Supercheap Auto Damaged My Car

Hi ozBargainers,
I was at SCA Lakemba last weekend and just before I was about to leave after purchasing a battery from the store, one of the SCA staff member damaged my car as he was packing things up. He bumped a traffic cone-like item against my car. I have a video footage showing the incident identifying the staff member and photo of the damage. There's a scratch mark the size of a 50c coin on my bumper. Unfortunately it's not something where a typical scratch remover product is able to remove due to the depth of the scratch it appears. I am looking to seek compensation for that incident.

I've made contact with their headoffice on Monday regarding the incident. They have yet to respond, assuming they ever will. What do you guys believe is the best way to proceed?

Thanks
Berry580

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Supercheap Auto
Supercheap Auto

Comments

  • +102

    Wait for their response then go from there.

    • +59

      How ridiculous. Why would you wait for a response?

      • +1

        I'm quite ticked off that berry580 had the cheek to contact them BEFORE they made an OzBargain post about it. The nerves!

      • He will wait 6 month for a response, and then the Shop will no longer be there, because it has been sold.

  • -5

    do you have comprehensive insurance?

    • +3

      Yeah I do have comprehensive, claim insurance over that scratch you reckon?

      Can't fault you, but it feels like the same as killing a cockroach with a jack hammer.

      • +6

        So did you actually Contact the store manager, or went straight to emailing head office?

      • +2

        It's not your fault, I'd claim if I was you as you pay your insurance company to do this work for you.

        • +1

          Wouldn't this still be considered a claim and impact future premium?

          • +1

            @Franconian: its a not at fault claim, they'll recoup costs from supercheap.

            Shouldn't affect premium if I'm not mistaken. When you apply for insurance the question asked is always something like 'how many at fault, or accidents where the driver responsible could not be identified claims have you had'

            • +1

              @knk:

              When you apply for insurance the question asked is always something like question asked is always something like 'how many at fault, or accidents where the driver responsible could not be identified claims have you had'

              Nope. Not always. Depends on each insurer.

              • @Ughhh: Really, never noticed it being otherwise. That's pretty rough.

            • +1

              @knk: Not really. Nowadays the questions is how many accidents you have had - regardless of who was at fault. I had a hit n run in 2018 - and I had my premiums raised even though I was "parked"

              Also - wrong place at the wrong time. Its the same as tree fell down, hailstorm, hit n run.

        • +1

          claiming is not free?

      • but it feels like the same as killing a cockroach with a jack hammer.

        There's a scratch mark the size of a 50c coin on my bumper.

        Which ?

  • +3

    What did the store say?

  • -3

    Just leave it, there will be more before you go to sell the car, and get them all sorted at once.

    • -7

      But but but… "Muh CoMpEnSaTiOnZ!!!"

      • +35

        Well I mean, its fair to expect to be compensated when someone damages your property no?

      • +1

        USA it would be in the willionz

      • I think you mean “But muh made whole”

        • -2

          Nah, that would be reasonable… you need to go for repair of damages and CoMpEnSaTiOnZ!

  • +13

    Have you gotten a quote to repair it? Did you contact the manager on shift? Did you contact the store manager? Did you speak to anyone at the store about it when it happened or did you just jump straight to contacting head office?

    • +26

      Go straight to head office and then OZB thats how it works lol

      • +2

        Tbh I worked in retail, going head office is the right way as you will just get fobbed off/told to (profanity) off

    • +5

      OP sounds like they have seen the video. So store manager is already involved. For it to go to head office, the regional manager would have decided OP was either abusive or full of poop. SRG bend over backwards when their product or staff stuff up as their media spend is stupidly high per customer.

      OP is asking for compensation instead of repairs makes me think OP is full of poop.

      OP stating that a traffic cone like device made a 50c sized scratch and not a mark that can be buffed out makes me think OP is full of poop.

      • SRG?
        "Media spend"?

        • Super Retail Group.

          Media spend in this context means the amount of money spent advertising to attract new customers.

    • Surprised an email wasn't sent to the CEO, CC ACA.

  • +3

    Yeah, so the story so far is the Bumper Bar did the job required of it…

    Take a photo, get witnesses statements, and wait for CSI.

