Hi Everyone, unfortunately my neighbor backed into my car today and made quite a mess of the driver's side door. Fortunately no one was hurt and she didn't have her kids in the car. She was on her way to work in a hurry so I got her insurance company's phone number and we went on our way without calling the police.

I called my insurance company who said if I file through them I would have to pay the deductible then they would pursue it with her company. The lady I spoke with also seemed to indicate she couldn't assure me there would be no black marks on my account due to this accident. What the heck??

So I called her insurance company and filed a claim but now I'm wondering who is going to pay for the rental car etc.? I feel the inconvenience of having my car crunched and having to get it repaired is sufficient and in no way want to pay one dime for a rental car etc. Anyone have any advice? Should I change and run it through my insurance co? Can I change my mind and do it that way now? Paying the $1,000 deductible upfront, although I don't feel like putting it out, isn't a huge deal as long as I get it back.

Any advice you can offer would be most appreciated! Thanks, Jules

I would ask her if her ins will cover rental while the repairs are done..
Your car was sitting still , so she is at fault, so the burden should be on her end, if she is a nice neighbor she should look into this for you..or maybe you can call her ins co and ask them??

If not covered you might ask her about rental car $$ for a few days and find one that is affordable of course..maybe get some rental car costs if you do need to ask her, so she knows what it might be cost wise...

Excellent suggestions, thank you. They are a young couple who I know don't have a lot of money so if it comes down to it I will just eat the rental costs but I'd rather not do that.

I know my insurance would cover the car rental but then worry if they didn't get it back from her company that somehow they would use that as a reason to increase my insurance rates. It might just be worth it to pay for the rental if I have to.

Hopefully the repairs will get done quickly too..
No relatives /friends have a spare vehicle sitting around??
Just a thought...

Great news is the insurance company is being very reasonable. They are allowing me to go to the body shop of my choice and said they will pay for a rental car. Pleasant surprise. Thank you Jo*mar for brainstorming this with me!