How Insurance Companies

Try To Steer Your Repair

Your insurance company may have a preferred body shop.

You still have a choice.

After an accident, calling your insurance company can feel like the obvious first step. But the way your repair options are presented to you can have a major influence on where your vehicle ultimately ends up.

• Insurance companies maintain networks of preferred repair facilities
• Their claims process may naturally guide customers toward those shops.
• Their verbiage can make choosing a different collision repair facility sound difficult or risky

Understanding some of these tactics can help you make your own decision about who repairs your vehicle.

What you hear from your insurance company when you file a claim can influence your decisions. Things like:

“You will have out-of-pocket expenses if you choose an out-of-network shop.”

“Using a preferred shop makes the process more streamlined.”

“We cannot stand behind the repair if you choose a shop outside our network.”

“This is in your best interest.”

It’s actually often the opposite: choosing their preferred shop is in their best interest.

• Statements like these can make an independent repair facility seem like the “difficult” option before you’ve even spoken with one.
• Choosing your own repair facility doesn’t automatically mean turning your claim into a battle.
• An experienced collision repair shop like Image Auto Body can communicate with the insurance company and help you navigate the claims and repair process.

Another powerful form of persuasion is social proof. You may hear phrases such as:

“Most customers in your situation choose this shop.”

“We can get you a rental quicker through our preferred shop.” 

These descriptions can sound reassuring, but they don’t necessarily tell you whether that facility is the best choice for your particular vehicle.

• One thing worth asking is whether the shop is OEM certified for your make of vehicle.
• Image Auto Body is manufacturer certified for almost every major brand.

One small “yes” can turn into one big decision.

• Insurance steering doesn’t always feel like someone explicitly telling you where to take your car.
• It can happen through a series of seemingly minor decisions.
• Each step is easy to agree to on its own.
• This makes changing repair facilities suddenly feel like you’re undoing an entire process.

• Whatever terminology is used during the claims process, don’t lose sight of the person who ultimately has to live with the repair: you.
• You can ask questions, do your own research, and ask whether a particular shop is certified for your make.
• You can tell your insurance company where you want your vehicle repaired rather than simply accepting the first facility presented to you.
• Image Auto Body works with insurance companies every day while advocating for repairs based on proper procedures, manufacturer requirements and what’s right for the vehicle.

So, can insurance choose your body shop? No. In Texas, you have the right to choose where your vehicle is repaired.