Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:23 pm Post subject: Simply pointing them out and the fact that it is newsworthy.
People have apparently inquired and those papers sought an expert in Dennis Howard of the Insurance Consumers Advocate Network to explain to their readers when DV is owed and by who.
The only reason people seek me to help them collect their diminished value is that companies like carfax imply their damaged cars are worth less. People are becoming insurance saavy and know that someone owes them for their loss of value. States instruct vehicle owners with questions on DV that if they can prove their losses it is owed.
I spoke with a car salesman today about knowingly taking in trade-ins with accident histories. They generally send them straight to auctions because they do not want to taint their dealership lots with vehicles with accident histories with the uncertainty that they have been repaired properly. Why take on liability if you have no desire for it. They know they can't sell those cars for suggested fairmarket value without disclosure since they took them on trade with the knowledge they had an accident history. And they know that no one wants to purchase them at fair market value of comparable undamaged vehicles. _________________ If you can't find the time to do it right, how will you ever find the time to do it over.
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tcope mentioned something about a coalition to "police" the repair industry
News to me. I don't recall stating anything like that
It was me...I said that...
I agree with you Mike most 'reputable' dealers will do this (auction trade ins) but they also auction about 80-90% of their trades and many other dealers buy their 'stock' at the auction! What a circle! ha ha....You know about ten years ago I bought a new car, I traded in my 94 dodge truck (i loved that truck)....anyway the salesman had no idea what my occupation was (as yet, hadn't got to the credit app yet)...and he is filling out this paper work before he gave it to ''the guy'' that was going to tell me how much they would give me on my trade in...salemans says to me, ''Your truck hasn't been wrecked has it?...NOW WAIT BEFORE YOU ANSWER!! I REALLY don't want to know if it's been wrecked or not...just say, 'i don't know'' I couldn't believe this moron...it had not been wrecked but still! I ask him why, and he said, 'it won't make any difference as far as the value, but 'if'' we know we are ''supposed'' to tell a prospective buyer'....I fear/think this happens more than we are willing to admit....
Also re: carfax, you do understand that every repair is not on the carfax reports right? _________________ Have you been helped by a poster? Do you want to show your appreciation? YOU CAN !! Just simply click on the donate button and send them some coin!
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:18 am Post subject: Direct repair shops
If you are faced with the option of going to one of these, take it. Working for Geico I can tell you that everything Lori says is very true. I don't have time to type out all the details but she's pretty dead on about these shops. Without these shops you can expect to see a geico adjuster at an inspection center, get your estimate, find your own body shop, have them order parts, wait until they come in, then arrange a time to take your vehicle back to your body shop, etc. You get the idea. With the direct repair shops your vehicle goes in, you leave in a rental, the shop gets paid handsomly (but not inflated), and you get your car fixed the right way the first time. They also guarantee that work for as long as you own it. It's just simple. We want you guys to have your vehicle back to new and we want your claim to go smoothly and quickly.
When people choose their own shops, it just complicates things. The shops usually need the geico adjuster to approve for more money or parts...plus you lose out on a lifetime guarantee from your insurance.
Oh and your helpful claims reps kind of depend on you booking the direct repair shop for their stats. Happy claims reps means fast and friendly claims handling. We can also track the progress of your repairs easier with our own shops. _________________ Register Now to have your Insurance queries solved.
Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:50 pm Post subject: DRP
I do post repair inspections. Most of the bad work I see comes out of a DRP body shop. The problem is that the body shop works for the Insurance company, not the vehicle owner. I was a DRP for one of the larger insurance companies. The ONLY thing they were interested in was money. They told me to put on inferior parts, to ignore damage, and to use improper repair methods.
If you go to a DRP shop, you are more likely to get a bad job. That said, IF you have a Consumer Advocate in your area, you can get a bad job fixed easier when fixed by a DRP shop vs a non-DRP.
I own a body shop and I hate that the work is steered to a DRP. But as a Consumer Advocate, I love it. The insurance company MUST stand behind the DRP work. The insurance company will pay to have your car re-repaired at the shop of your choice. They really don't care how much the re-repairs cost, they will bill the DRP. Other than time a re-repair may not cost the insurance company anything.
If a body shop gets $250,000. worth of work from an insurance company, and you bring the shop one small $2500. job, who do you think the body shop will look after. They will cater to their $250,000. customer. _________________ Register Now to have your Insurance queries solved.
Hi Wreck Check and welcome to the community...first since you are a 'former' drp I'm sure you won't mind backing up this statement..
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They told me to put on inferior parts, to ignore damage, and to use improper repair methods.
Please do explain the inferior parts, ignoring damage and using improper repair methods, also the state you are in and the company you are talking about...Are we to assume you were the DRP for one company only? Or is this the only company you had problems with?
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If you go to a DRP shop, you are more likely to get a bad job.
Again, 'more than likely' to get a bad job? So you did bad work on the drp jobs you did? I'm not saying that a drp can't throw out a bad job, just as easy as any other shop, but no more or no less than the across the board percentage...good part though is rather than having to take some shop to court, your drp gaurantee will fix it...as you pointed out...again, I'd like to see some documentation that you have a better chance of getting a bad repair at a drp than not...
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I own a body shop and I hate that the work is steered to a DRP.
But not when you were a drp right? The insurance company MUST stand behind the DRP work.
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The insurance company will pay to have your car re-repaired at the shop of your choice. They really don't care how much the re-repairs cost, they will bill the DRP. Other than time a re-repair may not cost the insurance company anything
You are correct for the most part...on this statement...if a drp does something wrong on a repair and the customer will not allow them to make it right, and most will unless it's really bad...the drp shop (if it was a negligent repair) will eventually have to pay this bad one way or another..
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If a body shop gets $250,000. worth of work from an insurance company, and you bring the shop one small $2500. job, who do you think the body shop will look after. They will cater to their $250,000. customer
Well sorry but that's a character issue on the person that owns the shop... _________________ Have you been helped by a poster? Do you want to show your appreciation? YOU CAN !! Just simply click on the donate button and send them some coin!
Here we go again. In what way were you "told" to use inferior parts and define "inferior". Never mind... we all know you mean aftermarket parts. By parts do you mean door skins, fenders, etc? That is, parts that are for appearance only and don't lend themselves to safety?
When you say that people are likely to get a bad job done at a DRP, are you talking about all the dealerships that work on thousands of vehicles regardless if they are refered by an insurance company or not? I guess they do such a poor job that they don't lack in customers.
Or do you mention this because....
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I own a body shop and I hate that the work is steered to a DRP.
But as a Consumer Advocate, I love it. [/quote]So your pretty much banking against DRPs on all fronts.
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The insurance company MUST stand behind the DRP work. The insurance company will pay to have your car re-repaired at the shop of your choice. They really don't care how much the re-repairs cost, they will bill the DRP. Other than time a re-repair may not cost the insurance company anything.
A choice to use a DRP _AND_ a warrenty if you do! Life is SWEET!
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If a body shop gets $250,000. worth of work from an insurance company, and you bring the shop one small $2500. job, who do you think the body shop will look after. They will cater to their $250,000. customer.
So you're saying that the shop would rather not have a customer complain to the insurance company, who will then complain to the body shop. Double SWEET!
In 20 years I've only heard of two people complain about work at a DRP shop. Odd, if they all do such piss poor work.
I am with t-scope on this one. I have seen plenty vehicles repaired through these kinds of shops, including my own and have always thought their work was great.
The insurance company MUST stand behind the DRP work. 
