Stationary Car, Windy Day, Door Dent, Will Insurance Cover ?

subsul on 19/05/2021 - 13:34
Last edited 19/05/2021 - 14:13

Hi there,
Call it sheer bad luck, I park my car (Mazda 3 sedan) between two parked cars This was a month ago and it was a very windy day, I open my car door and the gushing wind slams my door against the car parked next to mine(Mitsubishi wagon), causes a minor dent in the door, hardly noticeable. And the car was occupied !!
Now, I received a call from Accidents Australia and they have told me the cost assessment to repair that dent is 14,500 $ !! Looks like they are replacing the entire door.
I have a third party insurance cover with budget direct.
Do you think this incident will get covered by insurance ?
Thanks.

—Update
I call them up and ask for something on paper and i get an SMS, its got details of the car's rego and the owners name and the sms is signed by someone from statelaw.com.au

Automotive Car Insurance Insurance

Comments

  • djkelly69 on 19/05/2021 - 13:41
    +70

    Sounds like they are replacing the car, not just a door! Fairly sure someone is trying to scam you or rip you off thinking you don't have insurance.

    Assuming you have third party property insurance, then yes they should cover it, so let them know and let them deal with the ridiculous quote.

  • freefall101 on 19/05/2021 - 13:45
    +66

    You should call your insurer, not us. Every policy can be different and the internet can't answer this for you.

    They'll also look at getting their own assessment on the cost, because $14,500 is complete bullshit. I googled "accidents australia" and can't find anything about them, and the company name doesn't exist in the ASIC register. It sounds like it's a scam.

    • anonymous01 on 20/05/2021 - 18:22
      +2

      I think OP should report it to police and also his insurance. Scammers are scum and shouldn't be able to get away with it.

  • MS Paint on 19/05/2021 - 13:46
    +31

    Scam scam scam

    • 1Kenobi on 21/05/2021 - 18:32

      Or troll troll troll?

  • dasher86 on 19/05/2021 - 13:47
    +14

    Tell them to send you a letter of demand, then forward that letter to your insurer.

  • stirlo on 19/05/2021 - 13:50
    +10

    $14500 is ludicrous. Definitely being scammed.

  • cheapjunkie on 19/05/2021 - 13:51
    +19

    This sounds like one of those random scammers that call about an insurance claim and they got lucky in calling you when you had a recent incident. Ask them for details of the incident and the car details involved. I can bet you they wont have this info or will give some bullshit about privacy.

  • emblurr on 19/05/2021 - 13:52
    +11

    Mitsubishi don't make any cars that have doors anywhere near that much to be replaced and fitted.

    • bdl on 19/05/2021 - 21:06

      Love that Car

      • Kangal on 19/05/2021 - 23:15
        +1

        Oh what a feeling?

    • JinT on 21/05/2021 - 19:37

      I have my 2018 RAV4 hit by a truck, quoted $1450 by several repairers for brand new door, painted and everything transferred across.

  • Ughhh on 19/05/2021 - 14:03
    +2

    Lol, I had my (brand new) car door replaced due to a (not at fault) accident, that was $5k. For $14.5k, Unless it's some mysterious limited edition Mitsu wagon, scam.

  • Nugs on 19/05/2021 - 14:06
    +6

    $14500. Evo X wagon?
    .

    • bazingaa on 19/05/2021 - 15:09

      interior and body parts would be much similar to Lancer though.

      • Nugs on 19/05/2021 - 15:19
        +2

        flared wheel arches, so unique
        still not $14500 though, but what other Mitsu wagon would be above normal?
        BTW - I meant Evo IX (not X)
        .

        • bazingaa on 19/05/2021 - 15:26

          Lancer IX (which is called CG/CH here for some reason) = CS[1-9][A or W]
          Lancer EVO IX = CT9[A or W]

          [1-9] = Engine capacity, ex (in lts): 1 = 1.3, 2 (JDM) = 1.5, 3 = 1.6 ….etc
          A = Sedan, W = Wagon

          I think most parts are the same. I have used some small interior parts from a CT9 on a CS3.

          • zuuutoootuuu on 20/05/2021 - 11:29
            +1

            @bazingaa: If the OP was unlucky, hit a CT9W (Evo Wagon), the rear doors are different to CG/CH and Evo CT9A doors. The door is a hybrid of a CT9A bottom half and normal CG/CH wagon window frame.

