Insurance Companies Face Lawsuits by Auto Repair Shops
Does your auto insurance provider make you believe that you 
can’t choose where to get your vehicle repaired? Does your auto insurance provider direct you to repair shops that have agreements with the insurer to fix the car as cheaply as possible?
According to a recent article in the Orlando Sentinel, auto repair shops across the United States – including some in South Florida – are suing insurance companies, claiming they don’t pay enough to adequately repair cars.
Louisiana is one of the first states to file charges against State Farm, with others suits against insurance providers to follow. Last week Attorney General Buddy Caldwell filed suit alleging that auto insurer State Farm is illegally steering customers involved in car accidents to repair shops that use junkyard parts and choose cheap fixes over safety. The Attorney General says this practice violates the states unfair trade practices with a systematic effort to lower its costs at the expense of its customers.
Auto repair shops have come forward saying they are forced to do shortcuts at the expense of customer safety; while the insurance industry is free of liability. In Florida, suits have been consolidated in Orlando where 80 insurers and over 100 auto-repair businesses are involved. The Florida law suits say insurance companies like State Farm, pay repair shops on an arbitrary basis and “artificially suppress the labor rates.”
Repair shops recommend that consumers who have been in an accident and have had their vehicles repaired, to have post-repair inspections completed by and independent repair shop to ensure the work has been completed and to ensure your safety.
If you have questions about your insurance company coverage, click here or visit: Hurt In Accident.com or call us today at 561-366-9099.
