The Customer Says, “Just Fix My Car.”

Welcome to New Jersey Automotive’s latest feature, “Small...Medium...Large,” where we will present the same scenario to one small, one medium and one large shop and share their response verbatim. Does size really matter? Decide for yourself...

THERE’S A DISPUTE BETWEEN YOUR SHOP AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY. WHEN YOU TRY TO EXPLAIN TO THE CUSTOMER, THEY SAY “JUST FIX MY CAR.” WHAT DO YOU DO?

Sq. Footage: 3,000 Employees: 5 0% DRP Sq. Footage: 10,000 Employees: 10 80% DRP Sq. Footage: 25,000 Employees: 25 90% DRP

In our case, we can’t just fix the car, so it will generally get moved to another facility that will agree to just fix the car for what the insurance company says they want to pay. When the customer says “just fix my car” and they don’t want to hear about it or they don’t want to participate in paying for the repairs, they leave. Is fixing the car improperly or cutting into your profitability a good solution? I don’t believe so. But if we can’t get them to do a Right to Appraisal or some other method that works for us and works for them, that’s how it goes.

It really depends on the customer and the insurer and how far away the deficit is – what they’re not agreeing to pay. We’ll explain exactly what we are doing and why we’re doing it. The OE recommendations that require us to do it. Then we will explain what the insurer has paid for or hasn’t paid for. Then the decision is theirs. Quite honestly, the large majority of the customers just pay it out of pocket. Thankfully, those who leave are never upset with us. We’lll expose the insurer for what they’re doing, but at the end of the day, if the people don’t have the extra $2,000 or whatever it is, you know, well I understand that totally. You have to find a balance between having the car fixed for the customer easily, and an easy repair. That means on time, profitable for you and the customer leaves with the shop in high regard and a solid review. The customer doesn’t want to hear about your loss of profit.

My customers don’t want to know what’s involved in repairs. When my customers pull in with their cars, the sun rises and sets on their vehicle. And they want nothing to do with the repair process. Zero. They want their car back, safely repaired, cleaned and detailed.

And that’s between you and the insurance company to make that happen. Not the freaking customer.

Our writers go out and review the assignment with the customers and make sure what the assignment reads matches up to what they’re saying. We review it with the customer and then send it up to get reviewed by the insurance company.

For a DRP, what we do is if we don’t see it on a claim, we will have the customer contact their inside adjuster and review that. If it’s a non-DRP, we will review their estimate. And if it’s not on there, then we’ll just tell them to reach out to their agent or their adjuster. I rarely find that the customers want to know much about the claim process. We’ll help them break it down if they have questions.

Most people have been coming to us for 30 years, so they obviously have some trust in the company.

TOUCH

The Blueprint is Right in Front of You.

Electronic Measuring System

The Spanesi® Touch Electronic

Measuring System and Multibench Structural Repair Workstation are designed to work together seamlessly.

The Multibench allows technicians to drive most vehicles directly onto its low-profile ramps. After the vehicle is disassembled to evaluate the damage, the Touch rolls right up, letting the technicians gather measurement data in no time.

With its 10-ton pulling column, the Multibench also serves as a single-bay repair solution. Finally, technicians use Touch to check structural repairs and ensure proper OEM specifications are achieved.

Touch Electronic Measuring System:

Comparative Measurements Complete Documentation Mechanical Parts Measurements Suspension Parts Measurements User Added Points with Photos Vehicle Frame and Structural Items Wheel and Tire Alignment Checks

MULTIBENCH

Structural Repair Workstation

Multibench Structural Repair Workstation:

Loading Capacity 3,175kg (7,000lbs) Lifting Height 1.45m (4’ 9”) Lift Time (Ascension) 45 seconds Pulling Force 10 Tons

Spanesi Americas, Inc.

123 Ambassador Dr. STE 107 Naperville, IL 60540 224-SPANESI (224-772-6374)

www.spanesi-americas.com

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