Dilemma. Would you charge a minor for an insurance excess?

Just after advice. I think I know what I have to do but was wondering what you would do.

Please only reply with sensible solution. Thanks.

My sons friend (13 yr old) accidentally smashed my sunroof on my van whist kicking small stones in the air! Now fortunately it is covered on my insurance glass cover but I have a £75 excess to pay. The sunroof will cost the insurance company £1300 as the whole unit need to be replaced!!

I am in a position where £75 is a lot of money for me to pay and I am going to have to put it on my credit card

The boy has offered to pay the £75 but doesn't want his parents to find out as they are currently going through family issues and are separating and the boy says his dad is suicidal. ?

My dilemma is accepting money from a minor without parental consent, could I get into trouble at a later date? The boy works in his mums shop at weekends.

What would you do? Thanks for your time??

Tricky one. Money is tight for me too but i would be inclined to pay the £75 and let the lad chip away at the balance over time. No need to heap more woe on the family as if his story is true it could cause big problems.

The kid sounds (i) responsible enough that he's offered to pay for it all and (ii) sensible enough that he can think beyond the immediate issue and take his parent's mindset into account. Obviously he's learned his lesson, and £75 will be a lot of cash for him too, to say nothing of what must already be weighing on his mind with his parents.

I'd take a Solomon-like approach to it, and ask him for half plus a few van washes this summer, and put up the other half. I don't know about the legal ins-and-outs of accepting money from the kid, but using common sense alone, £37.50 is unlikely to land you in as much bother as £75 (if accepting £ from kid was going to land you in bother, that is).

Just after advice. I think I know what I have to do but was wondering what you would do.

 

Please only reply with sensible solution. Thanks.

 

My sons friend (13 yr old) accidentally smashed my sunroof on my van whist kicking small stones in the air! Now fortunately it is covered on my insurance glass cover but I have a £75 excess to pay. The sunroof will cost the insurance company £1300 as the whole unit need to be replaced!!

 

I am in a position where £75 is a lot of money for me to pay and I am going to have to put it on my credit card

The boy has offered to pay the £75 but doesn't want his parents to find out as they are currently going through family issues and are separating and the boy says his dad is suicidal. ?

 

My dilemma is accepting money from a minor without parental consent, could I get into trouble at a later date? The boy works in his mums shop at weekends.

 

What would you do? Thanks for your time??

I think realistically that one of the parents must be involved in this. it is heartening that the boy concerned has made the offer but legally is this right, I have my doubts.

The kid sounds (i) responsible enough that he's offered to pay for it all and (ii) sensible enough that he can think beyond the immediate issue and take his parent's mindset into account. Obviously he's learned his lesson, and £75 will be a lot of cash for him too, to say nothing of what must already be weighing on his mind with his parents.

 

I'd take a Solomon-like approach to it, and ask him for half plus a few van washes this summer, and put up the other half. I don't know about the legal ins-and-outs of accepting money from the kid, but using common sense alone, £37.50 is unlikely to land you in as much bother as £75 (if accepting £ from kid was going to land you in bother, that is).

Kids can spend money in shops without any legal issues, so I can't see how that would be a problem.

If you can manage it, I'd try to cover the cost yourself, I can't judge your financial circumstances though.

I would have been willing to take it on the chin sort of speak if he had admitted his crime at the time but he denied it for nearly 2 weeks before confessing to my son at school.

I was a hi King of telling his mother but that might cause problems between my sons friendship with the boy. He has offered to pay me £10 weekly until it's paid off as long as his parents don't find out! H has no t paid anything as yet (3 weeks) and I don't want to bully him into paying.

I might take loobs advice and just accept half if he starts paying me back

He could just be spinning you a line then. He hid it for a fortnight and now he's given you a reason not to tell his parents...

Why don't you just get the kid to wash your van once a week and get him to pay it off that way? no money is being exchanged and you get a nicely washed van

Why don't you just get the kid to wash your van once a week and get him to pay it off that way? no money is being exchanged and you get a nicely washed van

Presumably because that doesn't help him pay the £75...

Presumably because that doesn't help him pay the £75...

Obviously!!

But it also avoids the situation of taking money from a minor without their parents consent..

A minor being under the age of legal responsibilty!!