Annoyed

[spider]

Bin collection this morning (blue + brown)

Brown bin (paper) is always first, done no problem. Blue (plastic bottles / cans) bin about an hour later.

I heard a bit of a noise so looked out, I saw the bin man picking up lots of bottles, I just thought "oh, he's dropped the bin or something"

Went out ten minutes later to drag the bin in (there's still the odd can floating around on the road too) and noticed this:



I'm just sat here trying to work out "how" this happened. There is no damage to the wing or headlight (the scratch down the wing has been there ages thanks to cyclists on the pavement but that's another story)

I cannot work it out , as I say there's no damage elsewhere. I can only think one of the following:

1. The bin fell over and hit it (unlikely given the angle that it would not catch something else)

2. It was actually on the pick up on the lorry and fell off (again, what are the chances of that just catching the indicator lens?)

3. The bin lorry itself caught it (unlikely as there would be damage elsewhere)

4. 1 or 2 but just a bottle / can managed to come out and hit it (again, the plastic is high impact so that's unlikely)

As I say I saw them spend a good minute or two picking up lots of bottles / cans so the bin either spilled or tipped over.

I've not bothered ringing the council as (a) I'd never be able to prove it and (b) they would no doubt wriggle out of it somehow.

Plus, as it had jagged edges I've whipped it out and pulled the outer 'cover' off and put it back, so it just looks like the outer piece has fallen off as they sometimes do anyway on a 205. It's still amber and still works fine.

Hmm

[JohnD]

No doubt about it - it was them wot done it but they'll never admit it. The good news is that there's a new one on ebay for less than a tenner including postage.

[spider]

No doubt about it - it was them wot done it but they'll never admit it. The good news is that there's a new one on ebay for less than a tenner including postage.

Even better is one for £1 from scrappy although I've pulled the outer lens off now so it looks semi normal, still illuminates amber and has not jagged edges. , that will do for the moment much busy and scrap yard is miles away.

I'm struggling to work out 'how' though given there's no damage elsewhere and that plastic is quite high impact resistant anyway. What are the odds of something catching it...

[spider]

Rang them up as its turns out a neighbour had seen it.

They said to email in details so have done including pic of damage.

[KP]

Now they will send an assessor out at some point in the next few millenia and what should we put the odds on?

Being a write off,
due to the cost of the lense
the time to fit the unit
the unit is no longer available for your 'model' of pug
or that they will class it as wear and tear and that it wouldn't have smashed if it was pristine...

I hope they just agree to give you a month or twos council tax rebate to cover the damage and be done with it but in this day and age they like to drag things out and thus build up the cost even more

It is a wierd accident though, i've only ever seen such things happen on swing over gates where there is no lower section or on lorries reversing trailers that have just nicked a car at that hieght...

[Citroenmad]

That is an odd one, though it could be possible the bin has hit the lens and bounced off.

I think id be buying a new lens myself, too much hassle for everyone involved to go about claiming for a few pounds.

[spider]

Yes I had to remove the rest of it as it was jagged. They have the inner 'cover' anyway so the bulb is protected an still amber anyway.

I do recall they occasionally fall off anyway but it was a newish one not the original (new as in about a year ago) as the original one liked to fill with water so I replaced it.

Awaiting to hear back anyway as they sent a "thank you for emailing us" generic reply to my polite but firm email.

It is highly unusual given what happened, but there is no other explanation at all. If they had not dropped the bin (hence me seeing them picking up endless bottles / tins) I would of probably not gone out and noticed it. Cannot be anything else as it was OK before then it was broken after.

Oh well. Calm now anyway.

[CitroJim]

Sorry to hear that Andy It's one of those amazing things that does happen when large missiles are flying around... Still, it was only the lens and it could have been much, much more...

Binmen scare me. they drive like a kamikaze pilot on their last sortie and reverse at such speed down narrow roads it's amazing anything survives their aggression and dustcarts are getting bigger and bigger it seems. And they really take huge care in emptying the bins.

I'll cut them some slack because they have a lot to do and in a short time with insufficient resources. Corners (some literally) are therefore cut. They have no time for being careful and caring. More binmen and smaller carts on smaller rounds are needed. It might help too if they didn't have to deal with six billion categories of so-called recycling as well. I have this cynical suspicion that all the rubbish we so carefully sort all eds up on the same landfill site in the end...

I try always to make sure my roadside parked car is well out of the way of 'em on bin day. Just recently one careless soul must have dropped a glass recycling box outside my house and the road was strewn with broken glass No attempt made to clear it up.

By far the worst was the fate of my old 205GTi Six weeks after I sold it a dustcart reversed into it and wrote it off

[citronut]

Chris wrote
"I think id be buying a new lens myself, too much hassle for everyone involved to go about claiming for a few pounds."

although its probably the route i would take also,

but i do belive this sort of atitude (letting small offence's go) is why the world is in the state its in nowadays,

there are no rules anymore or at least the ones that are there are totaly disregarded,

people just dont give a ******



regards malcolm

[addo]

Exactly.

It's not hard to get good, accurate information about how to press a reasonable and fair claim. Nor does it usually take any significant time - we waste more (generally speaking) on the idiot box.

[Xaccers]

there are no rules anymore or at least the ones that are there are totaly disregarded,

people just dont give a ******



regards malcolm

You mean like not using the quote function to keep posts clear and easy to follow?

[Citroenmad]

I have this cynical suspicion that all the rubbish we so carefully sort all eds up on the same landfill site in the end...

That is or at least was the case around here, i think its changed now, or so they tell us. We have a huge landfill on the outskirts of the town here, i say land fill but its actually the highest thing around! Im not joking. The stench when driving past is awful, i avoid going past.

[xmexclusive]

The synic in me thinks that now they have a name and address they will ensure the car is not damaged again. They will empty the bin on the drive so it never gets near the car.

John

[spider]

No driveway

They sent a message earlier, passed it to their insurance people. I've had to remove the 'outer' part to avoid jagged edges though as you on here will know who have had 205's the outer part can fall off anyway sometimes.

I've replied again, basically tis the principle rather than anything else, here's a summary of my 'reply' anyway.

Thank you for your reply.

I should point out it is not the cost that is the 'problem' here really, it is just the fact that said damage has been caused and the employee's did not report said damage to myself.

Whether they have reported it to your department(s) as appropriate I am not sure obviously. I am concerned that people can regard someone's properly as no value whatsoever as to not attempt to contact the owner. There was no doubt it would of been noticed given the fact that they spent a few moments picking up the contents of the bin (most of it anyway) from the road / between the cars.

To be frank, if they had knocked on the door and informed me of said damage, I would of not written to you nor taken it any further as these things although annoying and inconvenient can happen. It is the principle of the lack of admission that I find leaves a bad taste. I can only assume had I not been at home nor anyone else around I would be no wiser as to the cause.


Again, thank you for your prompt attention.

As I say, principle not cost. They did it and knew it but did not bother to do anything about it. How the bin fell over in the first place is another matter though.


On a more positive note, I'm probably going car shopping over the next few days, (nothing to do with this, I've had car shop shop on my mind for months) I have a couple in mind but finding them within a sensible distance is something else. So there's a slight chance 205 may be gone before they decide to turn up etc. I don't want my premium rising I do know that.

Seen a typo or two now, oh well

[citronut]

if we dont put our bins out on the public foot path at the front of our house, they re/fuse to empty them,

regards malcolm