PoorManQ45 wrote:In addition to a thanks to the owner of the shop I would look into legal options.
I doubt he has a legal case here. The policy requires certain provisions to be met before a lawsuit can be filed against them. And even then, insurance companies are entitled to have a difference of opinion. The key would be in finding inconsistent handling of the case (relative to others) and/or some part of the file that suggests that they were deliberately trying to deny a part of his claim without regard to the merits of the case. Its unlikely this kind of info would be in the case file and no implications of it could be derived without first backing them into a corner by taking the steps I initially suggested.
I am glad to hear it worked out regardless. I doubt the shop's threat of legal action had any real weight. They are not a party to the case so it would get dismissed. But it certainly helps when you have a shop that may be willing to provide testimony that the damage appears related. Especially if the physical evidence is not conclusive.