Reply With QuoteThis is right up my alley...maybe I can shed some light.
All shops are supposed to post their labor rates in plain view and you will find that most shops in a market area are with in a couple bucks of each other except for some that consider themselves high-end (usually a BMW or a Mer dealership etc).
Operations on the car are broken into categories called labor types (mechanical, body, paint, frame etc) each type can have it's own rate with Mechanical and electrical usually highest. Rate types are published as an industry standard (ie you can't get charged mech rate for a body operation)
Insurance companies have an obligation to restore your car to pre-accident condition paying on the prevailing market rates and industry standard operations and that is all. They can't low ball you or will they pay a premium when the market place is under what you are asking them to pay. BTW: Wawanesa is a good company.
Here is what I think happened and what may have gone wrong:
1. That BMW rate is WAY high. I would ask what labor type that rate is for? It should be for Body rate as all the work you are having done should be at the "Body Rate" except for A/C stuff. (The body guy will most likely do the a/c stuff too and charge ou the MEch rate)
2. The BMW shop does Direct repair work for insurance companies I can almost guarantee it. If so they most likley have a set of Insurance rates that you will find most likley match the market rates of other shops.
3. I anything you might be a a victim of lack of communication. Wawanesa should have clearly stated or at least reminded you of the prevailing rate they pay in case you ended up at a place like you did. ALSO, the BMW shop should have clearly communicated their rate to you. Hopefully you tok the Wawanesa estimate ( written using Mitchell international software and database) to the BMW shop? Did you?
You might have some recourse as you were not clearly communicated to. There are places you can go for help as a consumer but your best bet is to get the Adjuster and shop on a conference call and talk this out in a calm manner. I would speak to the issues I have above and how you were not clearly informed about the difference in price. If you are still without resolution you can try the BAR (Bureau of Automotive repair) in Ca.
Fax me the estimate and I can look it over if you want.
Hit the nail on the head. I work for State Farm and deal with these things all the time. With State Farm all you would have to pay is your comprehensive deductible and the rest would be picked up by state farm if you went to a shop that SF has already approved. They are called service first shops, meaning they will start work on your car right away rather than waiting for an adjuster to come out. SF has requirements that these shops meet...life time warranty on work, 100% customer satisfcation, etc.. Maybe its time to think about a new insurance company.:idea: j/k
DMB
