Are You “Ping Worthy”?

{4 minutes to read} My friend Heidi purchased a new car a few years back. She was so proud of herself because she negotiated the whole deal on her own with no help from anyone. After months of research, she knew which car she wanted and bravely marched into the dealership to buy her new vehicle. But wait!

• Did she want the extended warranty?
• Did she want the rust-proofing package?
• Did she want the additional undercoating for the chassis?
• Did she want the window tinting?
• Did she want the “ding” insurance? (Or as she likes to call it “ping” insurance.)

Arrrrghhhh!!!!!

She was recounting this hilarious story to me and our friend Dale as we were getting into her car one gorgeous weekend at the Jersey shore. She pointed out all the little dents on the front and back bumpers and almost all of the side panels, telling us that she did indeed purchase the “ping” insurance.

Prior to moving to New Jersey, she had lived and parked her car in the city. She was concerned about it getting dinged all over the place (for good reason), and she at least wanted that coverage.

So why was her car loaded with dents?? What happened to her “Ping” insurance?

The “Ping” Process

Well, in order to have those dents taken care of, she explained, you first you have to bring your car to the dealership for them to determine whether you are (and this is her phrase) “Ping worthy.” And in order for them to determine this, you have to leave your car for a few days while it sits in a queue awaiting the adjuster’s assessment of your ping worthiness. A few days just for the appraisal…and if you are deemed “ping worthy,” then who knows how long it takes to hammer them out!

The “ping” insurance, by the way, doesn’t include a car rental. She missed that in the fine print. Hence the ping, ding and dent-studded car.

Caveat Emptor – let the buyer beware!

As we were laughing hysterically at her recitation of her ordeal, I was thinking about the litigation system and the expectations that people have about getting their day in court. It’s really not dissimilar to Heidi’s experience with the insurance package she thought would cover her.

For those engaged in the court system, you start with the expectation that justice will be served. Perhaps it will…eventually you’ll find out. But first there’s:

• The back and forth to the courthouse;
• The hours and hours of waiting for your appearance;
• The cost to you of paying for your lawyer to do the same;
• The backlog the courts have and therefore the constant delays;
• Unpaid days taken off from work to show up only to find out that there is yet another postponement.

The aggravation, frustration and dashed hopes that justice will be done can leave one bereft and just plain spent. Mediation is looking better and better, isn’t it? Because in mediation, you ARE “Ping worthy!”