Insurance Collector Asking for $8000 For a Rear Bumper Claim

LoCure on 24/05/2017 - 14:29
Last edited 24/05/2017 - 14:53 by 1 other user

Long story short, my mum bump into a car December last year, no one was hurt or anything, it was a scratch with small hump at the rear bumper. So photo was taken, details exchanged (the thing is our car does not have comprehensive insurance). We received a letter from the opposite insurer dated 30/12/2016 "This letter is put you on notice that once this claim has been settled we will pass your details to our authorise agents, "XXX Collection Pty Ltd, with instruction to recover the claim amount.
Not until last week received a letter from the Mercant collector the bill is $8000+, obviously the amount doesn't sound right to me, l asked for the breakdown of the bill and :

Labour : $3060.50 + $1725.80
Parts: $3268.06

Date In: 10th April 2017
Date Out: 26th April 2017

-Is there a time limit between the incident and the day the car should sent in, because it took them 3.5 months to get it fix?
-i know this is hard to say depending how bad the bump is, but the bill sounds outrageous?
-where can l find more information about this process?

This is what part of the bill is like https://ibb.co/cFe3fv
What really frustrates me was that my mum has deleted the photos thinking it's too long ago and they had forgotten it.
Iam really on the lose end and likely has to pay the bill in full!

Automotive

Comments

    • bobbified on 24/05/2017 - 16:54
      +13

      $4,700 on labour sounds fair?? Based on a conservative estimate, that'll be between 30 to 47 hours of work!

      A sloth must've fixed that bumper!

      • John Kimble on 24/05/2017 - 17:04
        +15

        Or maybe it was done by council workers? 1 or 2 people doing it and 10 people watchingsupervising?

      • Blitzfx on 25/05/2017 - 09:33

        I've seen an invoice for repairing a mercedes coupe for a "small bump + scratch" for about $6k which was apparently normal range according to the insurer.
        They'll get away with just about anything.

        • bobbified on 25/05/2017 - 09:39

          The bumpers on cars are designed so that they can be replaced easily. This includes the design of the mounting points. In most cases where the bumper is damaged, it is more cost effective to replace it with a new one rather than trying to fix it. If it really was a "scratch and a small bump" as the OP has put it, there is no way that it's going to cost that much.

          If you're talking about the same thing on a metal panel, then that could easily run into the thousands.

        • Blitzfx on 25/05/2017 - 11:04
          +1

          @bobbified:
          I saw the pictures of it and it really was just a bump and scratch that a paint job would have fixed. It wasn't physically dented in or anything. On the malleable not-metal bumper.

          I suspect they just ordered a replacement OEM part from merc, because why not just get a brand new one since we can, and then added on their 15% cut then charged their $300/hr fee or w/e rate they're trying rip us off with. Oh and they get to keep the old bumper and touch it up for a fraction of the cost.

          1 hour to put in the order for replacement part
          1 hour in the car driving it in and around the shop
          1 hour checking the inside for things to steal
          1 hour pulling off the bumper
          1 hour unpackaging the replacement
          1 hour putting on the new bumper
          1 hour checking their own handiwork
          1 hour filling in the paper work
          1 hour pressing in numbers to call you to tell you the car's ready
          1 hour sending invoice to the other party (or you) / insurance company

          Yeah I really don't know how they charge for the labour. It's ridiculous.

        • Oofy Doofy on 28/05/2017 - 20:39

          @Blitzfx: Price gouging by tradespeople. This is not at all unusual. They can play insurers like a fiddle too.

          There are good folks out there though, I'm just saying.

      • skillet on 25/05/2017 - 10:13
        +3

        If you have radar, reverse sensors and cameras in the bumpers which you need specialised tools to calibrate.

        Then you also need to put the car on a chassis jig to make sure it's straight and nice. If not there will be structural issue which directly relates to safety concerns.

        • Blitzfx on 25/05/2017 - 11:11

          I only saw 1/3 of the back and there wasn't anything attached but I didn't get the model of it so I can't really tell if there were any located in the center or not.
          But makes sense.

