What would you do?

[Papa Lazarou]

Or-am I being a big softie?

Back in July, just before I was told I was going to be made redundant (piss-still unemployed), somebody reversed over the Thunderbird when it was parked (I was 6 foot away) and kept going for another two foot. Just outside the Heath pub in Haywards Heath. The driver of the car then tried to drive off-but I stopped her. The woman who did this, in her Audi A3, didn't really apologise. She tried to make out that it was my fault. She pointed out that my bike was on double yellows-I pointed out that her car had pushed the bike onto double yellows.

She was soon surrounded by supporters-women-who said that I was being over the top- actually, I wasn't. Her boyfriend then turned up and accused me of inflaming the situation, using fairly foul language.

Throughout, I kept my cool. It took her two days to give me her insurance details (all I had was her email and mobile-she refused to give me her address).

The cost was around £1700 for the bike and £650 for my helmet and goggles-which were on the bike (and for which I have yet to receive payment).

This evening, I met the obnoxious boyfriend again. He said that my bike only had twisted forks. I kept my cool again. Others around me assured me that he was just a cnut. I already knew that.

Should I kill him or let it go?

[Scratch33]

I'd imagine he's miserable enough.

[black hills]

call her insurance company, they send you a check, done???

at least thats how it works here

[Papa Lazarou]

call her insurance company, they send you a check, done???

at least thats how it works here

Yes-but still waiting the cheque.

[mxvet57]

Yes-but still waiting the cheque.

There you go again spelling words wrong.

[keppyou812]

What should have been done, was to get the police involved, let them make out an accident report.  Helps with getting your cheque.
Also would help you avoid the idiot boyfriend.

Good luck!!!

[wibornz]

WTF this happened in July and you still have not been paid.  You are soft as hell.  That should have been taken care of in less than a month.  I would have been beathing the war drumbs at the end of the month.  Shit this is like six months ago.  I would be on the fucking war path.  Just how long do you plan to wait, a year?????

[mugwump58]

I'd sic my insurance company on them. Had a hit and run a few years ago. I spotted the car, took pics, notified my insurance company and presto shit stuff happened fast.

Reporting to the police immediately helps, a lot. Plus it's nothing personal, just business.

[X1Glider]

It's ok to kill him.  In the UK, the coppers do not like to fight real crime.  They go for the low hanging fruit, like riders with too small a plate or wrong size plate text.  You'll be safe.

Or you could say, "maybe the pikeys did it?"

[Justin]

I think you're being a dick - maybe you could give them some time to take care of this. Geez, it's only been half a year.

[hazra]

What should have been done, was to get the police involved, let them make out an accident report.  Helps with getting your cheque.
Also would help you avoid the idiot boyfriend.

Good luck!!!

This!!  Even if she's a pain (and the BF is an idiot) if I got the insurance and contact info at the scene, I'd give them a week or two to make good if they preferred to pay for it themselves.  6 months?  I don't think so.  If they drove off, I'd take the info I had, as well as her tag and a photo if possible and report a hit and run.  Accidents happen, but if you won't willingly do the right thing, I'm more than happy to involve the authorities.

[Flyer]

You're as soft as warm Weetabix after Mum's 'phone call.
But a fine lesson for the rest of us.

[Justin]

You're as soft as warm Weetabix after Mum's 'phone call.
But a fine lesson for the rest of us.

Aaaargh. For some reason we do not have Weetabix out here in CO, and now I really want some

[Karmak]

Yes.  Of course, kill him.  Very slowly......

[CLAY]

Find him in a bar, slip him a "sleeping aide".  Follow him home.  Slide in there at night, with a knife.  Put it against his throat while he sleeps.  Take a picture.  Mail it to him the next day, explaining what a patient man you are, and how you'd like payment.  

Works for me!  

[wibornz]

just beg for say six more months.  That should do it.


 

[Uncle Leo]

Killing him will give you only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about.

[Papa Lazarou]

Brilliant replies and all so true.  

I think I need Clay's pipe.

On the insurance issue-it's her insurance company which are dragging their feet-they agreed to pay up pretty quickly but still haven't paid the bike shop. Who are chasing them. I am still owed around £600 for helmet and goggles-there's a lawyer on this.

So far, the cost to the at fault driver's insurance has been:
£1700+ to fix the bike.
Around £600 (unpaid as yet) for helmet/ goggles.
£5,800 + tax for a replacement bike whilst mine was being fixed.

[bikerfish1100]

lawyer on the helmet and associated? check.

bike shop on the insurance company? check.

boyfriend is a maroon? check.

ignore his shit, its just noise in the wind. if he continues, file harrassment charges with the police against him, get a restraining order. carry a camera in case he violates it.

[falconati]

WTF this happened in July and you still have not been paid.  You are soft as hell.  That should have been taken care of in less than a month.  I would have been beathing the war drumbs at the end of the month.  Shit this is like six months ago.  I would be on the fucking war path.  Just how long do you plan to wait, a year?????

+++++++++++

Tell your lawyer to be more aggressive.  In the states, this would all have been resolved within 30 days without a lawyer (or less time with an aggressive letter one).

[county]

Brilliant replies and all so true.  

I think I need Clay's pipe.

On the insurance issue-it's her insurance company which are dragging their feet-they agreed to pay up pretty quickly but still haven't paid the bike shop. Who are chasing them. I am still owed around £600 for helmet and goggles-there's a lawyer on this.

