Who Pays Your Deductible?
Have you ever heard this when it comes to collision repair? Maybe you have sought out a shop that will do this for you.
This practice is unethical at best, but at worst it can be insurance fraud. When a shop has agreed to pay your deductible there has to be a way that they are recovering that money. The fraudulent way is to inflate the cost of the estimate by adding operations that don’t need to be done, using used parts and charging for new, or a host of other possibilities. Another problem is that these types of shops will have to cut corners by using inferior paint and materials that will fail a few years down the road.
Anyway you slice it, the practice of a body shop paying your deductible is not a good idea. When people ask me if we do that I ask them if they would ask the hospital or their doctor if they would pay their co-pay or deductible? If your doctor made a habit of this would you trust him or her with your health?