            The door does not have to be replaced if it is a dint but the owner can choose a repair to their satisfaction and add devaluation of the vehicle because a repair has been done.

            • bazingaa on 20/05/2021 - 12:53

              @zuuutoootuuu: Thanks for the info, I never knew that. :D Isn't CT9W so rare ? I saw this video sometime back mentioning that.

            • Euphemistic on 20/05/2021 - 15:15

              @zuuutoootuuu: What a load of crap. You can have he repair done or you can claim lower value. Once the repair is done properly the vehicle will not be devalued.

              • zuuutoootuuu on 20/05/2021 - 20:44

                @Euphemistic: For a run of the mill model, any repair devalues a vehicle regardless of repair, but to people like yourself, it does not matter.
                If the vehicle that was hit was a collectable vehicle that had original paint, it now may require a few panels to be blended or the owner can get a full respray to their satisfaction. Regardless, the vehicle will not be worth the same as it was before the damage, that devaluation is claimable. I take it you haven't claimed devaluation of a collectors vehicle, otherwise you'd be singing a different song.

                • Euphemistic on 20/05/2021 - 23:13

                  @zuuutoootuuu: You’d better go for emotional damages as well. Collectible or not, it’s an aggregation of steel and plastic that can be restored.

                  I’d be willing to bet a fairly big amount the ‘Mitsubishi wagon’ is a clapped out old lancer or Magna work significantly less than $15k or maybe it’s an outlander and they are not collectible or valuable either.

                  • bazingaa on 21/05/2021 - 15:18

                    @Euphemistic: Lancer Evo IX wagon = only 2500 cars ever built

                    • Euphemistic on 21/05/2021 - 15:36

                      @bazingaa: And not sold in Aus so would be a grey import. My guess is there’s only a handful here and probably not taken to the shops either.

  • Eeples on 19/05/2021 - 14:06
    -3

    Call it bad luck?

    Call it being disrespectful of the climatic conditions. ie. careless.

    You need to take the personal responsibility.

    But do not pay $14500. You are being scammed.

  • Euphemistic on 19/05/2021 - 14:10
    +2

    What did the occupants of the car say when it happened? Did you give them your details?

  • Drakesy on 19/05/2021 - 14:36

    Scam every day of the week

  • Hithere on 19/05/2021 - 14:54

    Looks like they are replacing the entire door car. (fixed for you)

    Screams out rip-off to me.

    Possible other owner hired a car while theirs was off the road and repair shop couldn't get parts, hence a long time hire.

    Forward everything to Budget Direct, that's why you pay insurance.

    • picklewizard on 19/05/2021 - 15:09
      +20

      Be aware that Budget Direct will refuse to reinsure you after you make a claim.

      When your next insurer asks you if you have previously been refused insurance, you must say yes.

      It is best to cancel your policy with BD after making a claim to avoid this.

      • john71 on 19/05/2021 - 21:37

        I'm with BD. Thanks for this titbit.

      • Gnosh on 20/05/2021 - 00:47

        That's super helpful to know, had no idea about this thanks.

        Does anyone know if any other insurers do this?

      • pegaxs on 20/05/2021 - 10:23

        Budget Direct will refuse to reinsure you after you make a claim.

        This isn’t true. Have a friend who is with BD and had to make a claim for an at fault accident. I helped them through it (they had never made a claim before). BD were really quick with their payout and happily insured their replacement car with no issues.

        I think the worst thing they did was slot him back to rating 5 or 4 because he didn’t have rating protection.

        • picklewizard on 20/05/2021 - 11:11

          Sorry, this is for at-fault accidents (or where the other party can't be identified I believe.)

          Basically, as soon as you are deemed a liability, they'll get rid of you.

          • pegaxs on 20/05/2021 - 12:11

            @picklewizard:

            Have a friend who is with BD and had to make a claim for an at fault accident.

            Again, my friend was the at fault party and had no problem whatsoever getting a new policy with BD once he had purchased a new car.

            • picklewizard on 20/05/2021 - 13:00

              @pegaxs: Sorry, I misread! BD generally don't insure people that have had any at-fault claims in the last 5 years, so that's surprising.

