Quick question about insurance and bodyshops

[spar7]

Hi there,

To make a long story short, early this morning, I was turning left at a green light when a driver went through his red light and hit the driver side of my car.

Anyways, we pulled into a parking lot and assessed the damage, my door/rear fender are completely smashed in, and my door will not close properly now. We exchanged info, and also called the non-emergency Police phone number. We ended up going to the station and filling out police reports (as the damage is much higher than $1000). The other driver admitted to the fault from the get go.

I have only liability/3rd party insurance, so I contacted the other driver's company (AVIVA) who told me they would call me back when they had more info on the situation. I got a call a few hours later, and the other driver has already taken full blame for the accident. Anyways, the claims adviser that I spoke with, sent me a list of approved shops that I could take the car too. When I asked if I could take it to a shop of my choice (Screamin Paintworks after reading about it on here or Contemporary Coachworks), she said that this was not possible and that I would need to go with the shops they have already approved.

The shops listed are:

1. G.T. Carstar Collision - 9th AVE SW
2. Superior Paint & Body - 17th AVE SE
3. Arrow Carstar - 9th AVE SE
4. Service Collision Repair - C south - 1st ST SE
5. Hallmark Auto Body - 9th AVE SE
6. Apple Auto Body - 1st ST SW
7. A-1 AutoBody - 1A ST SE
8. Service Collision and Repair - 16th AVE NE
9. Excel Carstar Collision - 40th AVE NE
10. Universal - 3710A 23rd ST
11. Autobahn Carstar Collision - 29th ST NE
12. Service Collision Repair - 3520 32nd AVE NE
13. Service Collision Repair - 29th ST SE
14. Calgary Coachworks South - 3170 118 AVE SE
15. Crowfoot Image - 141st Crowfoot Way NW

Now, I did a few searches on here and read through many of the pages in that 268 post thread about autobody shops but for every positive review, there's another negative. I know everyone's experience will always be different but right now I'm leaning towards A-1 Autobody out of the list that has been given to me.

My question is, after reading some past posts related to mine, I've seen people mention that you don't have to use shops that the insurance company tells you to. Should this be the same in my case? I'm supposed to be calling the adviser on Monday with my decision on where I shall be bringing the car. I'd just like to get my car in the shape it was this morning when I left my house, I'd rather not have to deal with faded paint/orange peel or other issues.


Thanks for your help!

[Masked Bandit]

I'm somewhat surprised that they said you MUST chose from their list of preferred shops. Usually the customer can force the issue of a different shop if they really want to. The only time I've seen a specfic shop denied is if the company in question (Aviva in this case) has had prior problems with that shop.

[spar7]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
I'm somewhat surprised that they said you MUST chose from their list of preferred shops. Usually the customer can force the issue of a different shop if they really want to. The only time I've seen a specfic shop denied is if the company in question (Aviva in this case) has had prior problems with that shop.

Thanks for the reply! I was hoping I'd hear from you. What's odd is that she didn't even wait to hear what shops I had in mind, I asked "What happens if I choose to bring it to a different shop?" and her reply was pretty much - "Unfortunately, we have several shops in your area that are all set up to take care of Aviva claims and you need to go to one of them".

I'll definitely keep this in mind for Monday morning when I give her a call. Thanks again!

[?????]

I believe you have to take your vehicle to one of their approved shops to get an appraisal for damages.
But to fix your car you can take it to any shop you want but the insurance company won't be able to guarantee their work to on your car. Your preffered shop should work off the estimate provided by the approved shop.

[20incheyes]

You can take it to any shop you want. An appraiser for avviva or an independant most likely will need to do an estimate before your car gets fixed but if it's not drivable just drop it off at the shop of your choice and let avviva and YOUR insurance company know.

[JustinGTP]

It wasn't your fault so you should be able to take it where ever the heck you want! Why can't they issue you a cheque after they appraise the damage and then you take it where ever you want?

PS. Don't go to Hallmark Auto Body (Hall Mark) they have the WORST customer service and the WORST work ever. They SUCK. Paint flaking, rust happening, etc. etc. etc.

