Drove the Coupe to work today as cycling home yesterday was a really miserable experience due to the heat. I was sat 3 cars back from a roundabout with the handbrake on and my foot on the brake (to keep the lights on) minding my own business when I noticed a car coming up in my rear view mirror.

I found myself asking, in pretty quick sucession, "where's the driver?" and "is it going to stop?". Needless to say it didn't, and hit me at about 10mph, and the whereabouts of the driver were quickly revealed when she popped up from rummaging about in the passenger footwell.

I was pretty angry but not aggressive, and she was very sorry. Not a great deal of damage, just chips and scrapes to the paint along about 50% of the bumper. Apparently she is changing cars on Friday so wants to keep it off the insurance, so I've already got a quote from a friend's bodyshop and am about to email it over.

Ironically my friend who owns the bodyshop saw my car for the first time on Saturday and commented how good the paint is as well as the general condition.

Not the end of the world but not what I needed after getting married on Saturday and going on Honeymoon on Monday! Just hopes she sticks to her word and coughs up when I email over the estimate.

Bad luck, nothing so annoying. Except the phone yackers of course.

You should report it to the police for an incident number in case she tries to do the dirty. You have her name and address? Lucky she didn't run over a kid or something the stupid bat.

Sorry to hear this Alex, hope you get it sorted, and to your liking as well since your coop was in excellent condition beforehand!

As Neil said, report it to the police. To be honest you should have done this at the scene because I'm pretty sure that's dangerous driving or at the very least driving without due care and attention, the next victim might not be so lucky.

Thanks for the comments everyone, I've reported it to the police and have now started to receive the inevitable "I can't afford much, there was no damage on your car, etc." text messages.

I've sent over the quote and am going to try to have a grown up conversation with her tonight, failing that, I'll report it to the insurance and she'll have to fork out her excess and stump up for an inflated policy in the future.

At the end of the day, I've given her the choice and it is for her to make, I'd just rather not get involved with insurance company paperwork when I'm on holiday for two weeks as of Monday!

really feeling for you on this, particularly as was not your fault in any way.
I would be less calm than you, from her trying to wriggle from paying out. But obviously she pays the amount or goes through insurance. At least is an open and shut case with her rear ending you, and thats before we take into account her careless and dangerous driving.

Hope it resolves without too much hassle,

Ps have a nice honeymoon

Sorry to hear this

As above, hope you get it sorted without any hassles.

Go through the insurance, it's safer. What happens if you put it through the body shop and she refuses to pay? It's a bad situation but do it through the proper channels and it'll get sorted relatively quickly.

Had a good conversation with her husband last night, it sounds like this is the latest in a fairly long list of minor crashes!

He has asked for me to get another quote, which I think is fair enough, and even offered to stump up some cash now as a 'deposit', which i declined.

My mate did warn me about the potential dangers of getting the work done and then them refusing to pay, so I'll only be proceeding when whoever is carrying out the work is happy that payment has been made up-front or credit card details taken.

As you've all pointed out, I've still got the option of going through the insurance if we don't reach a satisfactory conclusion, and that is certainly my preferred option if they try and force me to go to a bodyshop of their choice which is some backstreet rattle-can specialist.

Alex, if this was me I'd find this totally unacceptable, she did the damage, and you can take your car to be fixed at the body shop of your choice, after all you are the injured party. By all means go get another quote, but pick another place that you'd be happy to take your car to and not just somewhere for cheapness to keep these people happy.

If this is declined again then, as Gunzi said, go through your insurance company immediately, you just shouldn't be haggling with these people.

100% agree.

I would think that option is rapidly dwindling away. I don't *know* but I doubt if you can just ring your insurance weeks later and report the issue. The other party may well say they've never even heard of you before!

Thanks for the input everyone, I've already logged the incident with the police as I wasn't 100% sure she'd given me real details, so I'm hoping the incident number will 'prove' to the insurance company what happened and when if it comes to that. I've also saved all correspondances with her, so she'll struggle to deny any of it happened!

Whatever the solution, it'll be resolved in the next day or so by them stumping up to a bodyshop of my choice, prior to the work being undertaken, or by me calling the insurance company if they continue to mess about.

I'll keep you all up to speed,

Cheers

Good luck mate. Hope it all works out. I wasn't trying to put a downer on anything. just thought i'd point out the insurance bit might get dodgy.

I'm going to give Direct Line a call in a second to check things out, better safe than sorry! All advice is always appreciated, so don't think you were putting a downer on anything. If anything, I'm too trusting of people so always like to see the other side of things!

Cheers

if they want to mess about do the old "my neck's hurting" & let the insurance sort it out , go see a doctor ....

Too late... whiplash now has to be seen by a doc/quack at the scene IIRC. This was to stop claims years later

your neck can start hurting up to a week later, you can say i thought i was ok but the pain has not stopped or got worse.. same as back ache their is no proof just your word..

So fraud?

not fraud ,just saying it can be done..... & its innocent untill proved guilty , which is your word against them..


advice only but its up to individuals if they do go ahead & do it....

As far as I can recall, and from personal experience, As long as you visit the doctor with in a few days any whiplash clam is valid. Its not something you feel strait away (depending on how bad you were hit) It tends to bloody kill you the next day

I think it also reasonable to say that in 90% of bumps a doc is never called out to the location, They were not when my brother was hit, his whiplash was both real and valid (and did go to the docs the next day) and was paid out on

My wife was rear ended the other day, and she was told to go and see the doctor in 5 weeks if it still hurt and any claim would only start from 5 weeks, she isn't really bothered about a claim, more about the pain she is in!!

you should follow it up as its genuine & as much as it hurts the bigger the payout the better you feel after...

thats what you pay insurance for..

Alex, sorry to hear about that. Had a similar accident 2 weeks ago with someone reversing into me that I can well do without the inconvenience of it all, and mine was in similar condition too. Now I need new front bumper etc and all the inconvenience of arranging, being without the car and also having to stump up an excess whilst the insurance companies agree liability.

Can only repeat what others have said, i.e register with Police and also notify your insurance company in case the guilty party renage on their offer to settle outside of an insurance claim.

Hope you get it sorted before your wedding and honeymoon, last thing you need so close to your big day. All the best with that too!

I rang Direct Line and they were very good. They were happy for me to proceed on my own and said there was no time limit to place a claim if negotiations break down, as I've got an incident number from the police, which has the third party's details in, within 24 hours.

Friday is set for a decision, it'll be my bodyshop or their insurace, their choice as I know my insurance company will only send it to the bodyshop I've already had a quote from!