Someone has hit my car, uninsured should I accept cash? advice please......

[saltdeanseagull1]

Whilst visiting my Mother in law today, her neighbour backed a truck into my parked car. When I wen out to check the damage, it appeared the the damage was to the rear light only. After a quick chat he tells me the Truck is his boss's and he is not on the insurance, so he said for me to get it sorted and he will pay for it with cash. As I know wher he lives I thought this would be OK.

However when we left (now dark) I noticed that he had just not hit the light but had also caused some damage to the actual body work on the boot surrounding the light. This was not so evident in natural day light, Which now means it is a workshop job, which is also a massive pain in the arse for me as I need to get qoutes, courtsey car etc.

Before I left I knocked on the blokes door to show him the damage was worse than we thought and still left it that he will cover the cost in cash.

When I got home I got a call from my Mother in law saying that he had been round, worried that the cost was now clearly going to be higher, saying things like it was not a lot of damage, what the fuss about etc.

Any way I am now in a dilema on what to do, I am thinking of reporting it to my insurance company (I assume this is the best thing to do??) but should I still look to get it done without involving my company . My concern is if I get an estimate and he says he will not pay up.
Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

 

[SussexHoop]

Have you got any witnesses? It may be worth having a chat with your insurance company - you're not obliged to submit a claim to them but you will need to confirm if you decide not to make a claim.

If you've got legal protection on your policy, they should help you I think even if you don't make a claim.

 

[tedebear]

Get a quote tomorrow and pop round and give it to him and see what he thinks. In the mean time, get a police number and gather your insurance papers in readiness. If he doesn't stump up then you need to weight up your excess (and the potential to lose your no claims) and how much grief he's going to give your M-I-L (assuming you like her! ) ...

If you get an estimate and he doesn't pay - you can still claim. You haven't forfeited anything, you'll just have to take the car to who the insurers say will quote and repair.

 

[Titus]

There's no reason that you should lose out, so you should go to the police station within 24 hours and fill in a report form. It's not your fault that he was uninsured.

 

[perseus]

I did this when they ran over my Bicycle. They were shocked at the charge of £190. But they paid up in cash. They might have not have done and I should have reported to the Police.

 

[brighton bluenose]

Whilst visiting my Mother in law today, her neighbour backed a truck into my parked car. When I wen out to check the damage, it appeared the the damage was to the rear light only. After a quick chat he tells me the Truck is his boss's and he is not on the insurance, so he said for me to get it sorted and he will pay for it with cash. As I know wher he lives I thought this would be OK.

However when we left (now dark) I noticed that he had just not hit the light but had also caused some damage to the actual body work on the boot surrounding the light. This was not so evident in natural day light, Which now means it is a workshop job, which is also a massive pain in the arse for me as I need to get qoutes, courtsey car etc.

Before I left I knocked on the blokes door to show him the damage was worse than we thought and still left it that he will cover the cost in cash.

When I got home I got a call from my Mother in law saying that he had been round, worried that the cost was now clearly going to be higher, saying things like it was not a lot of damage, what the fuss about etc.

Any way I am now in a dilema on what to do, I am thinking of reporting it to my insurance company (I assume this is the best thing to do??) but should I still look to get it done without involving my company . My concern is if I get an estimate and he says he will not pay up.
Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

How on earth could you not see the damage in natural daylight but noticed it when it was dark FFS??!!

 

[GreersElbow]

Go to the police with the registration details, and his personal details. I'm almost certain it's against the law to accept cash in hand in case of an accident with an uninsured driver.

 

[NMH]

WHEN you get a quote from a repair shop, ask them to give you a non-insurance quote as for a cash payment and not a claim.
I believe they raise the quotes for insurance claims, and if you want the bloke to shell out, don't make it impossible for the fellow when he's being honest.

 

[c0lz]

I would still make a claim.
it will take a few days for them to send the claim papers though and you can also cancel a claim if settled in cash.

also if he was ever taken to court for no insurance you can apply to courts for the cost saying you only have third party insurance.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

I take it it happened on the public highway and not private land or road?

