You have probably heard horror stories from people who have been in car accidents and had problems with an auto body shop not properly repairing their car. If you have been in a car accident yourself, you may have even experienced one of these horror stories firsthand. I have heard stories from people whose car came out looking worse than it came in, and even one story where the car was not “totaled” from the accident, but it was when the auto body shop was finished with it!
For future reference, there are things that you should do immediately following an auto accident. The first thing you should always do is take numerous photos, from every possible angle, of all the damage done to your vehicle. Your auto insurance provider will take pictures as well, but it is always best to have your own copies in hand just in case you need them.
After you and your insurance provider have taken all the pictures of the damage, you will choose an auto body shop to complete the work. You should get estimates from at least two different auto body shops. Do your research on each auto body shop you visit. Ask your friends, family, coworkers, etc. if they have ever done business with them, and what their experience was like. Word of mouth is typically one of the best ways to find a reliable auto body shop.
If you have followed these steps, you will hopefully never experience one of the improperly repaired car/bad auto repair shop horror stories. However, if you do find yourself in the situation where your car has not been repaired properly, you will want to take immediate action. Here are several steps you should take:
1. Take photographs again, to document what your car looks like after the repairs have been made by the auto body shop.
2. Get at least two more estimates from different auto body shops to show the cost of fixing the incomplete or poorly made repairs from the first auto body shop.
3. Send a letter to the auto body shop that improperly repaired your vehicle (be sure to send it through registered mail), stating the reasons for your dissatisfaction with the repairs. Enclose copies of the photographs and copies of at least one or two of the estimates for repairing the problems they have created.
4. Call your insurance provider and talk to them about the problems. You will want to either fax or mail them the same items that you mailed to the auto body shop.
5. This may be all you have to do. The auto body shop and your insurance provider may come to an agreement about completing the work on your car. However, if they do not come to an agreement, you can take one more step:
6. File a claim in small claims court. Typically, if you have the photographic evidence to support your claim, you will be able to win your case.