Why post repair inspections are a good thing

Post Repair Inspections

Consumers have been trained by insurance companies over the years to “get three estimates and we will pay the lowest one.” Unfortunately, these same consumers have applied this method not only to the purchase of insurance, but to the purchase of collision repair. This has forced both insurance companies and collision repair shops to compete on price alone. The tendency to provide the lowest price at the expense of quality and good service has resulted in the general public concluding that neither the insurance industry nor the repair industry is looking out for their best interest.

We’ve all been subject to the barrage of ads on TV by the insurance companies. All the ads have a single, narrow focus on price. Consumers currently shop for insurance based on the lowest premium available, without regard for coverage limits or level of service. The increase in poor quality repairs is related to the escalating economic pressure forced by the insurance industry on collision repair facilities to cut or limit repair costs.

With data collected through post repair inspections, consumers, for the first time in history, will be able to shop for insurance based on the actual benefit to them in the event of a claim. Good insurance companies will be able to compete for market share based on their performance of claim handling. Consumers could then make informed decision on their purchase of insurance based on hard data, purchasing their insurance from a company with a history of protecting its policyholders, while avoiding inferior insurance carriers. The same logic applies to the purchase of collision repair. The data will revel those shop performing at a high level, and those shop that are defrauding consumers.

A post collision repair program has a lot of advantages for not only the consumer, but the repair shop and the insurance industry. Here are a few the benefits all parties can expect.

Post Repair Inspections can:

· Boost the professional image of collision repair shops.

· Boost the image of the insurance industry

· Promote consumer confidence by ensuring the quality and value of repairs after an accident.

· Promote public awareness and assist consumers by providing information essential to protect and assert their rights.

· Increased market share for shops doing high quality repairs.

· Increased market share for insurers doing the right thing.

· Reveal sub-standard repair techniques, remaining damage, repair fraud, poor quality repairs, weeding out “hack shops”

· Identify insurance companies who are truly concerned with customer satisfaction, and repair quality.

· Increase the overall image of both the repair and insurance industry.

FAQ on Post Repair Inspections

What’s the down side?

There isn’t any. Well, to be more accurate, there isn’t any risk for the shop doing quality repairs with the consent of the vehicle owner.

I need something for the repair the insurer won’t pay for it. What can I do?

When an insurer denies any portion of a shops profession opinion, those concerns need to be brought to the vehicle owner. The customer need to approve (or not) the repair.

What if the customer doesn’t want to pay additional money for the repair over what the insurer said it would pay?

It’s not the shops responsibility to return the vehicle to “pre-loss” condition. That’s an insurance term. The repair shops only responsibility is to complete the repairs, for which it received compensation, in a quality and workmanlike manner.