[tech69]

Now imagine working with these greedy businessmen when it comes to fulfilling their part of the agreement in insuring a car. We currently have a car in our shop that will most likely get a lien sale all because a cheap POS insurance company is too darn cheap to pay for some tear down time and storage fees. Just think if that was your car and you pay $$$ every single month for NOTHING til something comes up, and when it does they send out these manipulative wiesels to come out and wiesel their way out of HONORING their obligation.


Progressive insurance on defense after court case - SFGate

[MARTINSR]

You know what's funny, my boss loves those jobs! He often gets paid more for the storage than the GP he would have made fixing it!

We have had one that were at the shop for darn near a year. Now, understand this is a BIG place so sticking this off in the corner of the lot is not effecting the work flow. It stayed there for many months with him sending them bills for the storage. He finally leaned it, we did a quick repair and he sold it for a great profit. Sure they can be a pain, all I know is we do about 3.5 million a year in business working with those jerk insurance companies.

Brian

[tech69]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

You know what's funny, my boss loves those jobs! He often gets paid more for the storage than the GP he would have made fixing it!

We have had one that were at the shop for darn near a year. Now, understand this is a BIG place so sticking this off in the corner of the lot is not effecting the work flow. It stayed there for many months with him sending them bills for the storage. He finally leaned it, we did a quick repair and he sold it for a great profit. Sure they can be a pain, all I know is we do about 3.5 million a year in business working with those jerk insurance companies.

Brian

do they also have you on the bonus program where you stiff your own workers to line your own pockets? They have it at bodycraft and it's pretty annoying cause it gets confusing as to who in the hell they work for.

[MARTINSR]

There is no "bonus program" but there are simple things we need to do to KEEP the million dollar account. Without that account I would have no job, so yes sometimes we bend over backwards to make something happen for the insurance companies benefit. But they do pay my house payment, and put gas in my Rambler.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

I am sorry to be on the other side of the fence and CERTAINLY see the BS we have to put up with too Henry.

The biggest problem I have with insurance companies is when they have a lame way to cut expenses like AM parts or remanufactured wheels or something like that on a brand new car. The FACT is this is all spelled out on the customers contract with them! It isn't explained by the insurance agent who signed them up, but it is right there in black and white. But what really burns me up is when they tell the claimant who the insurance companies insured just hit that HE has to use AM parts or reconditioned parts on HIS car when he DIDN'T sign that contract! THAT ticks me off.

But in working with these guys every day you find that they will bend and they WANT to bend to make things easier for them and they know what's right and wrong too.

I see adjusters from every insurance company you can imagine on a regular basis. Most of these people want what you and I want out of a job, a pat on the back for a job well done. They have guide lines their boss has laid on them, just as you and I. They are also human and know what is right or wrong.

We have them all the time who want to use AM parts, we get the AM part and bolt it on then set the car aside and wait for them to come out and see that the part doesn't fit well, they take pictures and give us the OK to return the AM part and order OEM. It's a game that they MUST play to make their boss happy but they don't give us any crap about it. If we get a no-core slip for a remanufactured part, there is no questions asked they pay for the OEM. When it comes to things like suspension parts when we write up to change all the parts, knuckle, hub and bearing, strut, and they say only the strut is bent. We make it very clear, if we change the strut and it doesn't align, we will change the next part they want us to, with NO OVERLAP time, we will charge them for every alignment and we do it. We get paid for aligning the car four times and changing three parts one at a time with no overlap just they were a new job. What is funny is we do all these things with a smile and the customer is informed why their car is taking so long to get repaired. We don't bad mouth the insurance company, we just do what is needed to repair the car properly.

Most of the time, a HUGE majority of the time the insurance company isn't such a bad guy, they have a job to do. It's like a Corvette that came by the other day, interesting story. The car was "keyed" scratched all the way around it. If it wasn't for the F bomb scratched in the hood I would bet it was "self inflicted". I still think it was self inflicted as it still follows a number of other classic "rules" of the self inflicted vandalism but we will say it isn't at this point. Anyway, this Vette needs a complete paint job (one VERY obvious classic self inflicted red flag) and the paint job that is on the car is CRAP. It was repainted like CRAP. It has no gloss, dirt all over, nothing was removed when it was painted, a HORRIBLE paint job. Well the insurance company gave him a check for about two grand to paint it. If this car had the original paint on it they would have paid about 8-10 grand to repair this vandalism, to restore it back to "pre-accident" condition, that is what it would take. But because it has such a horrendously crappy paint job on it, they figure it could be returned back for $2000. He is crapping his pants because "he has paid insurance all these years". Sorry dude but they are RIGHT, why should they pay to give you more than you before the claim? I have also seen a lot of insurance companies and adjusters give the car owner WAY more than they deserve, KNOWING it is BS they still do it. All the time, every single day I see it. Just had one yesterday where this guy has a 98 Cad and he ran over something. The insurance paid (not without a little crying) for a bunch of stuff that is SERIOUSLY borderline related like replacing his AC compressor that "now" is making noise.

