Insurance Claims Questions
 

Hello All,

My name is Alexis and I'm here to field your insurance claims questions. I've been an auto claims adjuster for 2 years now and would love to answer any questions that you might have.

Please feel free to ask away and I will do my best to answer you question to the best of my ability or find someone that can.

Thanks and take care

I have owned my Corvette service shop for 21 years, and fight insurance companies every day to get enough money to do the repairs correctly. The latest gripe is most insurers are not allowing blend time. They tell us (repair shops) our painters should be skilled enough to match metallics without blending. Bullshit. Seems most, not all, insurance companies don't appreciate the work involved in exact and correct repairs. We even refuse some insurance work because there will be marginal or no profit. Any advice from your stand-point on how to deal with these issues?

Honestly...and I know you are going to hate me...continue on doing what you are doing. The insurance companies as a whole are not going to change the way they do business. The way they get there pricing is by taking an average of the industry standard and call it "the price." If shop X can do it for $1000 (the same repairs) and you charge $1500 for the same repairs, the insurance company is going to look the price and say well shop X can do it for $1000, you should be able to it too.

I don't necessarily agree, but there is a way that an insurance company has to do business just as you have to do business.

I have had to deal with several shops that are in your position. In the end we have to either tell them pick a different shop, or you are more then welcome to use that shop but you will have to pay the difference that the insurance company will not pay.

For someone that is in your position, most shops refuse any insurance claims for the exact reasons that you have mentioned. It's purely from a business standpoint that insurance companies have shops that they either deal with directly or know of body shops that can do the same exact work for cheeper.

I know that doesn't help your answer at all but it's the truth. :(

Thanks for telling me what I have known for years...lol. Most of the lower price shops either substitute used or reconditioned parts when they are getting paid for new, or the employ illegal immigrants. IMHO, the shops that are doing the work for less are cheating both the customer and the industry as a whole.
Inside baseball note: I just got a '66 Vette collision in and demanded $25/hr. over the prevailing rate, or I would not take the job in. I got the job...>$25K estimate. Too many High-end shops (4 Corvette resto./collision) have gone bust since I opened my doors) don't know their real costs and plod along until they go bust. Rant off!

Yeah it's a tough job to own a body shop these-a-days. Unless you've been around the business for years, you really don't know what you are getting yourself into.

I wish you the best with you shop and I'm sorry I couldn't be of any more help. Should you have any other questions please feel free to send them over.

Take care

Thank you. I'm a big boy, it took me may years to finally give up on some insurance jobs...the pride thing, ya know? We had a ya-hoo call us with a C-4 'Vette on a collision. It was maybe a $10 k job. Along with the customary paint and body work, it needed a good frame pull. Said ya-hoo had a fly-by-night low-ball body shop do all the gravy work and then called on us to straighten the frame. I said "We only do frame work on complete insurance jobs". He said why? I told him there was no profit in frame work. He bitched for a while and said "You have to do the repair...you're a Corvette Shop!". I said we don't take in jobs we don't make a profit on. Get this: He said "You don't have to make a profit on every job, do you?" See what I put up with? Of course, you have some great stories, I'm sure.:smack:Later