Attempted vehicle theft at Doncaster Park and Ride

YouCentric on 29/03/2017 - 16:55

Good evening,

I leave my car at Doncaster Park and Ride and catch a bus into the city every day for work. It's a convenient facility, basically a bus depot with a large carpark.

I returned to my car yesterday evening at approximately 6:15pm to find that my drivers side door handle had been badly damaged, quite likely due to someone wanting to steal my vehicle. The barrel was also damaged so the only way to get in and out of my car is to use the remote to unlock the door.

When I went to ask for video footage from the State Guard officer in the office he told me that the cameras had been taken down that same day for upgrades.

He took my details down and said he'd have a look through the footage from the single camera that was operating that day.
I also filed a police report straight after at the Doncaster police station.

I wrote an email to Manningham Council detailing the situation and hoped that they could help with the repair costs but the best they could offer was informing me that VicRoads actually owns the site and it is maintained by PTV (public transport company).

The security officers on site are from State Guard.

The door is badly damaged enough that it will require a full respray after it has been fixed.

I'm wondering if it's worth pursuing this, and if so, who to pursue for damages.

Thanks

Automotive

Comments

  • hikaru78 on 29/03/2017 - 17:11
    +13

    Pretty sure if you park in a public carpark it's at your own risk.

    Your insurance would be the only option i would think.

    • Paul Atreides on 29/03/2017 - 17:48
      +3

      ^this

      most places have a disclaimer in the carpark. by parking there, you agree to these terms.

      thats why paid car parks will let you exit without paying for a very short amount of time, so that if you disagree with the car park terms, you can exit the car park straight away and not get charged. AFAIK.

    • YouCentric on 29/03/2017 - 18:25

      Bugger

    • vinni9284 on 29/03/2017 - 21:16

      Yep. Agree with hikaru78 on this one.

      Insurance!

      You pay a premium and then an excess. 9 out of 10 people have excess that exceeds $500

      Lucrative insurance companies will require a filed Police report (as you have) when you lodge a claim for a damage that is around $800. I assume your car is not that expensive such as a $100K+ euro car etc. Then you pay $500 from your excess, they only pay their share $300 out of it and then you will get a nice Kinder surprise on your next premium increase.

      Furthermore, you will spend time to drop off your car and pick up and possibly lose it for a week as the Panel Beaters will prioritise the more "expensive" work in front of yours. That depends if your policy has "Hire Car" option.

      Unfortunately, it's probably not even worth to claim for a minor damage.

      In my view, the council will wipe their hands clean over this as they are only good at one thing … is to send you the rate notice … and sorry .. also to collect your rubbish. LOL

      It's best to negotiate with a panel beater in person for cash to repair.

      Cheers

  • chumlee on 29/03/2017 - 20:29
    +1

    You can pursue the person/s who caused the damage

  • t_c on 29/03/2017 - 20:41
    +3

    Bikies

    • [Deactivated] on 29/03/2017 - 20:56

      Ha, years back I was working on a large construction site where a colleague had pimped a Statesman Sedan,he did an awesome job so much so that it got knicked out of his driveway.
      Obviously he reported it too the cops and pushed hard for it's return…. well he did get a message back…..from the bikies.
      I never saw him drive it again, but I believe the Concreters at work (some of them bikies) negotiated that their kin provide a discounted compulsory purchase,charges dropped and no-one got hurt…..Never fancied a Statesman after that.
      The guy with the Statesman was a bit of a twat so I never really felt sorry for him
      ………..bikies

  • altomic on 29/03/2017 - 21:21

    what sort of car (make and model and colour)?

    get ozbargain on the job for an inexpensive replacement door.

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