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

iceball on 25/05/2017 - 13:26

+1

I remember accidentally hitting a car in the past with no 3rd party insurance and was my fault. The other side insurance told me the damage cost $1600 to fix. I said no, I'm not accepting it and will get my own quote from a reasonable panel beater to get it fix. I said it should be much cheaper. On the ground that i have my right to fix the damage for no better or worst, and not subject to their panel beater. On the same phone call negotiate with them without actually taking it to another panel beater for quote. We eventually agreed to settle for $800. What I'm saying is you can negotiate with the insurance company to lower the amount down.
- iceball on 25/05/2017 - 13:31
  
  -2
  
  If they have already fixed the car without your authorisation, then it's their fault as long as you never accepted their quote.
  - ankor on 25/05/2017 - 21:09
    
    +1
    
    Hahahahaha
- cloudy on 25/05/2017 - 14:33
  
  ONe of the tactics, I Can only assume, is they try to cross subsidies incidents like this, by gouging uninsured drivers, with their own claims.
  
  For example, if they have agreement with repairer, to send 1mill of work their way, and repair will provide a 20% rebate on all work if this amount of work is reached.
  
  So when an incident comes along, this uninsured cases are sent to help reach this revenue target, and in the bill the uninsured driver for the full amount, helping reach the revenue target and earning the rebate, which covers their own claim.
  
  I think they definitely rip people off
- SeVeN11 on 25/05/2017 - 22:36
  
  We had a similar thing happen to us a decade or so ago, but it was a write off
  
  Long story short,
  * look up the same car (year, make and model) on carsales.com.au
  * tell them you can buy an equivalent car much less than the claim against you
  * then negotiate
  
  You should be able to do the same and negotiate, i.e. look for the price of a second hand bumper, get a quote to replace the bumper and send that to them.
  
  If they come back with more damage, just ask them to provide written evidence and photographs.
  
  insurance company wants you to pay to cover their full cost, but will gladly settle for less considering the alternative is to get nothing or a long and costly settlement for them
Zondor on 25/05/2017 - 14:29

If it makes any comparison, I accidentally nudged the back of a Hyundai elantra and cracked it (colision at aprox 5kph, going into slip lane, misjudged where my nose was). No damage to my BA too.

Quote from insurer was 1.3k for full replacement. They also claimed the boot lid was damaged (Which I still think was BS) however I just paid it and moved on.
- OzzyOzbourne on 25/05/2017 - 16:05
  
  +2
  
  Wow, you were so close to the back of another car going into the slip lane, you actually touched it! No wonder rear enders account for 70% of crashes.
  
  The biggest reason I've got a 5mm thick steel rear bumper and a tow ball sticking out.
  - Zondor on 25/05/2017 - 16:17
    
    Wasn't following them, they were waiting for traffic to pass as they pulled out.
    
    BA has very poor vision of it's front, you can't see your corners.
payless69 on 25/05/2017 - 15:35

-1

sounds strange but on any collisions take and keep as many photos as practicable and details about other car. You gave us too few details.
Generally in a civil dispute it is a case of the true owner of the other car having a claim against you.
If you are not covered you should have informed that owner that you wish to settle direct without any other parties involved.
This means the other party really needs to choose the court of their choice if you can't reach a settlement.
Important is that you are proactive and make a reasonable offer if the owner makes a written claim within 28 days.
If you do this correctly you do not have to accept any threats from either an insurer or even a debt collector. It is your right to make a counter claim if they are totally over the top. (hard to say without further details) Once you made the other party a reasonable offer they can make you a counter offer and the courts really like it when parties settle themselves. Failing to reach an agreement the other owner should seek arbitration. Of course if you were unreasonable it will go against you.
Usually Administrative tribunals make a ruling up to 25k. Debt collectors usually use scar tactics, go to a full court and hope you will fail to answer in due time.
If you follow all steps correctly the debt collector has no right to misuse your privacy. Of course they usually do not care as many choose to ignore them.
- uzz30 on 25/05/2017 - 17:46
  
  +11
  
  If you are not covered you should have informed that owner that you wish to settle direct without any other parties involved.
  
