Facts on Burying the Deductible

Facts on "Burying the Deductible"

From time to time all body shops have been faced with requests to "bury the deductible." A deductible is part of your agreement with your insurance provider in exchange for a lower rate when damage to your vehicle is your fault or not covered by another insured's policy.
"Burying the Deductible" is slang for conspiring to defraud your insurance company. An unscrupulous body shop will present one estimate for repairs to your insurance, then adjust the bill after repairs are made so the insured makes either no or less of an out-of-pocket payment.
At ColorMagic CARSTAR, "burying the deductible" is something we never do, and we've listed here some facts to keep in mind about "burying the deductible:"

1)		Conspiring to "bury the deductible" is conspiring to commit fraud against your insurance company, and its against the law.

2)		Insurance Companies know the cost of repairs and audit every repair estimate. Body shops do not get inflated repair estimates approved.

3)		Body shops can't absorb the cost of "burying the deductible." Insurance companies work hard to make the autobody repair business very competitve. The cost of "burying the deductible" is taken right out of the job, so its the vehicle owner who takes the loss.

4)		To make up the cost of "burying the deductible," the body shop has to use sub-standard parts, take short cuts making the repairs, or both. The vehicle owner will get a second rate job which depreciates the value of the car.

5)		Any body shop willing to break the law to cheat an insurance company might also be willing to cheat you, the vehicle owner.

6)		If the body shop decides to cut corners on the repairs to the vehicle and the repairs are unsatisfactory, the vehicle owner might find himself without any options because he conspired to "bury the deductible."
We always encourage people to protect their investment by getting a first class job covered by a nationwide warranty like all repairs at ColorMagic CARSTAR. Even in these tough times, its best to pay your deductible and preserve the value and integrity of yourself and your vehicle.