Guide

What to do when a customer says you damaged their car

Published 7 November 2026.

The short answer. Stay calm and look at the mark together. Photograph it now, note who was there, and don't admit or deny anything on the spot. Then gather what you have from drop-off, and speak to your insurer before you offer anything.

This is general information, not legal advice. If a claim is live, take proper advice on it.

Step by step

  1. Look at the mark together. Ask the customer to show you exactly where it is, and listen to what they say happened.
  2. Photograph it now. Take a close-up with something for scale, and one from a step back. Note the date, the time, the light and who was there.
  3. Write down what was said, in the customer's words.
  4. Don't admit or deny anything on the spot. Say you'll look into it and come back by a set time, and do.
  5. Gather what you have: booking messages, photos from drop-off (yours or the customer's), the job sheet and the invoice.
  6. Get an independent view. A body repairer or paint specialist can often say how old a mark looks. Ask for it in writing.
  7. Speak to your insurer before you agree to pay for anything, and check what your policy says about admitting liability.

If you can't agree

If your business is accredited to The Motor Ombudsman, its dispute service may be open to the customer. In England and Wales, a customer can start a court claim for money online, through Make a court claim for money on GOV.UK. Smaller claims usually go to the small claims track.

Last checked 28 October 2026.

This is general information, not legal advice. If a claim is live, take proper advice on it.

Recording the car at drop-off

What helps is a clear record of the car's condition when it came into your care, made with the customer and signed by you both. Our free vehicle condition report does it on paper.

KeySigned does the same on your iPhone, with guided photos, damage marked on that car and both signatures, in a record sealed so any later change shows. Your customer's copy is the record page and the .zip evidence pack, which also holds the signed PDF. With the evidence pack they can check the record in an up-to-date browser. Records stay on your iPhone and aren't backed up, so export the ones you need.

Coming soon to the App Store

See a sealed record checked

From launch: a two-week free trial for new subscribers, then £14.99 a month or £119.99 a year, VAT included, until you cancel. iPhone with iOS 17 or later.

Pricing

Solo, from launch

£14.99 a month

or £119.99 a year, VAT included. Two-week free trial for new subscribers, then it renews automatically until you cancel. To avoid a charge, cancel at least 24 hours before the trial or a renewal ends: in iPhone Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Covers the Apple Account that subscribes.

Coming soon to the App Store

Handovers in progress
Without an active plan, you can still finish, sign and seal a handover within 48 hours of starting it. After that, it needs a plan to sign and seal, and it waits on your iPhone until then.
Return legs
The return leg of a car you've already collected is never charged.
Your records
Records you've already sealed stay readable, checkable and exportable whatever happens to your plan.

Questions

What does my customer get?

The record page and the .zip evidence pack, by WhatsApp, email, iMessage or AirDrop. The signed PDF is inside the pack, and you can send it on its own too. With the evidence pack they can check the record in an up-to-date browser, with no account and nothing uploaded.

Can a signed record be used as evidence?

Electronic signatures can be admitted as evidence in UK courts (Electronic Communications Act 2000, s.7; last checked 28 October 2026). How much weight a record carries is for the court.

How do we see what's new at collection?

KeySigned puts the return photos beside the drop-off ones, side by side, so you can both see whether anything is new.