  I've read and re-read your post and the main point is above. The rest of your post makes a convincing argument as to why the other party who have been struck by an uninsured driver who is clearly at fault should go straight to their insurance company.
  
  As the owner of a comprehensively insured vehicle I need to:
  * Agree not to involve my insurance company
  * Get quotes from repairers
  * Make a written claim against you within 28 days
  * Wait for you to respond
  * Respond to your counter claim / negotiate?
  * Go to arbitration?
  * End up in court?
  * Eventually get my vehicle fixed and hope that you come up with the cost that was agreed?
  
  Forget it. Not going to happen. I'm all for kindness to my fellow human but I'm not putting myself to this degree of risk / hassle / delay for the random person that has just run up the back of my car who didn't have the foresight to take out $200 - $300 of third party property insurance. This is one solid reason why I pay comprehensive insurance and because if the other driver is at fault, there is no cost or further hassle to me. I'm ringing my insurance company right there at the scene.
  - keverns on 25/05/2017 - 19:15
    
    +1
    
    got to add that comp insurance give lifetime or some really long period of workmanship warranty as well.
    
    when someone reared me, things got fix, replaced, new parking sensors. 14 months later down the track…it all went faulty/malfunctioned.
    if i didnt go thru insurance i would have need to pay out of my own pocket.
  - redvaldez on 25/05/2017 - 22:05
    
    +4
    
    This is one solid reason why I pay comprehensive insurance and because if the other driver is at fault, there is no cost or further hassle to me. I'm ringing my insurance company right there at the scene.
    
    You couldn't have said it better.
    
    I had my first accident last year (wasn't at fault). I have comprehensive insurance. I gave them a call, and I had a tow truck pick me up within a hour - at no cost to me and I was collecting my rent car - again, at no cost to me - another hour after that. Come back to a fixed up car a fortnight later. I picked up my car and drove away without having to hand over any money.
    
    It was a completely hassle free experience. Aside from the terrible repair job, but that's another story.
    
    Here's the clincher though. I'm a lawyer. I'm comfortable with small claim matters, debt recovery, court appearances, etc. But, for all the reasons you just described, there's no way in hell I could be convinced NOT to make a claim through my insurer.
    - ankor on 27/05/2017 - 16:48
      
      Same here. A dude ran into in while he was reversing, and started carrying on like a pork chop saying it was my fault. I was stationary on the main thoroughfare in a carpark lol. I got his details, and went through my insurer. I even identified unrelated damage on the other side of the incident so he could see it. He then told me I was going to claim for that as well. I told him he'd only be up for the accident related damage. Dude was a bit bloody thick, I deffo went the insurer lol
- whooah1979 on 25/05/2017 - 18:00
  
  +4
  
  If you are not covered you should have informed that owner that you wish to settle direct without any other parties involved.
  
  we pay thousands of dollars every year in premiums. there is no way we'll settle directly with the other party when we've the insurer and their legal representation to do it for us.
John Kimble on 25/05/2017 - 17:17

<unsubstantiated rant>

Generally speaking, the mark up they add because "it's going through insurance" has to be bordering on illegal. Gotta be some sort of under the table/unspoken kickback system or industry accepted inflation of prices, surely.

I think it happens also for repairs through strata…probably a lot of other examples too.

</unsubstantiated rant>
- ankor on 27/05/2017 - 16:57
  
  I used to work in insurance, and I can definitely say that the insurers were straining the repairers hard. The cost of repairs outside of insurance was usually higher.
  But perhaps the big difference is that a private repair is one where the repairer may do a job that lasts for x time, whereas an insurance repair is one that has a lifetime guarantee.
  - claire on 28/05/2017 - 12:32
    
    +1
    
    People are also quoting the difference between an insurance price vs. a cash price - if you are paying less for cash (ie. lower than for an upfront payment by credit card, for example) there is a significant chance the repairer is doing it off the books and not paying GST, so that contributes to any perceived difference.
UFO on 25/05/2017 - 17:36

+1

Ok yes, $8,000 sounds high… of course it does, no one is going to argue with you there.

