Re: Damage caused by you to Toyota Corolla SECA Ascent
August 2018

Andre,

You told me you were a good person. You told me that a lot. Someone pointed out to me the other day that a good person doesn’t need to tell you they’re a good person. You can tell by their actions.

What I regret most is that I let you waste my time; that I sat and listened to your bullshit. You did nothing but find excuses as to why you shouldn’t pay; why you shouldn’t face up to your responsibility. And I listened to you, mostly calmly, mostly quietly. You went on and on!!! And I listened. You wasted my time.

You’re right, there were some big gaps. As I told you, there was a family crisis to deal with that was more important than the car. During that time I heard nothing from you; no request to quote; no enquiry, no offer. Nothing. Is that what a ‘good person’ does?

If I damage something that belongs to someone else, I go OUT OF MY WAY to make it good. You have done nothing. During those gaps I know what was happening. You were hoping the whole thing would just go away. These are not the actions (or non actions) of a ‘good person’. I know what ‘good’ looks like. And that ain’t it. You can tell yourself what you like; you may convince yourself, but you haven’t convinced me.

The damage was done by you and, whatever it’s worth, it’s worth something. And you’ve offered nothing.

You drove your car (or your brother’s car) into mine and somehow I’m the bad guy, I’m the scammer. That’s a real nifty piece of logic.

My solicitor, who I visited on Monday 10th December, just up the road from your work, in Queen Street, suggested that if you were unwilling to pay, then we could take the whole thing further. Then the true cost of the damage would be due (you have that quote).

My legal advice is that I have every right to repair my car. You, as I recall, said at one stage that you were prepared to pay the $450 originally mentioned. But you said a lot of things. And, as it turns out, pretty much all of it was bullshit; a self-justifying rant.

If you knew anything about this kind of thing you would know that even the smallest scratch is going to cost several hundred dollars to repair. Certainly I don’t want ‘your mate’ attempting to iron over damage.

Your complaint that the car was taken apart is another piece of nifty logic. It is clearly absurd to expect any professional to assess damage thoroughly without looking beneath the surface. If you had looked properly at the quote and the invoice you would understand the damage caused and why the cost was what it was. But it’s clear to me that you, all along, had no intension of doing that, no intension paying anything.

But I sat and listened. And I let you waste my time.

Of course, my partner listened to her fair share of your bullshit as well. I heard the abuse you threw at her when she suggested that you had a moral responsibility. It’s my hope that your response (as distasteful as it was) reveals some guilt you feel over the path you’ve taken.

When the damage was first done you asked that we not involve insurance companies (as a favour to you). And, against my better judgment, I agreed to that.

Looks like I’m the one who got scammed.

So, the next time something like this happens, I won’t be making that accommodation. The next time, some poor bastard, who might actually be a good person, is gonna have to wear it.

I’ll give them your details and they can send you a thank you note.