basically a few months ago i crashed my car into a fence breaking in total 1 panel and 2 concrete posts. i informed the landlord i would cover costs outside of insurance as this is not an option for me to get my insurance involved. recently i was sent a letter informing me that it had been fixed, various charges and costs totalled £1279.00!!!!! after askin freinds a panel only costs 50 max and concrete posts wouldnt be more than a 100. the fence was fixed in a day and so labour shouldnt be much either. obvious they are ripping me off and i dont know what to do. shall i not pay and wait for them to take me to court??and contest the amount they are charging me? who should i contact to help?? i have no clue what i can do. simply cannot afford this i am a student and only earn 200 a month. i am very upset and angry, any help would be appreciated greatly
2007-08-26 04:47:57 · 6 answers · asked by boib b 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Tell them you are suprised its so high and ask for a copy of the bill. It may have been more involved than you think and you could still submit to your insurance company if it's that high or pay them over time.
2007-08-26 04:53:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you broke 2 concrete posts, I guarantee you broke 3 panels. Asking your friends is barely worth a comment. What do they know about the cost of anything. Removing the broken concrete probably cost more than 100 pounds each.
I would require an itemized bill before paying anything. I once damaged a fence an was given a price by the owner to replace 2 wood posts and some fencing. I requested receipts for materials (they claimed to do the labor themselves). That was over 10 years ago and I have yet to hear from them again.
2007-08-26 05:18:28 · answer #2 · answered by STEVEN F 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should have let your insurance handle it. Despite the fact that you would eventually pay more in premiums, the insurance company would have required an estimate of damages and a detailed receipt of the costs. Your best bet now is to ask for some kind of receipt for the repairs that were done. You will need to explain that the bill is beyond your capability to pay at one time and if they will accept payments over time, make them. If it comes to a suit, the other party would be required to prove that the work did indeed cost that much. I am guessing that it did. Most of the cost was probably for the labor involved. Nothing that is not in writing is obvious.
2007-08-26 05:25:29 · answer #3 · answered by fangtaiyang 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take pictures (you should have taken pictures of the damage and of the finished work, and if you can get a statement from a neighbor about the existing condition of the posts this would help). Contest the landlord's "bill" by asking for all recipets and invoices, to prove what his "real costs" were.
If he is charging you a convenience fee for his time, ask him to put that in writing as well. Viola, you have evidence to take to small claims court. Without this, it is just a pissing match and you will never win.
2007-08-26 04:56:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
When I had someone hit my car and they asked that it not be reported, they said they would pay for the repairs. I went to 3 repair shops and got estimates, and mailed the estimates to the guy. His wife called and said they all seemed too expensive and they weren't going to pay. So I said I would report it to insurance and to the police since they said they'd take care of it, and that's what I ended up doing.
Can you call a couple of places and ask them what their estimate would be? Did you take any pictures of the damges? Try getting estimates from other companies and ask if the landlord will accept one of those prices.
2007-08-26 04:57:38 · answer #5 · answered by Moxie1313 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could check this out http://www.uelp.org/freelegal.html
2007-08-28 00:23:54 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