And without lecturing you on the importance of having even cheap 3rd party insurance (which I'm sure you are now well aware of), there ARE avenues to have this amount reduced considerably.

My first suggestion is to actually get legal advice. When you pay insurance premiums, its not just repairing damage that you are paying for. It's injuring people, and legal assistance (in relation to the insurers representing yours and their best interests).

Because you don't have any of that, you really need to get a solicitor involved.
Even if you have to pay a few hundred bucks for them to draw up a letter and send it to the other party disputing the amount claimed, it'll be money well spent.

At this stage, the other side are the experts and they know 100% they are dealing with someone that in most cases just capitulates and pays the first bill, without realising that everything is up for negotiation.

No longer having the photos does complicate things needlessly however, as you no longer have proof on what the damage was on the side of the road vs what it is potentially now 3 months later.

Massive learning curve for you and your mum, but as rookies in this situation you really need someone to represent you properly.
Don't pay the $8k without getting advice first.
- UFO on 25/05/2017 - 17:38
  
  +1
  
  Also, don't be concerned if you have to go to court over it. It's not 'real' court, its Small Claims Tribunal.
  Depending on your state it's typically for amounts under $10k.
  
  But legal advice first!
HeWhoKnows on 25/05/2017 - 17:54

+5

Moral of the story….NEVER DRIVE UNINSURED!
There is absolutely no excuse.
If you cant afford Comprehensive then at least get Third party. Its dirt cheap.
If you can afford any insurance then you cant afford a car - FULL STOP!
I read the same stories here every day.
Morons driving without insurance then come here for help.
Everyone should just say the same thing:
NEVER DRIVE UNINSURED! BYE BYE
There is no other answer.
- cloudy on 25/05/2017 - 21:39
  
  When you say it's dirt cheap, how cheap is it?
  
  I just did a couple of quick quotes, seems like $350-$400 is what I'm seeing. Is that your definition of dirt cheap?
  - qwertyaz on 25/05/2017 - 21:45
    
    +5
    
    compare to $8000, yes its dirt cheap
    - cloudy on 26/05/2017 - 12:20
      
      Lucky I don't have a car accident yearly, coz I'm pretty sure those premiums are yearly.
      
      Unless you do a proper DCF, I doubt you can claim its dirt cheap.
      
      If it is dirt cheap, that means insurance companies are being a charity for their customers, that I also do not believe.
    - BoomTetrisForJeff on 26/05/2017 - 12:56
      
      @cloudy: can i borrow your see into the future abilities
    - WhatWouldBiggieDo on 26/05/2017 - 13:58
      
      +3
      
      @cloudy: I think you are completely missing the point. You could have paid for 20 years of third party property insurance at $400 per year, and still been better off than having one $8k repair bill.
    - cloudy on 26/05/2017 - 16:08 Comment score below threshold.
    - cloudy on 26/05/2017 - 16:10
      
      @mrwillc:
      
      Yea sure, borrow my future abilities.
    - berry580 on 27/05/2017 - 07:16
      
      +2
      
      @cloudy: it's about how lucky you are and whether you can save enough to save for times when you hit a Lamborghini.
      
      The insurance industry is running at a health margin not because there are unlimited unintelligent customers around, it's because people wants their back covered incase this $8k bumper replacement becomes $80k next time, or even a $800k house repair.
      
      Not everyone has a deep pocket as you. ;)
    - [Deactivated] on 27/05/2017 - 08:04
      
      +2
      
      @cloudy:
      I have dash cams for people like you.
      
      It's all smart calculated remarks until a collision happens. Suddenly it is all about at fault party in a made up obscure situation followed by how ridiculous the repair bill is.
    - cloudy on 27/05/2017 - 08:15
      
      @tshow:
      
      You won't need ur dash cam, I've saved up for an incident that's my fault.
    - cloudy on 27/05/2017 - 08:21
      
      @berry580:
      
      It may be true I have deep pockets for a incident that's my fault, but I also have extra incentive to drive with more thought than average to avoid an accident. For example, I look both ways when stationary at light that turns from red to green, incase someone else runs a red at the intersection. I don't know many that do that, but I've seen accidents occur due to it.
      
