This past week held a few firsts for me since I've been in LA.
I had my first death threat. Now before you freak out, please know I am not worried about my safety. For anyone who has worked in a call center (or any service job), you know being verbally threatened by a customer is not unusual. Well, one particularly emphatic angry customer told me over the phone that she would "kill [me] if I keep playing with her & her car." No games being played. Just trying to get her car fixed. And to be fair she did first threaten the body shop. Something about a boyfriend or maybe it was "baby daddy" and an AK47. All joking aside, I do think something is mentally or psychologically wrong with her.
I had my first celebrity encounter. Sort of. I was watching the latest episode of American Horror Story and recognized a name when the opening credits ran. It was the same as one of my customers. Realized they both have similar deep & raspy voices (from the voicemail I've heard). So after a few clicks on social media (a Facebook page which then lead me to Instagram), I saw a pic of the car I inspected. Confirming my first claim for a celebrity/actor in LA.
[Work/company policy does not allow for me to share identifying customer information on a platform like this.]
Saturday, October 26, 2019
What I wish I knew...
Now that I have been in the auto damage side of insurance for a while. I'm realizing how much I have learned in a short amount of time. Things I wish I had known when I was younger. Especially as a single female where car trouble can be completely overwhelming. You know that you don't know. What to ask. What to do. What is needed. By no means do I have all the answers now, but I do know enough to not be intimidated any longer. And hopefully enough to not be taken advantage of without being a rude/annoying customer in the process. (No one WANTS to be a Karen!) Here are a few tips I would tell my younger self.
1. Learn the difference between a body shop & a mechanic shop. A body shop does bodywork to the vehicle. Collision damage. Things that look bad. Dented body panels. Cracked bumpers. A mechanic shop works on mechanical & internal things. Engine. Suspension. Airbag systems & wiring. Occasionally, you'll find a shop that does both, but not often. Some shops will specialize in one thing (suspension/wheels) or brand (usually with high-end brands that need a certified tech -- Audi, Mercedes, etc). If you were in an accident that has any kind of external damage, go with a body shop and if there is additional mechanical work needed, they will sublet it out to a specialist. And yes, dealerships will charge more than any other kind of shop. There are a few things only the dealer can do (diagnostics, computer or safety), but generally, the body & mechanic shops are your best bet.
2. When you are at a shop, listen. If a shop (body or mechanical) is quiet, then they are not working. It might be a good indicator they make their money on storage fees or overcharging in their hourly rate. When you drop your car off, are there vehicles coming & going? Is there activity. Good shops stay busy. You will hear people working. You will see signs of activity & productivity.
3. Don't feel pressured to use a certain shop. Ask questions about the hourly rate, storage fees, turn around time, etc. There can be a lot of hidden fees & frustrations that can be avoided by asking more questions. Be sure to read any paperwork to check in a vehicle at a shop before you sign anything. It will tell you a lot about the fees & professionalism of a shop. Good shops will be transparent and clear on fees & expectations. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS! And if you are going through insurance, make sure you don't tell the shop it is okay to do anything insurance has not approved unless you are ready to pay for it yourself.
4. If you have pre-existing damage when you have an accident insurance is handling, ask what the shop will charge to take care of it while they are handling the claim. They will likely be paid for a lot of the prep work (mixing paint for example) by insurance and you can get a good deal on the additional work. Or at the least, you should be able to negotiate better labor rate (what insurance pays --- which is on your paperwork/estimate) than what you would pay out of pocket. Most shops want to work with you for additional work. It can make it less expensive to overlap the insurance claim for the old damage as well as only one trip to the shop versus two.
5. If your car needs to be towed, make sure you are familiar with the tow company and the destination. Too many tow companies are vultures waiting to take advantage of a bad situation. And many are hoping you are not paying attention due to the stress/chaos from an accident. Many of them work with the bad shops to steal your car away for repairs. And it is usually a big headache to get the car moved to a good & reputable shop. Don't agree to let anyone take your car away without your full permission. Don't be passive about this. If in doubt, use a company the police are recommending or calling for you. They (usually) are not going to use a bad company.
I'm sure I'll think of more to add to this list later. But this is a good Top 5 to start.
