Windscreen damage - who to claim? - UkGuy
So - my tale of woe continues

While awaiting my car to have the new engine (see my 2 recent posts) put in

the hire car I have to use whilst I await it to be done sustained an 'almighty' windscreen chip.

Now being a driver for nearly 20 years and NEVER having sustained any chip the 'gods' decide they need more sport!

and theres me standing with a hire car where (to cut costs) I have declined the windscreen and tyre damage premium.

Now - I KNOW where the stone came from, which road it was on and where.

I also KNOW which (national brand) logistics company truck decided to roll over the piece of aggregate and hurl it at my poor unprotected windscreen.

So do I claim the cost of the windscreen (when the hire company demands it is replaced) from

1. The company owning the vehicle that threw the chip.
2. The Highways agency
3. The local council
4. The (goodness knows who) company responsible for dropping the piece of stone on the road in the first place?
5. Anyone else?

Any thoughts.........?

PS - NOT covered by my normal 'comp' policy (well there is a £70 excess but I bet the hire company may well have an 'agreement' somewhere) - which is with ELEPHANT.

...and to think this isnt even 'august' (all my bad luck normally happens in the 8th month - perhaps this is another effect of 'global warming'?)

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 14/07/2008 at 01:26

Windscreen damage - who to claim? - yorkiebar
And people wonder why insurance premiums keep going up?

Was it left deliberately? Was the road in bad state of repair? Did the lorry driver aim the stone at you? Did the Highways agency not leave a sign next to the stone?

So on a basis of elimination it must be the council?

Or could it not just be your responsibility for not taking out the offered windscreen and tyre damage?

Pay up and smile? Please :)

If every loose stone on the road has to be swept up before it is ok to travel then a, road taxes are going to go through the roof and b, no road is going to be open to traffic!


Windscreen damage - who to claim? - Armitage Shanks {p}
In the "Good Old Days" - remember when the Excise duty we pay was called The Road Fund Licence and most of it was spent on keeping the roads in a good state of repair instead of being diverted to giving hoodies African safaris trips etc? However, the implication really is that you were offered the insurance and declined it so I think they will be looking to you. My own cover allows me to drive and covers me for damage to any courtesy car I have while my car is for official repair or service. Doesn't your own comp policy do this for you/ If not, maybe time to shOp around when renewing. Apart from their utterly dire TV adverts LV are good.
Windscreen damage - who to claim? - martint123
In the "Good Old Days" - remember when the Excise duty we pay was called The Road Fund Licence and most of it was spent on keeping the roads in a good state of repair

Sorry, I don't remember those days.


The tax disc system used to be simple.
It was created in 1909 by David Lloyd George
as the dedicated "Road (improvement) Fund",
with the idea that drivers should pay towards
road maintenance and improvements. This
lasted until 1926, when Churchill raided it to
pay for other things.


Windscreen damage - who to claim? - gordonbennet
What you do UkGuy, is slip round to a winscreen repair/replacement premises and get one of those chaps to do a repair on the screen pronto before it becomes a crack, and hand the car back and say nowt.
If its too bad to be repaired, and you are pretty sure they will notice at the hire place, it might be worth a ring round some of the smaller independent screen replacement places to get a screen done for cash.

Once you've got a quote, you can decide whether to go that route or throw yourself on the mercy of the hire co. who may stitch you up.

The way your lucks going could you give us your itinery for the week, so we can avoid any road you may be on...

-;)

Windscreen damage - who to claim? - UkGuy

Thanks GordonB ;)

(M25 jct 9 to 16 / M4 to jct 13 / A34 to Didcot - 0430 to 0600 & back around 1500)

Are these 'spot repairs' visble?

The one saving grace is that the mark is hidden from the inside behind the rear view mirror.

May try the old 'park it up against a wall ploy' and let the credit card battle it out !

I TOTALLY agree with the above post on what road tax pays for!

The fact is that the aggregate was used to repair the road and the Contractor, Highways agency, Council or whomever has been less than diligent in cleaning up afterwards - why should I have to pay for that - especially when the clean up was probably priced in the original quote for the job?

Windscreen damage - who to claim? - UkGuy

Yes courtesy cars are covered but only ones supplied by the insurer and there is a voluntary excess of £70.

I agree about the LV advert - most of theose cars would have been 'written off' by the insurer rather than repaired.......doesnt say much for volvo's handbrakes either ;)