        • Sira on 26/05/2017 - 16:07
          +2

          @Blitzfx:
          No ones ever heard of an 'insurance job'? Panel beaters love this work. Take a car to a panel beater, tell them it's an insurance job. Ask them to quote. Now tell them you actually found out your insurance is cancelled and you want to pay the best price, cash. Watch the quote get slashed in half right before your eyes… MAGIC!

        • Blitzfx on 26/05/2017 - 18:12
          +1

          @Sira:

          I'm going to use that term from now on lol.
          I had heard of them doing the 3-quotations thing. They'd offer to give you 3 'separate' quotations from 3 'separate' places for you to show the insurance company, but obviously all from the same guy so that he'd get the work.

  • Make it so on 24/05/2017 - 15:33
    +19

    I cannot understand why people don't take out 3rd party insurance, which costs next-to-nothing compared to the other costs of driving.

    They must have been in contact with you prior, about how it happened, who is at fault, what the damage was, etc. I would want to have more paperwork, rather than to let them dictate you to pay whatever. How do you even know that their insurance even got involved, and followed an industry-standard practice of getting a reasonable quote?

      • Ughhh on 25/05/2017 - 00:16
        +2

        Think you got those two mixed up.

      • Make it so on 25/05/2017 - 00:22
        +5

        That's not correct. See my comment here
        Please be careful telling people the wrong thing, or else there will be more threads like this :)

      • Piranha2004 on 25/05/2017 - 09:01
        +6

        Ctp - compulsory third party. Part of greenslips (nsw) or rego (vic). Is compulsory as the name suggests. For insuring against injury or death of person.

        Tpp - third party property. Cheaper insurance for damage to property of a third party (not your own). Insured will have to pay for repairs/damage to own vehicle

        Comp- comprehensive insurance. Covers damage to all parties regardless of fault (with obvious exclusions set out in pds)

      • johnno07 on 25/05/2017 - 09:07
        +4

        @203132 - This is so incorrect it hurts.

        CTP (Compulsory Third Party) - covers third party personal damage. That is, if you run into a car, it covers any potential personal injury that results from it (whiplash, trauma etc). This is COMPULSORY, and you pay for it at the same time you pay your rego. You cannot register a car without paying for, and receiving, CTP coverage.

        TPP (Third Party Property) - covers third party property damage. That is, if you run into a car, it covers any potential property damage that results from it (dented panels, broken glass etc). This is optional, but policies can be bought quite cheaply. I have a shitty old Falcon that's not even worth $1000, but I pay ~$150/year with Bingle to have third party property cover in case I run into something more valuable than my car.

        • 203132 on 26/05/2017 - 19:18

          @johnno07

          Hahaha, I see the misunderstanding.(my own)

  • toniyellow on 24/05/2017 - 15:35
    +11

    3.5 months is not long. They may have taken it directly to a repairer and been told it would take that long to get the right parts in. The waiting list for car repairs from hail storms in Feb was 6 months long in some places.

    If it took them a while to take their car to the repairers, can you blame them? They were just driving about normally and suddenly someone smashed up their car. Not everyone can take off work immediately to sort that kind of thing out.

    This is an unfortunate lesson for your mum in the value of insurance. If she can't pay the full lot in one go, she can negotiate a payment plan.

  • plmko on 24/05/2017 - 15:58
    +1

    Good luck, they can claim anything they like and the only leeway you have now is to find a solicitor to challenge it (to which they'll just recommend you pay it). I sincerely hope that saving the ~$300-$400 on 3rd party insurance has been well worth it. That is the harsh reality.

  • LoCure on 24/05/2017 - 16:04

    Lesson learned, thanks everyone for all the comment!

    • Baysew on 24/05/2017 - 16:07

      What are you going to do?

    • qwertyaz on 27/05/2017 - 22:03

      what did you do at the end? paying $8000?

    • whooah1979 on 30/05/2017 - 06:31

      Any updates?

  • scoobydoodledoo on 24/05/2017 - 16:37
    +59

    Mate, Sorry for the situation your mum is in.

