Ask Me About Waiving Your Insurance Deductible
August 21st, 2009
These days, money is tight for most of us. Even though you have auto insurance to cover you in the event of an accident, you may still have your deductible to pay when repairs are completed. The deductible is the portion of repair costs you are responsible to pay out of your pocket before your insurance coverage kicks in. Since you weren’t planning to have that accident, this unexpected expense may tempt you to find a shop willing to “work with you” on that deductible. My advice…be careful!!
Consider the facts:
• Most likely your auto insurance carrier will have negotiated the lowest cost possible for collision repairs already. Many insurance companies also have contracts in place with autobody shops that forbid the shop from waiving your deductible even if they wanted to.
• Autobody shops operate on very thin profit margins. The costs of training, materials, and equipment to keep a shop current with the ever-changing repair requirements of today’s complex vehicles is exceptional.
Given the above facts, it would be very difficult for a body shop to waive deductibles and stay in business without making up the loss somewhere. That often means padding the bill to the insurance company to cover the cost of the deductible (insurance fraud) or worse yet, cutting corners on the repair. If the bodyshop is willing to commit fraud against your insurance company, what makes you think they will deal with you any more fairly or honestly? And when it comes to your safety, and the safety of your family, proper repairs that will enable the car to perform as designed in any future accidents to prevent injury to the passengers is of the utmost importance.
As the old saying goes…you get what you pay for. Collision repairs are no exception. See… “How to Choose a Good Auto Body Repair Shop“.
*To learn more about the author and her family- owned company, ACI (Auto Collision Inc.) visit www.acibodyshop.com
