Motorbike accident advice...please help

[Airbagwill]

4 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

It's not about the scam it's their home so an island life needs to be trod a bit more delicately IMO. They have damaged the bike so 10k is peanuts in this situation and if all can walk away from incident with no issue. Small price to pay.

no - they haven't even proved damage to the bike.

[Airbagwill]

4 hours ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

 

Not sure why the OP can't say which island they are on?  Unless you're suggesting the guy could be reading this in which case enough info has already been given for him to know this thread is about him.

We don't want everyone to know - the guy already knows the situation whether or not on TV.......but if he feels threatened, it is impossible to predict what he may feel he needs to do.

We will then also work out his company and where he lives etc etc....... not good for anyone yet,..

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 11:24 AM, jackdd said:

The prices seem quite normal, the ones who are just 1 or 2 years old with a price like 5k are of course finance offers, and the price mentioned is just the downpayment.

But the offers from 10k-30k depending on the age look normal, don't forget that the bike just costs something like 40k new

 

 

Why does OP have no choice? Obviously OP is in the better position because the renter doesn't have OPs passport. If OP doesn't pay the renter has to pay money to take OP to court, and then the renter has to explain to the judge why he wants to have 30k thb for a 20 year old bike

The chance of being beaten or stabbed is quite small because the renter is a foreigner too

 

 

Obviously the bike that you rented was damaged while you used it, so you should pay for the damage. Of course we can't really tell how much it is, but something like 3000thb would probably cover it. So i would suggest you simply offer him 3000thb, he can take or leave it and you are done with it

Because they apparently live there and wish to continue living there.

While the owner is farang, his wife is not.

 

Regardless, renting without insurance implies that the renter will cover costs of damage, should such occur.

The owner is not, far as I can see, trying to con the renter. Why should he have to pay the cost of repair caused by another?

The only dispute I see here is the cost of repair, not who is liable to pay for it.

[thaibeachlovers]

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Edited January 27, 2018 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, jane108 said:

Husband went to try and talk seeing that they clearly were not ready to talk to me. OMG, what a mess. So I was told by the foreigner owner of the bike that the owner, and friend, of the motorbike repair shop looked at the bike yesterday and said 50/50 chance it will work. Today his wife tells my husband, owner is on the mainland and the bike is in a queue. No one has looked at it. Her husband keeps saying the bike is a write off. My husband says okay, what would you sell it to me for. Husband says 30000 b. My husband says c'mon be reasonable, this is a 20 yr. old bike. He goes silent. Then says he will call the police. My husband says okay, I am fine with that. So, now the story is changing. The bike has not been assessed. And, it might be fixed here according to the wife. The husband maintains that it cannot be fixed. Please see images of the bike. :) 

The husband maintains that it cannot be fixed.

Unless there is more to the damage than that, he's either ignorant, or trying to get more money out of it than he should. I could fix that myself with a set of second hand forks.

However, you must take into account the money he is losing by not being able to rent it. Every day you delay in sorting this situation, the bigger your debt for compensation becomes.

Best solution, value the bike and pay for him to get another, plus pay compensation of some amount for loss of earnings.

 

PS. I'm sure you know this already, but don't rent bikes if not insured for damage, or be prepared to pay.

That's why I won't rent a bike here. Cheaper to pay taxis in the long run.

 

 

Without seeing the rest of the bike, I can guess

a/ it is not any sort of "special" bike like a vintage, that is worth much. Go to second hand shop and check price for similar bike- that's what it's worth.

b/ the forks do appear to be twisted. Replace the forks, and provided the swivel part of the main frame is not twisted problem solved.

Can't tell from photo if wheel is bent, but they don't cost much. 

How fast was your husband going? Has to be speeding to twist the forks, or just really unlucky.

 

IMO, get a realistic price from a second hand shop, and buy the bike. Fix it yourself and everyone wins. He can buy another old bike and you get a cheap bike to use.