      It is true people should insure risks they can't afford to pay, but it's also true, insurance is very heavy marketed and sold now days, there is insurance for everything.
      
      Just because car insurance is so heavily ingrained, doesn't make it right, or necessary for everyone.
    - berry580 on 28/05/2017 - 07:37
      
      @cloudy: been in times/heard of cases where the other party is at fault, but argued successfully FROM bring at fault due to lack of proof in a "he say she say" situation?
      There's greys areas in this world and there's no guarantee you'll always found to be not at fault even if you're not at fault. Especially when the guys who investigates are also the guys who needs to pay the money out.
      
      Good luck arguing and make sure you budget for lawyer fees, too.
      
      Mere mortals like myself prefer to be free from headaches like that.
      
      In the worse case scenario, you'll have unlimited liability, irrespective whether you're at fault or not. But given your deep pocketed attribute. I suspect you might think you'd be fine.
    - claire on 28/05/2017 - 12:41
      
      @berry580:
      
      whether you can save enough to save for times when you hit a Lamborghini.
      
      My Mum always used the example of a semi-trailer full of cigarettes. Most third party property covers you up to $20-$30 million, so it's not realistic to expect to save enough to cover those kinds of calamities! While it's true across the population that the amount paid out is less than the amount of premiums paid, it's definitely not true for every insured person. I pay my insurance against the possibility that I'll be the one hitting the Lamborghini/semi-trailer full of cigarettes.
      
      tl;dr: I agree.
  - pandas on 25/05/2017 - 22:34
    
    +4
    
    Harsh reality but yes $350 - $400 annually is nothing. That's how much I'm paying for strata on a monthly basis, let alone all the other utility bills, health insurance, cost of living that requires budgeting for.
    
    If you can't afford the $400 ontop of CTP, Rego, Servicing cost, fuel; I would recommend not owning a car and catching public transport.
  - smashed on 26/05/2017 - 14:08
    
    That is $1 per day.
    Seriously.. It is value for money considering you could cause a pile up
    - Euphemistic on 26/05/2017 - 14:24
      
      Wouldn't it be nice if rego and insurance was on a per use basis. Either by km or daily charge. I'd probably have to pay a bit more for our main car, but mine is lucky to do half the average annual kms.
    - smashed on 26/05/2017 - 14:47
      
      @Euphemistic:
      
      I may be wrong but insurance is usually done by distance driven.
      In the UK insurers always request your estimated mileage for the year and that affects your quote.
      
      Again, (in the UK at least) fuel is at least 50% tax. Therefore you are effectively paying pro-rata even if you don't realise it.
      Essentially, they could increase fuel further and then remove the rego but people wouldn't be happy with that either.
    - cloudy on 26/05/2017 - 16:09
      
      @smashed:
      
      You are wrong, coz there are no GPS on cars, only asking someone how much they driver when they apply for insurance, in which they KNOW that some people lie about it in order to receive a lower premium (since the amount is only a estimate).
      
      So the fact OPs mother drives very little means she will over pay for her insurance, if she had it, relative to her risk.
    - whooah1979 on 26/05/2017 - 16:49
      
      @cloudy:
      
      coz there are no GPS on cars, only asking someone how much they driver when they apply for insurance,
      
      Old vehicles in nsw requires a safety check every year. A odometer reading is recorded on the safety check and submitted to the rms.
    - John Kimble on 26/05/2017 - 16:53
      
      @whooah1979: That has nothing to do with insurance premiums though.
    - whooah1979 on 26/05/2017 - 17:00
      
      @John Kimble:
      
      You're right that it has nothing to do with insurance.
      
      However it's not difficult for the insurer to verify a policy holder's claim that they drive only xxx km per year.
    - John Kimble on 26/05/2017 - 17:03
      
      @whooah1979: True, but I doubt they would bother.
      