          • pencilhead on 20/05/2021 - 12:47
            +3

            @picklewizard: Correct, this happened to me. Absolute pain in the arse telling new insurers that you have been "refused insurance"

            • [Deactivated] on 20/05/2021 - 13:18
              +3

              @pencilhead: Yep, this happened to me as well. In my case i submitted a claim however as it turns out we ended up not needing to go through insurance as the value was so low (cheaper than excess) so i cancelled my claim without BD even receiving any documents from third parties, come to renewal they refused to cover me.

      • [Deactivated] on 21/05/2021 - 11:24

        What classifies as refused insurance? When I was 18 I tried to insure with Woolworths, for my car they only insure you if you're over 21. Does that count as refused insurance?

        • picklewizard on 21/05/2021 - 16:22

          Nah, it's when you have coverage and they decline to renew the policy.

  • tsunamisurfer on 19/05/2021 - 14:58
    -3

    Please invest in a rubber / silicone door guard.

    • MS Paint on 19/05/2021 - 15:10
      +15

      Please invest in a rubber

      To avoid breeding?

      • pegaxs on 20/05/2021 - 12:12

        a rubber

        Just the one ?

  • mapax on 19/05/2021 - 15:00
    -1

    It’s probably one of those scams that involves an expensive hire car but it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s how much it costs to repair at a panel beater.

    Cashed up idiots that don’t know how to fix cars have flooded a lot of the mechanics and panel shops with shitboxes project cars, there is a 6+ week waiting list at a few places near me, one mechanic I know has a 12 week wait. Rush jobs currently cost 2-3x as much as normal.

  • bazingaa on 19/05/2021 - 15:12
    +1

    Use Vic rego check and find the exact model of the car. Then use RedBook to find the trade-in/private sale value of the car. You will be amazed when comparing it with $14,500 lol.

  • iNeed2Pee on 19/05/2021 - 15:13

    Thats why the car was occupied.

    Probably waiting for someone like you to hit there door to scam the shit out of you.

  • John Kimble on 19/05/2021 - 15:19

    Accidents Australia

    That exact business name doesn't exist?

    https://abr.business.gov.au/

  • kerfuffle on 19/05/2021 - 15:29
    +6

    The Whirlpool thread because like many people here, the OP asked the same question on multiple forums

    • pegaxs on 19/05/2021 - 16:07
      +8

      Nothing quite like advice shopping…

    • solidussnake on 20/05/2021 - 12:43
      +2

      Would of been faster to call up Budget Direct instead of posting to two different forums 🤦‍♂️

    • markathome on 21/05/2021 - 17:26

      I could click that link. But it's much more fun just to pretend what is written there. I imagine something like…

      When the same thing happened to my incredibly hot second wife, I simply paid the account from my Cayman Islands holding fund. In retrospect it was a mistake, as it turned out to be a scam. But I cut myself some slack as I was doing four peeps at the same time when I made that decision.

      How close was I?

  • pegaxs on 19/05/2021 - 16:04
    +4

    $14,500…. are they keeping the door and replacing the rest of the car?

  • mini2 on 19/05/2021 - 16:05

    Wouldn't surprised me if $5k is for the work then 9.5k for the car rental vultures.

  • dtxau on 19/05/2021 - 16:36
    +9

    And the car was occupied !!

    So? Sounds like you would have driven off leaving the owner of the car with a hit and run scenario.

  • Tech5 on 19/05/2021 - 17:34
    +1

    So my $70,000 car was backed into. Huge dent on the left hand door. Cost to repair? $1300 for a new door skin + $500 labour + Cost to respray

    If such an accident caused no structural damage to the door frame itself, I seriously doubt the wind would do it. Even if it did, it does not cost $14000 to replace a door.

    Jesus.

  • bloom on 19/05/2021 - 18:10
    +8

    Can you pay with iTune gift cards?

  • jakka on 19/05/2021 - 18:56
    +3

    Statelaw.com.au have a Facebook page, and seem to specialise in getting extra money out of insurance claims if you look at all their posts.
    https://www.facebook.com/statelawyers/

    • pegaxs on 19/05/2021 - 21:41

      That has to be a scam… I was looking at some of the cases they say they have claimed, and they just don’t make sense. Like a few scratches on a door, $40,000. Another car, all but totaled, $3,600.

    • Drakesy on 21/05/2021 - 18:02

      Looks like a couple of cowboy scumbags any day of the week.

