I have touched on this subject from time to time, but it still amazes me how people get suckered into using the insurance companie's repair shop.



I learned something today- that not only cant they force you to use thier company, they cant even SUGGEST it unless YOU ask them for a shop.



Dont let your insurance company push you around, all states have anti-steering laws.



"In addition to forbidding insurance companies from requiring consumers to repair their cars at a specific shop, Section 2610 of the insurance law also prohibits companies from recommending or suggesting to their insureds that repairs be done at a particular place or shop unless their insured expressly asks for a recommendation. That means a company cannot make a referral to its direct repair shop during the claims process unless and until their insured asks for one."





if anyone cares to read up on a recent NYS investigation:



http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/arti...l.jsp?id=577010



some other quick facts:



• required of some customers that a damaged vehicle be inspected at that company’s drive-through facility, in apparent violation of a regulation requiring this inspection to take place at a time and place “reasonably convenient to the insured”;



• set a goal of having 45 percent to 60 percent of repairable vehicles repaired at network shops; and



• told an insured to bring his car to a network shop for inspection, and stated that the repairs could be done there, while another claim representative said repairs could be done at the network shop in half the time an out-of-network body shop would take.



“We felt the sheer numbers and frequency of complaints and calls we were receiving from consumers and shops especially with certain companies, caused us to act,” says Mike Orso, president and CEO of Nick Orso’s Body Shop and president of the NYSACTA. “Lets say our alert level was raised to red.”

 

Then we have geico who's only claims centers in the state of florida are located within a shop, the shop they try to force you to use of course. I had to threaten to take them to court under the RICO act to get them to back off. You are protected under the RICO act, which is federal and in every state, some states improve the laws, but either way it's illegal.

 

learnd soMe thing new today

 

i forget which insurance co it is, but we used to sell parts to one. the insurance office and body shop were in the same building, same owner.



now the body shop was NEW, and state of the art, but i'm not sure how having the body shop and the insurance in the same building isnt steering?

 

what really shocked me was that they are not supposed to even suggest a shop unless you ask first.

Thats the first time I have heard of that. I am definitly going to use that one in the future.

 

Rob forces people to do certain sexual acts at his shop...

 

shhhhhhhh

 

Kinky!