Money Saving Tip for September

This week I was contacted by a client who was in a fender-bender and had damage to her car. I was able to help her through the repair process with significant savings. I realized that I had important information, garnered from past experiences that could save all of my clients time and money. Read these tips and call me anytime to discuss your individual situation.

Did you know that if you get into an accident and it’s your fault you should ask the auto body repair shop to cover your deductible? Here’s the language to use with the auto body shop when you go in for that first meeting, “How much of the deductible can you save me?” I have always had them cover $500 deductibles without an issue. 80% of the time on a $1,000 deductible they can generally cover at least $750 of it, if not all, depending on the cost of the accident.

If someone hit you and depending on the cost of that accident, make sure you ask the body shop for a “piece of the cost of the accident”. Most of them will give you anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a thousand dollars depending on the cost of the accident. You can always ask and it’s your choice to go to another shop.

Don’t go to the dealer when you have body work to be done to your car. They sub out the work and mark up the price in order to keep a portion of the job.

If the car is drivable and until all your questions are answered, do not leave the car with the body shop. If they start taking the car apart, it’s harder to get the car back immediately to switch to another shop.

Always have the insurance company mail the check directly to you. This way if you aren’t happy with the service or any part of the process, you have some leverage and are able to control the money.

Please remember, if you need assistance on this call me, I am confident that I can save you money. I am always more than happy to help. I have a few body shops I like to recommend, who do excellent work.