  • SF3 on 19/05/2021 - 19:44
    +3

    Mitsubishi wagon
    $14,500

    I thought they are only worth $1,450… lawyers profiting the remaining $13,050.

  • thatonethere on 19/05/2021 - 20:01

    I had the same incident a few years back. Some idiot didn't hold his door in a windy carpark and let it slam into my brand new car. $1500 to do outside of insurance (new door resprayed).

    Wasn't a huge dent but couldn't be pushed out as it was a feature ridge (passat alltrack).

  • NGPriest on 19/05/2021 - 21:05
    +4

    Domain Name: STATELAW.COM.AU

    Registrant Contact Name: Zubin Hiramanek
    Registrant Contact Email: [email protected]

    Tech Contact Name: Account Manager
    Tech Contact Email: [email protected]

    Registrant: Zubin Hiramanek
    Eligibility Type: Sole Trader
    Eligibility Name: State Lawyers
    Eligibility ID: NSW BN98545362

    • 2024 on 20/05/2021 - 07:49
      +4

      Gmail addresses for business scream quality

  • Mechz on 19/05/2021 - 21:10

    Tell them to deal with budget direct, that's what you paid them for.

  • Dr Techno on 19/05/2021 - 21:16

    dont u hate it when you get those write off minor door dents. someones pulling your leg since you can just buy another car for that cost

  • ddhar on 19/05/2021 - 21:51

    Maybe they claimed you slammed the door so jard the whole car smashed into a wall?

  • Logical on 19/05/2021 - 23:09
    +2

    Quite possible that they omitted the dot between the dollars and cents, and meant to say $145.00

  • [Deactivated] on 19/05/2021 - 23:14
    +3

    troll post pfft.

    3 posts. 14 comments.

    thanks OP!

  • wannagrababargain on 20/05/2021 - 08:11
    +1

    The windy door blowing into the next car is a very common accident. Did any paint come off the Mitsubishi? Could be as simple as a paintless dent removal, less than $200, barely even worth getting insurance involved. I would have tried to offer the owner $200 cash settlement on the spot lol.

  • backpaqer on 20/05/2021 - 08:16
    +7

    I had the same thing happen. The wind caught my door putting a noticeable ding in the car next door. There was no-one in the car, so I waited for the driver to return and explained what happened to him. He said not to worry but I gave him my details anyway. I took photos and got quotes from dent repair companies and the highest number I got back was about $900.

    It was around Christmas 2019… I've never heard back from him. Previously if someone had done that to my car I'd have been upset… But this guy's example makes me more forgiving… It's only a car anyway.

    If the other car is a lease car, they usually have a scratch and dent service that the owner can call out for $75 excess to fix any minor damage to their car. $14k is dreaming if not fraud. My wife had a 4wd scrub up into her passenger door leaving a big mess and way more damage than any dooring could do. Cost to fix was $3000…or $1500 if we didn't go through insurance.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/05/2021 - 11:26

      Someone scraped the front of my car (12k), left a red paint and scratches along it, she was so apologetic and offered to pay but I also just told them not to worry about it haha. Overtime, a lot of the paint came off anyways, the scratches won't however.

  • eddieboy2 on 20/05/2021 - 08:49
    +1

    Best policy is don't insure with online insurers…..yes they are cheap…..but you get what you pay for come claim time…

    • kaleidoscope on 20/05/2021 - 13:14

      What alternatives do you suggest? (with some names of not online insurers)

    • Logical on 20/05/2021 - 21:55
      +1

      insure with your next door neighbour perhaps?

  • HeWhoKnows on 20/05/2021 - 09:05
    +1

    Sounds rather outrageous
    Ignore it till you get another more formal message
    Small dents can be removed for a few dollars these days as others have already stated.
    You can always ask to get some quotes yourself from "dent removers"
    Just get a photo of the dent

  • seedyrom on 20/05/2021 - 09:36

    I bet the victim looked on Facebook, or asked on Facebook for advice, and this Statelaw vulture popped up.
    We’ve established in this thread that Statelaw seem dodgy, and this outrageous letter seems to be just a fishing attempt which is used to hook OP, and his insurer. The “settlement” will be a lot less … but this initial letter will be a starting point.
    Or Statelaw will have a couple of smash repairers who are friends/associates, who will give two quotes, and they expect the OP’s insurer to pick the cheaper one.