    • +5

      Well it's not called a scratch bar.

      OP call the ACCC and the governor general.

      • +6

        Needs to be escalated up to the Queen

        • +8

          Or… ask Scomo who they use for the BMW paint job. lol

  • +10

    what item bumped against it? Would be pretty hard to get a scratch from a traffic cone like item methinks

    • +10

      traffic cone wrapped in barbed wire

      • +4

        There was a hardocre deathmatch going on in the background. It was one of the weapons.

    • Agree. I can't imagine how anything resembling a traffic cone could scratch a car.
      A scuff, maybe, in which case it polishes out.

  • wtf

  • +12

    So to sum it up, a staff member took the stuff to the car for you, bumped a "traffic cone like thing" against your car, apparently hard enough to scratch it, and the first thing you did was film the staff member on your phone instead of being an adult and having a chat to the store manager/supervisor?

    • +3

      Exactly OP decides to contact head office first smh

      • How long should you wait for responses before escalating?

    • or mentioning it to the staff member maybe?
      probably all have been resolved by now

    • +8

      So to sum it up

      At least quote OP's story accurately. At no point did OP state that SCA staff were carrying items for him/her to his/her car.

      OP stated that SCA staff were "packing things up" - as in closing for the day and packing things away that they have on display out the front of the store,

      • Yeah that's fair, could have been closing up. I've never seen anything more than an A-frame out front in any of my local stores, but I guess Sydney might have some extra stuff for social distancing.

        I read that as packing stuff up for the OP.

        • +4

          The store is in Lakemba. The traffic cones were to stop drive-by shootings.

    • LoL…so you think the OP knew about the accident BEFORE it happened so took his phone out to record it…did you even read what the OP wrote?

      Did you think that maybe he has a dashcam?

      Such LoLs

    • +6

      Lol. It is called a dash cam.

      • +5

        Can you upload the video of the dashcam so we can see?

        • +2

          Dashcam won't show the impact or the scratch. Store CCTV would be the better source. I'm guessing they viewed their own footage and decided not to reply to you.

          • -3

            @gth: You can see the stick he's dragging towards my car and then inside the store.
            Yes, you can't see the actual impact, but the sound of impact is precise with the movement of the stick. Wasn't a coincident.
            If the SCA manager is a decent bloke, he'd agree. But I just have to get my two quotes he requested for first.

        • +4

          It shows the guy's face. I'd much rather not reveal his identity over a small matter in such a public place

    • I gathered it was a dashcam?

  • +1

    Get a lawyer.

    Need to but a popcorn maker and popcorn to watch the idiots at 10 paces wasting money while I each $1 of popcorn plus the cost of some beers.

  • Don't forget the icing sugar!

  • +3

    Some kid will probably lose their job since you involved head office

    • +1

      Poor kid

      • -2

        Yeah, everyone knows you only get one job a lifetime.

      • +1

        Nah, the guy looks more like a store manager or 2IC to me.
        But he looked pretty exhausted to me, it was beer O clock at the time, if that's an excuse.

    • +3

      This 100x.

      It's a bumper scratch.

      Give some poor dude or lass a break.

      Yes, it sucks. If it was worse, kick up a stink. But why cause trouble for other people (even if it is their own fault) when really it makes little difference to your car.

  • +5

    Demand for free scratch remover product from SCA!

  • What's a Traffic Cone like item? Was it plastic or metal?

  • +2

    He bumped a traffic cone-like item against my car
    There's a scratch mark the size of a 50c coin on my bumper.

    Do you have evidence that the bumper didn't have any damage before this happened?

    Commercial safety traffic cones are made out of soft plastic. This prevents pedestrians from getting injured when they fall on them. It also reduces the chance of damage to vehicles then they hit them at speed.

    Was it one of these?

    https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-marking-cone---3…

    • +1

      Looks like you have pinpointed the issue, the are using MARKING cones so of course they are going to leave a mark. Hopefully now that head office is involved they will switch to non-marking cones.

      • We need op to upload the vid to make sure.

        These cones are only 300m tall. The worker would have to kick it hard and up for it to make a mark.

  • Not how traffic cones work. For it to leave a 50c sized scratch the staff member would have had to throw it at the car and it would have left a dint and possibly cracked the paint.