Next time an insurance adjuster comes out treat them with respect, give them a pat on the back for a job well done, ask them about their day, "so how far do they have you driving today?" It will amaze you how human those people are when they are treated like a human.

Brian

[tech69]

no way I pat them on the back. If we're not their drp we're gonna get every fricken penny they're obligated to pay. What urks me about them is how long they fricken take to even look at the car and how they lag when they don't get their way. If they get their way the process is faster but if they don't they take a long time, effecting business AND the customer's plans on driving to work...you know, the ones that KEEP THEM IN BUSINESS!

They're scum all around. I do not thank them one bit as I'd hand my thanks to the politicians who mandated drivers carry insurance...or most of them anyways.

[S10 Racer]

Back in the 80's when I worked for a body/tow shop, we would tow cars to the lot. If the owner never claimed them within 90 days, we could do what we wanted to with it, insured or not. That's exactly how I got my first demolition derby car. Not sure how it works these days though.

[sumner41]

been there. worked in trade for years. I regard to vette,the law ONLY requires that the person be made whole, NOT BETTER than it was a time of loss. And people DO try to get over on insurance compainies as well.

[sumner41]

Boy can I relate. When in the 60's,I worked in the trade, I smashed up my 57 chevy. A friend and old school chum had an abandoned 57 chevy (as I remember blew a rod) that was left on the highway. Well, There was nothing wrong with the rest of the car. So he gave it to me. An engine transplant later,I had a nice 57 again.

[tech69]

Originally Posted by sumner41

been there. worked in trade for years. I regard to vette,the law ONLY requires that the person be made whole, NOT BETTER than it was a time of loss. And people DO try to get over on insurance compainies as well.

yeah but these insurance companies are criminals. They essentially name the price or they strong arm you to death. They steer customers to their drp, which is illegal to do. They don't serve their customers very well when they let cars sit in shops cause they're pouting about paying for what the repair is worth. Then they send these agents to your shop and they walk around like they own the place trying to dictate how the repair should be done when they have ZERO experience with the repairs needed. Most insurance companies hire adjusters with zero body shop experience and all business experience. This ensures that the only thing they care about is saving the insurance company money.

[farna]

Some insurance companies are like that, some aren't. I had to threaten one insurance company to get a fair price for my Rambler when it was totaled. I had been paying on a $7K stated value policy for several years, and it was under insured. I knew it, but figured I could save a few bucks and that I could replace the car 9discounting my own work) for around $7K if necessary. I expected a $7K check, but was offered HALF that much. My agent was useless -- the other driver had the same company! After about three weeks or haggling the body shop that had the car suggested I contact the state insurance commissioner. The company had sent and adjuster who took 10 minutes to drive up. peek under the tarp and take a couple notes, then leave. I thought it was pretty obvious the car was modified, but they just looked up a 63 Rambler Classic wagon in Old Cars Price Guide and wanted to give me that. When I pointed out the stated value policy I was told state law requires they give me current market value. If it hadn't been obviously totaled I don't think I'd have had too much trouble. They ended up handing me a fair $9500 check, and I kept the car (wrote it up as a $10K pay-off). When the special investigator they sent handed me the check, I told him about the $7K policy and that was really what I'd expected. He just shook his head... If they'd have honored the policy in the first place it would have saved them well over $2500 -- two appraisers (they had it appraised by a more competent outside appraiser the second time) plus time for the special investigator had to amount to something!

In the end the insurance company is in business to make money, not fix cars. Some realize that the better they DO serve a customer the more business they will have though. Progressive has been in hot water lately, but I got to tell you they did me right a few years ago. A fellow with Progressive hit us in the back and totaled my wife's Pontiac Vibe. They paid everything, and when it was obvious we weren't inclined to sue for anything else, they gave us an extra $600 "for the inconvenience and any small miscellaneous expenses". I waited about a month for all the bills to come in (we had sore necks and had that checked out, no lasting problems though) before signing papers. Darn it, about a week after another bill came in for just under $600!! "Well, there goes the extra!", I told my wife. But on a whim, I decided to call them and let them know. They asked me to come in to their office and looked over the file. In just a few minutes the adjuster told me they were going to pay the bill, since it was obvious they'd intended to do just that, I just needed to sign a new release paper. I was happy -- was expecting to get told "sorry", and wouldn't have made a fuss about it either. But they were relived we didn't sue, especially after having neck x-rays! We could have got a bit of dough, but suing the insurance company just because you know they'll pay you off just runs rates up for everyone. Had we been told we were going to have neck problems later it would have been different, but since we were told we were just a bit sore and there were no issues, there was no good reason to ask for anything other than fair re-compensation for the car and paid medical and other bills directly related to the accident.