The replacement adjuster at Aviva called me this afternoon very confused about Boisvert Ford’s estimate because there was a $600 difference with the idiots’ estimate. I told her that my adjuster told me many times that the number doesn’t matter. As long as the adjuster in the US said that A,B, and C needs to be repaired and that Boisvert says that A, B, and C needs to be repaired, then the numbers, within reason, don’t matter.

She went on to say that there were a lot of questions about the estimate. The French speaker on staff couldn’t translate half of it into something that made sense. Could I call Boisvert and figure it out?

I called and got the body shop guy immediately. He was available to discuss the estimate and once he realised that I really needed to understand each item to explain it to someone else, he took the time to walk me through the whole thing very patiently. Wow, what a difference in service!

As it turns out, his estimate is just more detailed. Instead of just saying ‘repair bumper’, he spells that that repairing the bumper means that we have to repair the side and rear exterior panels the bumper is attached to as well as the inside of the compartment. Uh, inside of the compartment? *note to self: empty the compartment* He also had the proper French terms (plancher and seuil, literally floor and threshold) for the three twisted metal pieces. Finally, he added the hitch receiver and the hitch.

So I emailed Aviva back and said that the estimate makes perfect sense to me, detailing and explaining each item, and that I can provide more pictures for clarification. I also told them that a dealership working on its own product should trump any other estimate for repair and the adjuster agreed.

I think Miranda is going to be in good hands!