    The manager would have buffed the mark out for you if you were polite instead of demanding compensation for a company going above and beyond (they loaded your car for you. Who does that anymore).

    Pull your head out of your rear end, be reasonable and stop ruining it for the rest of us.

  • Pic please

  • +1

    give this OP a blunt answer
    grow some balls and go to the store that you alleged had a staff member damage your car. Confront the issue mask to mask with the store manager.
    if your balls have shrunk then you have no hope mate

    "I contacted head office and no reply". what a piss weak effort.

    • I didn't go in the office and so I don't have the balls to
      Yeah, there could be no other reason in the world. What narrow minded people.

    • -1

      Calm down an attitude like that will end you up in gaol

      • +3

        Confront doesn’t only mean jump the counter and beat him up. It also means discuss face to face.

        You don’t have to go storming in in a rage to make your point, but it makes sense to go in and mention he issue on the spot so they can confirm the damage at the time. They don’t have to assume it happened then and not some time after when you’ve tried to squeeze past the car with the bins at home.

        • +2

          confront
          /kənˈfrʌnt/

          verb
          come face to face with (someone) with hostile or argumentative intent.

        • doesn’t only mean jump the counter and beat him up.

          gave me a chuckle

    • Store managers are just full time employees, they have no power, escalations go to area manager/head office.

    • +1

      heheheh mask to mask

  • The store could offer you discounts up to the total amount of the damage. Problem solved.

  • +3

    MS Paint picture!!

  • -5

    A 50 cent scratch and you're freaking out?
    Geez mate common let it go buddy. Its not that big of a deal

  • -8

    Oh No
    I feel so sorry for poor OP
    The damage to the car must be enormously negligible!
    Definitely worth posting here.

    I say take them to court and sue for damages.
    I'm sure you will get maybe $50 from them.

    Next time OP just DONT BOTHER US WITH THIS TRIVIAL RUBBISH

    • … feel free to move on then.

  • +3

    Spoke with a manager today through phone.
    He was very professional about it, asked for supporting evidence and quotes, he said he'll emailed the list to me and he did. Now I just need to gather it.

    • +6

      So as you were leaving the store, you saw a staff member bumped the cone into your car, then left? You didn't inform the staff member or the manager while you were still instore, while the evidence was still fresh???

      • +1

        said he'll emailed the list to me and he did.

        what list

    • +2

      Do you require any assistance or advice from fellow forum members to gather it?

    • +3

      Did you tell them about the psychological damage from the incident?

  • How much the repair bill for a scratch ball job.

  • +1

    Take it to Queen Street and get a body kit with the insurance money.

    • Ahhhh Queen St. They'll definitely help out with "shady" claims.

      Bring back the sex spec, pimp my ride styles. 👌

  • +4

    About 10 years ago when I was working at Super Cheap Auto a customer came in dragging a roof luggage box thing full of stuff. Clothes, camera, video camera, laptop and all sorts of other random things. He told me that he loaded the roof box with all of these belongings, locked it and then went on a drive. He claims the box burst open as he was driving and his possessions were thrown out of the roof box all over the highway.

    So many aspects of his story did not check out or make sense but it slowly escalated from me to the manager to the area manager and finally to head office. Long story short this guy received a cheque for around $3500 to cover a new roof box and damage to his possessions.

    I have no doubt SCA will pay for whatever damage you claim happened as a result of someone there fitting a battery to your car. The price you pay for fitment factors in the insurance required for claims like these from customers.

  • this is what you pay your insurer to do

  • -1

    Hmm pretty sure any damage that occured in public car parks they can't be liable for damage, surely a mobile paint doctor could fix it for $100 ish if it really was damaged from a plastic cone 🤷

    • any damage that occured in public car parks they can't be liable for damage,

      why not 😥😡

      • +2

        Surely they would be liable if it was caused by one of their staff members. I find it hard to believe that a traffic cone has caused any damage though. Surely there was already damage before the incident.

      • What do you mean🤦‍♂️ do you not see the countless signs at Westfield's carparks/Woolworths carparks always say they are not liable for damage op got lucky he saw it was one of the employees

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