Car Accident in Cincinnati – Don’t Be Taken Advantage of
Similar to any large city, traffic in Cincinnati is often horrendous, and this is certainly true during peak hours during the day. And a car accident in Cincinnati could take place during peak hours, or for that matter, any time of day.
We all know, a car accident in Cincinnati will at the minimum result in damage to property, and at worst, can lead to loss of life. Luckily, in a lot of accidents the damage is mainly to the automobiles involved, and personal injury is marginal.
If you’re involved in an auto accident, your first consideration must be to attend to the needs of everyone injured, and then speak to your insurance agent to turn in a claim for damage to your auto. However you might be surprised to find out that the advice you get from your agent may not be advice you can or ought to rely on, for the following reason.
But before we begin our explanation, let’s speak briefly about a “Direct Repair Program” and define what it is. It’s an agreement in writing between an auto body repair shop and an insurer. In our scenario, a the Cincinnati body shop has agreed to provide car repairs for the insurance company’s clients. In return, the insurance company will “steer” their customers toward the shop.
Under the agreement the auto body shop, when calculating repair, must base those estimations on the use of aftermarket components – in other words, less expensive automotive parts than those manufactured by the manufacturer of the vehicle. But that’s not all – the shop is normally required to bear legal responsibility for vehicle repairs, and should a lawsuit result, they must indemnify the insurance company.
However the aftermarket parts (also referred to as rebuilt, salvage, or replacement crash parts) are, oftentimes, of lesser quality compared to parts used at the time the auto was originally assembled by the manufacturer.. The aftermarket components are not only second-rate, but using them to affect auto repairs can result in a dangerous auto.
Now you could think that the insurance company might not want to send its customers to a shop that makes substandard quality vehicle repairs, and yet they do just that, but why? Simply because those parts, although not as well built or (in some instances) as safe as OEM components, are less expensive! So even though your vehicle could be dangerous to drive following repairs, your insurance provider is satisfied, simply because they have managed to increase their earnings.
Therefore the chance exists that, because lesser auto parts were utilized, the vehicle “repaired” by a Cincinnati auto repair service could be involved in another Cincinnati motor vehicle accident or one in another location, as a result of second-rate repairs done for the purpose of bolstering insurance company profits!
Thus here’s the “bottom line” — when your insurance agent attempts to maneuver you to his company’s “chosen” Cincinnati repair shop (and away from one of your choice) you will hear one or more of these phrases or equivalent wording:
“When you go to the shop of your choice, it’ll cost you extra ” – “If you go to them we will not warranty the repairs” – “Do not head to that repair shop because we can not get you a rental vehicle when you go there ” – “If you go there, they are going to disagree with our appraiser ” – “We’ve had prior difficulty with that shop ” – “They are not on our preferred list” – “If you go to a non-preferred shop your repair will be delayed waiting for our adjuster to inspect the vehicle” – “If you go to our shop we’ll pay them directly and it will be faster”
Every one of these statements are deceitful. Don’t be misled by them!
If you do, the outcome may be a solution that triggers a car accident in Cincinnati to result in another (and perhaps much more serious) car crash in the next area you travel to. Know your legal rights, and opt for a Cincinnati auto repair shop that places high quality work and safe repair practices above insurance company recommendations!
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