I was rear-ended and had to get my bumper replaced. I took it to the shop, with the insurance check in hand (roughly $1000). As the shop then dealt with the lousy driver’s insurance company, they agreed a supplemental charge would be necessary (roughly $200). Now, the work is done, but they won’t release my car until the additional $200 payment is received from the insurance company. Is this acceptable?
They claim this is company policy, but i don’t see how holding my car will ensure they get payment from an insurance company i have no affiliation with. This insurance company assures us that the check is in the mail, and I have no reason to doubt it, since they have been great to work with thus far. So it seems to me all this policy is doing is passing the risk of doing business from the business to the customer. Thanks…
Thanks for the input guys…
I ended up paying the 200 myself since i needed my car this weekend, and trust that the autobody shop will refund me when they receive the check from the other driver’s insurance. I’ve actually been very impressed with the insurance company (never thought i’d say that), and they have since provided a fedex tracking number and a faxed copy of the check. So i am cautiously optimistic, despite the feeling of being used as a risk-mitigator for this supposedly reputable (dealer) body shop.
Choosing Jorge’s answer because it’s not *my* insurance company, and it seems to me that this particular risk of being burned is inherent to their business, and they should have better methods to protect against it than just exposing the customer to it.
Thanks.
