The owners say there is a possibility of incorrect estimations, because there are no mechanics involved.
Some say they have incurred huge losses because of this, adding that showroom owners are doing the job incorrectly because they do not have the facilities to do a proper assessment.
Meanwhile, Madinah police spokesman Col. Omar Al-Nazawi said the decision to authorize showroom owners was taken by the Ministry of Interior.
He added that there was a committee comprising owners of three showrooms to assess the damage, although the vehicle owner can demand a reassessment if he so wishes.
However, owners say that in most cases a single showroom owner is doing estimations.
They say graduates from technical colleges, mechanics and spare parts should be involved.
Car owner Ammar Al-Hajouri said a showroom owner ripped him off when his vehicle was hit from behind by a teenager without a valid license.
“When the traffic policemen reached the scene, it was clear that the collision was 100 percent the teenager’s fault,” he said.
“When we arrived at the traffic police station, they asked me to bring a paper from a showroom owner stating how much the repair would cost. I did so and the owner demanded SR100 as the fee for the damage assessment.”
Al-Hajouri said the damage was estimated at SR3,700, claiming this did not take into account the exact damage caused to the rear, including the lights and boot.
“I told him this was not fair. How was it possible for him to estimate the value in such a way without taking into account the market value of the damaged spare parts?” he asked. “His reply was that we are all human beings. He claimed that he did a proper estimation and sometimes he might be erroneous.”
Al-Hajouri tried to persuade him to contact Toyota, who manufactured his vehicle, to find out the actual price of the spare parts in addition to assessing the exterior damage by calling in a bodywork specialist. He was then told that the estimation value would be raised to SR4,000. Yasir Al-Ahmadi, another citizen, had a similar experience when his SR163,000 worth car, which was 11-months-old, hit another head-on.
“The other driver was fully responsible as he overtook another vehicle in an area where overtaking was not allowed and then collided head on with my car,” he said.
“When I approached the showroom, a man representing the owner charged me SR100 for doing the damage assessment. He estimated the damage at SR7,500.”
Al-Ahmadi said he contacted his car manufacturer who told him the spare parts alone would cost SR12,000, while a workshop told him he would have to pay SR3,200 for the repairs.
“This means the showroom’s estimate is less than half of the repair costs I was quoted, a total of SR15,200,” he said. “This means that I have to bear the cost of damage that was not caused by me. Moreover, I have to rent a car at SR100 per day for 15 days until the repairs are completed.”
Ahmad Al-Ormani, owner of a showroom that carries out damage assessments on vehicles involved in collisions, admitted he put together estimates alone. “The important thing is the expertise in doing this exercise. As we are human beings, sometimes we get it wrong. We do hope that clients will forgive us if we provide a wrong estimate unintentionally,” he said.
It was also revealed that showrooms are coordinating with one another to ensure each has an equal opportunity to handle such estimates. Under the arrangement, three workshops will carry out assessments for a fixed period of time and then another three would replace them.
