Opt for new auto parts while settling with your Ins. Co.

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 12:12 pm Post Subject:

Perhaps we should not listen to these people who have something to gain from it.

All one has to do to prove DV is to offer the vehicle for sell to the highest bidder. Agree to sell it and the negligent party would owe the difference between what it sold for and the fair market pre loss value

It's really hard to address your posts as when your shown to be incorrect or way off base, you simple go off on another tangent. That has been true of every post in this thread.

I profit very little in comparison to time spent helping people recover their loss in value.

Oh did I mention they give the insurer discounts? They can't afford to put original parts on your car but can ask the shop to give them a ten percent discount? Why isn't that discount yours?

Sometimes when repairs are minor and we are bolting on parts with no structural damage, there is less loss of value.

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 03:04 pm Post Subject: All I hear from you is vitriolic harping

I am simply an advocate for proper repairs. Your industry interference in the collision industry has contributed to lowering the quality of repairs in the last 20 years by trying to manipulate the repair process and paying for cheap parts and cheap repairs. Your company may be an exception. But this is the perception of consumers and independent shops and shops that suffer tortious interference from insurers who blatantly spew mistruths about the character of shop owners that refuse to bend over and kiss the kysters of insurance adjusters who are drunk with their perceived authority and power over my industry. Many of those shops that bought into the "lets work to gether promise" are now coming to realize that those relationships are oneside to the favor of only the insurance industry at the expense of consumers and collision shop owners.

I see way too many consumers posting about how upsetting their experiences are with many insurance company representatives on this forum. You all play nice until someone comes along to ursurp your authority or expose some of your industry's dark sides.

You put too much thought in your posts about what you interpret my posts to be. I have customers that profusely thank me for helping them with knowledge and education concerning their losses and for giving them guidence on how to be paid for all their losses to worry about your attempts to discredit my service to my customers. I'll lose no sleep concerning myself with what you or your tag team buddy T spew in attempts to discredit what is truth, I am sorry it bothers you guys to hear differently. Simply do not respond to my posts if you do not agree. It only appears that you guys are systmatically attacking someone who's only concern is that people get what they are promised and not what you feel they only deserve.

I would expect nothing less of you or T. You have been trying to discourage me from helping people with alternative points of view and attempting to draw me into confrontation that which show me in the light that you wish to paint me. Sorry you have failed.

Have a great holiday weekend. I'll be busy helping policy holders in southwest missouri and southeast kansas try to get paid for all their hail and storm damage where cat team adjusters come in and pay half what is owed. It almost appears that the method to underpay or pay for pdr repairs on two inch hail is intentional. I am sure the bean counters know that people cash those initial checks and do not repair their cars, not knowing that they have recieved indemnification for half of their losses. Insurers benefit in windfall profits when claimants are underpaid. Did I mention that the insurance industry profits have risen almost 5 billion annually even though record losses have been paid out after hurricanes, wildfires, and Tornadoes? One might have to think that some of those profits have to be derived from the claims practices of those companies that use the McKenzie method of putting on the boxing gloves when consumers attempt to recover their losses and insurers denying and delaying them.

Yes I believe that DV exists in most all repairs but diminishes with the age of the vehicle. I do not suggest people attempt to collect DV on older cars.
The only reason I even began exploring DV, I saw it as a way for consumers to be made whole. If an insurer is warned of an impending DV claim where the insurer is attempting to use substandard repairs and parts, it may improve the chances of a quality repair being made and less junk yard parts be employed. It is simply a tool at a third party's disposal to hold the insurer accountable and channeling liability back to a party that wants to dictate the lower quality of parts and going against manufacturer recommendations. DV has increased in recent years simply because insurers are making decisions that shouldn't be their choice to make instead of relying on repair experts. Working in a bodyshop and managing employees in the past does not make you a repair expert. Sounds like an opportunist that saw there was more to be made in the insurance industry than owning a bodyshop. If the shoe fits wear it! Insurers are attempting to make collision repair a assembly line remanufacturing process when the people that perform those repairs are in fact artisans and craftsmen who are underpaid for their skill levels. Their counterparts in the Mechanical industry make higher wages thus discouraging new young talent wanting to become collision specialists.

You really ought to check out those Youtube exposes made by television news reporters on how horrible some of todays collision repairs are, primarily because of insurers trying to be thrifty and cutting corners, imposing their ideas of quality on uneducated consumers and the DRP hackers that choose to make the insurer their customer rather than the vehicle owner.

Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 02:43 pm Post Subject:

Your industry interference in the collision industry has contributed to lowering the quality of repairs in the last 20 years by trying to manipulate the repair process and paying for cheap parts and cheap repairs.