    I once had someone run into the back of me. My insurer was actually a nightmare to deal with, so I just contacted the at-fault drivers insurer. They said “get two quotes”. Well, the fact that it was a VN Commodore made it hard, as no one wanted the job as it wasn’t profitable.
    “Listen buddy, our loaner cars are better than your car. We do fleet insurance jobs, we aren’t interested”.

    Anyway, I was recommended one smash repairer who had a corner position. Had one address and business name on one street, and a different business name address and address for the other street. They gave me two quotes, and the job was done.

  • subsul on 20/05/2021 - 11:07

    Thanks much guys for all the insights and suggestions over here and at whirlpool forums.
    I've explained this to my insurer and lodged a claim, paid my excess and now hoping this gets settled without escalating further. Absolute vultures these people.

    • MS Paint on 20/05/2021 - 12:57

      So it was a legit claim?

      • Euphemistic on 20/05/2021 - 15:17

        And what was the communication with the occupiers of the vehicle?

  • kaleidoscope on 20/05/2021 - 13:13
    +1

    Mate you’re getting ripped off or a possible insurance fraud. Let your insurer handle it by providing them of all the details you have.

    Also do come back and update thread how it goes.

    good luck

  • Big Lenny on 20/05/2021 - 13:15
    +2

    any bet you wouldve did a runner if no one was in that other car

    • Drewbo on 20/05/2021 - 16:59
      +2

      And the car was occupied !!

      ^^^ Yeah, I can sense the dismay.

  • DingoBlue on 20/05/2021 - 13:17

    This is either dodgy or a simple error.

    $1,450 is about right for a minor repair and paint including blend adjacent panel.

  • kmanccr on 20/05/2021 - 20:30

    Did you slam your door against a Ferrari?

  • Sigiriya on 21/05/2021 - 03:12
    +1

    I think you fallen in to a phishing scam. Did the initial phone conversation started somebody calling you and asking about the recent accident you had and then you started providing details? Refer https://www.scamnet.wa.gov.au/scamnet/Scam_types-Attempts_to…

    • theguyrules on 21/05/2021 - 08:37

      Yeah I had something like that happen a couple of months after a not at fault accident. Scared me a bit, but I realized quickly it was a scam.
      No idea how they got my details and knew that I'd recently had an accident, but it may have just been lucky.

      • Sigiriya on 22/05/2021 - 07:32

        I use to get quite a few of those calls. Depends on my mood, conversation goes like this. Otherwise I tell them I am busy and get hold of somebody else to scam.

        Caller : I am calling from Accident investigation department. Our records shows that somebody from your address had an accident recently. Is that correct?
        Me : Yes
        Caller : Is that with you?
        Me : Yes :
        Caller : Can you tell me what happend?
        Me : I ran over some one.
        Caller : Oh were they hurt?
        Me : I ran over a donkey/bit*h (depends on the caller) and thank god it was not killed because I am talking to him/her now.
        Caller : pause the conversation and hangup. Sometime with F*** You.

        I keep on blocking those numbers. After some time calls stopped.

        • Euphemistic on 22/05/2021 - 10:51

          I strung one along for a while saying I’d had multiple incidents, which one are you referring to? Then added that I was unlicensed and DUI and not insured. Got bored after a few minutes and simply hung up.

  • OzHunterNSW on 21/05/2021 - 12:10

    Yes, but are you willing to spend thousands, and lose accreditation… when you can simply possibly have it "sucked" out back into shape. These panels are simply flexible sheets of tin… your mechanic will simply vacuum suck it back into shape

    • Euphemistic on 21/05/2021 - 15:39
      +1

      Except if it has caused a crease and stretched the steel (not tin) this won’t work. if it’s also scratched will need painting.

  • TEAMDC1 on 07/10/2021 - 09:30

    Man.. 14500 to fix? no way!!!

    you are definitely getting scammed!!

    If you have pictures of the damage, send it to a panel beater or dent repair people and ask them how much it would be.

  • DuncanLScamBuster on 01/08/2023 - 16:40

    These characters were still operating in 2022.

    s far as I can tell they still are despite some possible associates recently having been fined for harassing victims over car accidents, and for breaking privacy.

    Who knows where they get their information from. Somebody is leaking

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