Your Car, Your Choice

Don't be steered into another accident by your insurance company or the other parties’ insurance company. Did you know some insurance companies have ownership in some shops? Makes you wonder who the customer really is. Auto Body Hawaii does not participate in many of the repair networks because of the concessions or stipulations in the contracts which generally leads to a lower cost/lower quality repair. We believe we have a responsibility to the vehicle owner, who is ultimately our customer, not the insurance company. The reason insurance companies use these different word tracks is that the state does not allow insurance companies to direct or "steer" customers to a particular shop (or they are not supposed to), so they have come up with the following word tracks to intimidate the customer into thinking they have to do what the insurance company says or they will not pay the claim. Some companies also have bonus programs for employees that steer claims to the networks, so don't think that they have your best interest in mind (they may be attempting to hit a bonus quota).

These are often heard phrases from Insurance Companies when you want to bring your vehicle to Auto Body Hawaii or any shop that is not on their "List", and what our response is.

Don't be manipulated by the word tracks.

1. "They are not one of our network shops and they are not on our list, we can't guarantee the repairs"
We are not on everybody's list, which is because we do not want to be. We identify the vehicle owner as our primary customer, not the insurance company. As for guaranteeing our work, they do not need to, as we have our own lifetime guarantee. When have you ever seen an insurance company with a car being repaired in their office? Truth is they will send you back to whomever you selected off their list.

2. "If you use them, we can't get an adjuster out for several days, if you take it to our network shop we will have someone start on it right away".
This is just another ploy to steer you, we have heard insurance companies tell our customers how busy they are and they can't get someone out for 7 or 8 days, we know that is simply not true. Most companies are required to appraise a vehicle within 72 hrs.

3. "If you use that shop you will have to pay for your rental out of pocket" This is not true, but some insurance companies will try to force you into a rental reimbursement, which means they will either try to get you to pay with a credit card and then reimburse you, or offer to send check for X amount of rental days (which you should promptly refuse to do). Most companies have direct bill agreements with rental companies, but they do not always disclose that.

4. "They charge more than the prevailing rate and you will have to pay the difference in repair cost "
All Additional fees are clearly discussed with you and subject to your approval. And in most cases the customer collects the difference from the insurance company after a few phone calls.

5. "Claims take longer to settle if you use them"
The only thing that takes longer is the insurance companies’ response time. They are very typically slow to respond do not pay us as quickly as they pay their preferred providers.

These are just a few of the word tracks used to manipulate the customer into using a specific repair facility. Be careful it's your vehicle, your investment; you have the right to make the choice on who repairs your vehicle.

We would be more than happy to assist you in the claims process. The truth is we work with about every company out there, more importantly we do not lose sight of who the customer is. We realize the investment that you have in your vehicle, and we want to make sure the value of your investment is not diminished through poor quality visible repairs.

Ask us what insurance companies we recommend, we always prefer companies that have local agents that can meet with you face to face, we are not a fan of most of the internet based insurance policies, BEWARE you get what you pay for and you do not realize the value of a good company until you have a claim.