subject: Auto Accident - Beware Of Your Insurance Agent [print this page] By far the most crucial issue that should be attended to, if you are involved in an auto accident is to see to any personal injuries that might have resulted. The next most important task is to contact your insurance agent. So let's say you get in touch with your insurance agent to inform him you have been involved in an auto accident, and he appears quite helpful. He'll most likely recommend a collision shop you may take your vehicle to.
"Terrific" you may think. That saves you the hassle of needing to find a body shop yourself.. Besides, you wish to get your car fixed at the earliest opportunity. However, suppose you are already aware of a high quality repair shop that does body repair and would prefer to take your vehicle there.
So you inform your agent you plan to take you car to a different body shop. But he responds with something similar to "We won't warranty the repair in the event you go there" or "You'll need to spend a lot more if you go to the shop that you picked" or some other statement intended to discourage you from going to your shop and encourage (or possibly attempt to coerce) you to go to the company's "preferred" shop.
So what to make of all this? You might be wanting to know why he is wanting to discourage you from opting for your own shop?
To respond to this question, you need to know what the final goal of an insurer is: The answer has nothing to do with providing you the convenience of not having to find a good repair shop ... the final target is to generate profits, and as much money as possible! And that is accomplished by minimizing the amount they must pay back in insurance claims.
So the collision shop your agent suggests is "preferred" ... preferred by the insurance carrier for THEIR advantage, not yours. And why is that? Because the recommended body shop is under agreement to make use of parts which are cheaper than the original auto parts that were in your car when it was new. Unfortunately, these car parts are not up to par and may end up rendering the "repaired" car unsafe! This can even mean that your car will be unsafe to drive after the fixes are concluded.
There are even more reasons why selecting the wrong body shop can result in perilous repairs. It has to do with "Clipping" (or "Full Body Sectioning") that involves cutting off the existing front or rear end of a wrecked vehicle, and welding the undamaged salvage portion of a different vehicle onto yours.
The outcome means that the structural integrity of your vehicle's frame or unibody has been compromised. Does this sound risky to you? That's because it IS unsafe! But sadly, it isn't against the law! It's a widespread incident.
So the bottom line is - if you were to be in a traffic accident - look out! Find out if the shop makes use of OEM (original equipment manufacturer) components, or lesser quality "aftermarket" parts. And if the shop performs "clipping" ... don't even consider using them!
by: Jim Eastman
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