[Masked Bandit]

Originally posted by spar7


Thanks for the reply! I was hoping I'd hear from you. What's odd is that she didn't even wait to hear what shops I had in mind, I asked "What happens if I choose to bring it to a different shop?" and her reply was pretty much - "Unfortunately, we have several shops in your area that are all set up to take care of Aviva claims and you need to go to one of them".

I'll definitely keep this in mind for Monday morning when I give her a call. Thanks again!

Don't hang your hat solely on my comments. I'm a broker, not an adjuster so I normally don't have too much to do with claims (mostly theory). There are a few adjusters on the board though, hopefully one of them will speak up.

[tom_9109]

The shops they have suggested are their 'preferred shops'.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE THEM.

However they would like you to use them for a few reasons that benefit both the insurance company and yourself.

1. These shops have agreed to accept the rates as set by Aviva.

2. The insurance company expects them to do quality work if the work is substandard will likely help you sort it out with the shop.

3. It saves them an independent appraisal cost because they will trust these shops to appraise the damage correctly and repair accordingly.


If you choose to go elsewhere expect the shop to likely not want to accept the approved rates from AVIVA leaving you with any additional $$$ to be paid by you.

If there is a problem at a different shop the insurer likely won't even want to hear about it because it was your choice to go to that shop and any workmanship or warranty issue is strictly between you and the shop.

If you want to go to a non approved shop you will likely have to wait for an appraiser to go look at the car, write an estimate and provide it to the shop.

I'd suggest going to an approved shop as things will be a lot easier. I can suggest you:

1. Ask to review the estimate with the shop prior to repairs.

2. Make sure you understand it completely, have them explain anything you disagree with or don't understand. (used/aftermarket parts, repair vs. replace ect)

3. Feel comfortable with that shop and switch if you're not. I know the Boyds and Carstars are usually pretty good to deal with and would likely do great work.

4. State your expectations of quality prior to commencing work.

[20incheyes]

Originally posted by tom_9109

If you choose to go elsewhere expect the shop to likely not want to accept the approved rates from AVIVA leaving you with any additional $$$ to be paid by you.
......

I'd suggest going to an approved shop as things will be a lot easier. I can suggest you:


Tom must work for Avviva or one of the insurance companies :guns: You will not have to pay any additional $$$ out of your pocket if you choose a different shop.

[Speed_69]

Originally posted by 20incheyes


Tom must work for Aviva or one of the insurance companies :guns: You will not have to pay any additional $$$ out of your pocket if you choose a different shop.
Yes you do. If the rates of your own choice of shop are above Aviva's agreed rates with all of their preferred shops you may have the pay out the difference yourself.

[spar7]

Thanks for all of the replies! I've been calling Screamin Paintworks all morning just to see if I can get in for an estimate but nobody is answering, not sure if they're just closed or if they're too busy.

I'll talk to the adviser again on Monday, the car is not that new or expensive but before the accident, it was in mint shape, I'd rather not have to deal with having to go back several times to get problems fixed (as it seems like several people have had to do on here with other shops).


Here are some pictures of the damage if anyone's interested to look at them:

http://img718.imageshack.us/i/img00004201004160806.jpg/


http://img20.imageshack.us/i/img00008201004160807.jpg/

http://img718.imageshack.us/i/img00006201004160807.jpg/

http://img72.imageshack.us/i/img00009201004160807.jpg/

[20incheyes]

Originally posted by Speed_69

Yes you do. If the rates of your own choice of shop are above Aviva's agreed rates with all of their preferred shops you may have the pay out the difference yourself.

I use to own a high end bodyshop in Calgary and never once had to charge a customer any difference. I won't go into the specifics but the shop you choose and insurance company who has to pay will be able to work something out.

[Boostzilla]

Ya there is no way the insurance company can force you to take your vehicle to a particular shop. The bottom line is that its your vehicle and you have the final say in what happens to it. I was recently dealing with a similar situation, but I insisted that the work was done by Screamin Paintworks. The insurance company would prefer that it goes to one of their approved shops simply because they get special deals with them to save them money. Be forceful and you shouldn't have a problem getting your car into the shop of your choice.

[20incheyes]

Originally posted by Boostzilla
The insurance company would prefer that it goes to one of their approved shops simply because they get special deals with them to save them money.
Bingo!

