Bumped a car, excessive quote

[lilsquish]

morning, last week i bumped a car in a school car park causing slight damage to both cars.

I exchanged details and took photos of the damage. Very slight, scrapes - no dents. The owner stated she would take it to a garage to get a quote for repair. All fine.

When i got home, my huaband wiped down the scrapes with some T cut and it was good as new. I contacted the other owner and suggested she try this however she wanted to take it to a garage instead.

My husband had a quick look at her car the next day (it was in school carpark) and 100% certain the damage was less than my car and would buff out.

Now iv just had the quote from the garage through and i feel its very excessive.

Theyre quoting £550, itemising repair abd repaint in two areas and refitting the bumper.

Has anyone had any experience if this and know what i can do?

I wanted to settle it without claiming insurance to prevent premium going up etc but i feel this quote is ridiculous.

Its definitely a real quote etc, I dont in any way think the girl is trying to get anything more than she is due, i think the garage tho has bumped up the bill as they think insurance is paying........help!!

Why on earth wouldn’t you go through insurance, I’m saying that as my DH done minor damage to a workmates car.

One call to the insurer and they’re dealing and my the minor damage to his car, a few scuffs cost £1500 to repair as he needed a new door, wing mirror and wing.

Also his poor workmate doesn’t have to do the leg work and should get a car while his in for repair so we’ve inconvenienced him minimally.

@foxes15

My excess is £350. I believed the repair was going to be around £100 max.

She has not been inconvenienced any more than she would be by going through insurance. Actually its looking like the opposite.

I have arranged a mobile repairer to go to her house or place of work. She is not traipsing around different garages at my request. Not once have I asked her to do this or wanted her to do this.

If she wants to go to the original garage then she will be inconvenienced more as she will be without a car for that time, need to get it there and back etc etc.

Anyway, despite being somewhat ripped apart with this thread im glad ive posted as iv learnt a lot about TCut, insurance claims and that questioning a quote makes me a cheeky fucker

Thing is. If it does have to be painted, it can’t be done as a mobile repair.

You don’t pay an excess if you’re not claiming for your own damages and legally I would be pushing to get my car repaired professionally through an insurance approved repairer if I wasn’t at fault for an accident and not taking someone’s cheap fix option.

A 5 year old Vauxhall will still be worth a considerable amount of money so a poor repair would devalue it.

Sorry if I missed it but did you even give her the option of insurance and a guaranteed repair?

Who said anything about a cheap fix?

It will be professionally and properly fixed.

Just because a garage has quoted a more expensive job doesnt mean its correct and the only professional option.

Do people really just blindly pay whatever they're first quoted no matter what?

A few years back I renauvated an entire house, if i had just went with the first quote i wouldn't have got past doing the kitchen!

'professionals' do scam people you know, christ I've seen enough people experience this with a very well known car repair center whose initials are K F never mind small independent garages.

Im beginning to rant now, think i need to step away from this thread.

People usually have a tried and trusted garage, op. It’s not necessarily a blind ‘first quote’; more that they already know who they trust to fix their car.

When my car was pranged I got two quotes - which I thought was fair to assure the other driver. The guy who hit me then started making other suggestions, I said I was happy to go with the cheaper of my two quotes or I would go through insurance.

I really wasn’t comfortable with some mate of his having a go🙄.

I think it’s okay to ask for or arrange two quotes. However, it is a pain in the ass and I had to take a day off work for just the quotes.

The mobile Repair is a good idea, but will really only work if it’s a quick job with no spraying involved. I assume it’s a reputable firm and you reassure he other drivers they will do a good job.

Do people really just blindly pay whatever they're first quoted no matter what?

If it’s someone else who is paying then the answer is probably yes.

Do people really just blindly pay whatever they're first quoted no matter what?

No. I would go through my insurers. It's not even difficult.

'professionals' do scam people you know, christ I've seen enough people experience this with a very well known car repair center whose initials are K F never mind small independent garages.

The Indy garages are the ones recommended over and above Kwik Fit (not sure why that a secret?) a million times over.

