12 shops in my area:
Immediate area that is. Small three town area consisting of maybe 35 miles. State Farm has one DRP in that general area. No pocket lining, because the adjuster hasn't been there in three years I know the shop owner personally for 23 years.
He has the nice guy charm, that the other shop operators lack, if I was still in my shop, instead of being the body shop manager for the most evil new car dealer in the area. I would have had the same amount of a chance as my friend did, but when your dealing in a small town, where people think they're beer is more important than their bills.
You get sick of the rat race and go work for the enemy, and make $1500.00 a week till he causes you a work accident that puts you out of commission for years.
But I know exactly where your payola explanation comes from, when I had my shop in New York. If you didn't give the adjuster a hundred dollar bill, he'd pull the car without looking at it. When I moved to Po Dunk Pa, I wasn't going to let some mutant hillbillie adjuster pull the bread out of my kid's mouth.
But I know where you're coming from MArsh!
Peace!
Refinish King
PS
That stuff doesn't go on as much in some areas as much as others, because guys like me and the guy who has the State Farm DRP and every other companies, stood down the adjusters. The other shops, I don't know about. He's the only one I can say is truly a friend. If I need a favor, he'd drop what he's doing to help me, and I the same for him.
I myself paid State Farm Auto for over 16 years with out a single claim and then I got caught in a hail storm and my car needed paint and a new windshield.
So I went to a local shop Alpine Auto Body in Mount Shasta and after his painting it 3x is was still screwed up. So I called State Farm and they said they would take care of it. They scheduled for an adjuster to come and look my car over, he failed show up or even call. Finally when he does show up he argues with me for an hour how there is nothing wrong with the paint job. The idiot had buffed the trim so it was scratched and the paint was a mess. I finally had to drive over 130 miles round trip for State Farm to look at it. Finally they agreed and $8500 and 9 months later the car was finally fixed. So I was out the use of my car for almost a year the 9 months for the second body shop and almost 3 month for the first one. I even had one of the State Farm adjusters tell me that I was crazy and he didn't care if I sued State Farm.
Thank you, Kris ======= ======= Feb 23, 2004, 12:50am (CST+1) From: snipped-for-privacy@neveryoumind.nospam.com (Refinish King)
Hi: State Farm, as do all insurance companies. Use DRP's (Direct Repair Programs) with independant shops, regardless of their workmanship quality.
They just use a favored shop in an area, that they've had a relationship for years with and very few problems. The problem being, when they take on a DRP association with State Farm, State Farm let's them write their own ticket. All the shop has to do is send State farm the pictures of the vehicle, so an inhouse adjuster can appraise the car. Which is illeagle under Pennsylvania insurance law, but they have gotten away with it so far in Pa.
It does not make sense for State Farm to send an adjuster to look at a car that they saved money on, with a DRP shop. The adjuster that told you to: "Sue State Farm: was told that from an appraiser's meeting script. (Pretty much the norm) But, the way judges, small claims courts and magistrates have been finding in favor of the insureds, all across the country, for poor workmanship. Which leads to diminished value of the vehicle, which the insurer must pay!
Soon, that script will change to: "May I help you reso;ve this. With three maybe four paint jobs on that car, sell it soon! The paint will crack and peel like crazy soon.
Rule of thumb, one paint job over the factory paint, strip it and do it over.
I hope this helps? Refinish King
PS Holler in the group if I can be of any further assistance, plus, on a screw up. State Farm should have supplied loss of use payments or a rental unit.
let's see me get flamed by a know it all now? ======== ======== okay.....
You should have told him the truth.
You should have told him that the body shops that get all the work from a particuler adjuster...........are lining the adjusters pocket in one way or another.
The ONLY exceptions I have EVER seen to that, are........
when there is only one good shop in a small area.
or....when an area has so many Body Shops in it, the adjusters HAVE TO be honest because the other shops would have their balls in a vice if they were'nt. And....even then there is favortism played.
I'm not saying all shops do it....because not all shops do. But you can bet yer grannies pannies.....that IT DOES HAPPEN! A LOT!
and....anyone in the profession that says it doesn't ....is either a liar, inexperienced, or too gullable for their own good.
that's all i got to say about that
MarshMonster ~takes a sip of his crown-n-coke.....and counts all the moonpies and cuzies he got at the Mardis Gras parade today~ ========== ==========
ps.....that wer'nt no flame....it wuz a co-rection of misinfoemation put forth in a public arena ===== =====