      I don't think it made much difference to the premium last time I checked when I tried a few different quotes online…
    - smashed on 26/05/2017 - 18:04
      
      @John Kimble:
      
      Insurance companies use anything to get out-of paying.
      In the UK they do verify mileage after accidents if it looks higher than you estimated.
    - John Kimble on 26/05/2017 - 18:08
      
      @smashed: In the event of a large payout, yeah I suppose. I meant trying to recoup the difference in premium if one was to lie about their mileage.
  - Randxyz123 on 27/05/2017 - 16:48
    
    +1
    
    $350 -$400 is dirt cheap per year. If you can't afford that you can't afford to drive. There are 365 days per year so it's roughly $1 per day how the heck is that not dirt cheap.
[Deactivated] on 25/05/2017 - 23:24

+1

I wonder if they actually paid 8k or are they just shaking you down?

Ask for an actual tax invoice - the picture says "estimate". Make sure it has the ABN of the repairer and gst amount.
Jalif on 26/05/2017 - 02:38

There is probably damage to the shell of the car that requires straightening and painting.

What looks like a small amount of damage to a bumper can cause a lot of minor, but expensive damage.

Modern cars are built with the rear 3/4 of the car in one piece, damage that and everything needs to be removed and the whole body straightened back to tolerance.

The bumper itself will have cost upwards of $600 in parts and labour.

I had a low speed crash (<10kmh) when a car slammed his brakes on 2m past a stop sign.

Insurance paid, but the damage was over $6000.
- Jalif on 26/05/2017 - 02:42
  
  Contact his insurer.
  
  They will have photos proving the damage.
  
  Many many photos.
  
  So many if you go to court, you will be paying for their legal fees too, and insurance companies don't worry to much about their lawyers fees.
Realdee on 26/05/2017 - 08:13

Sounds super annoying.

But no it doesn't sound crazy. I was involved in an accident that resulted in what looked like very minor damage to my bumper.

Total repair bill: $5000

Panel beating is very expensive…
TheOneWhoKnocks on 26/05/2017 - 09:14

the car rarely gets used so only CTP

http://i.imgur.com/NJbkPyW.gifv
pantsparty on 26/05/2017 - 10:31

You have no photos for evidence of the damage done, and no insurance. Honestly it sounds like you are screwed. They do look to have massively over charged for the work done, but with no evidence of any kind on your side, you cannot really argue. What kind of car did she hit?

$1300 for rear bumper reinforcement (what even is that?) and a tail light is a load of crap.
itstuan on 26/05/2017 - 11:23

-1

Tell them to provide any evidence that the repair was carried out from damage done from the accident and not anything between those 3.5 months.
Get a lawyer and fight back, might work out cheaper than $8K
[Deactivated] on 26/05/2017 - 12:20

sorry to hear that but unfortunately it is now the op's mum vs insurance company.

the other party has had the car fixed and is now out of the equation.

when i got hit, i chose my repairer (because my policy allowed so) and the insurance company actually ensured the quote was not inflated (they tried to source second hand part as the car was older than 3 years).

the other party's insurance offered to look after it but i declined because i had i my own insurance and choices.

in short, by having insurance i do not want any extra hassles or having to negotiate with the other party at fault. and so is everyone else i believe.
jno on 26/05/2017 - 14:20

+1

Sorry but if you can't afford insurance, you can't afford the car period.
edwardcr on 26/05/2017 - 14:56

I can't believe that people drive around without Third Party Property insurance - $3.00 a week is all it costs!

I had my first accident in 30 years a few months ago - hit the front corner of a brand new high end Merc while reverse parking. Not only that - I hit him twice - put the car into first gear to move forward, and accidentally found reverse and hit him again!

Damage to the Merc - front bumper and light fitting, and some bodywork damage. Damage to my 10 year old Astra - a small scrape on the rear bumper. Which says something about older cars - or new Mercs!!

Paid my $500 excess to APIA, and that was the end of it - I was never even told the cost of the repairs to the Merc! Then I received a discount when I renewed 2 weeks ago!
- [Deactivated] on 27/05/2017 - 08:12
  
  The shell of the car is hardly an indication of build quality.
  
  The chassis is the structural component, the panels and light fittings are meant to crumple on impact.
  
  Also, the engineered crumple zone of the car is always greater in the front of the vehicle for obvious reasons.
mousie on 26/05/2017 - 16:57

Did she crash into someone elses investment plan on the other parties way to Westpac?
mezje on 26/05/2017 - 17:17

+1

Absolutely no remorse for people without insurance.

