CIRCLE OF PROPAGANDA ™: ALL of these items are simply propaganda to coerce or intimidate YOU into doing what the insurance company wants you to do! If you are hearing this, you may be the victim of insurance abuse! These are “fear” tactics designed to “steer” you to the shop of their choice!
Things an insurance company might say:
The insurance company said the repairs would be faster if I choose the contract shop! Simply a tool used by insurance companies to steer you to the contract shop! In most cases, this is not true. Statistics show that non-contract shops produce repairs quicker and more safely!
The insurance company said that your shops charges for things that are not necessary or charge more than everyone else or that you overcharge! Another tool to steer you to the contract shop! Ask them to identify these items and discuss it with your chosen collision repair shop.
The insurance company said that I would have to pay out of pocket if I choose my own shop! Simply another “fear” tactic. If you are first party, then a contract policy will provide options for repairs…have the insurance company show you, in writing, where your policy states that “you will have to pay out of pocket”! If you are third party…no contract exist and failure to be reimbursed in full by the third party insurance company may put their policy holder at risk! See “Remedies” for more information to obtain a complete and safe repair and get paid!
The insurance company said they would not warranty the repairs if I choose your shop! Insurance companies do NOT warranty repairs! They may be able to force a contract shop to stand behind the repairs that were made at the contract shop BUT most professional collision shops already have warranties in place that meet or exceed those warranties!
The insurance company said that I would have to wait for an appraiser if I choose your shop! The insurance company is hoping that if the inspection is delayed that you may choose a contract shop!
The insurance company said that your company was difficult to work with or doesn’t follow normal procedures! Most reputable shops may be identified as difficult because of their unwillingness to cheat or negotiate a repair job. There are hundreds of insurance companies and there is NO such thing as “normal procedures”. Ask the insurance company for a list of those “normal procedures” in writing before the repair begins.
The insurance company said that repairs would take longer if I use the shop of my choice! Statistics show that non-contract repair shops often produce repairs much faster with higher quality!
The insurance company will not return my phone calls. This is a common practice used by insurance companies to delay the claim!
The insurance company said that your shop won’t deal with them! Most reputable repair shops do not “DEAL” with insurance companies. “Dealing with” means “negotiating” which often leads to a compromised repair! Repair shops and consumers lose when the repair shops “negotiate” with insurance companies!
That repair shop is not on our preferred list! That’s a good thing!
We will not accept an estimate from your shop! The shop is the repair professional and it is common practice for an insurance company to use the collision shop estimate!
Your shop will not work from the insurance company estimate! An insurance estimate is ONLY for the benefit on an insurance company to verify that a loss exist. It is NOT intended to be used as the blueprint for a proper repair! If you choose a shop that accepts and works from an insurance company…then you should expect a compromised possibly unsafe repair!
Your shop will not even accept a copy of our estimate! See the remark above!
The insurance company said they would terminate my rental if I choose your shop! See the “Help Links” section of this site and file complaints with the appropriate departments immediately!
The insurance company said that your repair shop would not take our phone call or was not available to speak with them when they called your shop! There are many components that go into the proper repair of your vehicle. Don’t expect a repair shop to be able to manage a complicated repair job and always be available or willing to discuss the repairs with an insurance company as the two do NOT have the same interest in the outcome of the repair!
The shop you chose requires our staff to sign in and we don’t sign in! In today’s legal environment, a sign-in waiver, is absolutely essential to protect shops from scandalous lawsuits!
The repair shop is not reputable! Insurance companies will say almost anything to get their way! Ask them to put that in writing!
The repair shop will not give us invoices for parts or towing! ALL reputable collision repair shops will produce an itemized final repair invoice at the completion of the repair. Insurance companies are referring to repair shop internal documents as to where the parts were purchased and how much was paid. Try asking for those invoices at Wal-Mart when you buy a TV. Most shops will NOT share internal documentation and insurance companies can NOT deny payment to you for this reason!
Your repair shop bills in dollars rather than hours and their estimate is not itemized! Some shops choose to bill in dollars rather than hours to communicate to the vehicle owner about the true cost of the repair. Billing in hours just makes it more difficult to determine the cost. There is not a right or wrong. Its simply the choice of your chosen repair shop! The insurance company owes for the damages regardless of the manner of the format the shop chooses!
IF you are hearing these things about the shop YOU choose, that is a good sign that the shop works for you and not the insurance company! You are much more likely to obtain a complete and safe repair from this type of repair facility. Keep in mind that you should avoid any shop that claims to “handle” the claim for you. Insurance companies hire and train skilled negotiators to get their way. You do NOT want a repair shop that has signed agreements with the insurance companies or agrees to handle your claim. Keep in mind that a quality repair cannot be had at a budget price.
INSURANCE COMPANIES often use the delay, defend, and deny method betting on the fact that vehicle owners are too busy or just too ethical to pursue full payment. Their hopes are that they can force a repair shop to bend and compromise the repair or the vehicle owner will just give up! If YOU do not get paid in full or YOU get a compromised repair, then YOU got just what the insurance company wanted YOU to get! A repair shop cannot resolve a claim for YOU!
IF YOU want a complete and safe repair, YOU should be involved in every aspect of the repair process! Don’t allow your repair shop to settle the claim for YOU. YOU will come out on the short end of the stick, EVERYTIME. This is a great time to search the Internet for reviews and complaints about a specific insurance companies claims handling practices.