Waive An Insurance Deductible. Is It Possible?
People sometimes ask how a body shop can waive an insurance deductible? How is it possible— or even legal—when getting your car repaired after a collision? First, it is completely legal. Although insurance companies will try to tell you otherwise—and even go as far as to say it’s fraud– once you make a claim with them, the damage to your car is appraised and they make payment to you, your car repair is now between you and your auto body shop.
Auto body shops can run their businesses any way they see fit—provided they’re not breaking the law. Many body shops like Orlando Auto Body use this as an incentive to bring new customers in to their shops. But the amount of an individual’s deductible is another incentive for a body shop to offer waiving this insurance deductible.
Some people might have a deductible as high as $2500 (or higher!) meaning, they’re responsible for paying the first $2500 of the repair. Obviously in instances of light collision repair, with repair costs being under that amount, it wouldn’t even make sense for a vehicle to make a claim with their insurance company. It’s a strike on the owners record that could affect your future premiums, and makes no sense if you’re paying for it out-of-pocket anyway. However, for a major repair job that could cost $5000, $10,000 or more, it makes sense to file the claim.
What this means is that the owner is still responsible for the first $2500 of repairs. If a body shop waives your deductible, this means they will deduct either part or all of that amount and incorporate it into the repair bill, thus saving the owner having to pay the deductible amount.
Using the above scenario with the owner having a $2500 deductible could also be a hardship for the owner. This is where if a body shop can waive your insurance deductible that can come in handy for a vehicle owner. Even if your deductible is substantially lower than this, you should shop around for an auto body shop that is willing to work with you on your deductible or allow you to finance that part of your repairs.
At Orlando Auto Body, we use waiving your deductible as an incentive for new customers to try us. We love to reward our customers for their patronage. That’s why we will rebate to you 10% of the total cost of your repairs up to $1000! We also offer 12 months same-as-cash financing on qualified repairs. We’re so positive that you’ll be happy with our customer service and quality of repair that you’ll refer us to your friends and family.
