[return to the red]

I think your trouble lies in the fact that you pretty much accepted guilt right off the bat. I know you were trying to avoid a confrontation but telling the guy to get a cost and giving him your number pretty much puts a guilty sign on you.

You should have examined the scratch, if you could stick your finger nail in it it can't be polished out and the door would have to be repainted, therefore the cost associated with it.