Friend had car damaged by Royal Mail van

[cheesefest]

My friend parked her car on the road in a bay whilst she had her hair cut and highlighted. Returned to car to see a large dent, scrape on passenger door. Scrape has red paint on it. Someone left an anonymous note saying damage was done by a Royal Mail van with its reg.

How difficult is it to claim from a large organisation’s insurance? Will they make all excuses under the sun not to pay out?

Friend is going to walk to the sorting office later on to see if the van belongs to the fleet as all vans are parked here when not in use. Plus if she can see the van from the entrance (it’s locked) with damage - take a photo.

 

[ICDP]

Did the witness leave a contact number? If not then it might be a good idea for your friend to say she saw it happen and the van had driven off before she could confront the driver.

 

[cheesefest]

Did the witness leave a contact number? If not then it might be a good idea for your friend to say she saw it happen and the van had driven off before she could confront the driver.

No witness didn’t. Raised a FB post on a couple of Spotted pages. With a photo of the note. Hopefully the witness, a relative or friend sees the post.

 

[ICDP]

No witness didn’t. Raised a FB post on a couple of Spotted pages. With a photo of the note. Hopefully the witness, a relative or friend sees the post.

With the note being anonymous it could be difficult to prove liability. RM could simply argue you picked a random Royal Mail van and took the reg.

1. First step is to call her insurance, no if's buts or maybes and follow their advice.
2. They will most likely ask her for a police number etc. So she will have to make a statement to the police.
3. Take photos and do not move the car.

EDIT: The above steps should have been the first thing she did to be brutally honest. I think if she moved the car already she may be up **** creek to be honest.

Hello insurance company, a Royal Mail van just hit my car and didn't stop. I got time to take the reg and the van was gone.

She didn't see the driver, she can't remember the specifics but she saw the van hit her car and she only had time to get the reg.

Do you have a description of the driver? No, I was too busy getting the registration before the van was gone.
What type of van was it? Don't know, I was too busy getting the registration before the van was gone but it was an RM van.
What time was it? Do not be too specific, for example 2 - 2:30ish.

All I know was that the van hit my car and drove off. It was a fairly large hit so the driver 100% would have know they hit my car, they drove off without stopping.

Keep all your answers vague and no detail other than, here is the reg and it was an RM van. Let her insurance company deal with it.

For reference I had a very similar event when I was in getting a Pizza (for godinman who seems to like details, it was a pepperoni with chilli and salami ). A drunk guy came in to the Pizza place and slurred, "here mate that car pulling out of the car park just hit your car". I took a note of the registration, checked the damage and decided it was enough to warrant a repair, so I phoned my insurance provider. I Told them it was me who saw it happen and the car was gone before I could get more than the registration. I was instructed to get a police reference number and get back to them. It was settled with the other drivers insurance without so much as a fight.

 

[godinman]

Thanks for letting us know about the highlighting, what's the base colour?

 

[Quartz]

Someone left an anonymous note saying damage was done by a Royal Mail van with its reg.

Check local CCTV / security camera footage.

She didn't see the driver, she can't remember the specifics but she saw the van hit her car and she only had time to get the reg.

She must not lie.

 

[Yaayuh!]

Car got in the way of delivery letter post?

 

[Diddums]

What colour are the girl's highlights?

 

[ICDP]

Check local CCTV / security camera footage.



She must not lie.

Then she will get nothing. No witness, just a note and she already left the scene without taking photos or calling her insurance/the police.

 

[Iamzod]

How difficult is it to claim from a large organisation’s insurance? Will they make all excuses under the sun not to pay out?

Royal main aren't insured as such, my brothers GF got ploughed into by a RM vehicle & it obliterated her car. It was a solicitor dealing with it as RM self insure (Or did back then), they tried everything they could to pay the bare minimum.

I ended up claiming that they weren't acting in the public interest & advised them I was putting in a complaint with the solicitors regulation authority & suddenly they became much more accommodating.

 

[mattyg]

Check local CCTV / security camera footage.



She must not lie.

CCTV. Isn't that a breach of the data protection act.
I think it has to go via the police.
I mean that doesn't stop many businesses putting footage online though

 

[Quartz]

Then she will get nothing.

She will have to claim off her own insurance.

and she already left the scene without taking photos or calling her insurance/the police.

Oops.

 

[dlockers]

CCTV. Isn't that a breach of the data protection act.
I think it has to go via the police.
I mean that doesn't stop many businesses putting footage online though

No. Public place you have no right to privacy

 

[mattyg]

No. Public place you have no right to privacy

Thats for private individuals
She can ask to see footage of herself. But not to see footage of someone else

Data protection and your business

Data protection rules for businesses in recruiting staff, keeping staff records and using CCTV

www.gov.uk

 

[jpaul]

not sure why you wouldn't have gone to the police immediately to formalise what happened and present the note .

do royal mail vans have GPS trackers.

 

[koolpc]

My friend parked her car on the road in a bay whilst she had her hair cut and highlighted. Returned to car to see a large dent, scrape on passenger door. Scrape has red paint on it. Someone left an anonymous note saying damage was done by a Royal Mail van with its reg.

How difficult is it to claim from a large organisation’s insurance? Will they make all excuses under the sun not to pay out?

Friend is going to walk to the sorting office later on to see if the van belongs to the fleet as all vans are parked here when not in use. Plus if she can see the van from the entrance (it’s locked) with damage - take a photo.

First class post that!

 

[Malevolence]

Oh well, it's just something else for the OP to whinge and whine about.

 

[Dis86]

Thats for private individuals
She can ask to see footage of herself. But not to see footage of someone else

Data protection and your business

Data protection rules for businesses in recruiting staff, keeping staff records and using CCTV

www.gov.uk

She's not asking for footage of someone else. She's asking for footage of her own or another vehicle.

 

[AndyCr15]

Thats for private individuals
She can ask to see footage of herself. But not to see footage of someone else

Data protection and your business

Data protection rules for businesses in recruiting staff, keeping staff records and using CCTV

www.gov.uk

Surely nothing on that page says she can't see it. It states -

• control who can see the recordings
• make sure the system is only used for the purpose it was intended for - for example, if it was set up to detect crime, you must not use it to monitor how much work your staff do

In my last place of work, if someone wanted to see CCTV as a crime had been committed, they could fill a form out and pay £10 and we would provide them with the footage.

 

[gc123]

Royal main aren't insured as such, my brothers GF got ploughed into by a RM vehicle & it obliterated her car. It was a solicitor dealing with it as RM self insure (Or did back then), they tried everything they could to pay the bare minimum.

I ended up claiming that they weren't acting in the public interest & advised them I was putting in a complaint with the solicitors regulation authority & suddenly they became much more accommodating.

aye had similar quite a few years back was parked in the royal mail lot next to a van i was fitting a windscreen in....plonker reversed out of a space opposite and straight into my van luckily the handbrake held or i would have been in hospital (working behind my van in a empty space getting the screen ready.
took blooming ages to get the repairs authorised and then i found out a few months later it went 50/50 ***** i ask you insurance grrr