“Being in a car accident is bad enough,” Stanley said. “But to find out afterwards that the repair shop charged you for work they never actually did just adds insult to injury.”
Because we operate a local body shop, right here in Taunton, MA, nothing makes us angrier than hearing about auto repair scammers. There’s a lot of trust involved when someone depends on you to fix their vehicle. We take the obligation to live up to that trust very seriously, but not everyone does. Here are three steps you can take to protect yourself from unscrupulous auto repair shops:
Choose Your Auto Body Repair Shop Yourself
After an accident, the decision on which shop your car goes to for repairs is up to you. It’s not the role of law enforcement, the other driver, or anyone else who may be at the scene to make this decision. Your insurance company may have a list of preferred providers. While you’re not obligated to use a repair shop on the list of preferred providers, the fact a shop is on the list is an indication that they are regarded as honest and reliable enough to achieve preferred provider status.
Even though it is a stressful time in your life, take the time to Google any repair shop you’re considering using before agreeing to have your car taken there. A little bit of research won’t give you a full understanding of a body shop’s abilities, but if you immediately turn up a bunch of complaints and negative reviews, it might be a good idea to go elsewhere.
Choose a Local Body Shop that Provides Itemized Estimates and Invoices
If you want to make sure you’re not getting ripped off on your automotive repairs, work with a local body shop that provides an itemized estimate of repairs prior to any work being done. This necessitates the body shop doing a full inspection prior to getting started, which is what you want because damage from automobile accidents isn’t always immediately visually apparent. A quality auto body repair shop will happily do a thorough inspection and provide you with an itemized estimate. Accept nothing less.
Ask to See the Old Parts
Look at the work that has been done on your car. New car parts are generally shiny metal, whereas older car parts can be have some rust or wear on them. Ask to see the old parts that were removed from your car. This is a standard thing to ask, and no reputable shop will be offended by this request. It may not be possible to see every single screw or small fitting that came off of your car, but major parts, you should be able to see what’s new and what’s not. Don’t just take the mechanic’s word that it has been repaired. Look for yourself, and ask for an explanation of what was done. Any decent auto body repair shop will be happy to walk you through the work that has been done.
