- Messages
- 3,083
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 602
- #1
Thread Owner
In early January on a very windy Sunday my husband opened his car door and a gust of wind grabbed the door forcefully and it hit the next car. This happened at church.
Left a note of apology on the car because we didn't know whose it was. Got a call the next week from the woman (mid-60s) who said her son knew someone at a body shop and she would ask him to help her get an estimate "It wont be that much" she said confidently.
The ding is pictured below. The paint is not broken, but it does have a scuff.
This is a 1999 Escort - It is in good condition with no other body damage/etc. Still, a 13-year-old car.
We didnt hear from her for about a month so we were hoping she was just going to live with it and not get it fixed.
About 2 weeks ago we got a phone call from her saying she was putting the estimate in the mail. I guessed it was higher than she expected or she would've just given me the figure over the phone. Her son's friend's shop would charge $385 for tapping it out then sanding and repainting. Our insurance deductible is $500 so that is no help.
My husband called and said it seemed ridiculous to pay nearly $400 to repair a small dent in a car that is worth $2-3,000. He offered to pay her $200 as compensation for the damage. She said she would talk with her son (she isn't married so I guess she consults with him on these kind of things)
Earlier this week she mailed a second estimate from a different shop, was $388. I didn't know how to respond, still thinking about it, so I didn't call her.
This morning she calls at 8:20 a.m. (@#^$&*^&*#Q$^@#*$).
She asks if we got it, and she said she would "accept" $300 for it, but only as a cashier's check or money order, not a personal check.
I know it doesnt' make a lot of difference but our cars are also old, and we've gotten dents (some much worse than hers) from drivers who drive off and leave no notes. We haven't gotten them repaired because they don't render the car un-driveable and the thought of putting that kind of money into a repair of a functional car seems senseless.
I told that to her and so did my husband, but obviously it is her car and she can do what she wants.
The thing that upsets me more than anything is her rude insistence on a cashiers check/money order. We have gone to that church - as attenders not members since we are planting a church for a different denomination- for more than two years. We have given money to the church many times and none of our checks have ever bounced, not that she knows that but its just beyond believeable that she would say that to me.
If we are the kind of people who would give you a check that bounces, then we are ALSO the kind of people who wouldn't put a note on your car when there is a ding. If I gave you a check that bounced, you would be calling me and asking me to pay the fees. Why on earth would I give you a bad check?!?!?
Sorry for the long diatribe, but very very frustrated, and just wondering whether I'm crazy.
I don't understand why these shops wont offer her paintless dent removal - maybe because she WANTS the paint redone, but its not cracked and would not rust at the location, I don't think.
Should we:
1. Ask if she will permit a third estimate from a paintless dent removal company
2. Send her a $200 personal check and tell her we consider the matter closed.
3. Send her the $300 money order and fume silently
3. something else?
I want to do the right thing but I think this person is not being reasonable. Maybe I'm wrong, though.
What do you think? (uploading photos now)
Left a note of apology on the car because we didn't know whose it was. Got a call the next week from the woman (mid-60s) who said her son knew someone at a body shop and she would ask him to help her get an estimate "It wont be that much" she said confidently.
The ding is pictured below. The paint is not broken, but it does have a scuff.
This is a 1999 Escort - It is in good condition with no other body damage/etc. Still, a 13-year-old car.
We didnt hear from her for about a month so we were hoping she was just going to live with it and not get it fixed.
About 2 weeks ago we got a phone call from her saying she was putting the estimate in the mail. I guessed it was higher than she expected or she would've just given me the figure over the phone. Her son's friend's shop would charge $385 for tapping it out then sanding and repainting. Our insurance deductible is $500 so that is no help.
My husband called and said it seemed ridiculous to pay nearly $400 to repair a small dent in a car that is worth $2-3,000. He offered to pay her $200 as compensation for the damage. She said she would talk with her son (she isn't married so I guess she consults with him on these kind of things)
Earlier this week she mailed a second estimate from a different shop, was $388. I didn't know how to respond, still thinking about it, so I didn't call her.
This morning she calls at 8:20 a.m. (@#^$&*^&*#Q$^@#*$).
She asks if we got it, and she said she would "accept" $300 for it, but only as a cashier's check or money order, not a personal check.
I know it doesnt' make a lot of difference but our cars are also old, and we've gotten dents (some much worse than hers) from drivers who drive off and leave no notes. We haven't gotten them repaired because they don't render the car un-driveable and the thought of putting that kind of money into a repair of a functional car seems senseless.
I told that to her and so did my husband, but obviously it is her car and she can do what she wants.
The thing that upsets me more than anything is her rude insistence on a cashiers check/money order. We have gone to that church - as attenders not members since we are planting a church for a different denomination- for more than two years. We have given money to the church many times and none of our checks have ever bounced, not that she knows that but its just beyond believeable that she would say that to me.
If we are the kind of people who would give you a check that bounces, then we are ALSO the kind of people who wouldn't put a note on your car when there is a ding. If I gave you a check that bounced, you would be calling me and asking me to pay the fees. Why on earth would I give you a bad check?!?!?
Sorry for the long diatribe, but very very frustrated, and just wondering whether I'm crazy.
I don't understand why these shops wont offer her paintless dent removal - maybe because she WANTS the paint redone, but its not cracked and would not rust at the location, I don't think.
Should we:
1. Ask if she will permit a third estimate from a paintless dent removal company
2. Send her a $200 personal check and tell her we consider the matter closed.
3. Send her the $300 money order and fume silently
3. something else?
I want to do the right thing but I think this person is not being reasonable. Maybe I'm wrong, though.
What do you think? (uploading photos now)
