Friday 27 November 2015

WATCH OUT FOR WINDSHIELD REPAIR SCAMS

Most Richmond Hill auto glass shops are reputable and knowledgeable; however, you should still be prepared to ask a lot of questions to avoid being scammed. If you are ever approached about your windshield in a public place you should be leery. There are many instances where a stranger will come up to you and offer to replace your windshield for free, and tell you it will be covered under your insurance. Your windshield is likely perfectly fine and if it isn’t then just say you pass and will have it looked at by an auto glass shop, such as, Auto Glass Changers.
Be particularly aware if the person is offering you free stuff to go along with the windshield repair. It is most definitely a scam. You would be committing insurance fraud if you go along with it too. This can have serious consequences such as having your insurance policy cancelled and possible charges or even jail time. You should also be careful about those companies that set up tents at gas stations and offer windshield repairs. It may not necessarily be a scam but the work that they do can be unprofessional and low quality. You should always research your own auto glass places if you truly need work done on your windshield.
 How Do These Scams Work?
There are several ways that these scams work. The first is to replace undamaged windshields. The crooks will convince drivers to replace perfectly good windshields. The crook will then lie to your insurance provider and say that it was badly damaged and in need of repair. They will then proceed to charge your insurance provider needless and inflated repair costs. Another scam is when a person opts to replace a windshield that could have easily just been repaired. They will then bill your insurance company for the full cost of replacement when it could have been an easy and inexpensive fix. Another trick is to charge the insurance company to replace several chips or cracks when only one was present. Another thing crooks can do is take your insurance information and run. They could possibly charge numerous repair jobs under your policy. Most body shops are honest but there are a few that will be less than honest when dealing with your repairs. Auto Glass Changers employs honest workers, so you will never have this issue.
Ways To Avoid Fraud
It is best to ask around for references of places to take your vehicle. The more experienced and professional shops will be happy to provide you with customer references if you request them. Richmond Hill auto glassshops that are professional are happy to earn your trust. They will do anything they can to make your experience a positive one because often their business thrives on referrals.
Say No To The Crooks
Windshield crooks make their money from high-volume business. They will repair a large number of windshields at a costly markup. The crooks generally tend to try to offer free things or cash rebates to sweeten the deal. This helps them to entice you to take part in their scam. If you get caught up in one of these scams your safety could be at risk. The work being done will be less than professional and the replacement parts could be substandard. Windshields are vital to the structure of your vehicle and so it is important that a trained professional installs them properly. Repairs can be done improperly leading to further damage being caused to your windshield. You could have a repair job that is done poorly result in obstructing your view as well making it dangerous to drive. Another disadvantage to being scammed is that your auto insurance premiums can increase if you’ve put a claim through. You could also lose your auto insurance if the crook put multiple claims through your insurance in a short amount of time. Everyone’s auto insurance premiums will eventually be affected by scams such as this. Fraud losses get passed onto honest policyholders most of the time. So you may be wondering what you can do to prevent a scam from happening to you? The main thing you can do is just to be aware of what these scam artists are trying to do. They will approach you in a place such as a parking lot, gas station, or even set up a booth somewhere to try to get your attention. If you are ever approached about your windshield without initiating the conversation then it likely spells trouble. The other thing you can do is just say no and walk away. Don’t be persuaded by the tactics they will try to use to get your money. You should report any incidents of this nature to our insurance company. Let them know that it is happening in your area so they can be aware of it in case they hear about it from other clients. In order to ensure you are dealing with reputable companies you could ask your insurance company for recommendations of auto glass shops.


No comments:

Post a Comment