it.

[Pat Purcell]

theres cameras everywhere these days, especially on parking lots etc, why not ask to see the video tape of that day and if one exists it could either absolve or condemn you, either way you find out for sure whether you did it or not