    The bottom line is the insurance company is out of the picture here as they have likely sold/assigned that $8,000 amount to the collection agency for an upfront fee or an agreed recovery fee.

    So my understanding of the way it works is, it cost the other party's insurer to repair the car costing $8,000 approx. They ususally arent in the business of chasing debts so they sell or assign the right to recover that amount to the collection agency for upfront fee or deferred amount agreed to be paid from the amount recovered from you.

    The insurer generally then 'sells' the right to recover the debt to a collection agency for anything between 10%-45% of that value, so say they sold it for 25% = $2,000 ($8,000 x 25%).

    The collection agency will try to recover that full amount so if they get $8,000 from you they get to keep the difference $8,000-$2,000= $6,000

    Most collection agency try to get the full amount but if you say to them your mum has no assets or ability to pay but at best she can borrow some money to pay them a lesser sum in full settlement of the claim (say offer them $3,000- start low and they will likely try to lift it up) so may end up being $4,000 to settle in full then they would still make $2,000 and would likely accept it as it is easy money for them - send one letter out and get paid 4K-2K = 2K profit.

    What is the final amount they will accept all depends on how much they paid or agreed to give to the insurance company in the first place. They usually work on a 50% plus time and admin costs which is usually about double what they paid. I would suggest if you make an offer there is nothing to loose and they will likely accept it, especially if they judge you are a high risk recovery and they may get nothing from you and waste time or energy doing so. Suggest you first paint a picture your mum has no money, she would need to borrow it. She can never pay the full amount - if you push her the wall, and may need to ask her lawyer friend to look into it and challenge the claims etc (used as a last resort if you know what I mean).

    This is an option you can consider to limit the amount to be paid and make it all go away. Please make sure if you negotiate the final amount - dont pay it until you get them to send you a confirmation in writing for full and final settlement if you pay that amount.

    This is not intended to be financial advice but on general discussion of a potential option you may wish to consider.

    • uzz30 on 25/05/2017 - 16:56
      +6

      Sometimes on OzBargain you find someone who knows what they are talking about and offers really good helpful advise. This is it. Can't upvote this enough.

      • gimli on 25/05/2017 - 20:41
        +1

        I negged it for lolz

        • Jackson on 26/05/2017 - 08:11
          +1

          No you didnt

    • abently on 26/05/2017 - 01:23
      -1

      scoobydoodledoo, has offered some great advice but I think you can take it a step further if you're keen.

      If you haven't already accepted fault, ask for evidence of this accident because you don't recall it and the whole thing looks like a scam. This will consume a good few billable hours for the Collection Agency. Play out this angle for as long as you can till you're satisfied they have dotted their i's and crossed their t's if it ever went to Court. If they refuse to satisfy you that they have all the necessary paperwork ready to sue the pants off you, feel free to drop the hint that's ok, because you've got no money and will have LegalAid support, so it will cost you nothing for them to finally prove it was your vehicle in the accident. The more you can drag these shenanigans on, the more billable hours it chews up and the easier it will be to negotiate a final amount much less than the original.

      The beauty of what scoobydoodledoo recommended is that you are offering the insurance company almost a free get out of jail card, when you tell them she has no money but the dodgy pay day lender down the road will loan her $2500 against her Centrelink payments. If you have softened them up enough with all the running around for the past 2-3 months, they will almost certainly take it, but they will try to push for a bit more before accepting you're max'd out.

      What you're doing here is playing a very long game, the longer it goes on for, the better for you. Don't expect to have this settled within a few weeks time, but you will save yourself thousands no bull. That's thousands off after tax remember…

      Next time though, get CTP insurance, it's usually $150. And like I explained to the last guy I helped dodge payment, you're basically paying $12 a month to have you're own room full of Lawyers on call ready to fight for your claim if you have an accident. Very cheap legal counsel……

      • Euphemistic on 26/05/2017 - 10:12
        +3

        Not CTP. Third Party Property is what is needed.

        CTP is part of rego, the C stands for Compulsory, the third party bit refers to persons, not property.
        TPP is the typical abbreviation for Third Party Property

        • whooah1979 on 26/05/2017 - 16:07

          CTP

          compulsory third person?

