Who should you trust? The doctor… or your insurance adjuster?

On the surface, the question may sound ridiculous. That’s probably because it is. But let’s play it out a little. You (hopefully do not) have a medical condition that requires a surgical procedure to get you back to optimal health. Who will you consult to have the procedure performed? Will you go to a board-certified, 12+ year trained expert in the area of your specific surgery? Or, will you call the hourly employee that your insurance carrier hired 6 months ago and ask how he or she would go about cutting into your body to remove the offending tissue? Who should you trust?

who should you trust who should you trust

Unless you genuinely have a death wish, it’s more likely that you will actually speak to – and TRUST – the opinion and specific skill set of the DOCTOR whose sole job is to perform THIS SURGERY.

We recently offered a poll on our Facebook page asking this question. Not surprisingly, out of nearly 200 votes, 95% chose the option of trusting the doctor over the adjuster. It would seem only reasonable to assume that trusting a trained and well-practiced expert makes better sense than someone whose sole job is to authorize payment for the necessary work.

However; once you’ve decided to trust the doctor – how do you know that you’ve put your trust in the RIGHT ONE? Is one doctor the same as any other? Are you safe just to know that the doctor has a degree and is given permission to operate on you? Would you choose the doctor who invented the surgery over the one who has never performed the procedure, but has it written in a text, lying on a shelf in his or her office? How do you know who REALLY to trust?

We believe that in this day and age, there is simply no excuse for not doing your due diligence, and finding out who is the best qualified to handle your specific medical condition. And… while this particular scenario of doctors and insurance adjusters hits very close to home, personally, we also see obvious parallels to our business of repairing vehicles for our guests.

When, God forbid, you get into an accident… you are urged by your insurance company to immediately engage with one of their adjusters. You then bring your car to a body shop who lines up a repair plan for you, only to discover that the insurance adjuster disagrees with the repair plan, and denies payment for the shop’s plan. Who should you trust?

In essence, it’s the very same question as posed above. The body shop’s only business is to repair cars just like yours. Some have invested in years of training, and they are up to date with the ever-changing standards put out by the manufacturers to provide the absolute RIGHT REPAIR for your vehicle. The insurance adjuster may have weeks, months… maybe even years – of sitting behind a desk and authorizing or denying payments. Very few have ever had to straighten a frame or replace a side panel.

It’s reasonable to assume that you would put your trust in the expert – the body shop – over the company whose sole job is to PAY for the repair. But it may not be as clear cut as all that. You may not be aware of the fact that MANY of the body shops out there are actually PARTNERING with the insurance companies! In such instances, they work together to cut corners on the quality of repair, and share in the profits. Many shops, unfortunately, do not look up the current repair procedures from the manufacturer of your vehicle. At the same time, they may not have the proper tools to complete your repair. All at the expense of the CORRECT REPAIR of your vehicle! Who should you trust?

How do you know who to go with? Just as in the example above – you should do your due diligence, and find a body shop that has no partnerships with the insurance companies. You should research the shop and the quality of their repairs. Read about other people’s experiences through reviews. Ask if the shop pulls current manufacturers’ procedures each and every time. All of this information is available either online or by way of a single phone call to the shop itself. You can even ask to take a tour of the shop.

Whether looking for the right doctor, or the right body shop… doesn’t it make sense to go with the best? Isn’t it reasonable to want to bring your situation to the ones who are going to DO THE JOB – and do it right?

Our advice is simple: Take your car to the right shop, put your trust in the people who are actually fixing your car CORRECTLY, and leave the PAYMENT to the people who PAY.

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