Need help with a repair, estimate, or claim?
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Do I Have to Use the Body Shop My Insurance Company Picked?
No. In Massachusetts that decision belongs to you.
After an accident your insurer will often name a shop, sometimes firmly, sometimes with a warning attached. It can sound like a requirement. It is not. In Massachusetts you choose who repairs your vehicle, and your carrier still has to settle the claim properly.
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The shop is your decision
Your insurer can recommend a repairer. It cannot compel you to use one. You are entitled to take the car to the shop you trust, and doing so does not void your coverage or your claim.
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What a preferred shop really is
A direct repair program is a commercial arrangement between a shop and an insurer. It can mean smoother paperwork, and it can also mean the shop is balancing your repair against the cost expectations of the company that sends it work. Neither is hidden, but it is worth knowing which relationship you are inside.
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What steering sounds like
Warnings that your repair will not be guaranteed elsewhere, that it will take much longer, or that the carrier will not cover the full amount at an independent shop. If you hear it, you can say you have chosen your shop and ask them to proceed.
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You do not need multiple estimates
A carrier may ask for several. Massachusetts appraisal rules put the assessment in the hands of a licensed appraiser, and one estimate from the shop doing the work is normally the basis for it. Ask why more are needed before you spend a day collecting them.
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Parts are worth asking about
Insurers frequently specify aftermarket or used parts. You are entitled to know what is being used on your vehicle and to discuss it before the repair starts. On a newer car it can matter for fit, for finish and for resale.
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Tell them where the car is going
Give your carrier the shop's name when you open the claim, or after if you have changed your mind. Then let us deal with the adjuster. That is the part we do every day and you should not have to.
Common questions
The rest of what people ask
Will my repair still be guaranteed if I do not use their shop?
Our workmanship carries a limited lifetime warranty regardless of who insures you. What a carrier guarantees inside its own network is separate from that, and it does not replace the shop's own warranty.
Will it cost me more to choose my own shop?
It should not. The claim is settled on what the repair actually requires. If your carrier proposes less than the repair needs, that is a conversation between the appraiser and the shop, and we will have it for you.
Can my insurer refuse to pay if I already chose a shop?
Choosing your own repairer is not a reason for a carrier to deny an otherwise valid claim. If you are told otherwise in writing, keep it, and the Massachusetts Division of Insurance can advise you.
What if the car is already at their shop?
You can usually still move it. Call us and we will tell you what is involved, including anything already authorized.
Send it where you want it repaired
Call the shop and we will take the claim from here, whoever your carrier is.