 

PS. Someone needs to learn how to ride a m'bike in Thailand, or not ride a m'bike in Thailand ever again.

Should not run into someone that rode into the road without warning or looking, as that is normal in LOS, and one should anticipate such.

[thaibeachlovers]

20 hours ago, jane108 said:

Thanks. I have not been threatening whatsoever. I genuinely just want to resolve the situation, but am also not going to allow someone, particularly a foreigner, to take advantage of me. I believe I have been very fair in offering to pay for the damage done and still have no problem in doing so ---but within reason. 

I realize I could be vulnerable. Sad for something so small.I have thought about that as well. Any advice for the later issue would be appreciated. :) 

You already said they have financial problems. By having an accident and damaging his bike your husband is depriving him of income, so I can imagine he is upset about that.

Many businesses in out of the way places don't follow the "rules", but that shouldn't mean that he should lose out on income that he needs.

I think he's angry ( as to why, take your best guess- might be many things ) and isn't handling it well. Not many of would handle it well.

To him it may not be a small thing, might be the difference between not being in debt and being in debt. You can guess as well as I can.

 

My best guess is that he is losing money and sees you as trying to pay less than he thinks you should as compensation. It's not so much the cost of the bike repairs but loss of income that is his problem.

 

This wasn't to help, but to explain.

[thaibeachlovers]

58 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

no - they haven't even proved damage to the bike.

OP said it is "but my husbands front end  is damaged".

Looks damaged in the photo- twisted forks.

She didn't say her husband drove the bike away after the incident.

[jane108]

This will be my final post here. As I think enough has been said. I will clarify for a few posters:

1. Husband did not leave scene, the Thai, who was wasted, and driving illogically, did. There were witnesses who stopped. Thai had no license on motorbike. 

2.  I have paid for the bike rental until next month. I will be ready provide the foreign owner with reasonable losses. There is a clear conflict of interest with the mandatory bike shop that I have to repair it at. All things aside, This is the only dispute. Other Thais are telling me here that it should be maximum 5000 b and that number is on a high side. Owner tells me maximum 10000b. To me this is a very big difference and not "peanuts". 

3. I understand his anger and have been very polite to him and her. No threats, no nonsense, just trying to talk reasonably.  My only wish is to resolve this amicably, and with the utmost fairness. I get there are plenty of emotions involved, and there very well could be other personal issues going on that I am not aware of. It is not my intention at all to fuel the situation, nor cause them undue hardship. I also am sure they would like to resolve this in an amicable way; sometimes language and words can be used wrong, misunderstood, or said out of anger. We are all human here. :) 

4. I reached out to this community for advice, and have been given plenty of it. So again, thank you to all. 

Edited January 27, 2018 by jane108

[dfdgfdfdgs]

1 hour ago, Airbagwill said:

We will then also work out his company and where he lives etc etc....... not good for anyone yet,..

How would we possibly do that?

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, jane108 said:

This will be my final post here. As I think enough has been said. I will clarify for a few posters:

1. Husband did not leave scene, the Thai, who was wasted, and driving illogically, did. There were witnesses who stopped. Thai had no license on motorbike. 

2.  I have paid for the bike rental until next month. I will be ready provide the foreign owner with reasonable losses. There is a clear conflict of interest with the mandatory bike shop that I have to repair it at. All things aside, This is the only dispute. Other Thais are telling me here that it should be maximum 5000 b and that number is on a high side. Owner tells me maximum 10000b. To me this is a very big difference and not "peanuts". 

3. I understand his anger and have been very polite to him and her. No threats, no nonsense, just trying to talk reasonably.  My only wish is to resolve this amicably, and with the utmost fairness. I get there are plenty of emotions involved, and there very well could be other personal issues going on that I am not aware of. It is not my intention at all to fuel the situation, nor cause them undue hardship. I also am sure they would like to resolve this in an amicable way; sometimes language and words can be used wrong, misunderstood, or said out of anger. We are all human here. :) 

4. I reached out to this community for advice, and have been given plenty of it. So again, thank you to all. 

Thanks, please do keep us updated.