[tom_9109]

The fact is that Aviva likely won't pay more than $XX/hr and if the shop you choose wants $XX plus $10/hr and they don't come to an agreement they shop won't do the work unless you pay the extra. The insurance company won't pay more than what it costs to INDEMNIFY you for the loss. If they can do that at a shop for $XX/hr they aren't required to pay more just because the shop wants it.

I know for a fact that many insurers have a policy that if the shop won't accept approved rates that the difference is the owners responsibility.

I've shared the facts and lets hope that you are happy with whichever shop you choose and there is no problem with rates. But mark my words, if this comes down to it and there is a difference in rate between the shop and what Aviva approves you will likely find that their policy is to bill the insured that difference. I'm not pulling it out of thin air, but I won't say anything more specific than that.


ALSO IT IS LIKELY THAT EVEN THOUGH A SHOP ISN'T THEIR 'PREFERRED SHOP' THAT THAT PARTICULAR SHOP IS AWARE OF THE RATES AVIVA PAYS AND MAY FIND THEM ACCEPTABLE. ITS NOT LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE FIRST AVIVA CLAIM TO HIT THEIR DOOR.

[boarderfatty]

You do not have to use their approved shops, all it means to be one of their approved shops is that they trust the shops appraisal process, have an agreed upon labor rate, and the ins comp will guarantee the work, which is not a bad thing because any flaw you find you just keep bringing it back until it is perfect.

You can bring it to any shop you choose though. for my deer collision I brought it to an awesome shop in edmonton called Doug's Place, where they to responsibility of haggling with my insurance over costs, rates of labor etc. I didn't pay a penny above my deductible had the car repaired to my specifications, they documented to repair process the way i wanted. Never settle for less than what you want. Insurance is there to help you out, not screw you over and make the process harder for you.

[Masked Bandit]

Let me tell you all a little story about the benefits of using an approved shop.

About three years ago the wife smashed up her car (front end) so a claim was filed. Being that the car was nothing unique or special I just picked whichever shop was on the preferred list and close to my house. The repairs were fine, no problems...for two years.

Then last summer we noticed that the A/C wasn't working very well but the car is a 2003 CR-V so I figured it was just time for a recharge. I dropped it off at a dealership for an oil change and the A/C recharge. Well I get a call a few hours later saying that I needed to come down to have a look at something. Well when I get there the tech takes me over to the car and asks me if the front end had been smashed up at all in the last few years. When I tell him what happened he says "well that makes sense then". See the shop that did the repairs to the front end didn't take care of the A/C compressor. They just painted over a cracked part with some kind of metallic paint. So when he pressurized the system for the recharge it just blew up.

Well now the repair bill for the A/C system was well over $1000. Now this is all going on around 4:00 PM on a Friday afternoon. I get on the phone to the claims department of my insurance company and explain what's happened. She talks to the tech for a couple of minutes and he explains that it's due to poor workmanship from the original repair. ON THE SPOT, she says "fix it right, send us the bill & we'll back-charge the original shop". To top it off the claims advisor arranges for a rental car which is delivered to the dealership in about 30 minutes as this vehicle was our main family car (two little ones in car seats). The dealer fixes the problem on Monday, I pick it up & pay for the oil change and go on my merry way. I get a call from the manager of the original shop that did the repairs on Monday afternoon and he was very apologetic.

With most insurance companies, when you use one of "their" shops, usually the work is guaranteed for as long as you own your car. Now that I've gone through that first hand I ALWAYS STRONGLY RECOMMED to my clients to just use a preferred shop.

[tom_9109]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
Let me tell you all a little story about the benefits of using an approved shop.



Sounds like broker BS. haha. I'm kidding. Thats a good story, really makes the point that if that were to happen at a non approved shop you were on your own to try to get them to pay.

[Masked Bandit]

Originally posted by tom_9109



Sounds like broker BS. haha. I'm kidding. Thats a good story, really makes the point that if that were to happen at a non approved shop you were on your own to try to get them to pay.

Hey now, don't be like that! :D

It's not like I (a broker) get anything extra for a client picking shop A versus shop B. The stupid thing about this business is that I probably know more about the claims process from going through a couple of them PERSONALLY versus what I've been "taught" at work. It really is a gapping hole in the industry. We (brokers / agents) should really spend some time working on the claims side to see how this shit all comes out in the wash.

