Warning: Rant content

[Kirstie]

Oh boy do I need to let off steam!!!
This is my last day at work before I go on holiday. I have worked my arse off in the last few weeks and really deserve a break. Tomorrow, I fly out to Geneva for a weeks mountainbiking in Les Arcs with my other half. He drove out there last week for a week there with the lads. After that, we were going to drive part way back, to a campsite in Jura, and then back to the UK. Immediately afterwards I am driving up to Sutherland with a bunch of friends to go touring. All of this is in my trusty VW Passat which is a marvellous car.

Today I got a call from my husband in Les Arcs.
'Are you OK?' I asked
'No' he replied
'Why' I said.
'The car was parked outside the chalet and a lorry has crashed into it'

Yes indeed, my lovely VW Passat, on which my holiday, and epic annual cycle tour depends, has been mullered by a French delivery truck. Luckily, the truck driver was delivering to a nearby shop, which took his insurance details. However, the shop is closed until 4pm. Hopefully their insurance company will pay for the repairs but god knows if the car will get fixed in time for us to drive home in it. My other half is currently stranded and very soon I will be too. Neither of us speak very good French, but we're trying to find someone who does.

It needs a new bumper, bonnet, front wing, headlight, and that's just on the outside.

Also, just to be on the safe side, we have car insurance with European cover, European breakdown insurance and travel insurance. This is where it gets farcical.

Car insurance company: we'll only deal with the car if it's in the UK, despite european breakdown cover. Go through the other guy's insurance company.
European breakdown insurance company: well the car's not broken down, it's been in an accident, so sod off. Looks pretty broken to me...
Travel insurance: Your car, not you has been in an accident, so sod off.

OH FFS!!!!!

Oh yeh and I have to get the train up to Bourg St Moritz from Geneva tomorrow and I've no idea about Swiss/French trains. **** **** ****

 

[Kirstie]

By the way if Flying Monkey and Dr Smut are reading this, do not panic, we'll think of something...

 

[wafflycat]

A suggestion. Don't know if it's any good. Get in contact with British Embassy/consulate out there and ask for help in finding out exactly where you stand.

 

[Twenty Inch]

That sounds like rubbish. Really bad luck.

RIght now I'd be considering either: calling the whole thing off, letting OH get back and go off somewhere UK in a hire car, or heading out there and trying to treat the whole thing as a big adventure.

I hope you manage to have some fun. Let us know.

 

[Mr Phoebus]

That's really awful I know how much you'd been looking forward to your trip as well.

 

[Kirstie]

We don't know where we stand until we've spoken to the French guy's insurance company. They may sort it really quickly. But good idea to contact the embassy.

 

[Arch]

Oh, kirstie that sounds like a horrible hassle! Hope it gets sorted out!

Perhaps you should wave your bikes at the garage and explain the holiday plans. Seems to me continental folk (esp French) have a bit of respect for cyclists and they might just pull out the stops to help, especially if you make an effort to try with the lingo (even if they only get comedy value from it!...

Breakdown and insurance companies do sound useless, even if they are technically correct. Makes you wonder why you bother...

And it is particularly hard when it's a car you have an affection for, not just a Eurobox...

good luck!

 

[Melvil]

Poor you! <sympathies>

Not fun at all. Especially with cop-out insurance weasels, too. Reminds me of a passage in Most Harmless:

Ford: 'You know they've re-instated the death penalty for insurance company directors?'

Arthur: 'Really, for what offence?'

Ford: 'What do you mean, offence?'

 

[Keith Oates]

That's really bad luck Kirstie, hope it turns out OK. If you have to change your plans then enjoy what turns up and you may be pleasantly suprised!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kirstie]

Oh well apparently what's going to happen is this...as we've spoken to the embassy on the level headed (I'm not exactly that right now) advice of wafflycat.

All French drivers carry around with them a form - they have to by law - that they fill out in the event of an accident. Both drivers have to fill it in, with all their details. Then it gets faxed off to both party's insurance companies. As it's not our fault, the other driver will admit liability on the form, and the insurance companies will sort it out between them. This, of course, is leaving it all to bureaucracy but it will get sorted and we won't lose out on our no claims bonus.

The problem is we'll just have to wait for them to authorise repairs and a hire car. Hopefully not too long but if French bureaucracy's anything to go by we might still be here at Christmas!

 

[Kirstie]

Thanks for your support everyone. Mountain biking will definitely help me forget about this mess! Ooh, and anyone any good with French car repair vocabulary?

 

[Arch]

There look to be a few useful words here...

http://www.smartphrase.com/French/fr_transport_voc.shtml

 

[Chuffy]

<Gallic shrug> C'est shagged madame. Je could avais les parts par next Vendredi. <sucks teeth, strokes chin> Je avais un nice petite runner round le derriere. C'est dans tres bon nick et seulement un old lady owner.
















Good luck!

 

[Kirstie]

LOL
I think I'm going to need:
Bonnet
Headlight
Front bumper
Front wing
and possibly...armature (nice word that)

I also may need:
Can you hurry up and repair my car please because my ferry leaves Calais at 5pm?
Have you finished with the big blue english registered VW yet?
etc

On the bright side, the bumper had a big scrape down one corner (husband-car-fence interface), the front wing didn't quite fit properly as it got mashed recently in a husband-car-bollard interface, and our mate fitted a new one. Also since mate fitted the front wing, the bonnet doesn't open very easily. So we could be quids in.

Also...being stranded in the alps aint so bad, and Swiss trains will probably be a joy compared to English ones...

To be honest the thing that's really stressing me out is the possibility of having to leave my car in France, and the insurance companies taking so long over making a decision we'll be out of pocket and have to fly back home with only half our gear.

It's never simple, is it. But you lot have cheered me up lots.

By the way I'm sitting here typing this waiting for my fake tan to dry

 

[bonj2]

this is harsh, i feel for you i really do. Forcing a company to its job is one of the most frustrating things there is, second only to forcing a myriad of companies to do its job. hope you get it sorted.

Still could be worse - don't know about you but i would rather somebody smashed my car up than my mountain bike!