Amy@Team RDP
"Team RDP"
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2021
- Messages
- 368
- Reaction score
- 875
Ah, the daily school drop-off. It’s supposed to be a quick, routine affair. But what happens when a tight parking lot, a bubbly 7th grader, and a passing F150 converge in a perfect storm of vehicular mishap? Buckle up, because this is a tale of unexpected chaos, a plot twist, and a quest for a fair auto body shop.
Picture this: The Telesis school parking lot, where cars are parked in a tight squeeze, and the middle lane barely allows two vehicles to pass side by side. It's an orchestration of vehicle ballet, where each parent lines up single file to drop off their child. But, as in any well-meaning plan, there are always those who like to improvise.
The incident: It’s a hot morning, and my daughter, glowing with the enthusiasm of a 7th grader, is ready for another day at school. As I guide our Suburban through the drop-off line, the chaos begins. Some impatient grandparent decides to bypass the line on the right, and before I know it, my daughter, in her cheerful oblivion, opens her door right into the path of a passing F150. Her door bounces off the truck, and in her confusion, she kicks it open further, wedging my Suburban’s door into the side of the F150 as it passes. Here we are two trucks stuck in an awkward embrace, a sobbing daughter, and an increasingly frustrated F150 driver and a line of impatient traffic behind us. I console and hug my daughter, ensuring her that everything will be alright. Her teacher, a beacon of calm in this storm, helps as I assess the damage. Then the F150 driver and I engage in a bit of impromptu vehicular Tetris, trying to unstick our trapped cars. We separate the vehicles and, after a quick exchange of information and apologies, I promise to handle things outside of insurance. The crazy thing is my door has zero damage. Nada. No chips, dings or scratches. Some sun on a cloudy day! I alert the school administration about the accident and they promise to send out a reminder on parking lot etiquette.
Plot twist: An hour later, my phone buzzes with a text from the F150 driver. He expresses sympathy for my daughter’s distress, hoping she learned a life lesson and drops a bombshell: he’s discovered another ding from where my door initially bounced off. (Cue dramatic music.) The quote for the damage rolls in: $2,100. I’m flabbergasted. I ask for pictures of this additional dent, which, frankly, are not very revealing. We agree to meet again the next morning in the parking lot.
Negotiations: Meeting in the school lot, I question the F150 driver, as to why he would try to squeeze by in such a large vehicle in a tight parking lot that clearly kids are jumping out of vehicles in a rush to get to school. He insists that people pass on the right all the time and he was keeping an eye out for car doors. Interesting, considering our current predicament. I then suggest that we are both at fault and should split the damages. My daughter did open her car door into your truck, but you should not have been passing. He of course does not agree. I told him I thought his bid was high, though I honestly don't know thing about auto body work. I document the damage meticulously this time on video. There were some repairs listed on the bid that don’t align with the damage I see—back bumper, rear tail light, and decal sticker? Do they need to remove the light, decal and the bumper to fix a small dent near the gas cap door? He says he wondered about that too and had a call into the shop to get an explanation of those charges. He suggests getting another quote from a different shop, which I appreciate but remain cautious about. He sensed my hesitation and offered to go to a shop that I would recommend but I don't have any ideas.
I am now on a quest for a fair auto body shop in Lake Havasu City. As I navigate this tangled web of auto body quotes and accident intricacies, I realize I need some expert advice and who better to ask than you guys? Any recommendations?
And as back to school starts I hope this tale serves as a reminder that in the tight confines of school drop-off lines, always keep an eye out for the unexpected—and maybe, just maybe, avoid the right lane. Stay tuned for more updates on our auto body adventure. Sometimes the road to resolution can be just as eventful as the accident itself!
Picture this: The Telesis school parking lot, where cars are parked in a tight squeeze, and the middle lane barely allows two vehicles to pass side by side. It's an orchestration of vehicle ballet, where each parent lines up single file to drop off their child. But, as in any well-meaning plan, there are always those who like to improvise.
The incident: It’s a hot morning, and my daughter, glowing with the enthusiasm of a 7th grader, is ready for another day at school. As I guide our Suburban through the drop-off line, the chaos begins. Some impatient grandparent decides to bypass the line on the right, and before I know it, my daughter, in her cheerful oblivion, opens her door right into the path of a passing F150. Her door bounces off the truck, and in her confusion, she kicks it open further, wedging my Suburban’s door into the side of the F150 as it passes. Here we are two trucks stuck in an awkward embrace, a sobbing daughter, and an increasingly frustrated F150 driver and a line of impatient traffic behind us. I console and hug my daughter, ensuring her that everything will be alright. Her teacher, a beacon of calm in this storm, helps as I assess the damage. Then the F150 driver and I engage in a bit of impromptu vehicular Tetris, trying to unstick our trapped cars. We separate the vehicles and, after a quick exchange of information and apologies, I promise to handle things outside of insurance. The crazy thing is my door has zero damage. Nada. No chips, dings or scratches. Some sun on a cloudy day! I alert the school administration about the accident and they promise to send out a reminder on parking lot etiquette.
Plot twist: An hour later, my phone buzzes with a text from the F150 driver. He expresses sympathy for my daughter’s distress, hoping she learned a life lesson and drops a bombshell: he’s discovered another ding from where my door initially bounced off. (Cue dramatic music.) The quote for the damage rolls in: $2,100. I’m flabbergasted. I ask for pictures of this additional dent, which, frankly, are not very revealing. We agree to meet again the next morning in the parking lot.
Negotiations: Meeting in the school lot, I question the F150 driver, as to why he would try to squeeze by in such a large vehicle in a tight parking lot that clearly kids are jumping out of vehicles in a rush to get to school. He insists that people pass on the right all the time and he was keeping an eye out for car doors. Interesting, considering our current predicament. I then suggest that we are both at fault and should split the damages. My daughter did open her car door into your truck, but you should not have been passing. He of course does not agree. I told him I thought his bid was high, though I honestly don't know thing about auto body work. I document the damage meticulously this time on video. There were some repairs listed on the bid that don’t align with the damage I see—back bumper, rear tail light, and decal sticker? Do they need to remove the light, decal and the bumper to fix a small dent near the gas cap door? He says he wondered about that too and had a call into the shop to get an explanation of those charges. He suggests getting another quote from a different shop, which I appreciate but remain cautious about. He sensed my hesitation and offered to go to a shop that I would recommend but I don't have any ideas.
I am now on a quest for a fair auto body shop in Lake Havasu City. As I navigate this tangled web of auto body quotes and accident intricacies, I realize I need some expert advice and who better to ask than you guys? Any recommendations?
And as back to school starts I hope this tale serves as a reminder that in the tight confines of school drop-off lines, always keep an eye out for the unexpected—and maybe, just maybe, avoid the right lane. Stay tuned for more updates on our auto body adventure. Sometimes the road to resolution can be just as eventful as the accident itself!
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