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Shopping cart hit and walk-caught on Sentry cam

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It would be a comprehensive claim so it should not affect your rates. With collision claims Wheatgrass your rates go up varies based on state law. In PA for example they can not raise your rates unless they pay out over $2000 in a three year period.
 
Just actually had to deal with something similar - a shopping cart came barreling towards my car and smacked the passenger rear quarter (behind the tire) and left a dent/crease. Have it caught on sentry/dashcam and went to insurance company and they said it would be covered as comprehensive and to contact my preferred body shop.

First two bodyshops quoted $1,000-$1,500 including paint work. I found a local paintless dent repair shop and they fixed it up for $150. I paid out of pocket and didn't have to deal with insurance at all. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses because it's not worth dealing with the hassle.
 
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Went down and spoke with Costco today. The manager had a look at the car, the video and had me fill out an incident report. I should hear back from them in 48 hours. A couple items of note.

1. I didn't see any signs saying that Costco is not responsible for damage or theft to cars.
2. The manager said that the cart person is allowed to push 25 carts max. He's pushing 14 in the video which means he could have (should have imo) stopped and took her cart. That's his job.
3. After doing a little research, it looks like these cases are not cut and dry. But, if the store exhibited negligent behavior that led to the incident, then the store can be held liable. To me, the cart attendant NOT taking the cart from the lady is negligence. Because he didn't grab the cart and add it to the carts he was already pushing, the cart was then left in the lot and rolled into my car. Here's some info I found on the topic. A Shopping Cart Hit Your Car — Is the Store Liable? Here's a quote from that post: (my emphasis) "The law generally sees that a store has a duty to protect people and their cars in its parking lot from harm. After all, shopping cart dents and dings likely happen often enough for them to be foreseeable. However, reasonable safety measures, such as having conveniently placed cart corrals and attendants who pick up the carts, in most cases, will fulfill the store’s duty to protect.

Therefore, in most cases, unless there is proof such as video evidence showing an employee who’s supposed to be controlling carts being negligent, stores generally won’t be held liable for damages caused by carts."


Also, here are pics of the dent. As I originally mentioned, it's quite small. But, it wasn't there at all before going to Costco and someone will have to pay to have this fixed at some point.

As Tesla owners who visit a Tesla blog to read about Teslas, most of us are Tesla nuts and love our cars. I'm sharing all this info so if it happens to someone in the future (which I promise you, it will,) they will have an idea of a possible outcome should they ask the store to cover the damage. I must admit I was quite surprised to hear the overwhelming majority of Tesla owners on here saying that the store has 0 liability in this situation. As I stated before, I'm not sure if they'll cover anything but it's definitely worth a try. I'll be sure to post an update. Thanks!

FWIW my son wrangles carts at Costco. He is limited to a max of 10 carts when not using the cart machine. Says he is frequently asked to add another cart when full and passing by. Tries to explain why he can‘t stop and add an 11th cart but many don’t believe him and retaliate by just abandoning their cart, which can then roll.
He also says the safest place to park to avoid cart dings is next to the cart corals.
 
So you get what you get when you shop for insurance. My insurance company would/has covered this with a deductable and never raised my rates. BUT I don't buy the cheapest insurance either.

Well, after about two months it looks like this saga has drawn to a close. I promised I'd report back whatever the outcome so here goes.

After filing the incident report with Costco, I was put in touch with a third party who manages Costco's parking lots. I told them my story, sent the video and they declined to cover. I went as high up in that company as I could but they still declined, claiming that Costco was not negligent, but the customer was. It didn't matter that the cart attendant walked past the lady and didn't take the cart from her - he wasn't the one who pushed the cart into my car. The parking lot company recommended I contact my insurance company.

So, I gave Progressive a call in hopes that they would either get Costco to cover the damage or work with me to get the contact of the lady who left the cart that rolled into my car. Unfortunately, Progressive did neither of those things. Progressive reiterated Costco's stance that Costco was not liable for this at all. When we park in a parking lot, we assume pretty much all the risk. In the end, all Progressive offered to do was file a claim under my insurance (which would raise my rates) to have the dent repaired.

