2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
Many gangs benefit from the "mailbox service" of the car repair shops. The insurances can refuse the service after a theft. The customer does not always have to threaten.
Small mouth, big risk: caution is advised with the "mailbox service" that some car repair shops offer. This is especially true for customers who cannot bring their vehicle for inspection or repair during business hours. You drive the car into the workshop yard in the evening or at night and put your keys and license in the mailbox. If this is freely accessible, a thief can easily find the keys to the vehicles parked in the yard. In the meantime, entire gangs have specialized in this form of "car theft made easy".
Car dealership can also be held liable
In this case, the customer threatens a rude awakening: If the car is stolen, the insurer can refuse to pay and accuse the vehicle owner of negligent behavior. Under certain circumstances, however, the dealership can also be held liable if the dealership negligently breaches its duty of care and due diligence, as the Bonn Regional Court has decided.
In the specific case, thieves had fingered the vehicle key from an outside mailbox in the workshop, in which the plaintiff had deposited the key after consulting a workshop employee. The dealership has to pay for the damage (LG Bonn Az. 13 O 196/07). According to the relevant jurisprudence, the situation would only be different if the key could be deposited in a sturdy mailbox in the wall of the house or in the workshop door, which is also used by financial institutions as a night mailbox.
Hand in the key in person
To be on the safe side, according to the Automobile Club Kraftfahrer-Schutz (KS), it is advisable to personally hand in a duplicate key to the workshop before the repair appointment. Then you can park the car properly locked at the workshop at any time and take the first key with you. (mid)
