accident

sarita · #1 03-08-2006, 07:40 AM

my husband who is dominican rented a car and had an accident. afterwards he found out that the car wasnt insured. no one else was involved but the car is a right off. the owner of the car says my husband has got to pay him 60 000 pesos. is this right? surely the owner is to blame as he rented it without insurance and didnt tell him that it wasnt insured either. please help
thanx

laurapasinifan · #2 03-08-2006, 08:29 AM

must have been a real junker if it is only worth 60,000 pesos.....

just on the surface, Id say that anyone that caused the accident( your husband) would be liable. Not knowing there isnt insurance, isnt good enought. Unless he signed papers , and has a copy that SAYS the car was insured. No matter how much "legal advice" you will get here....you will need to hire an attorney to defend against these claims......

you can be sued, and need an attorney, when there is not a shred of doubt that you are not liable for something.....but if someone takes you to court...you have to defend...even if its a sure thing you will win.........the events have to take place anyway

best of luck....bob

juanita · #3 03-08-2006, 08:53 AM

Have you seen the car yourself? Are you also here in DR?

Malibook · #4 03-08-2006, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurapasinifan

No matter how much "legal advice" you will get here....you will need to hire an attorney to defend against these claims......

It would seem like a waste of money to pay a lawyer to fight a losing battle over less than $2k US.

Good thing it isn't for much more and it is a lesson learned.

macocael · #5 03-08-2006, 10:15 AM

What kind of rental service is this? The whole thing sounds bogus. And if it is bogus, you can probably walk away from it.

laurapasinifan · #6 03-08-2006, 10:20 AM

malibook.....better advice still

In this case it may be better to offer a settlement.......

but they have to hire a lawyer at the same type of exspense to recover the $2,000 US!!!!!!!!!

I had a slam dunk case against someone who bailed out of buying my house , when the contract said NO contingencies PERIOD, because of the small down payment

they asked for the money back in suit...my attorney said , we will win, but in the end your legal fee will be 25% MORE than the down payment!!!!!!

HUH??? oh well.........

now i would like to know what happens when they SAY they used your money paid to cover the car with insurance.. then they pocket it, thinking you wont get into an accident.

on another note....did you secure the rental with a credit card?

some credit cards offere automatic car rental insurance!

bob

Tamborista · #7 03-08-2006, 10:22 AM

Sounds like the car might be worth a Grand.
Pay the Piker or hide, hiring a lawyer sounds like a waste of time and pesos.
Who rents a car without insurance?

I call AMEX/VISA almost every time I rent a car and get my coverage e mailed to me and write it down as well. I understand we are dealing with a different situation, but try common sense once in a while instead of blaming someone else. HE damaged the car, NOT the OWNER.

sarita · #8 03-08-2006, 10:46 AM

i live in the dr and yes i did see the car. i am not blaming the owner i am just saying that if someone is renting out a car then surely it should be insured. isnt there a law anywhere that states a renta car should be insured? thanx for ur help i was just enquiring on the off chance that there might be a way out of this. thanx anyway

rellosk · #9 03-08-2006, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarita

isnt there a law anywhere that states a renta car should be insured?

I'm not aware of any law. As another poster said, the person renting the car has to pay for the insurance. If they don't want to pay, then they have you sign some sort of waiver, declining the insurance.

I'm surprised they didn't require a credit card to rent the car. In which case they would just charge the $60,000RD to the credit card.

Mirador · #10 03-08-2006, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarita

i live in the dr and yes i did see the car. i am not blaming the owner i am just saying that if someone is renting out a car then surely it should be insured. isnt there a law anywhere that states a renta car should be insured? thanx for ur help i was just enquiring on the off chance that there might be a way out of this. thanx anyway

It's a typical racket. Insurance is optional, and you probably did not read the fine print when you signed the rental contract. Also, the renter does not have to specify that you are renting an uninsured automobile. He would not only get your money, but he would rework his paper to collect from the insurance company also. If you ask him, he would probably say something to the effect that he is a family guy ('padre de familia') and needs to make a living ('ganarse la vida') somehow. I've also been hit with the same scam. Cut your loses. You are the wiser for it. In the DR, learning doesn't come easy or cheap.

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