I have a situation I would like some other opinions on.
A few days ago I was backing out of my parking space in our parking garage at work. The aisle between cars is fairly narrow as it is a one way ramp. I did not make the turn sharply enough (I drive an extended cab Ranger so it is rather long). In this process I bumped and slightly scrubbed the bumber of a car on the other side of the aisle. I parked my truck and got out and surveyed the damage. There was a small (couple of inch wide) area that had a couple of scrapes in the paint. I wrote a note and left it on the windshield with my name and phone number. The guy riding with me could not even see the damage from the truck it was only visible up close.
The car was a Toyota Solara (sp) which according to Edmunds is much less than $30K (base price is $25K MSRP on the most expensive model). The car looked fairly new.
Now, I know that it is this guys car and it is his perogative to keep his car looking nice. So, I want him to do what he feels he needs to to fix the car. I figure a bit of touch up paint from the dealer would do nicely.
He calls me the other day and the dealer says they have to replace the bumper cover and try to match the paint to the car. The quote is $565.
Now, I have a brand new mini van (June 1999) and it had an MSRP of 26K. If someone did the same damage to my van and left a note, I would have looked at the damage and likely called them and said forget about it or I might have gotten some touch up paint from the dealer. I would never stick anybody much less a co-worker (we do not work together nor do we even know each other, we just work at the same company.) with a $565 bill for something that is really no damage. If I had not left the note and he had noticed it I bet he would not have paid $565 to replace the bumper cover. I bet he would have cursed the person who did it and wondered why they did not leave a note, but would have done little more than the touch up paint route.
Yet, because I was honest and left the note, I get stuck with a $565 bill. It will make me think twice about leaving a note next time.
I am I in the minority here? Would the rest of you want someone else to pay this bill?
If you think I am a jerk for feeling this way let me know.
I can see what you’re saying…if it had been me, whether you left the note or not, I probably would have just left it alone and not had it repaired, but my husband reacted differently when he was in the same situation. A couple weeks ago, after my husband had been at a marathon providing medical care, one of the marathoners rear ended him while leaving (the guy was a little out of it, was very nice about it, and completely apologetic). It did a little damage to the bumper and my husband took it to get an estimate. The estimate was $300 to replace the whole bumper. My husband is in the midst of trying to sell the car and his attitude is that if he doesn’t get this repaired correctly, the money’s going to come out of his pocket in the long run because his sale price will have to be lower. I see his point, too, even if it’s not what I would do. This might turn out okay in the end, because the guy who hit the car is sounding interested in buying it.
No good deed goes unpunished… I wouldn’t have left a note, that’s what uninsured motorist insurance is for.
http://www.madpoet.com
“I never meant to hurt you,” you said,
And buried yourself in lies instead.
Next time I would rather be slain,
Than forced to bear your mercy again.
If so, since this is probably coming out of your pocket, I would request that another opinion be considered. Some body shops will send a guy out to assess the problem if the other party refuses to take it in.
This way you can honestly know that you are looking at in terms of damage.
That’s what I might do…next time I bet you don’t want to be as honest eh? That’s too bad, from the sounds of it, that this other person is trying to take more money.
I don’t think there is a straight answer for this. The Solara is a brand new model (1998 or 1999), so the car is probably pretty new. I know that having something new and clean is why I go out and purchase something that is, well, new and clean. I can understand why someone would want that new and clean car to stay, ok, here we go again, new and clean. You did the damage to his car, and the cost to fix it “properly” is something that you have to take responsibilty for. Granted, it may look “pretty good” with just some touch-up paint and maybe some Bondo (or whatever they use nowadays), but it will probably still show a little blemish. Some folks can live with a blemish, some can’t. Ultimately, it is your responsibilty to return his car to its “pre-collision” condition.
That being said, personally I do think that the guy, especially if he is a co-worker, should be a little more understanding about the whole thing. New cars are gonna’ get bumped, dented, scratched and blemished. It’s part of life. It seems like a waste of time and a waste of resources to replace an entire bumper just because of a little scratch. But that’s how the dealers and repair shops stay in business. A $50 touch-up job might net them $25-$35. But a $550 bumper replacement job might net them $100-$300.
Like others have said, maybe you shouldn’t have left a note at all. But I would have done the same thing you did, and will probably continue to do the same thing you did. Hey, at least you’re true to yourself.
I’d like to cut your head off so I can weigh it. What do you say?
I got rear ended in my parking garage yesterday while we were waiting in line to get past the evil unresponsive mechanical arm. We both pulled over out of the way and the guy apologized profusely. He showed me he had been sideswiped earlier in the week and asked if I would be willing to call him and let him know the cost of the damages instead of dealing with Insurance Companies. I agreed (and didn’t ask him for Evidence of Insurance BTW).
I’m now in the interesting opposite position to the OP-er. My rear bumper is slightly scraped on the bottom edge. I’ve had the rear bumper replaced before (it needs to be re-painted as well) and I know that it runs around $200-$300. The guy was driving a sh!tbox 80’s Toyota, and didn’t look to have a lot of cash on hand.
Do I:
a) Practice a Random Act of Kindness and give him a call and tell him to forget it.
b) Practice a Responsible Random Act of Kindness and give him a call and tell him to forget it, but verify his insurance, and if he doesn’t have it ask him to put the cash he was going to give me for the repair towards it.
c) Practice a Semi Selfish Act and ask him to cover the cost of buffing out the scratches
d) Practice a Righteous Selfish Act and ask him to replace the bumper to counter the cost I will ‘suffer’ when trying to re-sell my car.
I’m bouncing all around but leaning towards b) and c), d) pops up when I’m feeling cranky.
That’s part of the problem, I know that due to my action, his car does now have a blemish. Due to this, I am responsible for restoring it as much as is reasonably possible.
However, the damage is very small and virtually un-noticable. Had I done some damage that was indeed very visable and potentially weakened his bumper, I guess I would not have a problem, but the damage is much less than what normally happens in a parking lot or parking deck.
I guess it boils down to this, if you sustained a scratch on your bumper (either by your fault or the fault of another in which you do not know who) would you replace the bumper cover and pay the $565? I would not. If he would, then I guess I do not really have a problem paying it, but if he would not, then why is he asking me.
I will likely not file insurance. I was in an accident with an emergency vehicle (the state insurance commisioner) late last year and it was his fault but due to the fact that he was acting in an official capacity we each had to pay for our own damage. I do not need my insurance to go up yet again for something like this. I will likely pay the claim eventhough $565 is a lot of money.
Thanks for letting me know that I am not totally off for feeling this way.
It’s my considered opinion that you’re a fine person, Jeffrey, and that counts for more than any number of scratched bumpers. The guy is being a jerk. Techchick was right; insist on a second estimate, preferably from a reliable repair place of your choosing.
This isn’t being irresponsible; it’s sensible. No insurance company would accept just one estimate. And call the body shops that provided the estimates. It is not unknown for the body shops to provide an inflated quote for minimal damage, buff out the boo-boo and then split the difference with the “victim”.
Sorry this sounds so cynical, but I worked as a claims adjustor for a while, and I’ve had body shops make similiar offers to me as well. (They sure don’t get my business; they get reported to the Better Business Bureau.)
I’m not saying this happened in your case, but at least getting another estimate and following up is just good sense.
Best of luck. Even at the worst, you may be out some bucks but you didn’t lose your character over it.
I would say that since you’ve assumed the financial liability for repairing the damage, you should be able to call the shots. I would definitely insist on getting my own estimates for the repair bill in this situation.