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OP here is the deal , this is a well know scam which I m actually familiar with as I used to know an adjuster ( who got fired) that used to this all the time
Usually the shop and adjuster are in it , the shop charges insurance company a ridiculous amount for a little job and the adjuster approves it , no way for the insurance to know as they trust the adviser. Some of these guys even come up with fake pictures of the damage which usually belong to a different car to prove their case
Here is the problem the shop probably already paid the adjuster ( 300-500 $) , and they already had a guy on it taking everything apart to make it look like there is more damage
So now the shop has to make the money back , including what they pay the adjuster
Now here is where I do not really feel bad for you or the shop , both of your are technically scamming the system. You were expecting to just fix your bumper and move on , however , now that you have 5 k in your account you are getting a little greedy and want to keep it all . The bodyshop did all the work to get that money for you , so they also feel like they deserve a part of the pie , which they probably do.
Now you want to play a little dirty to the shop and take the work from them , so they want to make sure they can get at least the money they probably pay the adjuster and whatever they spend on labour to make up damages that were not there.
My advice would be talk to the shop , pay them part of the pie and take the rest. Do not get too greedy as they have your car , the car is hostage right now. If you want your car back without paying you probably need to go the legal way which can get dirty and expensive and it takes time. In the meantime the shop can actually do damage to your car as revenge which you probably will not even notice and even if you do they can always blame it on the accident. Also in the meantime they can come up with other charges like storage fees which they are allow to a certain amount.
The other option is telling the insurance the shop is a fraud and the damage is less, however I highly doubt you want to return the money you got already
So end of the day is , both shop and you are scamming the system, so the shop can play you dirty too.
Im sure guys here are going to tell you to go fight the shop owner , etc ,etc ,etc all childish stuff that they have no clue about.
Call the shop and try to reduce the amount a little bit , keep it friendly . The other route is usually not pretty , I m telling from tons of horror stories I have heard
The 5k may seem like a lot of money but the shop which have your car can make a little scratch become a big fix if they really want to. These shops do not play fair , they are scammers remember that. They can make sure your scratch can become a 5k repair just to cover their ass
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