If it's in your possession, it's your responsibility. Even if the garage owner has full insurance on everything, maybe he doesn't want to file a claim? Why should he get a rate hike, or lose his coverage because he loans out his cars?
- Thread starter rick3993
- Start date
Accident while driving someone elses car...who is responsible?
If it's in your possession, it's your responsibility. Even if the garage owner has full insurance on everything, maybe he doesn't want to file a claim? Why should he get a rate hike, or lose his coverage because he loans out his cars?
If he "loans out cars" I assume it is to please customers and increase his business? By not having a contract and actually renting a loaner he is saving money on insurance
I agree that paying for damage would be the "right thing" to do but doubt a court (At least in US) would make him pay There was no contract, no mention of responsibility etc
I believe this only works when you have rented the car with the credit card ...no good after the fact
No offense intended but how many of you here (no matter how long you have lived here) have experience dealing with Body Shop owners?
I haven't seen the damage so I won't comment on $350 being a good price or outrageous. Having said that I will say that if the damage was noticeable getting to $350 is not very difficult. Maybe you could have offered a bit less and you would be better off.
Dealing with Body shop owners is NOT for an amateur. Sure they can low ball you but then get into it and all of the sudden "find other damages" and your quote doubles. Now you are really screwed because the car is in parts (with perhaps some missing) and what are you going to do?
As I have stated on DR1 before I ran 2 car rental companies (after 20+ years in the same business in the states) here in the DR. I understand the mentality and actually became friends with one body shop owner in the city. I was tough as nails with him and showed up at his shop unannounced when he was working on my cars. I bought the replacement parts (at a discount) and gave them to him and made sure MY parts got on the vehicle plus I inspected every car that returned from his or other shops before they were accepted.
Pay the $350 and consider yourself lucky is my advice.
I haven't seen the damage so I won't comment on $350 being a good price or outrageous. Having said that I will say that if the damage was noticeable getting to $350 is not very difficult. Maybe you could have offered a bit less and you would be better off.
Dealing with Body shop owners is NOT for an amateur. Sure they can low ball you but then get into it and all of the sudden "find other damages" and your quote doubles. Now you are really screwed because the car is in parts (with perhaps some missing) and what are you going to do?
As I have stated on DR1 before I ran 2 car rental companies (after 20+ years in the same business in the states) here in the DR. I understand the mentality and actually became friends with one body shop owner in the city. I was tough as nails with him and showed up at his shop unannounced when he was working on my cars. I bought the replacement parts (at a discount) and gave them to him and made sure MY parts got on the vehicle plus I inspected every car that returned from his or other shops before they were accepted.
Pay the $350 and consider yourself lucky is my advice.
Hell I have had 8 different paying jobs since starting to receive Social Security bennies!
Pay the money. But get something in writing this time. The car agency owner is sloppy. He has a commercial policy. He either lied to you that he didn't have insurance to cover property damage or he lied to the insurance company so that he wouldn't have to pay the additional premium to cover the exposure of loaning his rentals. If you were in the states you could walk. Like many other dispute cases written about here, you're hosed.