Hi guys, Small problem with my upholsterer. They did a leather makeover for my G3-II Prius. They aren't finished yet, so I've only paid half so far. I have to bring it back in Monday to get the rest put in. When they put the drivers seat back in the car they scratched my door panel. It's not the worst scratch ever, but my car was brand new and now it has a big ugly scratch on the drivers side interior door panel. I can completely imagine how they scratched it - they never moved my car, and a car was probably parked next to it so they didn't fully open the drivers door when taking the seat out or putting it back in. So instead of moving my car they tried to do it with the door not fully open and scratched the door panel. What is their responsibility for this? Should I insist they get me a new door panel? I can't imagine how much that would cost, probably between $500 and $1000. Would most upholstery shops be insured for this type of damage? The ball is in my court because I have not finished paying for the job yet (I paid half as a deposit, and the rest is due when they finish the job on Monday / Tuesday.) I picked up the car for the weekend because they are closed on the weekend, and I just saw the scratch when I got home. So they are not aware of this scratch yet. What would you insist they do? Thank you RP1
Your only chance is to confront them about it. Unfortunately, with cosmetic damages like this, there's a high risk that you'll get nothing - They can claim the scratch was already there when they started the install, and it's hard to argue that. But i say if that's the case, bring them on Judge Judy - you'll be suing for the cost of the scratch repair, they'll be counter-suing for the remainder of the bill... it'll make for some entertaining television, if nothing else.