      • imurgod on 26/05/2017 - 20:18
        +2

        Sorry, but this is completely incorrect.

        Firstly, you are clearly at fault and the damage and the fact that the insured has obtained your mum's details are sufficient.

        Secondly, you are uninsured and at fault so there is no way out of your duty to pay for the damage.

        Thirdly, if you play this kind of game with the collection agent, they can cause you a lot of grief and it can lead to issues with credit rating and even having the sheriff take your possessions. This game is nothing new to them and they wouldn't be in business if they buckled to everyone who said they had no money and were on Centrelink.

        Lastly, if you think they won't take you to court for $8,000, you're dead wrong. They'll do it for $3,000.

        For the record, I think insurers who sell their debts to collection agencies are the scum of the Earth and I would never deal with any of them.

        Collection agents are the worst of the worst and are borderline thugs.

        • whooah1979 on 26/05/2017 - 21:12

          For the record, I think insurers who sell their debts to collection agencies are the scum of the Earth

          what do you suggest they do to recoup the money that's owed to them?

          I would never deal with any of them.

          isn't contracting a debt recovery agency normal practice in recouping outstanding payments?

        • abently on 27/05/2017 - 00:44
          +1

          You obviously haven't played the game well enough…

          As pointed out elsewhere, they provided an 'Estimate' of the damage…. not even an Invoice… good luck getting that to hold up in Court.

        • imurgod on 27/05/2017 - 05:25

          @whooah1979: I suggest they use use their own recoveries team. You know, like decent insurers do.

          Contracting debt recovery in the first instance is not normal practice for good insurance companies.

        • imurgod on 27/05/2017 - 05:29

          @abently: you obviously haven't seen this go down in court. The estimates aren't pulled out of thin air and and usually less than the invoice. Besides, they don't turn up to court with estimates. They turn up with an invoice and court appointed assessors are not fools. Judgement also often includes costs so that ends up added to the total bill.

          Your advice here is not only poor in that you will cause a lot more grief for this guys mum, but you're also neglecting the fact that they are at fault and have a duty to pay the damage. Why do you feel they should just walk away?

        • whooah1979 on 27/05/2017 - 07:16

          @imurgod:

          I suggest they use use their own recoveries team. You know, like decent insurers do.

          So in you opinion which insurers are decent enough to use in-house debt recovery?

          Contracting debt recovery in the first instance is not normal practice for good insurance companies.

          So what happens when the in-house debt recovery can't recover the debt? Do they just give up or do they contact an outside company?

        • imurgod on 27/05/2017 - 08:25
          -1

          @whooah1979: I won't make a suggestion on here but there are many. When they can't recover the debt, they'll either take the matter to court or write it off as a loss. Some may sell off the debt but if you read my post instead of get upset thinking that not having insurance entitles you to rort people, I said "insurers who use a collection agent in the first instance". Do you understand what that means?

          Mate, I do this for a living, I know what I'm talking about. Uninsured third parties that act like you suggest increase pricing for people who do the right thing so frankly, they deserve everything they get.

        • whooah1979 on 27/05/2017 - 08:39

          @imurgod:

          Some may sell off the debt but if you read my post instead of get upset thinking that not having insurance entitles you to rort people, I said "insurers who use a collection agent in the first instance". Do you understand what that means?

          why would you think that we're upset. we insure our vehicles with a major insurer that we believe to be reputable. they've honoured claims without much fuss. however, there posts on the web that says that they may have used or are using outside debt recovery.

        • whooah1979 on 27/05/2017 - 08:41
          -1

          @imurgod:

          Mate, I do this for a living, I know what I'm talking about.

          we're always happy to learn new things here.

        • imurgod on 27/05/2017 - 12:05

          @whooah1979: if you're happy, I'm happy. It's not easy to see from an end user level how the increased costs affect your insurance premium. There's a reason we don't deal with insurers like that and you may or may not find out the hard way one day when you have a claim where who's at fault is in contention.

  • Skramit on 24/05/2017 - 16:38
    +14

    Should have got a Camry, would have been much less damage to the other car and your Camry will be reliable and good value!

