The reality, however, is many motorists involved in car crashes face car accident insurance issues because auto insurance companies engage in a wide variety of unscrupulous tactics. These insurance companies do not care about protecting customers or other motorists on the road who have sustained injuries or property damage. The insurance companies care about making money by paying out as little as possible in claims.
How Underhanded Insurance Tactics Adversely Affect Car Crash Victims
Claims Journal provides one more example in a long series of recent cases about how insurance companies fail to take care of the motorists who have purchased policies. According to Claims Journal, the Oklahoma Attorney General is warning citizens about an unscrupulous practice in which auto insurers push consumers to take their vehicles to preferred auto body shops for repairs after a crash.
The Oklahoma AG is the second attorney general to warn of this practice over the last several months. The Attorney General of Louisiana filed a lawsuit against State Farm Insurance for the same tactic of forcing consumers to preferred repair shops. The practice is widespread throughout the United States and it is a problem because the auto body shops consumers are being steered to may provide substandard repair service to consumers.
The insured policyholders who are getting repairs covered by insurers are directed to go to auto body shops which may use substandard vehicle parts, low quality materials, and even salvaged parts to perform repairs. While insurance companies are charged less because inferior parts are being put into consumer’s vehicles, the consumers are not told they are getting poor quality parts. The shops may also perform vehicle repairs in a quick and cheap manner, rather than by following manufacturer performance standards and consumer safety guidelines.
Consumers suffer from this practice for many reasons. The use of aftermarket parts can sometimes void the warranty manufacturers provide on vehicles. So a consumer may have later repairs that are not covered under warranty. The aftermarket parts may also not meet standards manufacturers set for their vehicles, and could possibly fail in a shorter period of time. In some cases, failure of the parts can actually cause motor vehicle crashes.
Consumers should ensure they check the reputation of an auto body repair shop before taking their vehicles to get fixed. If you have any reason to suspect your insurance company is trying to cheat you when making an injury or property damage claim, you should always get legal help.
A Chicago, IL accident attorney can help after an injury. Call Coplan & Crane at 800-394-6002 to schedule your free consultation. Serving Chicago, Hyde Park, Bridgeport, Edgewater, Lincoln Park and surrounding areas.
