Steering is when an insurance company pressures you to have your vehicle repaired at a body shop other than the one you have chosen.
You have the legal right to have your vehicle repaired at any shop you choose. Many insurance companies would like you to choose an auto repair shop that has agreed to repair your vehicle under certain guidelines. This usually means lesser quality.
All Insurance companies know and understand the laws concerning steering. Some have become very good at explaining things in just a way as to confuse the customers. Here is a list of items you may hear;
We cannot guarantee the work at the shop you have chosen because they are not on our list of preferred shops.
It will take longer for the repairs because it will take several days to get an adjuster to that shop
You will be required to pay the difference in rates that your shop charges.
These tactics are ‘half truths’ that enable the insurance companies to steer customers to a shop where they have control over the process. In answer to these statements,
BF Bodyworks has a life time warranty on all of their workmanship and a warranty trough the auto repair facility is the one that is important. Not the insurance company.
Every Insurance company has appraisers available to inspect vehicles. BF Bodyworks Inc. takes responsibility of making sure they inspect in a timely manner.
Nearly all of the repair rates in our area are the same. Your insurance company is required to cover the prevailing rates. BF Bodyworks Inc. never charges more than what Insurance companies are paying in the area.
BF Bodyworks does have agreements with a few insurance companies, but only the few that have allowed us to put quality and customers first. These companies still allow you to decide where to take your car.
Simply put, steering a customer towards a shop that is chosen by the insurance company is not going to benefit you. And remember;
“IT’S NEVER GOOD TO HAVE THE FOX WATCHING THE HEN HOUSE”
Our philosophy? Repair vehicles as if it were our own.
