I was in a car accident where someone hit my parked car in front of my house. I wasn’t in the car, and the driver came back the next morning. Today, I got a letter saying: “You were overpaid for the accident. We found out the amount is $1,193.08 because Geico also paid the auto body shop for the same repairs. Attached are the documents about this.”
I’m currently unemployed and don’t have the money to pay this back. Can someone explain how this is my fault? I’m confused and need advice.
Did you receive any compensation aside from the payment made to the body shop for repairing your vehicle?
I can’t recall exactly. It was back in November, and I haven’t used this car insurance since January of this year.
It seems like they’ve provided you with documents to confirm the overpayment. Take a look at them, and reach out if anything is unclear. If paying it all at once isn’t feasible, they’ll likely offer a payment plan option.
Thank you for your input. Honestly, I can’t even keep up with my bills right now. I’m at the point where I just want to tell them to send it to collections.
When you picked up your car from the shop, did you pay the $1,193.08 directly, or were you able to leave without paying anything?
I left without paying because the at-fault driver’s insurance had covered it. However, when I picked up my car, I had no brake lights or running lights, even though they told me everything was good to go.
I ended up waiting for an hour after they had closed just to get the running lights working so I could drive home. Since then, I’ve had constant issues with my taillights and had to go back to the shop three more times. I called Geico, and they told me to bring it back again, but then they refused to pay for further repairs, claiming the problem was due to a previously installed automatic starter.
After my policy expired, I switched insurance companies and ended up paying $1,800 out of pocket to finally get the issue fixed in May. Now, months later, Mapfre Insurance is asking me for money. Maybe I’m being petty, but I don’t feel like I owe them anything. I’m also searching through my records and can’t find any check from them that was ever cashed.
If you didn’t make any payment when you picked up the car, it suggests that the insurance covered the body shop’s costs. If you received a check from them, it seems they might have mistakenly paid you, and you would need to return that money.
As for the lights issue, you can contest that separately and seek reimbursement, but it’s not related to the original repair or payment.
That makes more sense now. I’m going to call my bank to check if they can see it, since I can’t from my end. Thanks for your help and for explaining things clearly without making me feel dumb.