Hi, new here and hoping someone can help me out. Sorry if this is a bit long.

Also, I'm in California if that helps with information:

On Tuesday, I was parked in a parking lot and came back to my car to find that someone had left a note stating they had scratched my bumper (I was actually surprised that someone actually left a note and appreciated it). I called the person and asked her name (she didn't leave it on the note). She apologized and said that she didn't want to go through insurance. I was able to get her name, Driver's License Number, and home address.

I've never been in this situation before, so I didn't know how to handle it. The bumper did have some scratches and a scrape, but didn't appear that bad. I told her that I would get estimates and get back to her.

I took the car for 3 estimates and was shocked that they ranged from $1200 - $1500 (estimates were given after telling them this would not go through insurance). I was told that in addition to the cosmetic damage, there was now a very minor gap (maybe 1mm - 1.5mm) between the fender and bumper (I didn't notice it, but they immediately did. I'm not so sure it's a big deal).

Anyway, I called the person back to let her know and ask if she wanted to change her mind and go through the insurance. She now insists that she could not have done that much damage as her car is small and I drive an SUV and she was only going 2 mph. She said she was going to have her husband call me and take care of it. I could only get her Vehicle make from her, but not the license plate number.

Her husband called me and said he'd still prefer not to go through insurance and instead would like me to go to a body shop he knows of and have it looked at by someone he knows there and if they can do it at a reasonable price, wants to pay cash for it to be done.

I agreed to have it looked at there, but have a few concerns as 1) It is 30 miles away from where I live and 2) I'm afraid that because this is someone he knows, they are just going to underquote it and repair it for cheap.

I'm also worried that if I don't agree to have it repaired there, the couple won't offer me their insurance information or now deny it's their fault now.

I was able to get from the husband the name of their insurance company, but not the policy number.

Does anyone have any advice that they can offer me? I have no idea what to do. I've never been in a situation like this, so I'm not even sure what the proper steps are. If I contact my insurance company, will it somehow also affect my rates?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Since you know the name of their current insurance company and their address you can call their insurance company's claim department and file a claim. Since these folks have tried to be up front I'd probably try to accomodate their request to use this body shop they suggest. With the other estimates at least you know what to look for.

Thanks for the response. However, like I mentioned, the Body Shop they want me to go to is over 30 miles from where I live and is too inconvenient for me to go to.