I wasn't sure where exactly to ask for advice, so hopefully this sub is a good place. Yesterday my mother took her 2010 VW Beetle in to get her brakes replaced by a local shop. She received a call from the owner telling her not to panic, but that her car had fallen off of the lift. The guy responsible had initially lied, telling everyone that the lift mechanism had failed but eventually fessed up to loading it incorrectly. After they removed the tires, the car fell 6 feet off of the lift directly onto the hood. And while the damage from the outside doesn't seem too extensive, the whole engine compartment seems to have been shifted and there is no longer any oil in it. The car is still sitting on the floor of the shop as both my mother and the business are waiting for insurance to come out to assess the damage and declare it totaled or not. The shop took her and set her up with a rental car until they can get things sorted out.
So my question inevitably is: what is the best way she should go about handling the situation? She had just paid off her car and took immaculate care of it so it'd last her a few more years of commuting until she retires. The KBB value is around $5,000 at best. She doesn't want to try and take the business for all it's worth or anything, but she is now without her car because of their negligence. The shop was also open today despite her car still being there. Is this any sort of violation of any safety rules or regulations (we live in southern California)?
Her insurance company told her to let them take the reigns and if things are not proceeding in a timely fashion or to her liking, to let them know and they'll handle it on her behalf. If the car is declared totaled, is the best she can get just the value of the car at the time of the incident? If she does only get the valued amount, it's barely enough to make a decent down payment and she'll be stuck with a car payment again, which is exactly what she wants to avoid. What's the best thing she can do to make sure she's made as whole as possible?
Submitted May 14, 2017 at 12:17AM by throwawayawayxz http://ift.tt/2r5ei80