While I was talking to the adjuster at Progressive, I was trying to determine how this particular incident is different than any other crime that was caught on camera. She pointed out two things: 1. The cart lady's vehicle was not involved so Progressive didn't have an insurance company to go after for reimbursement. However, if, for example, her kids opened their door into the side of my car and dented it, Progressive would have gone after her. 2. Since my only recourse at this point would be to find the lady and sue her, I would have to try and get the police to compel Costco to help find this lady's identity so I could sue her. That's obviously not going to happen which pretty much leaves me with no cards to play at this point. So, that's that.

To everyone who posted on here saying I was crazy and Costco will never pay me a dime, you were right! Thank you for your input. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. I wanted to share this whole saga because most of the Tesla owners I know are pretty passionate about their cars. I hoped that sharing this story would help inform other Tesla owners on best practices in respect to parking lot damage. I was hoping to report back that Costco covered the damage and I could share a useful roadmap for other Tesla owners should they find themselves in the same unfortunate position. But, unfortunately, Costco isn't going to cover this and the only advice I can offer is to park waaaay far away from the cart corrals even if there's a cement median between your car and the corral. Thanks again to everyone who joined this discussion!
 
It would be a comprehensive claim so it should not affect your rates. With collision claims Wheatgrass your rates go up varies based on state law. In PA for example they can not raise your rates unless they pay out over $2000 in a three year period.

Farmers specifically said my claim was covered under collision, despite the fact there was no accident, and the vehicle was damaged why parked and unattended. The language used was, "unless it is an Act of God," it would be under collision.
 
Same story happened to my MX about a month ago at wegmans. The dent was pretty bad and I took it to dent wizard within a week to get it fixed. The tech spent about an hour and got about 95% out but it is still noticeable if you really look for it. my friend suggested that I report it to wegmans which I did last week. I showed them the video and got a letter 3 days later asking me to get an estimate. If it’s over $500 they will need 2 estimates and pay the lesser estimate amount.
 
I have a question, as I'm a bit late to the discussion, but is there a specific reason you said,

"In the end, all Progressive offered to do was file a claim under my insurance (which would raise my rates) to have the dent repaired."

Issues like this are one of the reasons we carry insurance, so is one claim going to make your rates go up?

I have a friend who works for Progressive and he said that my rates would most likely go up if Progressive paid out. The rep on the phone said the same thing. Basically, your rates are based on risk. If your insurance company has to pay out (even if it's not your fault) your rates will most likely go up because you are an increased risk driver. Also, pretty sure those claims go with you from company to company so if you want to change companies after 6 months etc, the new company will be aware of those payouts and you'll be quoted appropriately. It stinks but that's the game.
 
Same story happened to my MX about a month ago at wegmans. The dent was pretty bad and I took it to dent wizard within a week to get it fixed. The tech spent about an hour and got about 95% out but it is still noticeable if you really look for it. my friend suggested that I report it to wegmans which I did last week. I showed them the video and got a letter 3 days later asking me to get an estimate. If it’s over $500 they will need 2 estimates and pay the lesser estimate amount.
That's fair, no?
 
FWIW my son wrangles carts at Costco. He is limited to a max of 10 carts when not using the cart machine. Says he is frequently asked to add another cart when full and passing by. Tries to explain why he can‘t stop and add an 11th cart but many don’t believe him and retaliate by just abandoning their cart, which can then roll.
He also says the safest place to park to avoid cart dings is next to the cart corals.
Makes sense, my first new car ever was dented and scratched within the first week of ownership. It was parked way in the back of the parking lot away from any basket stalls.
 
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FWIW my son wrangles carts at Costco. He is limited to a max of 10 carts when not using the cart machine. Says he is frequently asked to add another cart when full and passing by. Tries to explain why he can‘t stop and add an 11th cart but many don’t believe him and retaliate by just abandoning their cart, which can then roll.
He also says the safest place to park to avoid cart dings is next to the cart corals.
Thanks for the insider info. Both Costco and the third party company said that the max was 15 carts and the attendant in the video was pushing 14. Maybe different policy for each store?

Out of curiosity, did you show your son the video? I'd be interested to hear his perspective as he's on the other side of this. Thanks again!
 

