Hi
Need some suggestions and advice what I can do some one has damaged my Subaru Forester in the shopping centre car park. There is no CCTV footage available with the shopping centre security in that area.
The damage is to the rear door with chassis is also damaged, though outside damage look not that bad, but chassis is damaged. How I can get claim from the insurance without paying excess.
Is there any way I can catch the culprit.
Thanking you all in advance for your advice and suggestions.
Regards
Car Park Damage
ranakuldeep on 17/09/2016 - 22:17
Last edited 17/09/2016 - 22:17
Last edited 17/09/2016 - 22:17
Comments
This call hit and run, with no witnesses no footage you are on your own. Are you parked over the line? too close to nearby car?
Unfortunately there's not much you can do in this case
This is what I hate about car parks.
Is there any way I can catch the culprit.
Sure just go to the car park on same day about the same time next week and check all the cars there to see if they have paint marks on them that matches yours.
You might get lucky.
Then you will have to get an expert to determine is this enough evidence to convict them, or confront them and convince them to admit guilt. Be prepared for them declaring they dont understand english, or having their Bikie friends/dogs etc assist.
Then again I think it would be much easier, faster, to pay the excess. (also as this is ozbargain, so it would be cheaper as well)
Sorry, but life isnt always fair 😥
Catch me? Oh how cute.
Good luck with that."If you are looking for funnies, I can tell you I don't have patience. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you surrender yourself now, that'll be the end of it."
Is there any way I can catch the culprit.
If any paint was exchanged between the two cars you could look for other cars with your car's paint on their bumper, bull bar, tow bar which matches in colour and height from the damage.
If there are offices/businesses with windows overlooking your car you can door knock and ask them if they have seen anything. I once worked in an office building where coworkers witnessed a grey haired elderly woman and man trying to parallel park their Mercedes sedan, rammed a parked car and instantly fled. People in our office took down the licence plate, wrote a note with contact details and put it onto the victims car.
Since yours was in a shopping centre maybe there was a Kmart tyre shop, car washer or some other business that heard the scraping and smashing noises.
Finding a hit and run driver is one thing. Making them pay is something totally different. If you don't have proof (eg. witness, licence plate) then it means you'll have to approach them yourself and hope they admit guilt.
Will it be possible to get a complaint registered with police that some one has caused damaged to your car? Car parks are public places and I think this could be considered as act of vandalism. If this is possible then you might not have to pay the excess in insurance claim and also retain your rating. My car's quarter glass was once broken when parked in street parking. I got a complaint registered with cops and insurance covered it without excess and I retained my rating as it was not my fault.
This was a few years back and the insurance was with racv.a broken glass like yours, yes it was likely deliberate, almost impossible to be done by accident
a 'normal' collision, you will need evidence that at was a deliberate act - police might take a report (i highly doubt it, with no avenues of investigation open to them), but you will still have to pay your excess
i thought it can be deemed deliberate as the other party did not attempt the contact op. That's just my thought and I could be wrong.
The police in my case also did not bother even looking at the car but made a report over the phone and gave me reference number to use for insurance.If that really works, I bet the gulity party has probably reported THEIR car was damaged by someone else.
You can see how what you suggest could be used by unscrupulous people for their own ends.
AFAIK most insurance companies offer a glass replacement(not sure if limited only to windscreens) so this may have been what yours fell under. General body damage that more than likely a result of an accident, I think the owner, unless can prove who the other party was, has very little luck to avoid excess.
One option is to leave damage, and hope in the not too distant future something else happens to same area and can claim in one go!Thanks for the advice
Most welcome mate.
I feel for you.
I stopped into a Cole's a little while back, just for milk. It was near closing, nearly empty car-park & I parked in a small section- only car there.
Walked in, got my milk, was out in less than 10 mins.
I walk out & my driver's side panel had been scraped from passenger door up to driver's door. White paint.
I was like, "WTF!!??"— the entire car park was freaking empty & some douche not only cannot see where their car ends, but (profanity) up my car & then, yep, no note….
Also, no camera's as it's a small side parking area with trees blocking most of it.
Lovely people on this orb with us….
Thanks for the advice
No witnesses, no CCTV, no courtesy note, nothing means you are on your own paying your insurance the excess or just getting it fixed privately.