Five Tips When Choosing a Collision Repair Shop

Whether your automobile was totaled in a head on collision, or it suffered a tiny fender-bender from careless tailgating, you’ll have the same tough question–”How do I know which collision repair shop to choose?” Getting back behind the wheel, and getting your vehicle back to its original condition, are your primary concerns. But who can you trust? Use the following Five Tips When Choosing a Collision Repair Shop. 

Don’t Get Emotional

It’s hard not to get emotional when staring at a pile of bent metal that used to be your car, but it’s important to take emotion out of the repair process. Start by understanding all your rights, and refuse to make any rash decisions. Your insurance carrier may try to convince you to get your vehicle repaired at a body shop of their choosing. Remember, the choice of auto body shop is all yours.

What Are People Saying Online?

Choosing the right collision repair shop means getting insight from online reviews. Customers of auto body shops will share their experiences, whether good or bad. There are many websites that serve as customer review platforms, like Google, Yelp, Facebook, and others. Many shops will post their customer reviews on their own site. They’ll all be positive, but you might find one that tells you exactly what you need to know about them and their body shop services.

Stop By For a Closer Look

There’s nothing better than stopping by the body shop, so you can ask any questions and meet the team that’s going to be handling your auto body restoration. If the shop looks messy, unorganized, and unprofessional, you know everything you need to know, so keep looking! Look for body shop certifications on the shop walls, or before/after photos behind the counter. Or just ask the technicians about their experience with vehicles and collisions like yours.

Talk to Friends & Family

This is probably the most common way we get our referrals for anything, whether it’s a restaurant or a movie. The same person will give us honest feedback about their experience with a collision repair. If we start by asking people we know about their past experiences, we’re able to get names, numbers, and shops that we might not have found otherwise. You can also ask follow-up questions about their experience, get some valuable insight, or get everything you need to cross them off your list.

Trustworthy is the Key

When you don’t have any experience with a particular body shop, trustworthiness is largely a gut reaction. Customer service is key to any collision repair shop’s success. Who can trust a technician who’s rude, impatient, or inattentive? You can tell most of these bad traits over the phone. To make sure your next collision repair service is performed by the right shop, pay attention to the way you are treated by the technicians. They’ll probably treat your vehicle the same way.