Car repairs are expensive if done right, especially complex molded plastic parts.

Expensive lesson learned…
snajper on 26/05/2017 - 18:10

+2

8k damage bill… that is around 40 years of 3rd party property damage insurance… what are the chances……
popcornready on 26/05/2017 - 21:16

I'm sure it's been answered, but what car did she hit?
- Baysew on 27/05/2017 - 12:00
  
  +2
  
  Question has been asked several times, OP only answer was
  
  iam still finding out, there's nothing l can hide
  
  Seems strange, that the they think bill is outrageous without knowing what make and model and the true extent of damage, of the car his mum ploughed into.
Thenarrator on 26/05/2017 - 21:35

I have always wondered,

what happens if I have comprehensive insurance at the time I hit another car however they issued their claim 2 years later (I know possible to do so) and at that time, I no longer have comprehensive insurance. Would I be covered?

what happens if I dont have comprehensive insurance at the time I hit another car however they issued their claim 2 years later and at that time, I have already bought comprehensive insurance. Would I be covered?
- harley on 27/05/2017 - 12:00
  
  You will only be covered for the time you have insurance. So 1st question, covered. 2nd question, not covered.
  
  To the OP. Is your mother 'judgment proof'? If so, I'd suggest contacting a free financial counsellor or her nearest, community legal centre. The CLC might even have a specialist mva clinic, if you're lucky.
  - Thenarrator on 27/05/2017 - 13:48
    
    u mean 1st question: not covered, 2nd question: covered?
kimmylala on 26/05/2017 - 23:57

+1

You have the right to ask for photos, if I was you I would ask for images and an itemised quote listing labour,paint and parts. Happy to review it for you once you get the details back. Plus Austral mercantile will be willing to negotiate, so you can always offer to foot 70% of the bill or so.
- ankor on 27/05/2017 - 16:59
  
  The idea is to ask for photos, quote, parts prices etc.
zappy32 on 27/05/2017 - 07:14

-2

Just to add to everyone else as I couldn't tell by your original post or find it in the comments. Are you paying the bill for your mother? If your mother doesn't have the money to pay the bill(hence not getting insurance) or any substantial assets to cover the debt then she may want to look at declaring bankruptcy, or at least as mentioned before discussing the fact the debt collector that she has no assets and is likely to file for bankruptcy. If she genuinely isn't able to pay then talk with legal aid about how to proceed. The debt collector may consider resolving the matter for a lower amount if the other option is more legal and court fees with little chance of collecting any of the debt.
- whooah1979 on 27/05/2017 - 07:28
  
  +1
  
  declaring bankruptcy
  
  Declaring bankruptcy won't make the debt go away. It's also no joke and will create other problems during and after the bankruptcy.
  http://voluntarybankruptcy.com.au/voluntary-bankruptcy-home-…
  - zappy32 on 27/05/2017 - 07:34
    
    Definitely not to be taken lightly but if the OP's mother is on a pension with no assets then I wouldn't be paying the amount given if I were them. This debt will be cleared after bankruptcy(most likely three years) unless I'm mistaken? As I said, I would only go down this route if she genuinely is unable to pay the debt and the first course of action would be speaking to legal aid.
    
    http://www.moneyhelp.org.au/your-debt-options/going-bankrupt…
    
    EDIT: The main point I was getting at was if she would have to declare bankruptcy(if it were not for someone else paying the debt) if they pursued recovering the total debt and she can provide evidence of that, then they may be willing to accept a smaller amount to settle it.
ITveteran on 27/05/2017 - 11:31

+1

Get the itemised cost lst
Get three different quotes from well known panel beaters
Sue the mother fvcker insurance company for extortion - consult a solicitor beforehand obviously

It's outrageous. Who is the insurance company btw?
- whooah1979 on 27/05/2017 - 12:15
  
  +2
  
  Get the itemised cost lst
  
  here https://ibb.co/cFe3fv
  
  Get three different quotes from well known panel beaters
  
  what for? the vehicle has already been repaired. the only thing left is to pay the invoice.
  
