In any situation, no matter who is paying for the repairs, it is always your decision who fixes your vehicle. In many cases, the insurance companies will try to STEER you to one of the shops on their “LIST”. Steering is illegal in Maryland and should be reported. The shops that are on the Ins. Companies "LIST" are known as Direct Repair Providers(DRP’s). DRP’s have negotiated with Insurance companies to provide lower cost, lower quality repairs in exchange for referrals. The only person that is harmed in this situation is YOU, the customer. With these agreements, your wants and concerns take a back seat to those of the insurance company. At Shannon Auto Body, you are our one and only customer and we will negotiate with the Insurer as an independent repair facility to make sure you get what is best for you and not what is best for the Insurance Company’s bottom line.

Here are some phrases you may hear when you tell the Insurance Company that you want to bring your car to S.A.B. or any other shop that isn’t on their list:

INSURER-"They are a "problem" shop."

S.A.B. Response-Some Insurance Companies have labeled us as a problem shop because we don’t take no for an answer and we don’t allow them to trample on our customers rights. We look out for our customers’ best interests and inform them when an Insurance Company wants us to use inferior aftermarket parts, won’t pay to repair vehicles per manufacturers standards, or refuse to pay market rates. We put quality first and sometimes quality comes at a cost. We dedicate ourselves to keeping up to date on training and new technologies. A problem shop should be a shop that performs substandard repairs and rips people off. We encourage you to check us out with the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Checkbook, Google, and Yahoo. Across the board we are consistently rated as the best in class. And its been that way for 36 years and running!

INSURER- "They are not one of our network shops and they are not on our list, we can’t guarantee the repairs".

S.A.B. Response- We are not on their list because we do not want to be. We identify the vehicle owner as our primary customer, not the insurance company. The insurance company is never the one that warranties the work, it’s the shop. The DRP shops are required by the insurance company to provide a certain warranty. As for guaranteeing our work, they do not need to, as we have our own lifetime guarantee.

INSURER-"If you use them, we can’t get an adjuster out for several days. If you take it to our network shop we will have someone start on it right away."

S.A.B. Response- This is just another ploy to steer you. Most companies are required to appraise a vehicle within 72 hours. When you bring the car to us we can get the process started immediately as well. We can document the damage, write an estimate, and get the vehicle disassembled so that when the Insurance Company comes out they will be able to write a more thorough estimate than if the vehicle wasn’t disassembled.

INSURER-"They charge more than the prevailing rate and you will have to pay the difference in the repair cost."

S.A.B. Response- If you hear this, ask to see a market survey for the prevailing rates in the area. Chances are they cannot provide you with one because they base their prevailing rates on what their DRP shops charge. Remember that these are the same shops that give them discounts in exchange for volume. Most of the time an insurer will pay our rates. If they don’t, then we can gladly assist you in submitting an online complaint to the MD insurance commissioner’s office. It takes no time at all and most of the time you will be reimbursed any money that you would have to pay out of pocket.

INSURER-"Claims take longer to settle if you use them."

S.A.B. Response- The only thing that takes longer is the insurance companies’ response time. They are typically slow to respond and do not pay us as quickly as they pay their preferred providers. With a little pressure from the vehicle owner and the shop they will expedite things. They use this also to try to make their DRP programs look better on paper. You will eventually see a certain aquatic reptile or a ditzy brunette talk about how much faster their repair network is than out of network shops. Could Michaelangelo have painted the Sistine Chapel in half the time and still got the same finished product? Quality does take longer.

INSURER-"If you use that shop you will have to pay for your rental out of pocket."

S.A.B. Response- This is not true. All major Insurance Companies have direct bill agreements with rental companies and we can work with the rental provider to get you covered.

*These are just a few of the word tracks used to coerce the customer into using DRP shops. Please be careful. It is your vehicle and probably one of the largest investments you will make. Make sure you chose the right people to repair your car so you don’t lose money on your investment.

We would be more than happy to assist you in the claims process. We work with almost every company out there. More importantly, we do not lose sight of who the customer is- YOU! We realize the investment you have in your vehicle and we want to make sure the value of your investment is not diminished through poor quality repairs.

Ask us what insurance companies we recommend, we always prefer companies that have local agents that can meet with you face to face, we are not a fan of most of the internet based insurance policies, BEWARE you get what you pay for and you do not realize the value of a good company until you have a claim.