I took my car to the dealership (Russell and Smith Honda) to have warranty work done, I dropped it off without giving anything but preliminary details (it was at the end of their day). The next day I got a call that my car had been wrecked (before even talking to me). The wreck was because of too much speed, and the technician was driving with the top down.
Furthermore, none of my issues needed test driving.
Dealership has basically said "talk to our insurance company."
I doubt that will do anything but fix the car, but now I have a car that has been wrecked.
What do I do next?
2006-08-11 13:59:33 · 12 answers · asked by apexseeker 1 in Local Businesses ➔ United States ➔ Houston
First off, is there a police report on the accident? Otherwise you need some kind of documentation that the dealership was involved. The who, when, where and how is going to be important. It could have easily been a hit and run that the employee is not admitting to.
If it happened on a public street I would insist on the police report and if not you then the other option is to file "unauthorize use" or theft charges on the employee. When you threaten that then the dealership might start cooperating. Actually your insurance company may insist on the criminal charges in order to pursue your claim and not hold you accountable.
If the police refuse to take the report because it happened days ago which could happen, then you may need to report to a justice of the peace or whatever small court system is there and swear out an affidavit.
As far as the damage is concerned the employee's misconduct goes beyond the accident claim and you should be entitled to a punitive settlement from the dealership. If the dealership is uncooperative I wouldn't hesitate to file suit and not just for the insurance coverage.
2006-08-13 03:03:48 · answer #1 · answered by Sam B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good lord, people.
What harm can be done by actually doing as the dealership said, and talking with the insurance company?
Not just of the dealership, which you should do, but also of the mechanic who was driving your car but was not insured on that car.
Also, talk with your insurance company. If you have a good relationship with them and they're a good company, they should be able to throw some legal weight behind this for you. My wife was in an accident and our insurance company was able to pressure the company of the guy who hit her into paying our deductible on top of all the other damages they had to cover.
Get a lawyer as a last resort, but chase down those first options quickly, because you don't want your statue of limitations to run out.
Good luck!
2006-08-11 14:09:22 · answer #2 · answered by agentdenim 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's pretty outrageous
So- getting a lawyer is first, in the end they ahve to pay for the lawyer as well
And - bringing this case to the attention of the better business bureau, some city officials, some local media can't hurt either.
And since this is a Honda dealer you can also contact their corporate headquarters and describe the case, mention lawyer and other steps you have in mind.
Good luck!
2006-08-11 14:10:46 · answer #3 · answered by spaceskating_girl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Talk to the insurance company and tell them what happened. I find it hard to believe that the Honda dealer is blowing you off...did you speak with the General Manager, not just the Service Writer? You need to go over some heads.
2006-08-12 15:13:53 · answer #4 · answered by rrrevils 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are completely liable and are assuming that you will give up and become frusterated. GET A LAWYER! You might be able to get some extra money because basically they are trying to rip you off. The technician was probably joy riding your car. Call a civil lawyer ASAP and tell them your situation. If you have a decent and responsible father, talk to him, he should be able to help you. Don't give any money to the lawyer up front because they will try to rip you off too. Good luck.
2006-08-11 14:04:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell your insurance agent about your experience, and ask him/her to take care of this for you. He/she might ask you if you want to handle this yourself. Tell him or her that you absolutely do not want to handle it yourself. One of the reasons you pay insurance premiums is to have them handle things when you're involved in a claim. For some reason, some insurance companies try to dump the work on your shoulders (cutting their expenses I guess). Don't go for it. You're not trained to handle insurance claims and you'll surely get screwed over if you are talked into trying to do it yourself. When your insurance company asks whether you want to handle it yourself, be very stern. Say NO. That's not what I pay my insurance premiums for. Add that you'll give them any information you can to help them process the claim as easily as possible, but they have to handle it.
As for now having a car that's been in an accident, unless you bought the car new, you may already have had a car that was in an accident. I wouldn't be too concerned about that, but I would be concerned about it being repaired properly. Ask your insurance company what they do to help ensure you are not taken advantage of by the dealership's insurance company. Things such as assessing the damage themselves and making sure the work is done properly.
Generally, you should try to be nice, but if you feel you are being knocked around and screwed over by everyone, you don't have to take it. You can threaten to go to the newspaper with your story. But don't threaten to do that or lose your cool with anyone unless you have good reason to do so.
In my humble opinion, someone at the dealership just took your car out for a joy ride overnight and got involved in an accident. I used to work for a dealership, and that happens. Some of those technicians are just starting out in the business and are very immature. I remember one of our guys taking a police car out for an overnight joy ride and getting caught by the police. He was lucky he didn't get thrown in jail
Good luck.
2006-08-11 14:56:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Russell And Smith Honda
2016-10-03 06:16:56 · answer #7 · answered by kroner 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be honest, I don't believe that's correct
2016-08-08 09:08:25 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We had mechanic damage our car. He said we had to take him to small claims court and sue us in order for his insurance to kick in and cover it. Ask your insurance agent if you need a lawyer.
2006-08-11 14:02:48 · answer #9 · answered by NoPoaching 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seek legal advice, and sue the Dealer, the employee, on down.
2006-08-11 14:05:06 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