Whose car is it anyway?

At least once a week a poor soul drives in to our shop with a wrecked car stating the same thing: “They told me to get three estimates.”
They say curiosity killed the cat, but I can not help myself and ask the same question anyway: “Who are they?”

The answers differ from my husband, my uncle, the guy that hit me to my insurance company, a rental car company, city of Burbank. Whoever it is, they do not seem to have much regard for your time. Unless it is you who wants to check out a few different repair facilities so you could pick the best match, getting three estimates is a waste of time.

They ask you to get three estimates, so that they could pay you the lowest one and be done with you. By agreeing to do it you the consumer, sign up to work for them for free.

Remember three things Number one; your time is very valuable. Two, the law does not require you to get more than one estimate. (If they want you to get more than one they could hire an independent appraiser and have him look at your vehicle at your convenience at their expense.). And three: whose car is it anyway? You are not required to use any particular shop. You, the owner, choose the body shop to perform the repairs.

Why do I bring this up? Because just as often as I hear: They told me to get three estimates,” customers say: ‘They told me to take it to another shop.”
And then they apologize: “I know we have done business in the past, but the insurance company told me that they could not guarantee the work, unless I took it to their shop.”

Just to clarify the situation, since your insurance company does not physically repair your vehicle, they can not guarantee the work. The reason they insist you go to their shop is due to the fact that they have an agreement with that shop that would significantly lower their cost. If your goal is to save money for the insurance company, then by all means, go ahead and follow their instructions, but beware, you might end up with sub par repair.


Otherwise remember, the only one that can guarantee the work, is the body shop that actually performs the repairs. So use your time wisely. Go online and check body shops in your area, check testimonials or complaints, or call your friend or a neighbor and get a referral for a good shop. Whose car is it anyway? You bought it and you have a freedom of choice. So make the right one for you.