    • Make it so on 24/05/2017 - 17:19
      +2

      I see what you did there :)

      • jason101 on 25/05/2017 - 22:26

        Back in my day everyone on here was recommending a Falcon on gas, what's the world coming to these days with all this Camry talk.

  • FirstNameLastName on 24/05/2017 - 20:27
    +2

    Ask them for photos..

    • matt_will_fix_it on 25/05/2017 - 06:22
      +1

      What will that achieve?

      • FirstNameLastName on 25/05/2017 - 06:45
        +4

        op says mum lost her photos.. so it's a way of achieving photos

        • smartazz104 on 25/05/2017 - 17:11

          Yeah but what will OP do with photos?

        • FirstNameLastName on 25/05/2017 - 21:23
          +1

          OP will do less 'what really frustrates me was that my mum has deleted the photos' with the photos

  • [Deactivated] on 25/05/2017 - 01:41
    -1

    You sound like a gambling kind of person, not having third party property damage insurance at all. Maybe you want to up the ante and try ignoring it for 6 years and hope they don't take you to court in that time and then the statute of limitations passes.

    If you don't feel like being bothered by debt collectors for 6 years, make them an offer for a lower amount and see what they will accept.

    deleting the photos - very stupid move

  • spurf on 25/05/2017 - 07:56

    I was involved in an accident where I wasn't at fault (other party charged by cops with negligent driving) when I just had 3rd party property insurance. The other driver and I where both insured with the same company (not sure if it made a difference) and tried to say I was at fault! Ended up having to serve a statement of claim on the other driver before the insurer accepted liability. Needless to say I have had comprehensive insurance (with a different insurer) ever since.

    You can get reasonably priced comprehensive insurance nowadays if you get a bare bones policy especially on an older car.

  • roguescholar on 25/05/2017 - 08:09
    +7

    Supplement 2
    Parts
    1. REAR BUMPER CROME MOULD ON SPOLIER $493.21

    What type of car is this?
    You should get a refund just for their bad spelling.

  • t_c on 25/05/2017 - 08:21
    +4

    Did she hit a prestige car, is that why you're not showing the top of the bill with vehicle details.

  • Aussie Smurfette on 25/05/2017 - 08:32
    +1

    Sadly you are prettt much screwed. If your mother has insurance her insurance company would batter out the costs and you would never hear about it.
    Costly lesson learned

  • enouf on 25/05/2017 - 08:55
    +1

    Definitely hit a merc/beemer/<insert other euro/italian/exotic>. As already reinforced many times, stupid, stupid, stupid? idea to not have at least third party unless you're loaded to sh1t and can comfortably self-insure.

    Time to dodge the debt collector or just pay up.

  • dlakers3peat on 25/05/2017 - 09:04
    +1

    Somebody hit my rear bumpber as a result found some deep scratches. Took it a panel beater and he said $1000 to fix it all up and I drive an Audi. Sounds like she been rorted here. But without knowing what car she hit hard to say.

    • captobvious on 25/05/2017 - 10:15

      She must have hit the ironman car

    • k-rokfm on 25/05/2017 - 13:00

      Also had structural damage (needed reinforcement bar replaced) possibly other panels fixed up too

  • TransportPosters on 25/05/2017 - 09:09

    When the rear end is hit, quite often it can bend the safety brace which is hidden behind the plastic bumper trim, and this may have also been replaced. Depending on the type of car, if it had a tailgate (eg. SUV) then the window may have been removed also to allow repairs to the panel, plus removal of spare wheel mounting, etc. The impact may also push other panels out of alignment which all need to be adjusted or replaced, and there may have been some cracked plastic trim parts which were simply replaced. There may also be a reverse sensor system involved.

    I remember when I got a small tap on my rear bumper once and when we took it to the repair place they showed me how everything's gone out of alignment and all needs to be adjusted beyond just a small bumper dent repair.

    It's also possible that other damage to the other car was found and repaired within the same repair job (happens often), and it's just bad luck when this happens, even more so when uninsured. The repair company can't return a half-fixed car back to the owner.

