Allstate Auto Insurance - Sterling Auto Body Center VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HORRIBLE REPAIR JOB Herndon Virginia

Believe it or not, I am on your side. And I understand what you are going through.  I apologize.  Obviously, I came across the wrong way.  I understand that if you were told wrong information that Allstate did not give you good service in that instant and that would be very disappointing.  And I can tell you that I would not drive 45 minutes AT ALL.  You were a good customer to do that.  When I grocery shop, I go to Kroger because it is 1/2 of a mile away.  But where I use to live, Kroger was 7 miles away and I went to Walmart which was 1 mile away.  Who wants to drive far? The fact that you did was a big frustration.  I understand.  However, you and I don't need to be ripped off or tossed around. Right?  How can we avoid this?  You made a good point that we should use the shop that we want to use.  We always have this choice.  And there are many shops that work with the insurance companies though not in their network of shops.  Convenience for us is number one.  I had a previous cell phone claim were I paid insurance on it.  My phone became defective but I had another phone that I could use.  Since I used my phone for work, I switched the SIM card and kept going.  But finally about 2 months later I called it in to the insurance.  The first question that they asked was "what is the date that the phone became defective" and I gave it to them.  At the end of the call, my claim was denied because the policy said that I have to call in the claim within 30 days of the incident.  I became upset and said it was not fair and was told that I should have read my policy.  And we should.  I am on your side.  However, I am saying to take this as a learning lesson and get to know your policy and we have options when we do not get the service that we should like arbitration if it goes that far.

Insurance company said one thing then another regarding how i could do things that isnt my fault. Next they did a fualty crappy shitty half assed repair at THEIR shop so I took it to the dealer where they did an EXCELLENT job and since the insurance company is the one that made me take my car to their shop and their shop was the one that did the HORRIBLE job of course they are expected to pay for the extra time that i had to keep their rental vehicle idc how much they ended up having to spend it was THEIR MISTAKE. If they would have let me take it to the dealer where I would have gotten taken care of correctly he first time thy would have saved thousands. So u can take your over educated presumptious opinion else where. Sounds like you were paid by allstate.

I would like to rebut this experience with some common sense suggestions because it sounds like most of your issues came from things that could have been avoided on both ends.  Firstly, know what is on your auto policy.  No one should have to tell you what you are covered for.  Keep a copy of it in your car.  Depending on the company, sometimes the coverage for the tow may limit what the company pays to a certain number of miles.  You should know all of this.  This will avoid confusion in the future.  Typically the policeman will call a tow truck anyway and will not offer you the choice when the accident happens in a public road.  So consider yourself fortunate for being given the choice.  The 2nd thing that will help you is to already know your shop of choice and also know that there is a difference between a dealership and body shop.  Several Nissan dealers only have service shops which are the shops that do the mechanical maintainence. A smash and crash accident does more body damage rather than mechanical damage.  Therefore, it goes to a body shop.  It is good to find a local body shop close to your area that has a good reputation and is convenient for you.  Third, know the pros and cons to using the insurance company's select shops.  An obvious con is having to drive 45 minutes to get there.  There is an easy solution to avoid that.  Tell the insurance company, "No. I am not driving that far."  No insurance company can mandate your choice of shop.  With that being said, get to know which shops in your area are reputable and have good relationships with the insurance companies.  Who is the best person to tell you that?  It would be the local adjuster - the person on the ground that deals with the shop.  Ask to speak to that person if you can't figure out for yourself which shop in the area might be a good one  to use.  However, keep this in mind: When you use a shop that is not in the insurance companies network, there will be inconveniences as well.  Often, shops in the network of the insurance company are granted higher authority to do things that other shops will not do.  This is because they agree to follow the insurance company's guidelines (their repair procedures which typically have to do with repairing parts that are repairable instead of pushing to replace it and using cost effective parts).  These shops also often agree to accept responsibility for delays on their end and pay the customers rental bill when the delay is their fault.  They also give a lifetime gaurantee on the repair which means they will back their work.  If the shop cannot match the paint, as you stated in your case, then they will pay for someone outside the network to fix it.  Sometimes though you may have to realize that on a bumper, the paint did not match from the start but you just did not notice it.  Bumpers are not painted at the factory at the same time as the rest of the car so often there is a slight difference in the color of most bumpers in comparision to the rest of the car.  Instead of jumping up and down about it, do research and find out if the anyone else can match the paint first.  It may be that your color is a difficult tone to duplicate.  If you did that, this would have saved you time (multiple 45 minute trips, stress, and the possibility of owing out of pocket rental money).  If there is someone that is better qualified to paint the vehicle, mention this to the insurance company.  However, don't slam the body shop because the paint didn't match.  It sounds like that did a good job reassembling your car.  It didn't fall apart while you were driving it.  Be glad of that! The paint is cosmetic.  Leave it up to Allstate to find someone to get the paint right.  If still unsuccessful after one more attempt, they would likely settle with you to get someone else to do it or you could go to an arbitrator to if there is a disagreement in most cases to decide in favor of you or the insurance company.  It usually tells you that in your policy if you read it.  Lastly, keep in mind that when your car is done, it is done.  If you will be delayed in picking it up, it is important to call and communicate this rather than assume that everyone can read your mind.  Anytime you keep a rental car for longer than the days alloted, someone has to pay for the extra days.  The reason that you did not think about this is because the money was coming out the insurance company's pocket and not yours.  If the money was coming out of your pocket, you would have brought the car back the same day.  The insurance company's and shop's warranty is to warranty their work.  It is not to cater to you, buy you a steak dinner, and a trip to Hawaii.  Therefore, simply do not expect extra things from them that they do not owe.  Having a realistic understanding of what you are owed and what you are not owed will greatly help you.  Most of these things could have been avoided and if you work to become a smart consumer, you can avoid being ripped off in the future.  Hope this helps!