You could try Portslade panelworks - they have a scheme that takes care of it all for you and gets back your excess if you get one. Check it out first but I think it takes the pressure off you - at worst you can get them to give you a quote!

I'd get the estimate and see if he is going to pay up before telling the insurance - you will have had a claim and that will put your insurance up even though it's not your fault if they ever are informed.

It's more likely he never had permission to use it than not being on the insurance and many policies will cover you to move a vehicle under cover if it's in your possession so he just may be avoiding a claim / excess.


If he doesn't come up with the cash then claim through insurance but it's not good news

 

[Baz-man]

All sounds a bit dodgy to me and is probably best reported asap. If it was his bosses truck then why did he have it in the first place and what was it doing outside his house? Was he the one who drove it there? Will he be driving it to work tommorow? Uninsured drivers cost the industry millions which reflects in everyones insurance premiums. If it was a smallish van then I would suspect he would be covered on his own personal car insurance. You are not the guilty party, so don't feel bad and worry about him. Good luck with everthing and I hope you don't end up out of pocket.

 

[redneb]

I would get a quote as soon as you can then go round there for the money as soon as you can.

If you involve insurance it goes down as a previous claim even if they didnt pay out or anything. Insurance companies are scum. My mate reported a break in to his insurance co but then rang back saying he would rather sort it out himself than pay the excess plus lose his no claims. Then when he renewed his insurance it was still a mark on his record - still a claim made but not followed through.

 

[northstandnorth]

YOU are obliged,by standard terms in YOUR contract with YOUR insurance company,to notify YOUR insurance company of ANY and ALL collisions regardless of party at fault,EVEN if no actual damage happened.This is so they are able to protect their position with regard to disputed liability,your word against him a couple of weeks down the line.
If you fail to notify your insurance company that you had this collision and they find out it happened they can declare your insurance invalid.
Leaving YOU to pick up the bill when this geezer fails to pay up.

Basically,agreeing to keep the insurance company out of it leaves you at risk of being stiffed by him and uninsured by your policy,he gets away with it and YOU take all the risk.

 

[Diego Napier]

Don't get caught up in some private deal that may leave you out of pocket. Tell your Insurance company straight away. If it wasn't your fault then you won't have any increased premiums on renewal even the other driver was uninsured.

One of the factors that push up insurance premiums for law abiding citizens is the number of people who drive uninsured and cause damage and don't get traced.

 

[timbha]

has he passed a driving test? does he have a driving licence? is he banned? - there may be lots of reasons for him wanting to settle in cash

 

[northstandnorth]

Don't get caught up in some private deal that may leave you out of pocket. Tell your Insurance company straight away. If it wasn't your fault then you won't have any increased premiums on renewal even the other driver was uninsured.

One of the factors that push up insurance premiums for law abiding citizens is the number of people who drive uninsured and cause damage and don't get traced.

It's a no brainer,if you don't inform your insurance you are in breach of contract,YOU are uninsured,they can cancel any time they want.

 

[Garage_Doors]

If you report it to your insurance company your premium will rise next year.
Although you are not at fault, because you have been involved in an accident you will be deemed a "higher risk".

I know this sounds absurd, because it is, but that's the fact.
I speak from actual experience from being hit twice it successive years. Both time the other part and insurance accepted liability but because i had been involved in the accident i was deemed as a higher risk for being involved in a (non fault) accident.
Even though i have max protected no claims bonus it made no difference as the premium rose because of two idiots who it me.

If you report it to your insurance, which it the correct thing to do you may find you will have to sue him to get the money for the repairs as he will probally withdraw his offer.
Tricky one i know.

 

[Garage_Doors]

If it wasn't your fault then you won't have any increased premiums on renewal even the other driver was uninsured.

Unfortunately this is not true.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Ask for a monkey in used readies by noon or you're going to The Sweeney

 

[Triggaaar]

First, get proof he did it. Record a conversation/phone call etc. Make it an easy conversation so it doesn't put him off admitting it. Otherwise, if you hit him with a big bill (when he thought it was just a light) he may think you're taking the piss, and deny it all.