Small claims or not Fl
I have a little side business that we do renting out a skid steer. We have renters sign paperwork stating that they will pay $700 plus cost of repairs. Have renters flip machine off trailer due to negligence resulting in $30k in repairs for new engine and other components. My insurance deductible is $1,800 for this repair. The renter thought it was going to be a $200 deductible because he spoke to the dealer tech that was trying to fix the machine and thought our deductible was that much. After we sent him a copy of the invoice and was ok if they just cover our deductible so it not a big financial hit for them as they are a small land clearing business. They have not responded to calls or text messages and it’s been almost 2 months since this incident has happened which resulted in my insurance costs going up leading to my monthly payment for the machine jumping up $300. Should I start a small claim for the deductible amount or just go and get a lawyer to go for the entire $30k repair amount?
Machine is only 6months only at this point with low hours.