After the recent hail storm in the Aurora/Centennial area, I guess I have to consider myself lucky to have decided to move my business to its present location. Not only has the move been beneficial on the wholesale end of the business due to our close proximity to the Denver Auto Auction, but we've been bombarded with retail repairs and estimates since the storms. Yes, that is a good thing, but I have noticed some trends in the industry that are kind of disturbing to me.
1. I have no reason to see or know how much your insurance estimate or check is. I base my estimates on how severe the damage is and how long it will take to repair. If my estimate is $500 to $1000 less than your insurance adjuster thinks it should be, well, so be it and good for you. GO SHOPPING! The reason I say this is that I have had several customers (or potential customers, I should say) tell me the last guy they went to for an estimate had the cojones to ask how much their insurance estimate is for. Look at it this way: If some slick salesman-type approached you in a dark alley and asked how much money you had in your wallet or purse, would that set off any warning bells?
2. Will I work with your insurance company? Nope!!! Only if you're getting screwed out of money for your repair will I ever intervene (I've only seen it twice so far this year). Some insurance providers will assume you're not going to get your vehicle repaired and intend to just pocket the money (which you're absolutely entitled to do, by the way, as long as your car is paid off), so they just cut you a check for half of the estimated cost of the repair. If this happens, it’s an easy fix and we will take care of it. This trick bothers me, but can you blame them?
3. OK, this is just part two of the previous rant, but have you ever wondered why some repair facilities offer to work with your insurance company? It removes you from the process so you don't know the actual amount of the invoice. Can you say supplements? That $1200 estimate just jumped up to $1800, probably less than two hours after you dropped off your car for repair. I know you're thinking, “Well, the insurance company is paying the bill, so who cares?” Sure, but what does that tell you about the repair facility? Greedy much? And as our friend who works in the insurance industry pointed out, "Everyone should care! This is why our insurance rates are so high, we let idiots overcharge when they shouldn't be, causing our rates to go higher. If 100 people were charged $1000, and 100 people were charged $1500 for the same repair, that's $5000 extra your insurance company paid out ... how do you think they make that up? Premiums!"
4. STEERING. This really gets me steamed. I have had six customers in the past few weeks who were told by the adjuster to have their hail damage repaired by "so & so company" instead of us for reasons like, “It says on the estimate this is a two-day repair? It can't be fixed in that short a time … this guy must be a hack.” Dead wrong. After18 years of doing this, I’m fast. So when they say that, I’ll sleep at the shop if I have to just to make sure the car is done when I say it will be. Or - and this is a good one - "I've never heard of this guy." Well, I've been doing PDR in Denver for going on 19 years now. I was repairing my first hail car while the adjuster was dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean” at his high-school prom. In short, you have the absolute right to decide who works on your car! For more information from an independent source, click here.
5. Steering part two. Why would an insurance adjuster try to steer you to a certain facility? Yeah, I know I’m getting redundant, but greedy much? Spiffs! Money goes into the adjustor's pocket for every repair he steers to whoever will pay the most. Ethical? NOT! I had a salesman in the late '90s who thought this was a perfectly acceptable solution to fill the shop with work. I think he’s selling garage doors now!
6. Hailchasers. Oh, this one could go on forever.Click here for more.
In short, I want all our customers or potential customers to know that at Aurora Auto Recon, we try our best to keep our integrity intact under all circumstances. We offer quality repairs at fair prices, and we hope to make some friends in the process,
Thanks for reading, and we look forward to doing business with you
Michael & Jennifer
