GetGo car user learns expensive lesson after getting charged more than $1,000 for 'minor scratch repair'

What is the lesson?

A GetGo car user said he learnt a very expensive lesson after he was charged $1,000 for what he called a "minor scratch repair".

Stomper Andy shared photos of the damage on the left side of the BYD e6 electric vehicle.

Recounting how the damage came about, he said: "I drove into one of those old multi-storey carparks with the narrow passage between floors.

"I was very shocked that the downward passage was so much tighter than the upward passage. Being unfamiliar with the turning arc of the GetGo car, I accidentally scratched the side of it."

Another shocker was the bill he got from the car-sharing company.

"It was a very expensive lesson as GetGo charged me more than $1,000 in repair costs," said the Stomper, who shared a breakdown of the costs:

• Repair Cost: $918 

1. Repair/panel beat/remove/refit: $324 front door, rear door, rear fender
2. Spray paint: $486 front door, rear door, rear fender
3. Others: Two $108 GetGo Stickers

• Loss of use at $120 per day for two days: $240

The total came to $1,158.

In response to a Stomp query, a GetGo spokesperson said: "The user has reported the damages caused during his accident, and we have promptly communicated with him. After conducting a thorough investigation, we shared the billing details with him.

"In every incident, our aim is to assist our users in receiving a fair bill, and we ensure that only trusted and authorised workshops are used for vehicle repairs.

"The damage included visible paint scratches and dents to the car’s body and rear fender."

The spokesperson also share photos of the car with arrows indicating the damage.

"The red arrow points to the damage on the front door, and the blue arrow points to the damage on the rear door (labelled 1) and rear fender (labelled 2)," said the spokesperson.

Update on Jan 5:

After the article was published, the Stomper told Stomp: "On Dec 28, I happened to rent the exact same vehicle that I scratched.

"As you can see in the photos, the car wasn’t repaired. This is puzzling to me as the vehicle was unavailable for rental for many days (I checked the app) and I was charged for the cost of repairs, replacement of getgo stickers and two-day loss of rental income.

"To find the same vehicle not restored to the original conditions which I technically paid for was a real shocker."