car body shop question?

Question

My car was towed to the body shop on 6/12. The shop promised that it will be done by 7/5. They then told me that it will be done by 7/13. Today I called them and they said they will only be able to finish by mid next week. This is Ultimate Collision in Edison, NJ. Now this body shop is a Gieco prefered shop!?. I had a car rental from 6/12 which expired on 7/11, where I had to return the car. Now I have no car!!.
Shouldn't Geico be able to put pressure on the shop to deliver on time? Who's responsibilty is this? The adjuster is telling me that he can not give me more that 30 days on car rental.
I am getting ready to tell the guy, just give me back my car. I will fix it myself.

Ok the damage is $6000 worth. The execuse they are using for not delivering on time, is that they are short-handed!?.

Answer 1

If the delays are due to the shop being shorthanded, then they owe you for a rental. Demand it.

Answer 2

You don't state how much damage there was or when the job was approved or the estimate costs which are an indicator of how long it takes to fix a vehicle---at my shop we use to estimate 4 hours of work per day on a vehicle so if you divide out the total number of labor hours on the estimate, it should get you close to how long it takes to fix the vehicle barring any unforeseen parts delays....i.e. 80 hours of total labor divided by 4 hours per day equals 20 working days or 3 weeks. I would get the Geico agent and adjuster involved and get a firm date on when the repairs will be completed and what is the cause for the delay....if the shop is putting off working on your car because of other jobs, then they should put you in a rental car at no charge....check the shop daily or even twice daily to see what progress, if any, is being done. Some delays are not the shops fault but make sure that's the case. Be fair and firm and realistic. Talk to a Geico claims manager or higher up if necessary.

Answer 3

We need more information about this -- are they just sandbagging or is there a problem obtaining parts? I was involved with a claim last winter where a dang Kia needed a replacement airbag. Well guess what? Since there were NO airbags in the U.S. a new one had to be ordered from Korea and since airbags are classified as an explosive device it had to be shipped by BOAT -- a very slow boat at that. It took almost 90 days to get one damn part to complete the car, the whole time the owner was having a hissy-fit. Well what was the shop supposed to do -- eat some plastic and SH*T out an airbag for the jerk? If the shop has simply dropped the ball and screwed around repairing your car then YES, you can pressure GEICO to extend your rental coverage. Find out what the problem is first....

Answer 4

First, your contract with Geico says they will pay for a rental up to 30 days or the policy max, whichever happens first. You exhausted your rental so according to the terms of your contract Geico is not responsible for anything beyond the 30 days. It doesn't matter what the reason is for you to be in a rental beyond 30 days, 30 days is 30 days. The choice to return the rental at that point is yours.

Second, Geico doesn't own Ultimate Collision, they are their own business. Geico can't call them up and TELL THEM to pay for a rental for you.

Third, it's no one's responsibility to deliver on time. You are given an approximate date as to when your repairs will be complete. The shop can't see into the future and factor in delays in the arrival of parts. They have to order those things to put on your car...if the wrong part arrives, if the part doesn't arrive at all, or if the part doesn't fit...how is that THEIR problem? It's not. What IS their problem is if THE SHOP has created unnecessary delays: NOT ordering the part, NOT working your vehicle at minumum 4 hours daily when they have the parts, forgetting your car is even on their lot (which does happen). It is YOUR responsibility to make sure you stay in contact with the shop concerning the repairs (which it seems you've done) and it is YOUR responsibility to ask them 'what's taking so long?' It's your responsibility to ask them to pay for your rental if the delays are due to THEIR actions.

Can the Geico adjuster call or go by the shop and ask them 'what's taking so long?' also? Sure they could, but the shops lie to them about what's taking so long just like the shop lies to their customers...ESPECIALLY when they know they're screwing up and don't want to pay for anything else. So other than Geico break your contract and pay for a rental...what more do you want?

Answer 5

It sounds like you just need a minor repair and it shouldn't be more than a day or two. Some body shops will give you a discount for paying cash so let them know if that's the case before they see your car. Also, you may be able to find your mirror at a wrecking yard. Often, you may even find someone working there who will put it on your car as a side job for a good price. Just remember that anything involving insurance usually costs a lot more.

Answer 6

HI There,

I would suggest you go to Geigo, or call them, because they are responsible for your insurance and they probably gave you the name of the place you should take it to?

Who is the adjuster? Geico? did they supply you the rental? if so, you should also call the body shop and insist on getting a rental from them, at their expense!

They promised it would be ready, and its not, so they need to ensure you get a car, and if at their expense, they will hurry and get it done sooner! as long as they dont rush it, make sure if you get your car back, that you are 100% satisfied!! if not, you tell them, and they do it over, still giving you a rental!

Dont take this BS, I wouldn't :)

raise your voice a little and make yourself heard! dont be shy! :)
lol
good lucj!

Answer 7

Ugh.. people are ASSUMING ALOT here.... and you didnt give enough information for us to give a accurate answer.

As a "Geico preferred shop" YES your car should be done in a timely manner..

HOWEVER.... As body shops tear down vehicles... it is very possible for them to find more and more damage as they get deeper and deeper into your vehicle....

If this is what is happening.. and they just continue to find more damage.. of course your estimated completion date gets extended! They just want to fix your car for you! Do you want them to only do half of the work?

Clearly you only have 30 days of coverage on your policy and your repairs are taking longer...

Geico isnt just holding onto your car for the fun of it.. they (and the shop) want it done too. But they want it done right.

So unless you have proof or a valid reason to believe your car is just sitting around.. i suggest you let the experts handle the job and relax and let them fix your car like it needs to be fixed.

Answer 8

You know, sometimes they have to wait for parts to arrive, maybe the shop is just busy. The policy probably has a 30-day maximum on rental cars, and you've hit that limit. Be glad your car is repairable.

Answer 9

they probably have several other jobs going on also at the same time,id call geico and have them call and rush them up a little,they usually have more than one job going on,and sometimes it takes longer to get parts than expected also,but if geico wont call them,call or go to their shop,and see if their actually working on it,usually their pretty good about getting one done on time,let them finish it though,right now if you take it and their not done with it,there will be no warranty on anything they do to it,good luck ,hope you get it back soon.

Answer 10

Press your insurance to pay for more car rentals or see if the body shop will.