  • Tarnos on 25/05/2017 - 09:26

    I had someone rear end me and I had no insurance. I went to get quotes from 2 different panel beaters, foolishly thinking I would negotiate between the 2 prices. The difference between the quotes was about $1000. The insurance company took the lower estimate and still tried to squeeze from it.

    The lesson I learned was that the insurance company will always take the cheapest option in payouts (very obvious in hindsight). In your case, they will likely have taken the most expensive of their panel beaters price and went with that. When you pay for Insurance, I am sure someone will fight for cheaper on your behalf. So this is where you may have to do the fighting yourself.

  • jerjergege on 25/05/2017 - 09:39

    Tell your mum to never delete photos, I still store old photos from my previous phone on my newer phone haha, some of the photos have been useful , gotta love 128GB SD Cards.

    • uder on 26/05/2017 - 10:21

      /Install Google Photos

  • Gravix on 25/05/2017 - 09:45
    +1

    From personal experience it seems to be very common that the repairers bump up the price as soon as its an insurance job.

    Eg i been quoted around $1.5k just to respray front bumper from few places, soon as i told them i'm paying it out of my pocket that came down to $300. Apparently it's because they don't need to 'itemize' it. Guess its no wonder our premiums get pretty insane.

    So you don't have comprehensive, what about third party? Just pass it on to your insurer and pay the excess.

    If its just the rear bumper, no damage to the frame underneath and the boot yeah definitely is high.

    • Euphemistic on 25/05/2017 - 11:56
      -1

      The $300 is probably only labour charge, and a bit steep for a couple of hours work. The paint would come out of an insurance job costs.

      • Gravix on 25/05/2017 - 13:56

        The $300 was the total cost of the respray including labour if out of my own pocket.

        It was a straight forward job, paint just peeled off no dints or deep scratches.

        Generally as a rule of thumb for a respray its around $250-$400 per panel. The cost significantly goes up if there are any dints.

        • Euphemistic on 25/05/2017 - 16:08
          +1

          My point being that it might have been a cash job and off the books so therefore cheap. The may have charged a different insurance job for the small amount of paint they used. The labour was probably in between other bigger jobs and effectively costed to them as well. Respraying a bumper wouldn't take long in 'actual' hours worked on the vehicle.

          You were happy to pay $300 for a professional job, they were happy to receive $300 for a quick and easy job, that would have cost you about $50 in paint to DIY, let alone how much less the paint would have cost at bulk rates.

          But yes, I agree that it would not be uncommon for an insurance job to be 'fully costed'.

        • Gravix on 26/05/2017 - 17:13
          +1

          @Euphemistic:

          Sorry dude, I accidentally neg'd your earlier comment and don't know how to undo it so upovted you above to make up for it.

          Yeah, definitely cash job and that's what I mean, soon as the insurer is out of the picture the prices become more reflective of actual costs associated with the job. This was the case for 4 quotes I got.

          And i think the insurers have tried to clamp down on the overcharging practices but end of the day they probably dont care all that much as they'll just pass it on through higher premiums.

    • adn on 26/05/2017 - 08:36

      i agree. repair shops are the worst. they quote for everything when it is an insurance job or you take them to court. when it is a cash job, it is 80 percent discount.

  • Tuftsdude on 25/05/2017 - 09:45
    -7

    I recently not one, but two car bumpers in the last year..

    Both were light hits, nothing a panel beater couldn't make brand spanking new. I don't have insurance.

    First guy I asked him not to take it through insurance, I'll fix it happily, choose any panel beater you want..
    He decided to take it through to insurance to see "How much it costs". They quoted $3500~
    They took about 6 months to get back to him with a quote.. I also thought they'd forgotten about it..

    I tell the guy whos car I hit that $3.5K is too much and I'll fix the damage, no problem with him.. except now he hit a car on the front of his car there's new damage. I called his insurer & told them I'll fix the car rather than paying $3.5K, they said no problem we'll get back to you. Fast forward I keep getting letters from the debt collectors to pay up, call the insurance company and find out they had fixed his car, told them that I wanted to get it fixed myself and had told them before, they confirmed and said they'll investigate. All up it's been 8 months or so and counting..

