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!
