Just when I thought life was going to be back to the usual ho-hum routine after all the fun activitities during the school holiday break, I got involved in another 2 car accidents....yes, two.
The first was on a Tuesday and hubby was out of town, so my son took the opportunity to borrow my car since I could use hubby's car instead. I was driving alone and had stopped at the traffic lights when it turned red and was the first car in line. When the lights turned green and it was my turn to go, the motorcyclist ahead of me couldn't get his bike started and so I had to wait for him to get going before I could move along. Suddenly I heard a thud and felt the impact of a car knocking into the rear of hubby's car. Having experienced an accident at the traffic lights just 2 months back, I was rather annoyed at the prospect of having to deal with another careless motorist.
I put on a scowl and got down from the car to inspect the damage. The driver in the car behind me was a lady and she looked quite apologetic. To my surprise and relief, knowing how hubby really treasures his car, there was no dent at all on his car...not even a scratch! So all was well and with a glad heart I continued my journey.
The next day, things got more interesting in a complicated way. My story is a long one so do bear with me.
I was on my way to the Wednesday prayer meeting in church with my kids in my car, and my son was driving as I felt a little tired after a long day of activities. As we entered the basement carpark, a car suddenly appeared from a lane on the left and rammed right into the passenger side door where I was seated. The driver was a lady and she didn't even step on her brakes when she saw my car coming, neither did she step on the brakes even when her car had hit mine!
I got down and inspected the damage. Then I stomped over to the other car.
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| The damage to the panel above the front tyre and car door |
I demanded for her IC and she handed it over together with her driving licence. I took photos of them. Then I asked for compensation and she said that I should just claim compensation from my own insurance. I told her that I would certainly claim compensation, but from HER insurance company, and got her phone number. She said she had to rush off to work and so we left it at that as I was also late for church meeting.
My friends in church advised me to lodge a police report, so when I reached home I gave the lady a call just to let her know that she would also need to lodge a police report. Then she tells me that she has changed her mind and that we should settle the matter amicably. She said she would call me the next morning to discuss the matter.
Early the next day, I took my car to the workshop to get an estimate on the cost of repairs. The figure came up to over a thousand Ringgit. The lady called again at 10am and this time she apologized but said that she could only compensate me RM300. Of course I refused since the accident was clearly not my son's fault as we had the right of way in the carpark. Then she said she would check with her cousin sister because the car belonged to her. Later, a man called me, claiming to be a friend of the lady driver, and said that he had advised her that she should bear the cost of repairs and that he would recommend a mechanic to repair my car. We were to meet at a mamak shop near the church at 2pm. I also asked hubby to call this man to discuss the matter.
This is where the story takes a turn.
I arrive at the mamak shop at 2pm with my son. Instead of taking me straight to the workshop as he had earlier promised, he asked me to park my car and sit down to discuss matters. The mechanic was there together with the lady driver, and I smelt something fishy. They tell me that they would not replace my car door with a new one, although hubby had told me that this man had already agreed to. This man is one slick character trying to impress me with lots of stories. Anyway, after some negotiation I followed him to a car workshop somewhere along Jalan Loke Yew. When I arrived, immediately I realised why he had wanted to sit down and discuss first, and made sure I agreed to have my car repaired at his recommended workshop. It was a simple shed kind of workshop, not even a proper shoplot that I was accustomed to. Then the mechanic does not issue me any invoice and I was really hesitant to hand over my car. All I had was his business card. My son even wonders if this workshop is legal.
To cut a long story short, I decided to trust the mechanic. I definitely did not trust that smooth-talking man. The mechanic seemed like an honest guy and he asked me to take photos of his workshop to show my husband. Later I found on the internet that this workshop has its own Facebook page with photos and 'likes', so it seemed like a legitimate business after all. In 4 days' time I collected my car. The repairs were thoroughly inspected by hubby and seemed good except for some very minor rough spots which were not really noticeable unless a person inspects it very closely. Cost of repairs borne by the other party: RM900
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| It's not perfect but you wouldn't be able to tell where the damage was unless you knew |