    Second hit was about 3 months ago. Again, I had no insurance, same amount of damage, rear bumper. The guy whos car I hit exchanged details, he got a quote for around $200ish, I done a transfer, never heard from him again.

    So I can confirm what they quoted you was way too much regardless of the model of the car. Tell them you want to fix it yourself and take it to any other panel beater.

    TL;DR
    I've hit 2 bumpers in the last year, insurance quoted $3500 for one, paid $200~ for the other. Tell the third party and his/her insurance company you'll fix the car yourself at any other panel beater.

    • Baysew on 25/05/2017 - 10:08

      Tell the third party and his/her insurance company you'll fix the car yourself at any other panel beater.

      The car has already been fixed.

      • Tuftsdude on 25/05/2017 - 10:23

        Did you indicate to them that you want to fix it yourself at anytime?

        • Baysew on 25/05/2017 - 10:42

          Probably not.

        • Tuftsdude on 25/05/2017 - 10:56

          @Baysew: Ouch. The thing is, the panel beaters jack up the price when they know it's for insurance. There's one way around paying that much, not sure if it still works, I'll have to ask a friend when I next see him and I'll get back to ya.

    • Euphemistic on 25/05/2017 - 11:58
      +4

      Lesson one: learn to watch where you are going - no more hitting bumpers.

      • Tuftsdude on 25/05/2017 - 12:36
        -6

        Lesson 2: Don't post your stories on OzBargain to help otherwise you'll get negged.

        • johnno07 on 25/05/2017 - 12:49
          +4

          I'm pretty sure you're being negged for being bad at driving.

        • gimli on 25/05/2017 - 20:45

          JV doesn't get negged much these days.
          Everyone get on the neg band wagon!

    • Randxyz123 on 25/05/2017 - 13:55
      +1

      You can tell the other party whatever you like. It's not up to you to decide that "$3500 is too much to pay" if it's your fault not can you make the other party run around town getting quotes.

      • Tuftsdude on 25/05/2017 - 15:40
        -1

        No, you do have a say in it. I volunteered to run around do the quoting myself, third party happened to be a nice guy. Anyways, you can always say you'll get it fixed at a panel beater of your choice rather than go through with insurance.

        Edit: I know a guy who started with insurance asking to a couple of grand from him to them negotiating for $500. Depends how you deal with it.

        • Randxyz123 on 25/05/2017 - 18:52
          +3

          Not much of a say. You can't tell them where to get their car fixed. I've had a conversation just like that except I took it through insurance. Why? Because that's what I pay for.

          If you have full comp, claiming won't affect your premium for the next year I can't think of a reason not to use your insurance.

          Edit: I know a guy who started with insurance asking to a couple of grand from him to them negotiating for $500. Depends how you deal with it.

          Course you do.

    • jerjergege on 25/05/2017 - 15:30
      +2

      Wow, 2 in the last year…

      Stop tailgating mate.

        • jerjergege on 25/05/2017 - 15:39
          +5

          That's worse than tailgating, probably should learn your lesson and not use your phone whilst driving.

          The worst thing I've probably done though, is when I do see someone using their phone next to me, I honk and scare the shit outta them.

        • Tuftsdude on 25/05/2017 - 15:41
          -3

          @jerjergege: Thanks for pointing out the obvious.

        • Euphemistic on 26/05/2017 - 10:14
          +2

          @Tuftsdude: You are lucky it was only a bumper and not a person.

          Get your hand off it.

        • Dingus on 26/05/2017 - 21:06
          +1

          I will just leave this here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9swS1Vl6Ok

          You are actually a complete w@nker, think of other people when using the roads. You wouldn't be too happy if someone hit and killed one of your family members while on the phone, so why do it?

        • Tuftsdude on 26/05/2017 - 23:03
          -1

          @Dingus: Well, if it helps, both were in carparks, I know not to use my phone while driving.