You put too much thought in your posts about what you interpret my posts to be.

Your company may be an exception. But this is the perception of consumers and independent shops and shops that suffer tortious interference from insurers who blatantly spew mistruths about the character of shop owners that refuse to bend over and kiss the kysters of insurance adjusters who are drunk with their perceived authority and power over my industry

Oh did I mention they give the insurer discounts?

suffer tortious interference from insurers who blatantly spew mistruths about the character of shop owners

You all play nice until someone comes along to ursurp your authority or expose some of your industry's dark sides.

I have customers that profusely thank me for helping them with knowledge and education concerning their losses and for giving them guidence on how to be paid for all their losses to worry about your attempts to discredit my service to my customers

Simply do not respond to my posts if you do not agree.

I see way too many consumers posting about how upsetting their experiences are with many insurance company representatives on this forum

I would expect nothing less of you or T. You have been trying to discourage me from helping people with alternative points of view and attempting to draw me into confrontation that which show me in the light that you wish to paint me.

which show me in the light that you wish to paint me.

Sorry you have failed.

Working in a bodyshop and managing employees in the past does not make you a repair expert.

Sounds like an opportunist that saw there was more to be made in the insurance industry than owning a bodyshop.

If the shoe fits wear it!

when the people that perform those repairs are in fact artisans and craftsmen

Their counterparts in the Mechanical industry make higher wages thus discouraging new young talent wanting to become collision specialists

You really ought to check out those Youtube exposes made by television news reporters on how horrible some of todays collision repairs are

primarily because of insurers trying to be thrifty and cutting corners, imposing their ideas of quality on uneducated consumers and the DRP hackers that choose to make the insurer their customer rather than the vehicle owner.

Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 03:28 pm Post Subject: I would be surprised if you didnt get PM messages about me.

I am sure most of them are from your insurance friends and some people that can't imagine that someone would challenge Lori's expertice.

I get messages as well that tell me everything from "your talking to a brick wall she is just brainwashed" to comments that think you could come to realize that insurance adjusters really arent the friends of independent thinking collision repair owners. Some collision repair owners actually are independent and run their own business not influenced by insurers. I know from experience adjusters hate having to deal with shop owners who know they aren't owned by the insurance industry and realize it is our name on the front of our business. We don't want partners that offer one sided agreements that can remove you from programs from refusing to do substandard work and clipping of vehicles.

A lot of those DRP shops are being thrown under the bus just because they do not fit into insurer plans and they are beginning to have second thoughts that they should never have trusted the motives of the insurance industry wanting to be business partners.

I get messages in real conversations daily like the one from my mail man yesterday.

He was broadsided by a redlight runner.

He claimed the at fault part insurer was rude from the get go and refused to deal with his claim. It was assigned to an adjuster who would be on vacation for two weeks. He was told to let his own insurer handle the claim if he had coverage and they would deal with his insurer later. (good example of a violation of the unfair claims practices act)

The claimant calls his insurance and they say, you really should let them handle it, it was their fault. (we are contractually obligated to help you but we really don't want to).

One call to the Department of Insurance to complain about both companies and he recieved a call from the at fault insurer the next day ready to handle his claim.

He is scolded by the appraiser because he went to his place of work and couldnt find his car. Claimant arranges to meet appraiser at his house to inspect damage and he is arrogant and upset because he was told their was only a dent in the door. The vehicle is an obvious total loss.

Claimant asks for a rental. Looks to me like it's driveable. Claimant say's he cannot safely steer it. Oh, that's only an alignment problem, you should have it aligned so you can drive it til it can be repaired or we decide to total. The frame was bent and the driver had to crawl across the console from passenger side to get behind the wheel.

It was determined to be a total loss two days later. Offer for total loss 2000 or more less than ACV. (never accept their first offer) Refused to pay for rental because insurer claims he could drive the car, after all he drove it home 3 blocks from the accident. Claimant claims he could not hold vehicle on the road because it took two hands on one side of the wheel to keep car from crawling into oncoming traffic. Still no rental car.

More calls to his own insurer to settle with them, they still refuse. More calls to the Dept of Insurance. His own insurer finally settles and ACV is now 2000 higher than offer from at fault insurer.

This seems to be the rule more than the exception.

Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 03:48 pm Post Subject:

I am sure most of them are from your insurance friends and some people that can't imagine that someone would challenge Lori's expertice

I get messages as well that tell me everything from "your talking to a brick wall she is just brainwashed"

Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 04:18 pm Post Subject:

The example that you provide of your 'mail man' is the exception Mike not the rule...and I agree both carriers should have their feet over the fire...no question.......so what's your point?

