I got rear-ended while stopped at an intersection – a clear case of the other driver being in error.
Geico (the other driver’s insurance company) had me go to a Geico adjuster who estimated the damage. A check arrived in the mail for the amount of the estimate.
I’ve got an uneasy feeling that the amount won’t be enough. Does anyone have advice on how to proceed now that we’ve gotten a check based on their estimate? I ask because, well, don’t different shops charge different amounts? Will shops honor insurance estimates?
I’ve only had insurance pay for car damages once before, and it was handled much differently (go to insurance-recommended shop, have bill sent to insurance company).
Before cashing the check, visit the body shop of your choice and let them perform their own evaluation. If the numbers match, sweet. If not, go back to the adjuster you had dealt with, taking a copy of the body shop’s paperwork.
I’ve had two accidents requiring body work. With the first, my insurance cut me a check as did yours. I took my car to two body shop for estimates. At the first, I told them ahead of time what my insurance company had estimated. Darned if their estimate didn’t come to the dollar to what my insurance company’s estimate was. I took it to another place and didn’t tell them the estimate up front. Theirs was within $100 of what my insurance company said. I eventually went back to the first place because I’d heard better things about them (even thought I doubt they did a real estimate and instead just thought “yeah, we can do it for what Geico says”).
With the second accident, the other driver’s insurance company paid (I was in a different state so I assume that’s why it worked differently, neither accident was determined to be my fault). That time, I got an estimate but no check. The check was paid directly to the body shop. They needed to see the estimate to begin work, but after that they dealt directly with the insurance company. I have no idea if the bill came to the amount of the estimate or not.