Your rights to choose where collision repairs are done

Hey folks! This is Mike and Tom from Pacific One Collision and Restoration.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"Your rights to choose where collision repairs are done"

Summary:

Mike makes clear that an insurance company's number one job is to save itself money, and customers should keep that in mind throughout the claim. Pacific One Collision's job, by contrast, is to repair the car correctly and back to pre-accident condition. Insurers will often try to direct customers to a DRP, or direct repair program, which Mike says is acceptable because suggesting a shop is all they are allowed to do in Washington State, where drivers have the legal right to choose their own repair facility. He warns about a common scare tactic: insurers telling customers they'll be responsible for any cost beyond the approved estimate. In reality, he says, 95 to 99 percent of the time most shops won't bill the customer for that difference, instead absorbing it because they work directly with insurers to make sure everything is properly covered.

Answer:

After an accident, one of the things you're going to end up doing is contacting your insurance company or the responsible party's insurance company. Their number one job is to try to save themselves money, and it's important to remember that goal as you're trying to get your car repaired. Our job here at Pacific One Collision is to make sure your car is repaired correctly and back to its pre-accident condition. Considering that, the insurance companies are often going to try to direct you to a DRP, which is a direct repair program. And that's okay. They're allowed to suggest, because that's the only thing they're allowed to do in Washington State, because in Washington you have the right to choose your own repair facility. But there are certain scare tactics that do happen from the insurance company to try to save them money. One of them is they try to scare customers by saying, if there's more money beyond the approved estimate, Mr. Customer, you're going to be responsible for it. Now, I will tell you that 95 to 99 percent of the time, most shops are not going to bill the customer for the difference. We work directly with the insurance companies. We make sure that everything is being covered, repaired, replaced, and painted that should be. And if there's a difference, then most shops are just going to absorb that, because we want to take care of you, the customer. We do a comprehensive job of making sure your car is repaired correctly, right the first time, every time.