  • furys12 on 25/05/2017 - 09:58

    The labour costs sound ridiculous but its pretty well impossible to know without being there, for starters what was the car that was hit and damaged, maybe its rare, even if you don't think it is, i have a real average looking old sports car but it has a wing on it thats one of only a few in the country, perhaps the fix job required some extensive work rather then a simple replacement job, since you have no evidence of anything at this point you don't really have a leg to stand on in regards to arguing it, "i thought it had been long enough" and "that sounds like too much" aren't good arguments but at this point its a civil matter you fight it in court (and likely end up paying anyway plus costs) or cut your losses and learn a lesson

  • nikey2k27 on 25/05/2017 - 10:06

    i got hit by car last year it was only 1200 max i donot see why 8,000

    • gimli on 25/05/2017 - 20:46
      +1

      Lol you got reverse ripped off!

  • doctordv8 on 25/05/2017 - 10:42
    +11

    This is not easy without the details. You do not supply enough details to make a half decent guess. I have been in trade repairing of cars near 40 yrs, and this rings suspect by the description and numbers supplied so far. That 'bumper bill' does not even look authentic, we always include many more itemized price components, and what is missing hints towards a scam. Environmental fee, freight fee, prep and paint consumables fee, removal labour, repair labour, assembly labour and paint labour - all missing. Suspect.

    Come back with with those deleted photos if you can retrieve them, worth getting tech help there.

    Request and post here everything from the claimant, photos, details, proof of damage in the quote, the pics of stripped down car, pics of damaged parts, receipts of purchase of replacement parts, and show repaired vehicle at point of damage.
    The Insurer and assessor will have all of this. So the Collector can get copies for you.

    Your 'hump or bump' does not equate to the parts list or the labour. To require the parts listed that is a substantial impact. If that was the case, there would be body damage, and a huge paint quote as well - very. Suspect. You are entitled to proof and they are obliged to provide it.

    It is difficult to calculate an average rear end damage cost because it can range from a few hundred dollars for a simple bumper repair to more than $10,000 for major frame damage.

    Then, we might be able to give educated opinions instead of guessing.

    Oh, and get bloody Insurance for ya mum.

  • Geordiejohn110 on 25/05/2017 - 10:54
    +1

    This is you take out insurance!

    Someone bumped me in my wife's new Mercedes GLC250 before Xmas. The damage looked small, but with all of the sensors etc, the bill was around 8k. Cars are complex and slight dent might mean replacement of a fair few internals & even replacing an led light might cost $3k. Fully comp is the only way to go for peace of mind.

  • dufflover on 25/05/2017 - 11:16
    +1

    Would you/she have sent the photos of the damage to anyone, like the insurer or even social media/chat friends? (ok maybe don't have to)
    But if she did then there's a chance they are still sitting in her Sent Box of her email or similar to get a copy of the pics.

  • Findo on 25/05/2017 - 11:47
    +3

    If you can't afford at the very least third party insurance, you shouldn't drive.

    • Baysew on 25/05/2017 - 12:03
      +2

      Are you sure it's a good idea? After all the OP says it rarely got used.

      No, the car rarely gets used so only CTP, sigh!

      • Findo on 25/05/2017 - 12:14

        Whoops my bad, third party property I mean

      • OzzyOzbourne on 25/05/2017 - 16:08
        -1

        Does rarely using a car reduce the chance of an accident when it is used? No.

        • Euphemistic on 25/05/2017 - 16:23
          +1

          It doesn't reduce the risk of an accident but it does reduce the likelihood of an accident. Risk assessment 101.

    • gimli on 25/05/2017 - 20:47
      +1

      You need a horse
      A high one!

  • [Deactivated] on 25/05/2017 - 11:54
    +5

    If the car your mother hit has a cracked tail light, the tail light has to be replaced entirely.

    My car was hit on passenger front corner at 15kmph. The total repair bill (covered by other party's insurer) >$15k, so $8k is not outrageous, just an expensive lesson.

    You can challenge the bill, but don't hold your breath, you're not going to win the other party's insurer's legal representation. Without insurance, your mother is out of her depth.

    It's time to pay.

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