Sun County, Inc.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
*** ***

Revdex.com September 9,Bryant Woods SouthAmherst, NY 14228Re: Response to Customer Experience Correspondence datedTo whom it may concern:It is our position that the consumer has a lack of knowledge regarding the insurance claim processThis is not
un-common; the average licensed driver experiences some type of accident once every eight yearsClearly this is what has led to their dissatisfaction (not with the service or quality of repairs we provided) but with the fact that their impression that they were going to financially benefit from the transaction.When asked why the final invoice was greater than what our original estimate was written for our General Managers response was "the insurance carrier had written an estimate which included an operation necessary to blend the paint in a specific area of the vehicle". We take offense to the accusation that "we padded the estimate", padding estimates is unethical and against the high moral standards which Carubba Collision has practiced since its inception in Not to mention a fraudulent act in the eyes of the Department of Motor Vehicles and the NYS Insurance DepartmentUpon completion of the repairs to an Insured's vehicle Regulation requires the Insured as well as the collision repair center to certify that the vehicle was either repaired as per the insurance estimate or as per the final Invoice.At times if the consumer does not want all the repairs made, than the final invoice would not match the insurance estimate in which case the insurance carrier is notified and the Carrier is left with the decision on what to doMore than not the final invoice is greater than the original estimate due to variances in part prices or labor adjustments.It is our position that we fulfilled our repair obligation to the consumer by completing all repairs paid for by the insurance carrier and therefore no credits Dr reimbursements will be issued at this time.Cordially,Samuel C***, Carubba Collision

After further review of our final invoice we stand behind our invoice to be fair and accurate with all the repairs that were performed to [redacted] vehicle. As stated before we follow the insurance estimate and bill their insured and our customer exactly what their repair settlement was for. Any deviation to allow the insured to profit from his or her loss can be considered insurance fraud. We then can fill out a certification of repair letter from said insurance company.I have attached a copy of the final bill as well. This final bill was also provided to [redacted] insurance company.If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.Thanks againRay N[redacted]General ManagerCarubba Collision###-###-####

[redacted]Thank you for your response.  In terms of clarifying my complaint the best way to summarize my issue is that Carubba Collision engaged in a practice of charging based on what they could get from the insurance company, rather than on the work performed.  According to Carrubba, this is standard practice and Carrubba's defense is that in many cases results in Carubba charging less than work performed.  My point to them is that what they charge other customers is irrelevant to me-I should be charged based on the work performed and not what insurance would pay for-the cost of repairs actually performed should not vary depending on what insurance will cover.In my case, Carubba's initial estimate was roughly $2300.  Nationwide insurance estimate was $2,729.41 and Nationwide issued a check to me for $2,529.41 ($200 deductible).  Carubba then adjusted the bill to exactly, to the penny, after tax hit the amount that the insurance company would cover.  Simple facts indicate that the bill I was provided cannot possibly be accurate:-Carubba initial hourly rate in estimate was $48 per hour-Nationwide estimate was $47 per hour-Carubba's final bill using the $47 per hour Nationwide rate was exactly, to the penny, after tax the amount Nationwide approved-The only way this is possible is for Carubba to work backwards, adjusting the hours or parts to hit exactly the amount Nationwide approved.  In either case, the receipt is fraudulent and could honestly have been provided before the work was performed-they were working to a predetermined dollar amount.In discussions, Carrubba openly admitted working to the exact dollar amount.  The key here is that I am the customer in this case, not Nationwide and I never was consulted nor approved the higher costs above estimate.  Simply put, if I did not have insurance, Carubba would have charged me less-a point they do not dispute.  Charging a different amount based on what insurance would cover is precisely my point. Carubba also referenced that in repairing to insurance company requirements there may be costs above the initial estimate due to items insurance requires.  I completely understand this issue, but again this should result in a final cost above or below the approved insurance number, not exactly the insurance approved amount.  By Carubba's own admission, the amount they would have charged me for the same repair would have varied depending on what the insurance company paid.  In my complaint I noted that there was one element in the insurance
estimate that Carubba performed for $180 that would drive the cost above
the initial Carubba estimate in order to comply with insurance company
standards.  I have, in my requested refund adjusted to include this
amount after tax as this was work performed by Carubba and should be
charged accordingly.I feel this is a deceptive and poor business practice and I have also lodged a complain with the department of motor vehicles and am also pursuing a complaint with the New York State Insurance Commission and my insurance company.Please feel free to contact me with any questions.