  Sue the mother fvcker insurance company for extortion
  
  that is silly. one cannot sue someone else for extortion.
  
  consult a solicitor beforehand obviously
  
  a solicitor can tell them that.
  - luckydan on 28/05/2017 - 17:29
    
    +1
    
    It is extortion they obviously sold the debt to another company and they are trying to pursue the matter. It doesn't cost 8k to fix a bumper in a (profanity) car.
    
    They also WIPED the item part list from the invoice and added their own "estimate", don't pay it and tell your mum to quit answer the (profanity) phone.
wkd on 27/05/2017 - 12:49

+2

spoiler and chrome on spoiler $900? wtf
- jno on 27/05/2017 - 16:11
  
  +1
  
  Its no joke, a OEM carbon fibre spoiler for my car from the dealership costs upwards of $2000 lol and its a 2012 model!
TheOneWhoKnocks on 27/05/2017 - 12:55

+6

OP can you update.
thox on 28/05/2017 - 10:55

+1

I've been in this situation. Normally Repairers take photos of the damaged car for evidence. By law they have to supply those photos to you if you request. You should call the insurance to have them send to you.
Davo1111 on 28/05/2017 - 12:21

+2

I like the part where you left out what type of vehicle it was. How can anyone actually help you?
luckydan on 28/05/2017 - 17:25

+1

Overpriced don't pay it and don't answer any calls from the insurance, if you do say you don't know where she is and that she got divorced.

Bad credit in this case would be the better option.

Black list your mum from the phone for 2 years and let the thing slide, also make sure someone is in the house at ALL times. You don't want the sheriff come in and take your stuff.
- luckydan on 28/05/2017 - 17:32
  
  +1
  
  "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"
  
  You've become a point of contact now, even if you don't pay it up they can shift it off and sell it to another company.
jayman02 on 28/05/2017 - 21:28

Sorry to hear, but the same thing happened to us as well. Except in ours there was no damage to their car or ours, except for what the other party claims as a scratch.
alisso on 28/05/2017 - 21:57

Depends what she hit, how hard, etc. We had two Astras get rear-ended (2002-ish era models, the TS body) and the bumper on that just dies. Doesn't look it, but the interior padding stuff collapses. Great for driver/passenger safety, ridiculously expensive to repair.

The second one, they hit me hard enough to bend the back end of the body, and the only visible damage was some paint cracks. But the mechanic had to force the boot open to examine it, and they had to remove and replace the bumper, a rear side panel, and a piece of the internal framework.

The woman who hit me asked if we "really needed" to go through insurance, but there was no way I'd do it any other way (she was insured, with GIO so I got a free rental!).

Tdlr - bumpers in recent model cars are disposal, great protection, and expensive.
maddoglee on 28/05/2017 - 23:37

What a rip.. Insurance companies are horrible.
Give A Current Affair a call.
- Baysew on 29/05/2017 - 11:26
  
  Uninsured drivers that smash into other people and then want to weasel their way out of paying are much worse.
  
  Give A Current Affair a miss.
peterpeterpumpkin on 29/05/2017 - 09:13

The biggest problem with insurance is exploitation. It's even worse in the medical industry by design (where I have firsthand knowledge).

The insured "industry" colludes to increase the amounts paid out by insurance companies and over many years the insured amounts become the new norm. Since TPP insurance is so common the insurance companies are used to negotiating among themselves. The system's integrity isn't sustainable since the insurance business is based on statistics and profitability, not the policing of honesty. So by normalising insurance we've increased risk taking behaviour and artificially inflated the real costs.
Aussie Smurfette on 29/05/2017 - 09:18

I assume posters mother is not a panel beater nor of any mechanical knowledge. So her thoughts on what the actual damage of the vehicle were is really not even based on any knowledge at all?
She just needs to pay up and learn from her mistake.
Avacardooo Rayy Mee on 29/05/2017 - 11:51

This sounds like a case of , dumb and dumber.

No insurance… Deletes photos of the accident.
Baysew on 28/09/2017 - 10:10

Any update on this?

Insurance Collector Asking for $8000 For a Rear Bumper Claim

Comments

OP can you update.

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