This fucker just damaged my Golf

ouch thats a bugger!! no idea though mate

just spoke 2 ma bro hes a lawyer lol..said that it is impossible to prove that the damaged orginated from the pothole, he said the theory behind it is right but the chances of successfully proving it would be very difficult..

get someone you know to ring up and report it, they have a time span on how long to fix it, then a week later ring and say you hit this pot hole and it damaged your rim.

If it hasnt been reported previously you wont get anything, but also it is clear that it has been repaired shitly once in its life, so ask for a report on the road in question for defects and reports, from the time the first repair was done, and now, if a inspection (which is normally done yearly) has taken place in between, then you have a good chance of wining, as numb nuts mc concil worker has obviously not done his job.

but all the above has to be done!

from what i found out anyway

even so it will long out 4 so long it reali wudnt be worth it in the long run..

But what if they actually repair it within the right time? Shouldn't I just send a letter? Might look a bit dodgy if someone complains then I want compo a week later...

done a sample letter, any advice/opinion on it?

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to inform you of the presence of a large pothole in GGGG which is just off GGGGGG. The street is GGGGGG and I have enclosed pictures of the pothole in question with reference towards depth and location.

Having owned my current car for two years I have adhered to paying road tax which I assume would be paying toward the maintenance of the roads. However I can understand that there is a lot of road to maintain.

My car collided with this pot hole, at a low speed and has caused damage.

There was no warning signs of any kind about the damage, which is shown in the photos enlosed.

I have included pictures of the damage to my car, which includes a bent arch, large gash in the tyre (Making the tyre illegal, which also gave the tyre a slow puncture) I have worries about the suspension and its components so will be having it inspected professionally.

I have researched your responsibilities towards road maintenance, and I’m very disappointed that this hole has not been noticed before. I quote:

‘In order to keep the highway in a safe condition we regularly inspect our network in accordance with the current Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance. The frequency of inspections depends upon the importance of the road and footpath in question. A busy main road and footpath may be inspected monthly while a minor estate road or rural lane may only be inspected annually.’

As you can see from the enclosed pictures, that this pothole is very close to a main road and surely would be spotted upon the monthly inspection of the main road GGGGGGG

I had a similar incident in GGGGGG about 18 months ago, which did similar damage to my car, I had to repair that with my own money as I was told it was not deep enough of a hole. In personal comparison this hole is a lot worse.

I’m aware of your duties towards road maintenance and if possible I would like to view your inspection schedule, particularly to GGGGG and its surroundings, along with information as to whether the road has been repaired or complained about before.

I would also like to request a complaint form to fill in (unless the letter is adequate)

And I forward to receiving your response of an offer or refusal of compensation within the next 14 days. If compensation is rightly offered I will visit reputable garages regarding the work needed, and will happily allow viewings from someone in the highways department or a claim assessor to view and confirm the damage.

I look forward to your reply within 14 days,

dude i think u should try anyway the letter is solid and u got a right to so hopefully they might pay out..pffftt road tax..BAST**** lol..goodluck mate..lemme know what happens..

There is a chance you get a payout. There was one I got caught out by last year and it ended up in the newspaper. I didn't claim for it, but someone else did and he got some money for it.

Good Luck, I like the letter fine idea, hopefully some tweed-jacketed manager at the council will scratch his head and then balls and think mmm. I'd better fix the hole and give the lad some compensation.

depends on what road it is, but they inspect most roads yearly, they will just say they werent aware of it.

and if you ask for the inspection report there will be no mention of it.

That covers their backs and you get nothing, i went through all this and you get no where.

this is the pothole g/f hit, they said they had no reports of it, and it had never been repaired...

yeah i can see 3 shades of concrete there, they are wankers.

Get someone to report it for you, as a general concern, then wait a week or 2, and send your letter.

It will be much worth it as like people have said, you have no proof that the damage was cause directly by the pothole, but if it appears that it has been reported previously you'll have a better chance of compensation.

proving the damage isnt an issue, as if there is a cunting hole in the road it is liable to whatever claims it likes, thats why they need to repair it.

But like i said, if they "dont know about it" it covers their ass

True but they've defo got ways of getting out of it.. otherwise you'd have loads of people with slight damage sending letters accusing the hole of damaging their cars.

The council are jokers, weve got those Transit pickups but us, one guy driving and one on the back with a shovel and tub of tarmac or whatever it is.. driving down industrial roads chucking it in the holes.. one lorry passes and throws it all back out of the hole..

to top it off across the road from the hole parks a council maintenance tranny van every night...

send the letter and see what response you get...

so shouldn't bother getting someone to complain first?

What were they doing when they re-layed that road anyway?! Looks like they got about a foot away from the curb then thought "balls to it". Got to be worth a try, it's a mighty big hole.

A guy at my work is in the process of claiming for a shock absorber failure due to him having to go over about 6 speedbumps daily just to get to work. I think he was writing to his local council. Good luck with your claim let us know if you get any comeback.

Worcestershire is notorious for it's awful roads [from my driving experiences anyway] my mate damaged his beemer a few years ago on a proper rough pot hole, worse than that, he wrote to the council and complained and they paid for all repairs and made the effort to sort the holes out... Worth doing.

there not bad

you should try living in sheffield mate

pot hole city here and that offical hahaha

anyways yer if your cars lowerd and its done something to it the council will just say that its your fault for having your car to low

only thing you can do really is report it and them have somneone come out and fill it

^^ JAH THE WORST IS WHEN YOU DRIVE OUT OF BROADWAY IN WORCESTERSHIRE, CROSS THE BORDER INTO GLOUCESTERSHIRE and instantly the road goes from rough as arseholes to smooth and freshly laid for about 10 miles!! one of my brothers mates hit a pot hole on the peak of a hump back train bridge, caused the car to go off balance, flipped it and binned it in the hedge, totalled the car and was v v v close to dying in hospital (in fact i think he technically did in the ambulance) got about 20k out the council but he was in a mess tbh!

sorry about the caps there, caps lock was on, cant be assed to retype

Someone I knew successfully claimed for a buckled wheel. Just wrote in with a pic and they paid out no probs. In your letter I wouldnt bother mentioning that I was easily fobbed off the year before. And I would be a little more assertive with the payout bit instead of asking if you can get a payout or not. Whilst still being polite and formal.

I've never heard of anyone getting money from a claim like this, the above i find very strange, in huddersfield, kirklees, never!

It was on a motorcycle but cant see it making much difference. The good ole A62 as well.

My unkle bent a wheel in leeds, and he complained and got a pay out for them! got a new set of wheels from it, just keep at it!