Your sons deductible applies to the collision insurance if he damages his own vehicle. Liability covers damage to some else’s vehicle. You and your son both need to talk to your insurance agent so you will understand what it does do and what it doesn’t.
I still think you need to have your insurance take care of this so there will not be future problems.
Will talk to the agent today and double check
October 24
omsairam911:
This is the same amount as my sons deductible.
Your sons deductible applies to the collision insurance if he damages his own vehicle. Liability covers damage to some else’s vehicle. You and your son both need to talk to your insurance agent so you will understand what it does do and what it doesn’t.
I still think you need to have your insurance take care of this so there will not be future problems.
This is CHEAP. If you want to go off the books then just send the check and be done with it, with whatever comes with it (like denying any future liability etc. I don’t know how to do that.)
Another fella scratches side of my car, near the wheel wells and it looked far less than this and the bill was $1800, paid by the insurance company of the other guy.
+1
When I see NYC cars in my neck of the woods in NJ, many/most of them have very badly-scarred bumpers.
That’s quite a high estimate for a scuffed piece of plastic. My guess is that insurance will put 1200 ish dollars in this guys hand and he will then smile and drive his vehicle with a scuffed piece of plastic on his bumper.
Only thing you might have been able to do was to negotiate outside insurance bec its just a scuff… X number of dollars or offer to get his truck detailed and try to buff or paint that trim piece to mitigate the scuffed look. If that doesnt fly then its his choice really… that’s what insurance is for.
NO
This is best handled through the proper channels . . . for the reasons I already mentioned
If you try to handle this privately, he might try to hold you hostage . . . keep calling back that $500 wasn’t enough, and threaten you with who knows what
Your insurance is supposed to deal with the other party, not you
Called the agent today. He thinks that the best thing is to pay the 500 bucks and have the guy sign a note saying the amount covers the cost and he will not ask for any more money in the future. He asked me to email the copy of the letter and he will place it in my file. He says that the insurance will go up by 27 dollars a year for this coverage. I am not a huge fan of Insurance Companies as we pay a lot of money and when we need them, they don’t have our backs:-(
$27 increase/year versus . . . taking the other guy’s word that $500 will cover it, and it hopefully won’t get ugly
I’d go through regular channels
I’ve encountered SO many guys that basically sign their life away on the dotted line, claiming they agree with such and such, yet when it comes down to it, they claim the signature is forged, we’re all lying, etc.
The increased insurance rates will only be a few years, then it’ll revert to normal. A few years of increased insurance rates is less than $500 and a whole lot of uncertainty
Personally, I think your insurance agent gave you questionable advice
Your insurance agent is an idiot. Call his boss or the corporate office. 27.00 a year means nothing to settle this problem now and not have continued problems with the other person.
Unless that letter is Notarized you could have 100 of them on file and it would mean nothing. And if you change insurance your present carrier is off the hook also.
No idea why the agent was pushing for this. By the way, I have Nationwide, I thought they are on my side ;-(
October 24
He asked me to email the copy of the letter and he will place it in my file.
Unless that letter is Notarized you could have 100 of them on file and it would mean nothing. And if you change insurance your present carrier is off the hook also.
Did you talk to an actual agent or just customer service ? The next time you call just give the details about your son hitting the vehicle and I doubt if anyone can say what the rate increase will be until the claim is settled . Forget about the part of giving the person money.
Wow can’t believe the comments over a $1200 repair. When a lady ran into my car, my agent said just to deal with the lady’s insurance company unless there was a problem. It would be easier that way for everyone. Just pay it and forget it.
I wouldn’t give them chit, as far as cash/check. If we’re gonna pursue this, I’ll file it on insurance. To be honest, when the guy came back with the $1200 quote, I’d probably tell him to sue me. Prove I did it. Taking responsibility is one thing, but if you try to gouge me (as I perceive he’s doing), I’m going to be difficult to deal with.
Bottom line, my kid scuffed your bumper. You’ve really got no proof he did it, other than a note which I can deny. What do you want for the black marks on the plastic?
A few years ago, I legally parallel parked my car on a rather busy street, and then walked to my weekly meeting
There’s limited parking available in this area, so I have no choice, except to park along this busy street . . . or don’t go to my meeting
Anyways, one day I come out of my meeting and see my car’s been sideswiped, and a note was left on my car. The note included the guy’s name and telephone number.
I never even thought about trying to handle this privately
As soon as I entered my car, I immediately contacted my insurance, and they opened a case. After giving them the location, what building my car was parked in front of, time of day, etc., they asked me to scan in the note as a document and fax it over to them, which I did, when I got home.
They took over from there, and dealt with the other guy’s insurance. My insurance also recommended a body shop. It was one I’d heard several good things about in the past, so I gave them a shot. It was a smart move, because they did a fine job
I’ve done it both ways and been on either side of the situation as well. I’m with Scrapyard_John on the reservations when the guy tried to gouge the OP as well. I’d bet dollars to donuts 99% of that will rub off with mineral spirits on a rag. He’s going to pocket the $500.
I’m sure it varies by locale but my insurance told me once that if a claim against me exceeded $500, it would be recorded as such and be part of the record against me. The state I was in, that would follow me for almost 7 years and affect all of the other policies I had with them as well. Fortunately, that one turned out to be under the limit so no harm, no foul.
I would have no reservations about paying out of pocket with a release signed by the other guy but not everyone has same level of risk tolerance. In this case, it’s a scratch and unlikely to escalate, especially if he gets more than fair compensation. It’s not just the repair, it’s the inconvenience of the repair. So I will take this into account and offer enough to “make it go away” without any lingering grievances. YMMV.
Must have been about 1969 in school, a girl who had just gotten her license that day slid into my 59 Pontiac on glare ice. We exchanged information and when I hadn’t heard anything, called and talked to her dad. He was a little upset to learn about it from me but I simply went to his insurance company and no problem. Never even considered talking to my agent who was 200 miles away. Estimate was $115 and fixed it myself for $15. Pocketed the badly needed extra $100.
That is ridiculous. I would not hesitate to drive that around without even fixing it before I would sell it for $24k. I suspect most people would do similarly.
What are all the wet spots under it? Oh! It’s a British car. Never mind. Just kidding. Someone will literally steal this Lotus for $24K.