Casie 0 #1 October 29, 2003 I basically had a hit & run yesterday on my car To try & make a long story short, I parked my car by the apartment leasing building & parked in a spot where no one except maintenance golfcarts could park to the right hand side of me. There already was a cart parked there, but I only intended on being there for 5 minutes or so & didn't think anything of it. I was there sometime in between 12:15-1:30 when this occurred. I get back & there's this huge dent & marks down to the metal on my freakin car. I didn't see it, but the cart was not there & it was 5 minutes....no more, no less. I was fuming but had an appointment to attend at the police station out of town to make a statement. As soon as I left the police station I went straight back & called the manager of the apartment building. She became real yucky towards me & said she would not accuse anyone that worked for her of that & I just needed to take it to my insurance & have them deal with it. There's marks on the cart & there's black paint on my car from the cart. I wasn't able to get a picture of it before they put it up. WTF should I do???? Should I call the police & have a statement done or should I call my insurance company. I shouldn't have to pay for someone else's mistakes! Any help is greatly appreciated!~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 212 #2 October 29, 2003 That does suck.I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #3 October 29, 2003 First thing.......get an estimate from 3 shops. Also try and get pics of the paint on the golf cart. The more the better. You can probably take them to court without an attorney but it will take a while and eat up lots of your time. So...really....you have to decide if your time and trouble is worth the cost of getting it fixed. Unfortunately, it usually isn't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlmiracle 7 #4 October 29, 2003 I had a roommate once that smashed the front of my car and she just went and parked like nothing happened. I finally found out if was her and took her to small claims court. I had 3 estimates. At court she never denyed doing it so I won but she appealed and won the appeal because my witness (her x-boyfriend) went up there to testify and slumped in the chair and spoke poorly. Get pictures, ask around for witnesses and best of luck. JudyBe kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #5 October 29, 2003 QuoteFirst thing.......get an estimate from 3 shops. Also try and get pics of the paint on the golf cart. The more the better. You can probably take them to court without an attorney but it will take a while and eat up lots of your time. So...really....you have to decide if your time and trouble is worth the cost of getting it fixed. Unfortunately, it usually isn't. I'm pretty certain, they'll clean the cart up since I've already talked to the manager about it and they put the cart up. I don't have tons of time either Should I just contact my insurance & pay my deductible to get it fixed???? I'm pretty sure the estimates will be over $500 (deductible) since they'll need to paint it.~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #6 October 29, 2003 Maybe, from reading about her attitude, it was the manager who did it and was trying to cover her own ass? If it could have been one of her employees, what would she care? She would just take it out of their paychecks...or their hides. Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #7 October 29, 2003 QuoteI had a roommate once that smashed the front of my car and she just went and parked like nothing happened. I finally found out if was her and took her to small claims court. I had 3 estimates. At court she never denyed doing it so I won but she appealed and won the appeal because my witness (her x-boyfriend) went up there to testify and slumped in the chair and spoke poorly. Get pictures, ask around for witnesses and best of luck. Judy That sucks! I just can't see how people can do that & not fess up; ya know? I have no witnesses, it was a 5 minute time frame & the only people who possibly saw it were the other maintenance people. There were 3 in total.~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #8 October 29, 2003 QuoteMaybe, from reading about her attitude, it was the manager who did it and was trying to cover her own ass? If it could have been one of her employees, what would she care? She would just take it out of their paychecks...or their hides. LOL! Yah, wouldn't that be my luck! I saw the actual 3 maintenance guys walk out to the parking lot & I know they were the ones who got in the cart, I just didn't actually see it.~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #9 October 29, 2003 Would it hurt to find out who the manager works for and contact her supervisor there and complain that you brought this to her attention and were essentially treated like dog-dirt? Sometimes You have to hit 'em where it hurts most: in their performance evaluations.Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #10 October 29, 2003 That's a good one, I'll have to look into that! Thanx!~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 212 #11 October 29, 2003 Great Idea! See, I knew you guys would come up with something.I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnischalke 0 #12 October 29, 2003 Not a lawyer, but I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night. find the cart again, no matter if the paint has been removed. Park your car beside it and photograph the two to show the relationship of the scratches to the surfaces on the cart. Take closeups of both the car and the cart where the damage occurred. Take photographs of the spaces in which the accident took place from at least two angles. You are making pieces of the puzzle to show how everything fits. Call the building OWNERS, not some flunky building management c#nt. Explain your situation. Further, get all the information of the person driving the cart that day. If all else fails, go after his insurance company (he was operating a motor vehicle). He'll probably cave in so that his employer's insurance is responsible rather than his own. mike Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills--You know, like nunchuk skills, bow-hunting skills, computer-hacking skills. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #13 October 29, 2003 QuoteThat's a good one, I'll have to look into that! Thanx! Eh, we all do what little we can to help those people we call "friend"...even if we've never met them. Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnischalke 0 #14 October 29, 2003 oh, and as for witnesses, you are a witness. You saw the paint on the cart. If they removed the paint immediately afterward, it is rather indicitive of guilt. Photographs may show that a portion of the cart was very recently cleaned, or even scoured to remove signs of paint. If you can show that in a photograph, it's just another + for ya. mike Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills--You know, like nunchuk skills, bow-hunting skills, computer-hacking skills. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #15 October 29, 2003 Thanx! I will take photos of the cart when I get home......keep your fingers crossed it's out & about so I can do that!~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 1 #16 October 29, 2003 Another thing to do, as a last resort. Threaten to give them bad press. Most local newspapers and TV news stations have consumer complaint departments. I was helped once by Greg Dawson of the Orlando Sentinel. When a car dealership screwed me over, I threatened to get them bad press. My intention was that it would scare them into changing their minds. It didn't. To spite them, I went through with it anyway. I was hoping to really get a bad article written about them, but instead, the reporter actually acted as a intermediate guy between them and me, he called them up, told them he had all the facts and if that was true he was going to write an article about it... did they want to help me? They caved in and agreed to help me. He still wrote the article (he made them aware that he would), he basically told the whole story, including his own involvement, to prove to the readers of his column that he does get results. He also told me to keep the article as a public record, in case they ever went back on their deal in the future or denied saying it, I would have the article quoting the owner of the dealership saying what they would do to help me. This should be a last resort as it can be perceived as a threat, though you should try to make it sound not so threatening... and as with your other complaints, it is probably more effective taken to the corporate level (or building owners), not just to some dumb bitch leasing manager (I've had my share of those).www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #17 October 29, 2003 Ok, just called my insurance company & was told as long as I get a police report, I can file an uninsured motorist claim & only get stuck paying $250.00.......I know I don't want to pay for someone else's crapola but I'd rather get it fixed before rust sets in & I have to wait freakin forever. Will call the police when I get home to get the police report.~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 1 #18 October 29, 2003 Do you know how much $250 is to a good-sized apartment complex? Don't give up until you get what you deserve. There is usually an option to go one step up the corporate ladder, as someone pointed out.www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #19 October 29, 2003 QuoteDo you know how much $250 is to a good-sized apartment complex? Don't give up until you get what you deserve. There is usually an option to go one step up the corporate ladder, as someone pointed out. I know, it's freakin pocket change to them. I guess I'm feeling like I don't have time to deal with it & I have tooo many other stresses in my life right now It'll all work out in the end.~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BabaLouie 0 #20 October 29, 2003 Was this a reserved parking spot for maintenance vehicles or employees? If so, it does not make it right for what they did, however, we all know better than to park somewhere we are not supposed to. You have a lot that you will have to prove, even in small claims court. If the apt. mgr. shows up at court with an attorney you will have your work cut out for you. Remember you are not taking the apartment manager to court, you are taking the company that owns the complex to court. It is likely they will defend themselves vigorously. You will have to prove at a minimum that the paint on your car is the same paint that is on the golf cart, a judge may not accept pictures as 'proof', he/she may require an analysis of the paint. The aggravation, time and money spent on your part to prove your case will not necessarily be given back to you should you win in court. Even though you are upset about this matter, and rightfully so; in the long run it may be simpler to let insurance handle it. Sorry for you financial loss, believe me, I know that feeling. BabaLouie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #21 October 29, 2003 Actually it was a spot with lines thru it, so no one is suppose to park there. It's just natural the only people that park there are the maintenance crew in thh golfcarts....that's it.~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jib 0 #22 October 29, 2003 QuotePark your car beside it and photograph the two to show the relationship of the scratches to the surfaces on the cart. or use a yard stick in the picture -------------------------------------------------- the depth of his depravity sickens me. -- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuteless 1 #23 October 29, 2003 You started off by saying " Calling all lawyers". I thought we were going to have a mass suicide....I was just reaching for the Yellow pages to get you some names LOL Bill Cole Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BabaLouie 0 #24 October 29, 2003 Unless you can drum up a witness this will likely become one of those 'he said she said' situations. Typically, as you go higher up the chain of command, you will likely cause increasing irritation upon those that you may have to deal with at the lower end of the chain, at a later date. Now, I am a rather bull headed individual and I do not care for any kind of injustice at all, but I have learned after 48 years of life that sometimes it is better to leave a situation alone, especially if the cost of the outcome exceeds the cost of the initial injustice. Just know that in your heart, that what goes around - comes around. Those at fault, will one day reap their karmic justice. Let the anger and frustration go and it will return to those who warrant it. BabaLouie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 1 #25 October 29, 2003 QuoteI guess I'm feeling like I don't have time to deal with it At the very least, call corporate. That should take 5 minutes. Be polite and see what happens. Let us know. :)www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
