So....this will be a long post....using it to vent and get opinions.
Last Saturday my youngest son and I played golf at a tournament for his Hockey Club. After the round was over, I was putting our bags away in my car.....and told him to hop in the cart and take it over to the cart return. He's 13 and had driven the cart a little bit on the course but he's far from an experienced driver. The cart return was maybe 50ft from where we were so he hopped in the cart and started driving it over.
As he did that....a truck came around a turn in the parking lot....moving quick but not burning out.....pulled out into the lane kind of blocking the cart return.....seen him....then hit the brakes. My son, being young and inexperienced....panicked a bit and did little to avoid the truck.....and ended up side swiping the guys front bumper with the golf cart. The black golf cart front rubbed all along this guys bumper. No dents....just black streaks.
The guy jumped out...I ran over.....my son was fine but there was damage on his bumper. He takes a look at it and we both kind of rub on it and the rubber was peeling off a bit....and he says "man...don't worry about it....no big deal, we're all good" I asked if he was sure and he said yeah it looked like it'd come off with some buffing. I said thanks....my son apologized and said thanks and that was that. So I thought.
About twenty minutes later we were eating the after tournament dinner and he come walking back in to find me. He says "I'm really sorry but this is actually my dads truck and I Facetimed him and he wants to get your information" I walked outside with him and we called his dad....I gave him my phone number and address but we never exchanged insurance nor did we get the police involved. His son and i went back over to his bumper....I video'd both of us looking at the bumper, wiping the scuff marks off with our thumbs and both agreeing on video that this looked like it'd clean up.
That was Saturday....on Thursday I receive a letter from his Dad with an estimate from a shop to repair his bumper to the tune of $750.62.
Clealry that's a lot of $$$ especially for something that I had believed to be repairable by him or his son....and below is the text exchange we had after I recieved the letter. I'll also post a pic of the bumper. Keep in mind there were/are no dents in the bumper.....just this black rubber streaks.
Conversation:
Bumper:
(the second estimate was higher...$1,080.29)
That was it. He did not respond to my last post. I don't want to just cut and run and be a dick and not pay anything because my son did hit the truck....but that wasn't all to the story. I should have had the police come and file a report because this was a golf tournment.....long day of drinking for a lot of folks and I guarantee that's why his son was quick to just say "we're all good".
I just don't think I should be on the hook for the full $750. I'm willing to pay $400-500 but this guy is just not budging. His son did say his dad is a retired police chief so maybe that has something to do with it? I'm on the fence on whether I just pay the $750 to the auto shop and let that be that or if I dig in and be difficult. But I don't know what type of legal trouble I could face if I refuse to pay the whole thing in full.