So far, the cost to the at fault driver's insurance has been:
£1700+ to fix the bike.
Around £600 (unpaid as yet) for helmet/ goggles.
£5,800 + tax for a replacement bike whilst mine was being fixed.

Well all that insurance shit is really irrelevant to the question.

I would say kill him if you are looking to boink the woman who ran over your bike....otherwise, probably just hit him with a cricket bat the next time you see him.

[NoGear]

I don't know where in the UK you are but here is what you do:

Go to a pub in Hereford called "The Barrels". In that pub you'll see a few blokes who sit off by themselves and don't socialize with others in the pub.  They'll look a bit unsavory but they are good blokes. Trust me. Buy them a round of drinks and tell them you know this American from Fayetteville who told you to come there.  Tell them you have a business propostion for them.  At that point you'll reach an agreement and they'll tell you to go take a Holiday over on the continent and take lots of pictures with date/time stamps on them.   When you come back from Holiday your situation will be resolved.

 

[Pitts2112]

I like NoGear's reply.  That way you get your problem solved AND a holiday!  Result!

Chase up the technical/legal stuff until you get your money.  You might also think about filing a second claim for interest on the money owed, just to chivvy things along a bit.

As for the other stuff:  She's a bitch.  He's a cnut.  Do you really think there's anything you could possibly do to make their lives ANY worse than they're already doing for each other?

[stromgal]

Aaaargh. For some reason we do not have Weetabix out here in CO, and now I really want some

How about a Wasa Crispbread instead?

Papa, I'm surprised you never made a police report. I had a similar issue when someone backed into my Strom a few months after purchase-- the woman didn't want to make an insurance claim, said she'd pay me herself. The police report saved my (ahem) biscuits.

(edited to add--ooops, read your explanation. Good luck, and don't let the bastidges get you down.)

[Rogue]

Papa, quit riding your bike to pubs.  

That will avoid future encounters with idiots and other unsavory characters.  Most anyway.  

[Mr.Black]

Pass the Lorna Doones please.

[Meemuh]

I've heard that a bamboo shoot  growing through a still living person is quite unpleasant...

Not that I would recommend it.

[Hardware]

I don't know where in the UK you are but here is what you do:

Go to a pub in Hereford called "The Barrels". In that pub you'll see a few blokes who sit off by themselves and don't socialize with others in the pub.  They'll look a bit unsavory but they are good blokes. Trust me. Buy them a round of drinks and tell them you know this American from Fayetteville who told you to come there.  Tell them you have a business propostion for them.  At that point you'll reach an agreement and they'll tell you to go take a Holiday over on the continent and take lots of pictures with date/time stamps on them.   When you come back from Holiday your situation will be resolved.

 

I don't think we're quite at the point where he contracts SAS "blokes" to resolve a conflict based on an anonymous motorcycle forum referral...

[NoGear]

It's OK. The "Publican" is retired from the regiment. We served together back in the late 80s and again in the mid 90s.  First time I met him they picked us up at the airport and on the ride to Hereford he grabs my Cassette case and started going through it throwing my tapes out the back of the Land Rover, until he got to "The Clash". All of my country music was gone and he left me  The Clash, Kinks, Led Zep, ZZ Top and Black Sabbath!!!  I soon found out he was one of our instructors.    He serves some of the best beer in the UK.

Pappa If it does come to that........  

[Hardware]

It's OK. The "Publican" is retired from the regiment. We served together back in the late 80s and again in the mid 90s.  First time I met him they picked us up at the airport and on the ride to Hereford he grabs my Cassette case and started going through it throwing my tapes out the back of the Land Rover, until he got to "The Clash". All of my country music was gone and he left me  The Clash, Kinks, Led Zep, ZZ Top and Black Sabbath!!!  I soon found out he was one of our instructors.    He serves some of the best beer in the UK.

Pappa If it does come to that........  

Sure...just like in the book...

[NoGear]

In the book? What book?

[Hardware]

In the book? What book?

If it wasn't this one,



it was,



Haven't read them in a long time but I believe it was IA.

[black hills]

uh-oh...

[NoGear]

I'll see if I can download them.

[stevent]

Over here what you do is bury them with paperwork. File a police report, contact your insurance and get a lawyer. It's even better if you can subtly provoke the boyfriend or girls friend into a screaming or better yet threatening tirade, all recorded on your handy phone cam. The actual monetary compensation is secondary, what you want is to tie them up in the legal system as much and for as long as possible. As a rule people like that live their lives on a slow boil because they're assholes by nature, you just need to throw a little gas on the fire everytime things cool down a little and watch them bury themselves a little deeper each time.

[ConPilot1]

You need to get one of those hardcore Barrister's with the funny white powdered wig and robes + collar.

Seriously Papa, this should have been a done deal and paid out to you 3 months ago.

Sorry to hear you're getting jerked around, and the whole deal is 100% fault of theirs.

[black hills]

A letter to the insurance company on legal firm letter head usually speeds things along.

[Papa Lazarou]

My lawyers are fecking around. Fortunately, they have a Facebook page. After posting derogatory comments about them, they seem to have jumped into action with massive apologies.  

As for the irritating BF, he is below my notice after the irritating time I saw him last week. After all, he avoided the pub for months and when he first showed up, it was his bad luck I did too.

[bomber]

You lawyered up and they aren't doing anything?

You did the right thing but jumpin them on FB -- you may wish to followup in person (or in voice over the phone).

As for killing the BF, hey, he is still with the original driver what caused all the mayhem, yes?

Good enough -- miserable for a long time is so much more satisfying than dead at once.