^^^^ yeah it's just the tip of the iceberg of course.
Seriously though,it's quite scary how the whole process works and ironically it's often the garage at the end of it that gets rammed up the arse with it.
For example,I quoted on a mates Chrysler voyager,quoted at £40 p/h inc vat,so roughly £32 p/h which is cheap,an unit/a business costs realistically £18000 AFTER tax to run so an average 40 hour week needs to generate at least £1500 to make even minimum wage for the owner.
Prick assessor comes back with a max price of £23 p/h INC vat!!!
So £18 an hour ex vat,2 men on min wage say £13-15 p/h time you sort their NI etc and it ain't happening.
No matter where I went I couldn't make the figures work.
He eventually came back on £30 p/h inc vat after my mate point blank refusing to go elsewhere.
He then renaged (sp) on a previous verbal agreement that he would supply a new grill @ £350.
I told him I wouldn't be able to get it without written confirmation that I'd get the money as this was around the same cost as the job and the cheeky prick told me he'd need too see a copy of my invoice that I'd paid and then add 30 days on to pay.
Fucked them off then.
The darker side is recovery and storage,there's no set rates and quite frankly I did it literally on the attitude of the person on the end of the line which went from £15 per day to £30 storage and from £150-350 per recovery.
Don't forget the police recommended one was my top rate as a minimum recovery charge and often if you rang the police to report an accident he would turn up before them even if your car was drivable,I've even had an old boy down the garage who told me the copper INSISTED on his car being recovered despite the only major damage being a burst tyre where he'd hit the kerb so the scam goes back to the law as well!!!!

Accident management companies are total con merchants as well,realistically you can earn more money through the commission they give you than you do from the repair.

It's one big con and IMO everytime you phone your insurers for a minor incident such as this that can easily be sorted amicably your playing into their hands,what if the op's bumper had a few chips on it,maybe some scratches?theyll now be fixed for free as you can't paint round them!!!the girlies happy she's not paying a £500 excess plus a premium increase of at least another £500 plus a black mark on her record,who loses?no one.
Go insurance route and everyone whos involved pays more,bodyshop boy has to wait a month for his money rather than getting it there and then,the victims premium stays the same,girlies premium also.
Frankly I can't see what possible reason you'd have for contacting them if it can be settled amicably,other than being just a complete and utter cunt.
Another point is how the fuck will they ever find out otherwise?
A point that totally negates the need to speak to them,why would you and then pay more on next years premium,oh and maybe get your car cat c'd just because an assessor didn't like the look of it so it then becomes worthless!!!
Even a bump against it officially repaired at an "approved bodyshop" will go against its value in the future and they now have a record of it because you decided to inform them.
To me it's a bit like when you buy something in a shop and the dolly bird rings up the wrong price on the til in your favour by mistake,you don't notice til you walked out and drive off,do you go back with the money,mention it in front of her boss who's standing next to her or just think "it must be my lucky day"?
Of course you should go back and do it but realistically your not doing anyone any favours,your losing out,she gets a row,it takes just as long to ring the mistake back into the till so the company actually ends up losing more than the item cost in labour to make the mistake etc etc etc!!!
As the op pointed out above,there's been no problems so far,it's all getting sorted at a place they both agree on,they'll both be there to see the price so no-ones being hoodwinked ,bodyshop boys happy with the work so everyone wins.
Simples.