[Neil4Speed]

Hey Spar, seems like we had the same problem, except I was hit by in a parking lot! This thread has been really helpful.

I was just wondering, which shop did you end up taking your car to? I got my first estimate at Arrow Carstar, and they seemed pretty stand up.

[B13Boy]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
I'm somewhat surprised that they said you MUST chose from their list of preferred shops. Usually the customer can force the issue of a different shop if they really want to. The only time I've seen a specfic shop denied is if the company in question (Aviva in this case) has had prior problems with that shop.

Aviva said the exact same thing to me when I wanted to use a shop.

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by B13Boy


Aviva said the exact same thing to me when I wanted to use a shop.

Likewise, I had this chick named Claudette Anderson who was pretty rude about it on the phone as well.

[KK07]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed
Hey Spar, seems like we had the same problem, except I was hit by in a parking lot! This thread has been really helpful.

I was just wondering, which shop did you end up taking your car to? I got my first estimate at Arrow Carstar, and they seemed pretty stand up.

Hey, spar7 is actually my little brother's account, I was using his PC and was too lazy to log out when I created this thread.

I was originally planning on taking the car to Screamin Paintworks but they were booking appointments for a month away which I knew would cause problems with Aviva. I was entitled to a rental car for the entire time my car was at the bodyshop but the insurance adviser warned me that they most likely couldn't give me a rental if I went with Screamin as it was not an approved shop. I'm not sure if this is actually how it works or if she was just trying to BS me.

I didn't want to drive the car around for a month the way it was (the drivers side door would fling open if I leaned into it) so I ended up taking the car to A1 Autobody. They got me in for an estimate the same day, the guy who did the estimate was very helpful. We walked through everything that needed to be done - i.e. new panel/new door instead of just repairing the damaged parts. Also, they ended up painting the whole driver's side of the car as I was worried about the paint matching.

There was some hiccups during the repairs, as they had my car for over a month due to waiting for parts to come in, but their communication throughout the process was excellent. I'd call in to check the progress and within a few hours I'd get a phone call back with details on what was going on.

A1 gets a big :thumbsup: from me!

Oh, also, big thanks to tom_9109, I called him and spoke with him on the phone before making my decision to go with A-1. This was my first time going through something like this and he answered any questions I had :thumbsup:

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by KK07


Hey, spar7 is actually my little brother's account, I was using his PC and was too lazy to log out when I created this thread.

I was originally planning on taking the car to Screamin Paintworks but they were booking appointments for a month away which I knew would cause problems with Aviva. I was entitled to a rental car for the entire time my car was at the bodyshop but the insurance adviser warned me that they most likely couldn't give me a rental if I went with Screamin as it was not an approved shop. I'm not sure if this is actually how it works or if she was just trying to BS me.

I didn't want to drive the car around for a month the way it was (the drivers side door would fling open if I leaned into it) so I ended up taking the car to A1 Autobody. They got me in for an estimate the same day, the guy who did the estimate was very helpful. We walked through everything that needed to be done - i.e. new panel/new door instead of just repairing the damaged parts. Also, they ended up painting the whole driver's side of the car as I was worried about the paint matching.

There was some hiccups during the repairs, as they had my car for over a month due to waiting for parts to come in, but their communication throughout the process was excellent. I'd call in to check the progress and within a few hours I'd get a phone call back with details on what was going on.

A1 gets a big :thumbsup: from me!

Oh, also, big thanks to tom_9109, I called him and spoke with him on the phone before making my decision to go with A-1. This was my first time going through something like this and he answered any questions I had :thumbsup:

Thanks for responding so quickly man and all the great information.

When I went to screaming dave suggested that the dent would be pulled out from the inside of the trunk, which sounded somewhat satisfactory to me as I trust Screaming's work, however when I took the car to Carstar (their recommendation), they suggested that the entire panel be replaced and gave me a much higher estimate than Screaming (good thing!)

Arrow Carstar seemed pretty stand up. I met a soarer fanatic who was crazy about my car, which was nice, but a little concerning in a sense.

I am also going to try Maranellos to see what their rate might be around.

Again thanks for the help!