A scooter caused $460 of damage to a car. Bird will pay for only a fraction of repairs.

A gust of wind turned a regular Sunday lunch on Mass Ave. into $460 of damage and weeks of waiting.

Matthew Kawiecki's car was dented by a Bird scooter that had blown over. He immediately took action to report it. That was on Oct. 28. On Wednesday, he heard back from Bird: They would pay only 25 percent of the cost.

But it's not about the money, Kawiecki said. It's about what he sees as Bird not taking ownership for damage one of its scooters caused on that October day.

“From what I remember, it was nice and sunny that day," Kawiecki, a 28-year-old from Irvington, told IndyStar. "But the gusts were strong that day.”

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He parked his blue 2007 Pontiac G6 near Nine Irish Brothers, where he was going to eat lunch with his in-laws and nieces. No scooters were near his car when he went in.

“I typically slide them away from the car," Kawiecki said with a chuckle.

But a scooter was resting on his car when he returned.

“As we were walking up to the car; that’s when I saw it.” Kawiecki said. “I was just like, ‘Oh look at that, it fell on our car.’”

He didn’t see the dent at first. It wasn't much larger than the circular end of the scooter's handlebars.

After calling the non-emergency number and speaking to a police officer who said it was a civil issue, Kawiecki called Bird.

"They were really nice on the phone,” he said. He would send his first email to Bird later that day, detailing the damage and including pictures.

A little more than a week later, Kawiecki emailed Bird an estimate from Mark's Collision Center, a Beech Grove-area body shop.

The $461.76 estimate surprised Kawiecki.

“To my shock, I thought it was going to be $50 or $100, but they explained that with it being on the hood, they couldn’t just pop it out.”

He received a response from Bird four days later. 

"We're very sorry to hear of this accident and would like to see where we can help," the email that Kawiecki provided to IndyStar said. "Our team has reviewed the estimate, along with the description you sent over. Due to the nature of this incident, our team is able to assist with covering 25% of the damages to your vehicle, namely: $115.44."

IndyStar contacted Bird for information about the process it uses to settle claims, including how it decides the amount it will pay and whether it follows a timeframe for addressing claims. A Bird spokesperson responded with the following statement:

"We strongly recommend reporting any damaged scooters or incidents that Bird scooters are involved in, as we have a support team dedicated to safety that is available around the clock to address questions and reports we receive. Bird provides a number of ways for people to reach us including by email (Hello@bird.co), through our in-app messaging feature, and by phone."

Follow-up questions for more information about the process were referred back to the written statement.

Kawiecki responded to Bird's initial offer the same day. He did not accept. Instead, he made other proposals to Bird, including an offer to get two additional quotes for the repair costs. He also threatened a civil lawsuit.

That was Nov. 9. He followed up again on Nov. 13. But he did not receive a response, he said.

He followed up again Wednesday, and he received a response in less than an hour. It included "apologies for any frustration stemming from our radio silence." 

"We took the opportunity to review this case once again with our supervisors," the email read. "We're very sorry that this incident has affected you and we'd still like to see how we can help. We've been able to secure a total of $115.44 towards the total cost incurred for the damages to your vehicle. Unfortunately this offer cannot be adjusted nor modified." 

The email also stated that, by taking the offer, Kawiecki would "agree to resolve and waive any and all disputes, claims, complaints, demands, and/or causes of action, including but not limited to the incident involving a Bird Rides, Inc." on the date of the incident.

Kawiecki hasn't responded yet, but he said he doesn't plan to accept the offer.

"It’s not even about the money,” he said. “It’s principle. I don’t think I’m going to concede and take the $115, and if that means I don’t get any money, I’ll still hold to my values and principles.”

Kawiecki, who has not ridden one of Bird's scooters, said he's not against the new technology. But the experience has soured him on the company.

“If I do ever ride a scooter one day and I have a choice between Bird and Lime, I’ll definitely pick Lime.”

Call IndyStar digital producer Ethan May at 317-444-4682. Follow him on Twitter @EthanMayJ