American Family and Silver hammer Carstar complaints
November 7 2001 at 4:28 PM No score for this post
Karl Petersen (no login) from IP address 141.246.10.234
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These are letters of complaint against American Family Insurance and Carstar that have been forward to the Better Business Bureau
BBB
2237 N 91st Court
Omaha, NE 68134
To whom it may concern,
I recently forwarded a complaint against SilverHammer Carstar. This letter is a follow up letter to the original and contains additional information about the work that SilverHammer Carstar had to redo.
I arranged an appointment with the Carstar to have the repairs corrected. Carstar did offer to redo the work and I did have the repairs made. Since then I have had other work performed on my car by a reputable body shop in the Omaha area. The second body shop informed me that the quality of the work was again not performed correctly. Carstar has asked me to bring my vehicle back to them a third time so they can evaluate their inadequate work.
I have had significant difficulty getting the satisfactory results that I feel are appropriate and want to insure that any other consumer be wary of doing business with this organization. I want to ensure that this information is shared with any other entities that request information about Carstar and their services. I will continue to update you on the progress of this complaint and the subsequent actions that Carstar elects to perform.
-------Initial letter to the better BBB and the Nebraska department of insurance-----
BBB
2237 N 91st Court
Omaha, NE 68134
To whom it may concern,
My name is Karl Petersen and I am contacting you regarding three incidences in which I feel my insurance provider, American Family Insurance, and/or their associated repair shop, Silver Hammer Carstar, have been negligent.
Approximately November of 2000 I was involved in a hit in run where I was the victim. I reported the incident to my insurance agent, from American Family Insurance, and the police. At the time I was offered two options for resolving my claim. The first, have the damages to my car estimated by the insurance company and then find a qualified repair shop, or the second, go to an organization that my insurance company recommends and have the repairs performed there. I chose the latter and had their suggested repair shop, Silver Hammer Carstar, fix the damages to my car. The repairs were made, but they were performed incorrectly. The area repaired has bubbles in the paint; evidence of contaminates under the clear coat and an area in which the clear coat had begun to peel. Further research suggests that they did not perform the repairs in the manner that they estimated, thus, overcharging for the work performed. I am in the process of returning the car to have the company perform the repairs appropriately. They have offered to do so at no cost to me as their warranty states.
In the spring of 2001 my car was damaged by hail in several areas. At that time I was required by my insurance agent to visit their claim estimator. The estimate for damages was just under $2000 dollars and did not include the repairs that were appropriate for my vehicle to be returned to factory condition. Based upon estimates from other organizations, the repairs that were estimated by Carstar could cause my vehicle to lose collision safety features inherent in my car, reduce the resale value of my car based on inappropriate repairs, and remove appropriate documentation and stickers that are required by the manufacturer (for safety reasons). In addition to the factors mentioned above, the repairs suggested would not adequately repair the damages to my car based on the type of damage.
In October of 2001, an attempt was made to break into my car and the perpetrator was apprehended. Again, the estimate I received from Carstar was inadequate based on estimates by two other qualified sources. Based on the estimates from Carstar and a brief discussion with the claim representative it was explained to me that American Family would not pursue the perpetrator for the damages because the damages were estimated to be less than my deductible. The other organizations that estimated the damages to my vehicle because did find the damages were over my deductible. It seems convenient that a representative of the insurance company would find that the damages were below the deductible, which by their policy, would not require they pursue the perpetrator for damages. However estimates from two independent sources provide estimates above the amount of the deductible.
I do not believe that American Family Insurance and Silver Hammer Carstar are acting in my best interest regarding the auto insurance I have purchased. I believe I am being pressured to accept inadequate repairs to save the insurance company money irregardless of the quality of the repairs. As an insured paying customer I deserve to have my car returned to a standard that is acceptable based on the manufacturers and federal and state safety requirements. I also deserve to pick an honest organization that offers quality service who is committed to returning my vehicle to a condition that is as close to the manufacturers specification as possible.
I would like to gather any information and support that you provide to me as a citizen of Nebraska. Please let me know what documentation I can provide to your organization that will assist you in researching the claims I have made above. I look forward to hearing from you I the near future.
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