“your Repair will take Longer”

Understanding tactics insurance companies use

Purchasing a car is likely one of the biggest investments that we make. To protect that investment we pay car insurance. Every month you pay premiums to ensure that, in the event of an accident, you can restore your vehicle to its previous condition and protect your investment.

Your insurance company is required by law to make it’s policyholder whole again. The unfortunate fact is that they don’t always look out for your best interests. Most often, many insurance companies use a well-proven strategy that purposely minimizes the amount they ultimately pay for a justified claim.

“Claims will take longer at that shop”

The strategy previously mentioned is almost always the reasoning for the longer repair times. Insurance companies will follow this strategy in and attempt to delay payment for a justified claim. Companies used to come look at your vehicle within a few days of an accident. It now can take two weeks or more to have your vehicle looked at.

This becomes increasingly more common when you choose an independent shop that isn’t within their direct repair network As we’ve talked about in other articles, not being a “direct repair/preferred facility” means not being contractual obligated to do cheap repairs.

Why the wait time? They’re looking to deny your claim, pressure you into a faster, cheaper repair, and pressure you into the lowest possible settlement. When they can’t deny the claim, or settle with you for pennies on the dollar, they will undercut the cost of the repair. In doing this they will try to force you to pay the difference or seek legal remedies to defend your justified claim in court.

“Why would my insurance company do this to me?”

Profit Margins.

There’s a reason they employ such an aggressive tactic against their own customers… Because it works. Look at it like this. If you can save thousands of dollars on millions of claims, you can buy hundred thousand dollar boats to advertise on, and continue making record profits.

“Why are you telling me this now?”

In the event of an accident, we want you to be prepared. Having a better understanding of an insurance company’s intentions will allow you to get the service you pay premiums for every month. Understand that they use these strategies to intimidate you into settling for their term. Most importantly we want you to understand that you have the legal right to a settlement for a repair that restores your vehicle to pre-loss condition.

Acceleration Collision is an independent shop. We have no contractual obligations to any insurance company. We work for you, the consumer. We have years of experience helping our customers get fair settlements to restore their vehicles to pre-loss condition. Additionally, we can handle every aspect of your claim, from initial filing, to making arrangements for a rental vehicle. Make us your choice and let us do the rest!

If you have any other questions or concern, don’t hesitate to call us at (828) 734-4999 or click here to contact us online.