[Airbagwill]

2 hours ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

How would we possibly do that?

Come on!

[Airbagwill]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

OP said it is "but my husbands front end  is damaged".

Looks damaged in the photo- twisted forks.

She didn't say her husband drove the bike away after the incident.

No telling they weren't damaged before.....looking at the photos I wouldn't be in the least surprises.

[toughlove]

How could you know he was drunk if he took off in a minute. Unfortunately this is an example why you never rent a bike.

[Airbagwill]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Has to be speeding to twist the forks, or just really unlucky

This is totally wrong....forks on a bike are deliberately soft as part of the shock absorption properties of the machine.

This is why I suggest that some or all of the damage is not down to the OP.....It could well have been bent or damaged already.....This is just an opportunity to get some overdue repairs done.

 

So to sum up

They shouldn't have been on the bike and he shouldn't be renting them out. ... TIT!

 

Edited January 27, 2018 by Airbagwill

[dfdgfdfdgs]

On 1/27/2018 at 11:04 AM, Airbagwill said:

Come on!

So can you answer the question?

[1happykamper]

No passport. And there is no way I would be able to find this guy. I don't know anything about bikes or bike damage. Plus I am on a tourist island where I know there are many "scams". So I am indeed in a pickle. The original owner of the bike has taken the bike. The owner of the bike says the Honda Dream retains its value and is worth that much because they are no longer made. And vintage. ????

5555 a Dream.. A collectors item? 555... absolute rubbish. Get it fixed yourself. Then go about your business. The total bike value is probably around 8.000.

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[DefaultName]

23 minutes ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

So can you answer the question?

So, you want him to give you basic instruction in stalking - which digging for personal information would be - on a public forum?

[1happykamper]

****Update*** Thanks everyone thus far. This post has been helpful. My landlord (Thai) asked to see photos of the bike and told me his Aunt owns a bike shop. I didn't know this until today. He asked if she could see the photos and whether or not I wanted to talk to her. I obliged. She was very polite and confirmed the bike would need to go to the mainland as there is not a "alignment" machine here. She then said the price would be about 5000 b. total, maybe less. I explained in full detail that the forks (sorry I don't know the right term), wheel, and somewhere under the steering was bent. She seemed to understand. She told me to talk with the owner to see if the bike could be moved to  her shop and she could fix. I went to the owner asked him to sit down and that I wanted to talk with him. I explained exactly that above. As soon as I said 5000b, he became outraged and said "the bike can only be fixed at the shop up the road" (he knows the guy for a long time). His wife then started yelling at me. They own a restaurant and people were eating. He also was yelling things like "you wrote off my bike", "I gave you a chance", "I tried to work this out with you", "You don't know what I can do", "You will pay double", "you will pay for the entire bike". Guys, I'm a young girl and I was just sitting there in shock. I asked them to please calm down and said can we just talk. The wife walked away and said charge her double. He yelled at me some more and walked away. I then said "hey can you please be an adult and sit down so we can talk" His response " I am being an adult.". I need to note that I have known them for one year. They have had serious financial troubles, as they both told me this. Also, from the very beginning, I understand that I will have to pay the damage, and have no objections to this. I get it. However, I was never told that the bike could only be fixed in one specific shop. Furthermore, I think it is only fair that I have the chance to go to a shop of my choosing, and one that is telling me that it will cost approx. half. Am I wrong for thinking this? 
 
Finally....many of you have said it is the risk of renting a bike. Yes, I know. [emoji20] 

If you are still renting the bike.. Then the bike is still yours.. To repair..or Ride.. Get the bike. Get it repaired. Good luck!

