I need help with my insurance claim...

So i wrecked my truck a couple weeks before Xmas last year and made a claim the same day. I looked up a couple shops that were close and read some reviews. After taking it to Complete Collision in Addison,Tx they seemed like the right shop to take it to.

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I wanted to get rock sliders instead of tube steps and Complete Collision said they could do that for me. Plus they said they would color match my new custom grill for free. I thought awesome! I will take it here!

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• I was not able to drop it off at the shop till the 11th of Feb. No big deal. When I dropped it off i asked estimated how long it would take to get it fixed? He said he would try to get it done by friday.

• I called Thursday to check the status and they said it would be Saturday maybe Monday.... they were waiting for a part and it had not come in yet. I was told all they needed was that part and to put the bed on, hook my lights back up and they were done.

• I called Monday.... they were waiting for a part and it had not come in yet. (They had a bad part number, I actually went and bought the part. It was $74) I was told all they needed I delivered the part to him around 2:30 and he said that he would try to get it done by the end of the day.

• I called at the end of the day Monday... they said they were missing clips for my rear fender (they lost some and ended up using some NON-OEM hardware) and they had to adjust the new door. I asked where all this extra work came from because that was not what i was told earlier and they said "Let me call you when the truck is ready"...

• Tuesday morning... I get an email from my insurance saying the truck will be ready on Jan 25th. I called Complete Collision and asked what it was about and they said they would have the truck by the end of the day.

Great!!! Right???? This is where it gets juicy!

Not so great... check out the video... all this was noticed IMMEDIATELY!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGl5N059QOg

After a few days i got a chance to put on my steps that i got from @Iamraiderpower (a million thanks to this guy!!) and found that i was unable to mount them due to the damage that is still done to my truck!!

After looking at what else was fixed this is what i found...

They blending on the paint is terrible!!!


Bubbles in the paint....



Overspray from the paint inside and out...



Scratches...




Damage to the underside where steps mount...
What its supposed to look like... (front mounting holes)

what it looks like... (rear mounting holes)



Damaged plastic put back on my truck...



NON OEM equipment used...
What is supposed to be used... (also note the bare wires left exposed)

What was used....


Also seems to be some paint on my floor mats and pedals...

 

Ssoooo, what help are you asking for?

 

Work done through the insurance is warrantied. Contact the insurance and let them handle it. You should not have to accept the work if you are not satisfied.

 

I dont want to take my truck back to this shop, i dont trust them... I want to take it to the toyota house to get it fixed properly!

Not sure how to get my insurance to go for it.

 

I would say be nice to the insurance, no matter how ticked off you are. It's not their fault, and a good attitude will go a long way. But you will have to be firm at the same time.
I agree with trying to take it somewhere else, but I doubt that any other shop will want to touch another shop's screw-up - after all they will have to warranty it also, so unless the insurance agrees to pay for everything to be redone from scratch, I doubt that you will be able to make that work. It's worth a try though. If not, the insurance will have to help you get back to the original shop and they will have to make it right. Next time, don't even take possession of the truck until you are satisfied. By taking the truck and signing on the line you imply that you are satisfied with the work done.

Also, the "bubbles" in the paint on your pictures appears to be dimples in the bondo/filler. Appears that they did not replace the bedside; just filled in the dent. You should be able to knock on it and hear the sound difference. Or take a magnet to it, and you will feel if there is a difference between that and the rest of the panel. I guess it might be acceptable to use filler in some cases, but I would not like it on my vehicle.

Good luck.

 

The few times I've needed body work, the ins. co has backed the work of the shop so long as it is one of their approved shops. Call the ins. co, be really nice, and ask for help. They like your premium dollars.

 

I feel like I am in some type of time warp.

 

Oh to be 19 again.

 

A few thing I learn once the shop is picked and does the repair if they don't do some things right it is normal that the insurance company give them a chance to fix it, before going to another shop. There should not be a time guarantee only an estimate if you want it done right sometimes it takes longer. Last when you are told it is ready be prepared to not pick it up but to to go over everything and see what they missed.

 

When i picked the truck up i pointed out the few things that i saw. He told me to bring it back to him when i have time and he would fix the paint....

 

Worked so hard to find time to get the steps from me only to have to shelf them, Damn!

 

First thing make sure you tell the insurance company this they don't get paid till the work is done. You may have to leave your truck there till its done if they don't have it they can claim anything. Never sign off till all work is complete go over every piece they did after my accident I had to wait another week to pick up my truck because of thing they missed but it was done right.

 

Yeah man i was pretty pissed when i found out they didnt fix everything!!

 

Would love to see a copy of the estimate.
Paint was not color matched or blended in.
Did the insurance company pay you and you found and paid the body shop Or did you drop it off at body shop and they are dealing with the adjuster. Makes a big difference. If you took a check and paid the body shop you might be SOL and have to handle it yourself.

 

I had the insurance company pay the repair shop. Its also on their "approved vendors list". So hopefully that will help.
Check out the cost for the steps...! outrageous!!

 

If our (not permitted to disclose my company name on a public forum) customers pick a shop from our preferred shop program, we have a specific estimator assigned to that shop for just this type of thing. Our estimator serves as a liaison between the shop and our customer. If I were handling your claim for you, I would have you bring that truck back to the shop where our estimator would meet you. We'd talk to the shop on your behalf to have those repairs corrected until they met industry standards.

I'm not sure who your insurer is but I'm sure they have a similar program unless they are a new or smaller company (there are hundreds out there, beware).

 

I like the sound of that! I will see what my insurance company will do.

Do you deal with this sort of problem often??

 

I'm an injury adjuster and deal mainly with liability issues and injury evaluations/negotiations. But yes, I frequently deal with property damage complaints when they get elevated past our first line of handlers also.

 

Insurance should stand behind the work. Especially if they are on their "approved vendors list". Estimate looks in fine. Make sure when they repaint the truck, they remove the handles, trim and moldings and not just mask them off. When a vehicle leaves a body shop only a trained eye should be able to tell any work has been done. Not anyone that walks by it.

 

I also worked for a year as a auto adjuster at USAA and this is exactly what they do too. Be cool with your insurer, they should have your back. I almost guarantee you will have to allow the repair shop to fix THEIR mistakes; if it is still an on-going issue, your insurer should let you go elsewhere.

Good luck. Auto body repair is often quite agitating to deal with as a consumer.