A few years back I renauvated an entire house, if i had just went with the first quote i wouldn't have got past doing the kitchen!

This isn't the same situation though. You are paying for work to someone else's property that you have damaged. They have every right to use their garage of choice. Now if you do the more sensible thing and go through the insurance she may not get to choose her garage but the work is guaranteed and she won't be getting 'ripped off'

She is more than happy with a second quote and has even said that she thinks the first quote is OTT.

As did her family apparently.

its wasnt a garage she knows or anything, just the one thats across from the school.

Yes of course its a professional mobile repair company.

Definitely not a mate or my husband! as i agree thats an appalling thing to do (quite upset that its being insinuated that im trying to get a shoddy job done on this innocent ladies car 🙁)

Ripped off is a bad turn of phrase there. What I mean is she want get left with shoddy work which often happens with cheap end quotes and there is very little comeback. So she either chooses her trusted garage of the insurance guarantee the fix. There is no benefit but added hassle for her if you peruse this ridiculous idea that she needs to get the cost reduced to suit you.

Oh just ignore me OP, it seems you have an answer for everything.

what answer for everything?

its not her trusted garage!!

Tell her you give her £200 cash or you can go through insurance. Almost 100% she take the cash and run (never repairing the car).

I had a similar low speed prang a number of years ago, and got 3 quotes. We went to the lowest, which was £600 Inc Vat, so that sounds perfectly reasonable.

But just having to sort it is inconveniencing the other person.
I paid for train and bus fare to and from the garage, which would have come to about £15, was without a car for 3 days (more bus fares) as well as the time going round getting quotes.
She sounds very reasonable in her dealings with the Op.

@lilsquish

what answer for everything?

its not her trusted garage!!

I mean literally every possible point throughout you have had an answer for. Trusted garage just being an example. People comment with suggestions and possibilities and you hit right back with 'no, it's not that/I didn't say that' etc. I cross posted with you on the garage point so was telling you to ignore me because my post was no longer relevant

I don't think you can ask her to get three quotes as she is doing you a favour by not going through insurers. I would pay it if you can afford it. Then that should be the end of it. If you can't afford it then go through insurers. I know you are meant to notify them but I wouldn't unless I had to.

@Uncurtailed

Tell her you give her £200 cash or you can go through insurance. Almost 100% she take the cash and run (never repairing the car).

This is a really bad idea. Insulting to a lady whose children attend the same school.

op doesn’t want to go through insurance, and had I been offered this I would have picked up the phone to 5e insurance company immediately.

im not trying to be obtuse @Fundamentally im only answering the points raised.

As far as I can see, the most inconvenient option for her is if I DID go through insurance as the insurance company will want her to get a few quotes before progressing and more likey to be a while before its fixed.

I dont want that, iv suggested a mobile one as that way she isnt inconvenienced.

If the second opinion says it needs a respray etc then she can use any garage she likes and if its over a couple hundred i will go via insurance.

@Labia

iv never asked her to get three quotes.

i don't want her wasting her time driving around different garages!

I suppose all insurance companies are different- when this happened with my sister the insurance company decided on the repair place, who picked up her car and left a courtesy car in its place.

No hassle, no running around for quotes.

I had no idea insurance companies made you do all the donkey work - lesson learned😊

@Ideasplease322 in my experience insurance companies work exactly like you think. They have their own designated places you take the car to and usually get a courtesy car. I have had my car repaired about 5 times through no fault of my own and have never had to get quotes.

@lilsquish Your insurance company will want to know why you haven't informed them already if you do decide to claim after all.

It seriously isn’t inconvenient to go through the insurance, we rang the insurance in the morning, they rang the 3rd party the same day, arranged for their car to go to an approved repairer on an agreed date as the car was driveable, they pick the car up, he will have a courtesy car for the duration of the repair and will return to them with a guaranteed repair.

But the poor innocent woman has no comeback or reimbursement of any uninsured losses and if the repair is sub standard, no comeback from an insurance company.

Seriously please consider the fact that this lovely woman is compromising herself for you to save a few quod on your insurance.