Rick's Auto Body, Inc.

The ***'s vehicle was towed to our shop where an estimate was writtenthe initial estimate didn't include the tow bill to our shopThe tow bill was from Speed's towing, inv # *** in the amount of That is the only tow bill I find that Mr*** was charged forOur
estimator wrote an estimate and then the insurance estimator wrote an estimateBoth estimates stated at the top that they were a preliminary estimate, and ours stated at the bottom that once repairs were started that often times there is additional work needed that is not on the original estimateWe write our estimates in a program called CCCand this insurance company estimator uses a program called AudatexThey approach the repairs from different perspectives and in the end are close to the same in costsNeither one is always more or always lessThe program used the most by shops and insurance companies is CCC1, but some do use AudatexIn this case the insurance companies choice is AudatexThis always creates confusion when trying to compare one program to another. Mr*** turned his claim over to the insurance company to handle and payBoth the insurance estimator and our estimator agreed that with this kind of damage there is a high probability that there would be additional damageSo in order to be able to connect with the insurance company and create a supplement of additional repairs we had to start with the same items and cost on our estimatesThe insurance estimator gave us his so that we could all start on the same pageAll of the items that Mr*** was charged for were done in a professional manner and to industry standards of repairI have been in business for over years and have never targeted somebody to take "advantage of" for any reasonWhile I don't have a contract with this insurance company (or any insurance company) I do have to work with them in the cost containment of the repairs and to provide a safe and complete repairTo charge Mr*** only for the original estimate would mean that we would have had to do an incomplete repair, only repairing what was on the original estimateAnd the to send the insurance company a bill for the complete repair and giving you the difference would be aiding you in filing a fraudulent claim, which would leave us at risk for a law suite from the insurance company and your lien holder because we charged for a complete repair and only did a partial repairNot only is this illegal and unethical it is something that I have never participated inWe never told Mr*** that he had to give us all the money the insurance company paidWhat we told Mr*** is that the insurance company and Rick's have agreed what the cost of the repair was, the insurance company was paying them direct less their deductible, which was in accordance with the policy that the ***'s had purchased, the vehicle is ready and you need to pay when you pick up the vehicleMr*** was unable to pick up the vehicle right away stating that the insurance company was going to pay for the repairsWe called the insurance company to check on the funds and they stated that they paid the ***'s and the lien holderthey also stated that the ***'s had cashed the checkTheir was on ongoing discussion between Rick's, ***'s and the insurance company about paymentWe told Mr*** that the vehicle needed to be picked up or we would have to start charging storage feesThe vehicle was done on 9/11/and picked up 10/6/The ***'s were not charged any storage feesThe insurance company told the ***'s that the money that was sent to them was for the repairs less their deductible and that Mr*** should pay for the repairsEvery statement made to Mr*** was true and this process is the norm in this industryIf Mr*** feels that the insurance company didn't pay the tow bill I will gladly help him with the paper work and phone calls to get it handledHowever, the insurance company told us that they paid him from the insurance estimators final bill, which is the same as what we gave Mr*** and included the single tow bill for charged by Speed's Tow.I believe that this disagreement stems from Mr*** thinking that there was some sort of contract to repair his vehicle for a fixed cost when the estimate stated Preliminary and the disclosure at the end of the estimate gave warning that there was a chance of additional costs and it was explained to the ***'sI believe that there is nothing to give back and if there was it would legally belong to the insurance companyI appreciate the ***'s allowing us to repair their vehicle and wish them the best