1. Learn the difference between a body shop & a mechanic shop. A body shop does bodywork to the vehicle. Collision damage. Things that look bad. Dented body panels. Cracked bumpers. A mechanic shop works on mechanical & internal things. Engine. Suspension. Airbag systems & wiring. Occasionally, you'll find a shop that does both, but not often. Some shops will specialize in one thing (suspension/wheels) or brand (usually with high-end brands that need a certified tech -- Audi, Mercedes, etc). If you were in an accident that has any kind of external damage, go with a body shop and if there is additional mechanical work needed, they will sublet it out to a specialist. And yes, dealerships will charge more than any other kind of shop. There are a few things only the dealer can do (diagnostics, computer or safety), but generally, the body & mechanic shops are your best bet.
2. When you are at a shop, listen. If a shop (body or mechanical) is quiet, then they are not working. It might be a good indicator they make their money on storage fees or overcharging in their hourly rate. When you drop your car off, are there vehicles coming & going? Is there activity. Good shops stay busy. You will hear people working. You will see signs of activity & productivity.
3. Don't feel pressured to use a certain shop. Ask questions about the hourly rate, storage fees, turn around time, etc. There can be a lot of hidden fees & frustrations that can be avoided by asking more questions. Be sure to read any paperwork to check in a vehicle at a shop before you sign anything. It will tell you a lot about the fees & professionalism of a shop. Good shops will be transparent and clear on fees & expectations. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS! And if you are going through insurance, make sure you don't tell the shop it is okay to do anything insurance has not approved unless you are ready to pay for it yourself.
4. If you have pre-existing damage when you have an accident insurance is handling, ask what the shop will charge to take care of it while they are handling the claim. They will likely be paid for a lot of the prep work (mixing paint for example) by insurance and you can get a good deal on the additional work. Or at the least, you should be able to negotiate better labor rate (what insurance pays --- which is on your paperwork/estimate) than what you would pay out of pocket. Most shops want to work with you for additional work. It can make it less expensive to overlap the insurance claim for the old damage as well as only one trip to the shop versus two.
5. If your car needs to be towed, make sure you are familiar with the tow company and the destination. Too many tow companies are vultures waiting to take advantage of a bad situation. And many are hoping you are not paying attention due to the stress/chaos from an accident. Many of them work with the bad shops to steal your car away for repairs. And it is usually a big headache to get the car moved to a good & reputable shop. Don't agree to let anyone take your car away without your full permission. Don't be passive about this. If in doubt, use a company the police are recommending or calling for you. They (usually) are not going to use a bad company.
I'm sure I'll think of more to add to this list later. But this is a good Top 5 to start.
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Debbbie Downer
I always want to post more often. And I usually have great post ideas when I'm driving at work. And by the time I get home or the weekend rolls around when I can get to a computer to write, my mind goes blank. All I can think of is how rough my week was at work. And I don't want this to become a dumping ground of complaints. Also trying to complain less. Started realizing my response to "how is/was your day" was nearly always something negative or bland. I feel like I remake a commitment to "not complain so much" about every 6 months. Never seems to really stick. I think there is something to being naturally pessimistic. I want to be more pleasant and happier. I just can't see to will it to be. It's not as easy as "choose to look at the positives." I can look at the positives & wonder why they don't make me happy.
All that said because my instinct was to tell you that this week was hard. My birthday was Monday and for the most part went unnoticed. No birthday cards in the mail. No "happy birthday" from colleagues or roommates. One of my roommate's birthday was Thursday and he was told "happy birthday" by my other roommate & landlord. He even got some vodka from a coworker. I was jealous. Another friend posted how much love she received for her birthday. I became more jealous. Combine that with a hard week at work and I was ready for the weekend. Ready to hide away in my room and watch tv. Watch the UGA game.
Sorry for a downer post. I knew moving across the country where I knew no one would be hard. But it is harder than I expected. I'm fairly independent and more introverted than most realize. (I'm more of an extroverted introvert.) Making friends is hard. Work relationships are strained. (Don't have co-workers in the normal sense) It is alienating. It is lonely.
In an attempt to end on a positive note, the weather last week was pretty great. Would be about 57 when I woke up and around 60 when I would be leaving for work. Actually wore a light jacket when I left for work most days last week. And would get up to around 80ish. And would drop fairly quickly as the sun started to go down. Slept with the windows open.
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