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[tgeezer]

A very interesting insight into the problems encountered when dealing with backstreeet businesses in Thailand. Most of the time there is no integrity or business acumen involved, everyone is cheating to some extent. If you have been renting a bike for 52 weeks, from the leasor’s  point of view he has a steady income for doing nothing.  He is prepared to lose that future income for a one off lump sum.   This attitude is not untypical I am afraid.  The way out for the OP is to keep the peace at all costs, pay a mutually agreed amount and forget it. Change your lifestyle to one which doesn’t include renting a bike, you will soon save the lump sum paid. You may indeed prefer the new lifestyle where your budget for renting a bike may be better spent. 

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 7:03 PM, Airbagwill said:

This is totally wrong....forks on a bike are deliberately soft as part of the shock absorption properties of the machine.

This is why I suggest that some or all of the damage is not down to the OP.....It could well have been bent or damaged already.....This is just an opportunity to get some overdue repairs done.

 

So to sum up

They shouldn't have been on the bike and he shouldn't be renting them out. ... TIT!

 

LOL. I've been riding bikes since 1967, and doing all the maintenance myself. I think I know about how much energy would be needed to twist them.

 

From the photo, which is not the best to judge, I doubt anyone would be riding it with that much twist, or at the least would have noticed in all the time using before. It's not like it was rented a week before the accident. That much twist would be pretty obvious.

[thaibeachlovers]

19 hours ago, 1happykamper said:

If you are still renting the bike.. Then the bike is still yours.. To repair..or Ride.. Get the bike. Get it repaired. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 

Well spotted. I didn't connect the dots. Indeed yes, the OP should have possession of the bike if paying rent. Fix self, problem solved. It's not any sort of vintage or special bike. Pair of second hand forks, local repair shop, few thousand at most.

[dfdgfdfdgs]

20 hours ago, DefaultName said:

So, you want him to give you basic instruction in stalking - which digging for personal information would be - on a public forum?

 

How do you suppose you would stalk somebody when all you have to go on is the name of an island?  It's not even a bike shop, it's just a couple renting out their spare bike on the side?  So how many thousands of people are you going to have to stalk before you find the right one?  Some really bizarre responses on this thread...

[Airbagwill]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL. I've been riding bikes since 1967, and doing all the maintenance myself. I think I know about how much energy would be needed to twist them.

 

From the photo, which is not the best to judge, I doubt anyone would be riding it with that much twist, or at the least would have noticed in all the time using before. It's not like it was rented a week before the accident. That much twist would be pretty obvious.

Sorry it was my job. Forks are deliberately soft for shock absorption, imagine the damage if they broke. Straightening them is not a good idea although some did.

You might find it helpful to download and read this.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1243/09544070JAUTO1069?journalCode=pidb

Edited January 29, 2018 by Airbagwill

[dfdgfdfdgs]

48 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

 

Are you not going to answer my question about how it is possible to know who the person is just by the name of the island that they are on?

[Airbagwill]

4 hours ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

Are you not going to answer my question about how it is possible to know who the person is just by the name of the island that they are on?

That's correct, I'm not playing pigeon chess tonight.

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

Sorry it was my job. Forks are deliberately soft for shock absorption, imagine the damage if they broke. Straightening them is not a good idea although some did.

You might find it helpful to download and read this.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1243/09544070JAUTO1069?journalCode=pidb

Fair enough, but note that I only recommended replacing and not straightening them.

[dfdgfdfdgs]

12 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

That's correct, I'm not playing pigeon chess tonight.

So I can assume from that reply that you now realise it isn't possible to track down a person on an entire island without knowing anything about them other than that they are foreign, and you're just not willing to admit you said something stupid.

[Airbagwill]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Fair enough, but note that I only recommended replacing and not straightening them.

What happens is that because forks are so easily bent, they are often "straightened" to various degrees of professionalism and put back on the road. The average punter will have no idea about how the bike should handle and unaware of any faults that may be lurking underneath the covers.

[Bastos60]

Get it repaired yourself. 
Be prepared to file a complaint at the police station.