Auto body repair question. (Cash offer vs Geico $500 deductible.)

[spleify]

If you really work with insurance companies from your shop than you know better than to post stuff like this.

What the hell is this supposed to mean Sturving. You think I should keep my mouth shut and pussyfoot around so as not to upset an insurance adjuster... Haha that's funny. You, being on the insurance side, would have no idea what body shops have to deal with. You insurance guys write a couple of sheets a week and all of a sudden your a journey body man.

[Irving]

Hes actually pretty close there. How much $$ in sups do you write per claim??

Remember, I'm the technician. Not the consumer.

Supplements are exactly my point. We authorize tons of them, all day long.

What the hell is this supposed to mean Sturving. You think I should keep my mouth shut and pussyfoot around so as not to upset an insurance adjuster... Haha that's funny. You, being on the insurance side, would have no idea what body shops have to deal with. You insurance guys write a couple of sheets a week and all of a sudden your a journey body man.

That wasn't even close to what I was talking about. I think you should have a firm grasp on what you're talking about before you paint an entire industry with such a broad brush. Adjusters write estimates only on what they can see, with the full expectation that there could/will be a supplement once the shop tears down the vehicle for repair. How is an adjuster supposed to justify dolling out money for hidden damage that might be there, if it turns out not to be damaged once the car gets torn down? The adjuster will issue a check on the spot anytime possible because want money and feel more comfortable that they are going to get taken care of once that money starts flowing. Any time I have to explain the process to someone, I always explain that the estimator will write the estimate for the damage that they can see and they aren't going to tear the car down right on the spot. They'll be issued a check right then and they can take their vehicle where ever they wish for the repairs. Bring the estimate and the money to the shop of their choice and their shop will work off of our estimate. If additional damage is found when the vehicle is torn down, the shop will send in a supplement and we'll pay that directly. If it is a claimant, they shouldn't have to pay for anything (unless they want to upgrade to gold rims). If it is an insured, they won't have to pay any more than their deductible.

No one is writing checks and hoping for people to go away. We want them to get their vehicle fixed and be happy. A lot of the time, there is a lien holder involved and we have to write two party checks to make sure the vehicle gets repaired, as you well know.

As for recommended shops, we don't save any money on those repairs. Those shops are set up to just fix what needs fixing and send us the bill. We recommend them because 1) those shops meet certain requirements with their equipment and experience, 2) Those shops will guarantee the quality of their work for as long as they own the vehicle, 3) No time is spent passing estimates and supplements back and forth because we just pay the bill later, 4) Not everyone has been in a wreck before, or knows which body shops are good or not. It behooves us to have a list of available shops at the ready for those customers we have that require additional hand holding.

I get that as a body guy, you probably have to constantly talk with some desk reviewer about differences in estimates, parts, labor time, whether to blend or not or whatever. That's neither here nor there because five different shops will write five different estimates on the same damage all day long. What is shitty, is that you made the comment that adjusters write low-ball checks in the hopes that people will take the money and run, when that is not the case. I said you should know better because I know you send out supps all day long and they get paid all day long. You got shitty when just assumed what I was calling you out on, were wrong, and tried to get personal.

If you want to bash insurance companies, I've got plenty of stories for you to use (not for on here, for the next time we're hanging out), but because they write checks sure as hell isn't a good reason to do so. Finally, as you well know, you and I both likely over see the successful repair of at least a thousand vehicles a year and the interaction between insurance companies and body shops goes smoothly what, 95% of the time? I occasionally, rarely, have run into an issue with sometimes a certain shop, but more likely a certain person, at a shop, but I'm not throwing out BS about the entire auto body industry, because I know it's not true. For the record, I've written exactly zero estimates. But I've written lots of checks, and it's never just to shut someone up.