Repairing Car - Is barmaid about?

[Nosha123]

Hi All
There was a thread of mine fairly recently about repairing a ladies car that got damaged by the chaps working for my husband, when they were doing some building work next door.
The lady has finally replied with a Peugeot garage quote which has gone up from the original estimate of £300 to now £632 plus vat!
I have replied asking yet again for 2-3 quotes - and stated that it isnt necessary for a peugeot garage to do the repairs and that if this goes through our insurance then it is unlikely a Peugeot garage will be doing the work anyway (as they are likely to be more expensive).

I also stated that she has a duty of law to mitigate our losses, and asked her to get a quote from 2 other repair centres - and suggested she try 'Chips Away' who are a franchise of local qualified repair men who travel to your place of work or home to do the repairs on site.
If she refuses to get further quotes.. where do we stand?
I know Chips Away would cost less than approx £200. Our Public Liability excess if £300 or £400.
How do I negotiate the situation?
We obviously want the problem solved, her car fixed, and for it to not cost us the earth!
I also repeated my request for the photos - as she still hasnt supplied them.
She did say she would accept the estimate cost LESS the vat if we settled in cash. (not sure why! guessing she wouldnt bother repairing it and would just pocket the money).

[Nosha123]

Looking on autotrader.. and V reg peogeots of her model are only worth between £500-£850.. so surely there is a chance an insurance company might even write the car off????
That wouldn't please her!!!!!

[Nosha123]

anyone??

[chas2008]

you need those photos, im assuming this is all stone chips of sorts, the problem you have is the garage she went may not have the full story/picture and could have quoted for chips that had nothing to do with the original damage they wouldnt have been any wiser .To be honest a vehicle of that age is going to have some damage anyway ...
The bit about a Peugeot garage being dearer isnt necessarily true, it may with mechanical work but bodywork is a different story.

[Nosha123]

I got the photos and have had 3 other garages quote so far..
1) quoted £140.00
2) quoted £150.00
3) quoted £275+ vat
Why should we therefore have to pay her quote of £632+vat?
i dont believe we do have to.. but how do I calculate a fair price to make her an offer? Its not worth going through insurance as excess is £300-£400.
Should I calculate the AVERAGE based on our quotes?
Or make her an offer for the middle repair?

[Nosha123]

chas its not really chips.. in fact no paint damage at all.. but a small palm indent in the wheel arch.. that needs to be popped out or maybe filled and sprayed.
Not a big job at all!

[albaqwerty]

Lawdy, this has been going on for months. If she thought she had a vaild claim, then no doubt lawyers would have been involved. Personally, I'd offer her 200 quid and if she wants the rest, then she can go the legal route.

[flip_flop]

The mean average including VAT is £226.00.

I'd offer her that - if she doesn't like it, and as alba says, let her go down the legal route.

Unless there is a massive point of principal involved, which there isn't, the aggravation and (potential) expense of going legal would make any victory pretty pyrrhic.

[Nosha123]

thanks chaps.. and sorry to STILL be going on about it! She took 2 months to reply to my last request for the photos! Away on business apparently!
I'd like to get this one sorted once and for all... its been hanging around for ages - and she is now trying to stitch us up a bit cos she's pee'd off over it all i suspect!