I literally just got my car. I was at the dealership, feeling great about the new purchase, when the universe decided to test me.
As I was opening my door to get in, a massive, sudden gust of wind caught it. Before I could grab it, the door swung wide open and "dinged" a Lexus parked next to me. I felt sick. I immediately waited for the owner, we exchanged info, and he even sent me a nice text that night saying, "I understand it was windy… the dent appears to be minor, I’m confident we can fix this without insurance."
I thought, "Great, a reasonable neighbor." I was wrong.
A few days later, he sends me an estimate from a high-end body shop for $1,307.90, plus a $390.48 reservation for a 5-day rental. He’s demanding nearly $1,700 for a surface scuff and a tiny indentation that hasn't even broken the factory paint.
The Evidence:
My car: Has a tiny, microscopic paint chip on the very edge of the door.
His car: A vertical scuff and a shallow ding. No paint transfer, no structural damage.
The Quote: They want to strip the door and do a full-panel repaint for a "minor" ding.
I suggested Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) which would cost maybe $200-$400 and take two hours (no rental needed!), but he is refusing to even get a second quote.
The Dilemma:
I am student and don’t really have that type of money and even if I did I really don't want to hand over $1,700 for a "door ding" that looks like it could be buffed out. I’ve officially opened a claim with GEICO because this feels like a total "cash grab."
Now he’s being weird about sending photos of the damage to the insurance company.
My Questions:
Has anyone dealt with a neighbor trying to "luxury" their way through a minor incident?
Will GEICO laugh at a $1,700 bill for a door ding once they see the photos?
Did I do the right thing by refusing to pay cash and forcing it through insurance?
TL;DR: Wind blew my door into a Lexus. Neighbor called it "minor" then sent a $1,700 bill. Now I'm letting GEICO handle the "detective work."
1 day into a new policy and a new car, a gust of wind might cost me $1,700. Am I being scammed?
byu/banayen inInsurance
Posted by banayen
3 Comments
If the claimant seems to be unreasonable or interested in a money grab, then you definitely want you insurance company to handle it. Maybe they’ll pay the $1,700 or even more, but it really doesn’t matter – you can’t pay it out of your own pocket, so you really have no choice in the matter.
Understand there’s a good chance you’ll see a premium increase at your next renewal. Lesson learned – never let go of your door and make sure you have a tight grip on it always, always, always. Might also be a good idea to park as far from other cars as you can when you can.
definitely getting scammed. I’d have fought to send it to my bodyshop. What troubles me is they are being weird about sending pics ….. don’t think they have insurance. Probably wise to have pulled your insurance into this.
Did the ding hit one of the body lines? Something similar happened to me and I got two quotes for a small dent on a body line; $250 to pull it out but was warned it would still be visible, $2K to fix it right which included filler and painting.