Auto Accident Insurance
If you’re involved in an auto accident the main issue of concern is to get fast assistance for anyone who was hurt. Next, you will need to speak to your insurance agent.
So when you pick up the telephone and call your insurance representative to tell him you want to turn in an insurance claim, he appears really helpful. He even indicates an auto body shop you can take your car to, and may refer to it as being a “preferred” repair shop.
“Fantastic” you might think. That saves you the bother of having to locate a body shop on your own.. Besides, you simply want to get your vehicle fixed, right? However suppose you currently know of a high quality shop that does body repair and would prefer to take your car there.
So you tell your insurance representative “I would like to take my car to a different body shop that I’m already familiar with”. But he responds with something such as “We won’t guarantee the repair when you go there” or “You’ll need to pay more if you go to the shop of your liking” or some other assertion intended to dissuade you from going to your shop and motivate (or possibly try to coerce) you to go to the insurance company’s “preferred” shop.
So now you may well be curious about what to make of his reaction. Why is he so eager to discourage you from visiting the shop of your choice?
To respond to this particular concern, you need to know what the final aim of an insurer is: and that is NOT to “share risk” or “deliver the best possible service” … but to make a profit, and as high a profit as possible! And that is achieved by minimizing how much they have to shell out in insurance claims.
So the “preferred” repair shop your representative is guiding you to is in fact “preferred” … by the insurer so it will save them money, but it may not act to your best interest. Why? Because the recommended body shop is under agreement to make use of parts which are more affordable than the original parts that were in the car when it was new. But sadly, some of these parts are inferior in quality and could even result in a dangerous repair job! It might even mean that your vehicle will be dangerous to drive after the repairs have been completed.
There are added reasons why picking the wrong repair shop can lead to unsafe repairs. There’s a procedure termed “Clipping”, which means cutting off a complete half of your vehicle (either the front or rear half) and attaching another (undamaged) half of a vehicle that has been wrecked.
The end result means that the structural strength of your car’s frame or unibody has been jeopardized. Does this sound risky to you? Well it is. But regrettably, it’s not against the law! Cars are “clipped” every day.
Naturally the ideal answer is to avoid an auto accident altogether, but should you be involved in an auto accident – BEWARE! Find out if the shop recommended by your representative will be repairing your vehicle with aftermarket parts. And if the shop practices “clipping” … don’t even contemplate using them!
