、エンクまで有料！
、エンクまで有料！
[quote]Surprise! wrote:
Sue him for injuries sustained because he was parked illegally.[/quote
This!
freakingout in Japan wrote:
A week ago I was biking, hit a bump, crashed and scratched a Benz that was illegaly parked partially on the sidewalk. I put two cuts in the paint both about 3 inches long, like the kind you'de make if you dragged a key across it. Today I got an estimate from the dealer for exactly 500,000 yen. (Yes this all being in Japan makes it more interesting). The cops at the scene told us to talk and agree on a price. He hired an insurance agency to represent him. I can't imagine two scratches could add up to more than 500usd, even on a Benz. I have 5k in the bank but that's about it. Any one had a simmilar experience?
Help.
Go on the offensive. Claim a back or neck injury and blame him for parking his car illegally. Demand $100k
Hmmmmm....
Was he insistent on you paying big $$$$$ before the agency was involved? If so, he could be Yakuza and knows that he can f*** you over since any yakuza with a Mercedes probably has a couple friends. If not, it's unlikely and you should try to approach him in his language (guarantees instant respect) and be courteous but firm and insist that you pay a reasonable price from a dealer that you select. If you believe that your not at fault, obviously hire some representation or at least consult someone who's knowledgable. It's unlikely that you were ever going to get the best advice from anyone on this website anyway, because we're all very far away.
were you biking on the sidewalk? That's illegal in some places, so, regardless of his poor parking job, you could be at fault. That said, 5 grand is too much for a couple of scratches...
There are a couple of scenarios where that MIGHT be a plausible estimate, like if you scratched a carbon fiber panel, but for a traditional car and paint job, that's a rip.
I'd gtfo out of there, barring that insist on a second estimate from someone of your choice.
Ah my liver
Okay, I talked to my boss at work today. Luckily I work for a big private company and we have a company lawyer who I can consult with. My boss also mentioned the Yakuza possibility, which seems believable since the guy is 30 and driving a benz. Unfortunaly I have a contract for anohter six months. (and would like to stay beyond that.) Fortunatly I have a plane ticket home for a visit in three weeks. If he doesn't negotiate I might just show him the first half of my ticket. Anyhow my boss told me to let him speak for me. He's Japanese, bilingual and a hard ass.
I'm still freaking out though. Feel like I'm getting a criminal punishment for an accident.
I don't know about faking a injury. I do know that if he gets the money off of me I am going to put a nice dent in that Benz the day I leave Japan for good.
freakingout in Japan wrote:
my boss told me to let him speak for me. He's Japanese, bilingual and a hard ass.
I'm still freaking out though. Feel like I'm getting a criminal punishment for an accident.
I don't know about faking a injury. I do know that if he gets the money off of me I am going to put a nice dent in that Benz the day I leave Japan for good.
Do let your boss do ALL the talking for you, and don't say a word.
No one is saying to fake an injury, good grief. You fell because he was parked illegally, on the sidewalk! If his car wasn't there then you wouldn't have fallen. How do you know you don't have an injury? It sounds to me that something is wrong with your head, and maybe you're not aware of it. You should listen to your boss, keep your mouth shut, and let him do all the talking for you.
fall caused by car on sidewalk wrote:
Do let your boss do ALL the talking for you, and don't say a word.
No one is saying to fake an injury, good grief. You fell because he was parked illegally, on the sidewalk! If his car wasn't there then you wouldn't have fallen. How do you know you don't have an injury? It sounds to me that something is wrong with your head, and maybe you're not aware of it. You should listen to your boss, keep your mouth shut, and let him do all the talking for you.
Do this.
You would almost surely know if he was Yakuza because he would be trying to intimidate you. If he wasn't doing that and acting bad-ass (and wearing flashy clothes), he almost certainly isn't Yakuza; unless he arrived at the same time or after the police, then he wouldn't necessarily act intimidating, though the police would surely still know if he was Yakuza.
I live in Okinawa. I wouldn't be surprised if a Benz dealership charged that kind of money for the repair. It's ridiculous, but everything may really be, for Japan, on the up-and-up.
But, yeah, let your boss help you out.
a fundamental principle of insurance law is that the "injured" party can't profit from a claim. it wouldnt even cost 5 grand if you wanted a brand new paint job. all you need to prove is that the scratch can be repaired for less than $5,000. call some benz dealerships and inquire. this idiot is full of himself because he drives a benz, but that's just it. its JUST a benz. the kid needs to get over himself. furthermore, as stated above, if he was illegally parked, the fault is his. the same principle applies as when someone is driving on a suspended license and gets in an accident, they become 100% liable.
I had a similar experience in Fukuoka 10 years ago. Let's just say that you do not mess with Yakuza
fall caused by car on sidewalk wrote:
freakingout in Japan wrote:my boss told me to let him speak for me. He's Japanese, bilingual and a hard ass.
I'm still freaking out though. Feel like I'm getting a criminal punishment for an accident.
I don't know about faking a injury. I do know that if he gets the money off of me I am going to put a nice dent in that Benz the day I leave Japan for good.
Do let your boss do ALL the talking for you, and don't say a word.
No one is saying to fake an injury, good grief. You fell because he was parked illegally, on the sidewalk! If his car wasn't there then you wouldn't have fallen. How do you know you don't have an injury? It sounds to me that something is wrong with your head, and maybe you're not aware of it. You should listen to your boss, keep your mouth shut, and let him do all the talking for you.
I second this. OP you need to take a back seat in this. It is clear that your natural instinct is to say the wrong thing at any given moment. For example, you are planning on showing him the first half of your ticket? Why? As a threat not to pay? Brilliant idea - if you want to get this blown out of all proportion and REALLY piss him off. The other posters were saying you should simply leave (which may or may not have worked). Pretending you are going to leave (when you're not) would be absolutely foolish.
Sounds like a rip off of the worst kind. I did a similar thing once, putting two small nicks in a guy's Mercedes bumper while trying to parallel park on a steep hill. This happened in Manhattan Beach, CA. I ended up paying $200 to fix the damage.
I can not imagine two small scratches costing $5,000 to fix, anywhere on the planet.
My boss contacted our company president last night. Apperently the president is in some kind of exclusive rich guy club that the Benz owner is also in. So the Benz guy is also the presindent of some company and therefore not a gangster. I am lucky I live in a small city. Both my boss and the company pres also looked at the estimate from the Benz dealer and pointed out that there was a lot on there that had nothing to do with paint/scratches.
I am freaking out less now.
Sounds like your boss is helping out. For the future, you'll likely get a lot better advice from the long time gaijin over at http://www.f***edgaijin.com Give it a try. (if that link gets edited by the software, this will take you to the same place: http://tinyurl.com/2ab774y
My fundamental principle about business disputes is that:
(1) Say as little as possible, only what you need to say in order to solve the dispute.
(2) Do not make threats of any kind.
You do NOT want to show him your plane ticket.
You have no obligation to tell him where you live or work.
Do NOT scratch his car again on the way outta dodge.
I think that his insurance, not yours, should take care of the claim.
Japan is a fascinating place but yes it drives me crazy too.
The cops told you to talk and agree on a price?? That's BS! This story is BS
Trex123 wrote:
The cops told you to talk and agree on a price?? That's BS! This story is BS
Not bullshit at all. In most minor cases in Asia such as this one, the police encourage the parties to settle their differences, usually through cash gifts.