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Damage to property

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
drunkenmunky
Posts: 17
Joined: 07 Feb 2008, 13:16

Damage to property

Post by drunkenmunky »

What's the procedure for reporting damage to someones property while using a RM van? If the owner is not in at the time of the accident and van shows no sign of impact, can I deny all knowledge of it ever occurring? Or should I just be honest and hope for the best?
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TrueBlueTerrier
FORUM ADMINISTRATOR
Posts: 72725
Joined: 30 Dec 2006, 10:29
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Re: Damage to property

Post by TrueBlueTerrier »

drunkenmunky wrote:What's the procedure for reporting damage to someone's property while using a RM van? If the owner is not in at the time of the accident and van shows no sign of impact, can I deny all knowledge of it ever occurring? Or should I just be honest and hope for the best?
Context -

A lot Image

or just a scrape.

My own credo is to be honest as much as possible, but sometimes within Royal Mail, delaying the truth is best. As I say it all depends on the context.
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fishtank
Posts: 19732
Joined: 28 Sep 2007, 17:22
Gender: Male

Re: Damage to property

Post by fishtank »

How much damage?
What are the chances of witnesses?
Were you doing anything you shouldn't have been doing?
Is all your paperwork correct and up to date?

The procedure would be reporting it to your manager. :neutral:
good times, bad times you know I've had my share
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drunkenmunky
Posts: 17
Joined: 07 Feb 2008, 13:16

Re: Damage to property

Post by drunkenmunky »

No serious damage that can't be fixed. Doubtful if anybody saw me. I was swerving to avoid a cat which resulted in me bouncing up the kerb hitting someones fence and knocking it over. It was one of those tiny wooden fences you can just step over, I didn't even see it. One of the posts had also come out which I completely flattened. I feel bad for not reporting it but was advised not to.
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Lounge Lizard
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 9458
Joined: 06 Aug 2007, 21:54

Re: Damage to property

Post by Lounge Lizard »

drunkenmunky wrote:No serious damage that can't be fixed. Doubtful if anybody saw me. I was swerving to avoid a cat which resulted in me bouncing up the kerb hitting someones fence and knocking it over. It was one of those tiny wooden fences you can just step over, I didn't even see it. One of the posts had also come out which I completely flattened. I feel bad for not reporting it but was advised not to.
Surely the cat might have damaged the fence :Very Happy and in the photo above the fence shouldn't have been erected so close to the road :Very Happy .
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newtimes
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 595
Joined: 16 Feb 2012, 14:10
Gender: Male

Re: Damage to property

Post by newtimes »

drunkenmunky wrote: I feel bad for not reporting it but was advised not to.
I have found one lie can lead to a bigger lie, saying that there is a time and a place to protect your self. If I was the owner of the fence I would think more of the person who owned up and probably laugh if it was an easy repair, if I had to find the person I would be pissed off, not at the damage but at the atitudude. Put yourself in that persons place and do what you feel is right.
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stokes11eg
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 3077
Joined: 20 Nov 2008, 12:51
Gender: Female

Re: Damage to property

Post by stokes11eg »

newtimes wrote:
drunkenmunky wrote: I feel bad for not reporting it but was advised not to.
I have found one lie can lead to a bigger lie, saying that there is a time and a place to protect your self. If I was the owner of the fence I would think more of the person who owned up and probably laugh if it was an easy repair, if I had to find the person I would be pissed off, not at the damage but at the atitudude. Put yourself in that persons place and do what you feel is right.
:Very Happy Hear. hear! Best to be honest!
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Lounge Lizard
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 9458
Joined: 06 Aug 2007, 21:54

Re: Damage to property

Post by Lounge Lizard »

stokes11eg wrote:
newtimes wrote:
drunkenmunky wrote: I feel bad for not reporting it but was advised not to.
I have found one lie can lead to a bigger lie, saying that there is a time and a place to protect your self. If I was the owner of the fence I would think more of the person who owned up and probably laugh if it was an easy repair, if I had to find the person I would be pissed off, not at the damage but at the atitudude. Put yourself in that persons place and do what you feel is right.
:Very Happy Hear. hear! Best to be honest!
Indeed. My van knocked down a silly little light by a drive, I owned up most apologetically and Christmas tips there increased from £20 to £40 :nana :nana
not that I'm suggesting that would work with everyone :crazy: elsewhere it could be a black eye. :shock:
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POSTMAN
SITE ADMINISTRATOR
Posts: 32787
Joined: 07 Aug 2006, 03:19
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Re: Damage to property

Post by POSTMAN »

You've had an RTA and you haven't reported it,you have damaged someone else's property and you haven't reported it.

What did/do you think would happen if you reported it apart from filling out a report and having the piss taken out of you by your colleagues.
You can't be sacked for it if you were on your route.

If nosy Nelly happens to have a chat with the person who's fence you flattened and Nelly mentions a Royal Mail van then you are in the s**t.
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DAF85
Posts: 82
Joined: 23 Oct 2010, 19:52
Gender: Male

Re: Damage to property

Post by DAF85 »

drunkenmunky wrote:No serious damage that can't be fixed. Doubtful if anybody saw me. I was swerving to avoid a cat which resulted in me bouncing up the kerb hitting someones fence and knocking it over. It was one of those tiny wooden fences you can just step over, I didn't even see it. One of the posts had also come out which I completely flattened. I feel bad for not reporting it but was advised not to.
Always best to come clean immediately but for a second just look at it from a Police perspective ......

- going so fast you had to swerve to avoid hitting a cat - so your brakes were not working? - what if a small child was there instead of a cat- what was distracting your attention while you were driving ?

- bouncing up the kerb because you were going too fast to avoid a collision and had to "swerve"

- damage to private property

- driving away from the scene of an accident

- failure to report accident and damage within 24 hours

Hopefully no one did see or report you and you are lucky enough to hear no more abut it, but filling out an accident form at work when you got back would have resulted probably in a slap on the wrist, some ribbing from colleagues and possibly a refresher driving assessment.

If someone did see you and has reported you to the Police and they trace you through RM via the vehicle registration - how are you going to explain your failure to report the accident to both your manager and the Police and what do you think the consequences of all that are going to be ?
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