The Insurance Company Told Me What Shop I Have To Go To.
Can They Do That? Can I Not Choose What Auto Body Shop I Want To Repair The Collision On My Car or Truck?
The bottom line it that it’s your car or truck and YOU are the one that gets to decide who repairs it.
That said insurance companies have contractual relationships with auto body collision and repair shops in Ogden, UT and around Weber County.
Body shops agree to repair crashed cars at a certain price and quality to fulfill their contractual obligation to the insurance company. In return insurance companies are able to save money and have some control to manage quality, whether the quality is high enough or if its too high and needs to be brought down to be good enough and save on cost.
Shops makeup for the discounted rates they give the insurance company by relying a higher volume of claims coming in from insurance companies sending people who’ve been in an accident to them.
Here’s an example of how it often goes: You’re driving down Washington Blvd in downtown Ogden, Utah and somebody pulls out from the taco stand and hits you. There’s an office coming out of the courthouse that responds and issues the other driver a ticket. You call the insurance company to make arrangements to get your car repaired. The insurance agent is super nice and gets all your information and then tells take your can into a particular body shop to get the collision repaired.
Do you have to go to that shop?
No you don’t. You can check them out but you have the right to decide where to have your accident repair done. Certainly, choose an auto body shop that will have your best interest in mind as their primary motive.
It’s always good to read reviews and then go to a body shop that will not only warranty the repair but offer a Lifetime Plus™ guarantee.
When and insurance company tells you where to go our influences your decision, it is called steering and that is actually a BIG No No! It is actually illegal.
Insurance companies will get “around” steering by telling people that the collision repair won’t be warrantied, or that you may end up owing “out-of-pocket” if you don’t go to their shop. At these tactics are irrelevant when dealing with an auto body shop that offers a Life Time Plus Guarantee.
If you ever find yourself talking to an insurance agent about getting your car fixed. Note their suggestion but be sure to do your homework and go with the shop where you will be their A #1 priority.