No actually wanting to know why you are allowed to say some of the things you say...

Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 04:25 pm Post Subject:

Ok...I'm jumping in to play Devils Advocate. I have been in the Insurance industry for a very short time and have work profusely with repair shops before hand. I know for a fact that the work and parts from some repair shops are not priced accordingly. When insurance companies get involved this supposed discount that Mike is speaking of is actually bringing the cost of the repair/part to the invoice cost therefore the cost of the work is then where it should be.

I am not saying that all shops work this way but since everyone likes to make analogies...lets look at Health and medical. When you go to a doctors office mention to them that your changing jobs and might not have insurance. When the bill comes from your former provider with an enormous amount that must be paid to the doctors office you then make the call to the DO. When you state the situation they "re-adjust" the cost of the appt or whatever you are there for. That is a form of mark up because they know the insurance company will pay.

My point being the fact that auto shops have their mark up, doctors offices have their mark ups, retail shops mark up and insurance companies have their mark ups. It is the way life goes. In the long run the excess mark up goes to pay the employees of each location thus still making each business work.

This is not the insurance companies fault nor is it the auto shops fault. What should be happening is the the price of the part/work that is being done should be at market rate and not marked up and the "discounts" that insurance companies are asking for should be passed on to the insured if it is not already.

To finish...I don't think anything will be resolved between the people participants of this post. Everything that has been stated has been very educational on all sides and I appreciate the dialog.

That was my two cents. :D

Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 04:51 pm Post Subject:

I see way too many consumers posting about how upsetting their experiences are with many insurance company representatives on this forum.

Your industry interference in the collision industry has contributed to lowering the quality of repairs in the last 20 years by trying to manipulate the repair process and paying for cheap parts and cheap repairs.

But this is the perception of consumers and independent shops and shops that suffer tortious interference from insurers who blatantly spew mistruths about the character of shop owners that refuse to bend over and kiss the kysters of insurance adjusters who are drunk with their perceived authority and power over my industry.

I'll lose no sleep concerning myself with what you or your tag team buddy T spew in attempts to discredit what is truth, I am sorry it bothers you guys to hear differently.

I would expect nothing less of you or T. You have been trying to discourage me from helping people with alternative points of view and attempting to draw me into confrontation that which show me in the light that you wish to paint me. Sorry you have failed.

Have a great holiday weekend. I'll be busy helping policy holders in southwest missouri and southeast kansas try to get paid for all their hail and storm damage where cat team adjusters come in and pay half what is owed.

It almost appears that the method to underpay or pay for pdr repairs on two inch hail is intentional.

Did I mention that the insurance industry profits have risen almost 5 billion annually even though record losses have been paid out after hurricanes, wildfires, and Tornadoes?

The only reason I even began exploring DV, I saw it as a way for consumers to be made whole.

it may improve the chances of a quality repair being made and less junk yard parts be employed.

Insurers are attempting to make collision repair a assembly line remanufacturing process when the people that perform those repairs are in fact artisans and craftsmen who are underpaid for their skill levels.

Their counterparts in the Mechanical industry make higher wages thus discouraging new young talent wanting to become collision specialists.

You really ought to check out those Youtube exposes made by television news reporters on how horrible some of today's collision repairs are, primarily because of insurers trying to be thrifty and cutting corners, imposing their ideas of quality on uneducated consumers and the DRP hackers that choose to make the insurer their customer rather than the vehicle owner.

Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 06:16 pm Post Subject: I would expect nothing less from you t.

I think this kind of sums it up. Mike you claim that you do just fine without insurance claim repairs but I think it's pretty obvious that this is not true. You work the DV angle to make money on the side (you make it sound like you don't charge for this but we all know you make as much money as you can from it) and you complain that insurance companies steer people to DRP shops. I'm betting it limits the business your getting and your just a little upset about that. I understand that 100% and would agree with this if I were in your shoes.

Damn those PDR people taking business away from the body shops! Good thing you're out there looking out for the interests of the body shops... I mean insureds.

Seriously, your complaining about salvage parts? You're fading quickly

But you would have us believe that ALL insurance companies are crooks and ALL repair shops, including your own, are just innocent victims. The glaring problem with this... it's a small narrow look at a much larger picture. I have the ability to open my eyes and see problems that exist as they compare overall. You, however, choose to look so narrowly at one small aspect that your judgement is clouded.

Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 07:31 pm Post Subject: Lets talk about parts profit

This is not the insurance companies fault nor is it the auto shops fault. What should be happening is the the price of the part/work that is being done should be at market rate and not marked up and the "discounts" that insurance companies are asking for should be passed on to the insured if it is not already.