By Randy Travis, FOX 5 I-Team
Aired Apr 15 2019
KENNESAW, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) – A fraudulence issue submitted with Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner exposes a bitter dispute in between a chain of body stores and also an independent appraiser crucial of some of their repair.
At the heart of all this: individuals afraid to take their newly-repaired autos back when traveling. People like Pam Skinner.
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” I was similar to rather distressed,” she admitted.
In October 2018, Skinner’s Nissan Pathfinder was rear-ended. It was clearly the various other guy’s mistake; their insurer spent for the repair services. Pam took her cars and truck to Classic Collision of Kennesaw.
Timeless Collision runs a string of body stores in Georgia as well as Alabama. Two months later, they stated it was ready.
Pam recognized the insurance policy company also owed her some additional money– called Diminished Value– since mishaps affect the general value of the car even after it’s been fixed. She didn’t understand just how much to request for, so she called an expert suggested by a pal.
David Montanaro runs Southern Automotive Consultants. A former body shop proprietor himself, he’s swiftly end up being a thorn in the side of service center and also insurance policy firms by openly criticizing the high quality of the work.
” A structurally-misaligned automobile does not drive right,” he discussed. “It’s harmful.”
In Pam’s instance, Montanaro uncoupled the Pathfinder to check Classic Collision’s repair service. He criticized the body buy not changing the back lift gate and quarter panel originally harmed, instead the shop spending 18 hours repairing the harmed steel.
Montanaro told Pam her cars and truck ought to have been completed by her insurance coverage company and also might not shield her in a future accident. She says she’s too scared to drive her cars and truck.
” I thought insurance provider, when somebody hits you, they’re supposed to make you entire,” she said. “And I have not been made entire.”
” It conserves a tremendous amount of money to fix these parts versus change them,” Montanaro clarified.
Montanaro filed his own problem versus Classic Collision, a collusion problem with the US Attorney General, claiming some body shops cut corners on fixings in hopes of obtaining a stable stream of future company from the insurance provider. The Justice Department would not comment.
Intending to confirm his factor, Montanaro covertly tape-recorded his call with the supervisor of Classic Collision in Kennesaw. They were discussing that original estimate for Pam Skinner’s cars and truck, the one Montanaro insisted should have gotten a brand-new quarter panel and lift entrance. When worked for Montanaro– claims his bosses turned down his demand for those parts, the manager– that.
” I got all the bigwigs involved,” Ian Morris says on the recording. “I claimed it requires a quarter (panel) needs a (lift) gateway. They claimed Ian, no matter what you desire.”
No one from Classic Collision would certainly talk to us on electronic camera or make Ian Morris readily available for an interview. Timeless Collision has since supplied to change the parts, also suggesting paying a various body store to do the actual job.
Timeless Collision submitted a complaint to the Georgia Insurance Commissioner that Montanaro was “running as an insurance adjuster without a license” as well as illegally negotiating settlements with insurance firms.” Their lawyer claims the independent appraiser is needlessly frightening their clients.
Montanaro discharged off a reply, denying the allegations and telling the Insurance Commissioner that he had really discovered 5 autos repaired by different Classic Collision locations that had an “substandard and risky ‘repair work’ and after that supplied back to their innocent clients.” The business denies any unsafe repair work.
The Insurance Commissioner cleared Montanaro of any misdeed with his organization. Ever since, Classic Collision has filed a fraud issue. The Insurance Commissioner will not comment on that.
Montanaro told the Insurance Commissioner his critical reports persuaded Classic Collision or the insurance provider to later redeem cars and trucks from the customer.
COMPLETE STORY: http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/i-team/car-repair-critic-shakes-up-body-shops-insurance-companies