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Lots of angles here. First, always park uphill in any lot. Serving Small claims court action always gets a payout. Not worth their time/legal costs to fight over less than $1000 claim. Works for carwashes, shopping mall damage etc. They all post signs that are meaningless! As for insurance: Never file a claim for less than $5000. It will show up in vehicle history ie. Carfax/proof or other. Its called "diminished value" and you want to avoid it where possible. If unavoidable, pressure/sue insurance to pay it! Claims free cars sell for more than damaged ones. Translation: Dimished value. Its their loss to pay...not yours...but ONLY if you push it. They won't acknowledge "diminished value" and will pretend to have never heard of the term! Whine loud and hard!

It would be a comprehensive claim so it should not affect your rates. With collision claims Wheatgrass your rates go up varies based on state law. In PA for example they can not raise your rates unless they pay out over $2000 in a three year period.
 
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I do not park near the corrals (and, like everyone here, I always carefully return my cart to the corral) and I don't park in a spot if there is a loose cart nearby unless I can get it out myself, but I always worry that someone will hit me anyway, since so many are careless.

And if I start a trend, I want credit for it-I always jump on the back wheel support bar of Costco carts and ride them back to my car, at least partway. If the slope is wrong, I ride them on the way into Costco. They are basically impossible to steer like that, even for a former waterskier, so sometimes the trip is short. I can't do this on most grocery store carts as they lack a sufficient foot support bar. No, I have never hit a person, car or other object. Occasionally another older person smiles and if someone is with kids, I usually tell the kids not to do this. Unfortunately, I do not have my bike helmet with me when I do it.
I always ride the carts when I can, either towards the store or back to my car. Seems like the obvious thing to do, then again, maybe I'm still too young to know better. I'm 58. When will I grow up?
 
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Lots of angles here. First, always park uphill in any lot. Serving Small claims court action always gets a payout. Not worth their time/legal costs to fight over less than $1000 claim. Works for carwashes, shopping mall damage etc. They all post signs that are meaningless! As for insurance: Never file a claim for less than $5000. It will show up in vehicle history ie. Carfax/proof or other. Its called "diminished value" and you want to avoid it where possible. If unavoidable, pressure/sue insurance to pay it! Claims free cars sell for more than damaged ones. Translation: Dimished value. Its their loss to pay...not yours...but ONLY if you push it. They won't acknowledge "diminished value" and will pretend to have never heard of the term! Whine loud and hard!
OK, you're making me want to open this back up. Who would I go after? I can't get the ID of the cart lady.
 
Lots of angles here. First, always park uphill in any lot. Serving Small claims court action always gets a payout. Not worth their time/legal costs to fight over less than $1000 claim. Works for carwashes, shopping mall damage etc. They all post signs that are meaningless! As for insurance: Never file a claim for less than $5000. It will show up in vehicle history ie. Carfax/proof or other. Its called "diminished value" and you want to avoid it where possible. If unavoidable, pressure/sue insurance to pay it! Claims free cars sell for more than damaged ones. Translation: Dimished value. Its their loss to pay...not yours...but ONLY if you push it. They won't acknowledge "diminished value" and will pretend to have never heard of the term! Whine loud and hard!
This is VERY useful info! Thank you for posting.
 
So, tonight I was stocking up on my doomsday prepper supplies at Costco and a lady let a cart go that hit the side of my (formerly perfect) MR M3. It did leave a dent. Not a huge dent, but, the car was dent free before this and this will prob be a $500-$1000 repair.

I caught the incident on camera. You can see she even asked a cart-retrieving, Costco employee where to put the cart and he points to a cart corral which was on the other side of a raised sidewalk in front of my car. So, instead of her heaving the cart over the sidewalk (which I can understand), she simply places it by the curb and said cart then rolled into my (formerly perfect) Tesla. :( As she was leaving, I caught her car and back plate (no front) on cam.

I'm wondering if I should try and uprez the back plate (don't think that's possible) or go after Costco to pay for the repair because the employee was literally taking carts in and instead of him grabbing this cart, he told her to put it in the corral - on the other side of the raised sidewalk.

Videos in the link. Let me know what you think. Thanks

My suggestion is to reserve a CyberTruck today. You are gonna need it or maybe wrap your car in bubble wrap when you park.
 
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