How good is Safeco for independent agents?

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 02:17 pm Post Subject:

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 02:19 pm Post Subject:

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 02:23 pm Post Subject: That was not me, sorry.

I already have read enough copies of contracts that I don't need yours to realize they are detrimental to shops. These contracts seem to float around on the internet if you know where to look. I have recent copies of a Farmers, Progressive, Allstate Pro, Harford, Met Life, State farm select, and USAA, contracts. I could get others if needed. But the gist of them are the same, you work for beans, don't ask for raises, work as cheap and as fast as you can, and we'll be grading you You'll pay for rentals, no fees for total loss administraction, no towing, no markup on sublet. You must use cheap and inferior aftermarket parts, use lkq parts we specify, do not speak to the owner on claims, and importantly promise to indemnify the insurer. You must take betterment and depreciation where applicable; but wait that may be claims settling and the unauthorized practice of law.

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:14 pm Post Subject:

My name is Billy Sebastian and the rest is not relevant right now because by your attitude I have already made up my mind not to trust the insurer, not my insurance by the way. I asked them and the shop they were trying to send me to for a copy and they insisted that it was not my concern.

I am not Mike and I live in Ohio but if I lived in Mike's city you can bet it would go to him. The insurance is progressive and at first they did not want to tell me what shop would fix the car. I found a shop not on any programs and they will fix it right, this owner had more brains than all six progressive people I talked to put together. It's no wonder they are losing money every month.

I'd still like to see you post a copy of the contract if you could or if you can't than can Mike?

Thanks Billy

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:39 am Post Subject:

Every insurance company that I can think with the exception of Lori's Fantasyland Insurance Co., has a certain percentage of aftermarket or LKQ parts that must be used. They also must have the right "numbers" for repaired panels. We all know that the appraisers get rewarded for writing the lowest sheets and keeping the bottom line as cheap as possible. Its funny how Lori makes it out like such a thing would never take place. Just last week I was talking to a Progressive adjuster and he was telling me how bad the company is. His exact words were "We don't screw your shop any differently, we screw them all the same." We also discussed how awhile back my personal truck was wrecked and insured with Progressive. Progressive screwed me around for two months before finally paying for a frame. The Progressive adjuster then said "Too bad you didn't have rental coverage, we would of given you that frame alot quicker." This guy really is a good guy, but he works for the most crooked company in America. The conversation ended with me saying "Your a good man with a real bad company." He also mentioned to go on Jobvent.com and read the posts from Progressive employees.
Anything that Mike has ever posted is true and anyone who has any knowledge of the collision business will agree with this. As I have said before my father has been an adjuster for 30 years. I know how things really work. Its all about saving the company as much as possible. Do you think he doesn't tell me all the B.S. his company wants him to do. I know adjusters who are just plain embarrased to write estimates the way their company wants them to. You got a guy who is a ex-tech, knows everything there is to know, everyone knows he knows his stuff, them he is forced to write half a estimate because maybe the customer won't get the car fixed and cash the check. Then the insurer saves themselves lots of money. Some of the worst estimates I have seen are for 10 year old cars that have minor damage. One was a '97 Cutlass a older man owned. I wrote to replace the door, blend the front door and quarter, R+I all handles and moldings. The man then comes back with a estimate from Travelers to replace the door with a LKQ door. That was it. The only lines on the estimate were R+R door and refinish it. Well the car got fixed and Travelers got a nice big supplement. Well I'm done with this post now. So the next post will be from Lori and she will take every word I said and quote it and tell me how honest her insurance world is and how many bad shops are out there.

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:41 am Post Subject:

But the gist of them are the same, you work for beans, don't ask for raises, work as cheap and as fast as you can, and we'll be grading you You'll pay for rentals, no fees for total loss administraction, no towing, no markup on sublet.

You must use cheap and inferior aftermarket parts, use lkq parts we specify, do not speak to the owner on claims, and importantly promise to indemnify the insurer. You must take betterment and depreciation where applicable; but wait that may be claims settling and the unauthorized practice of law.

Farmers, Progressive, Allstate Pro, Harford, Met Life, State farm select, and USAA

My name is Billy Sebastian and the rest is not relevant right now because by your attitude I have already made up my mind not to trust the insurer, not my insurance by the way. I asked them and the shop they were trying to send me to for a copy and they insisted that it was not my concern.

The insurance is progressive and at first they did not want to tell me what shop would fix the car.

I'd still like to see you post a copy of the contract if you could or if you can't than can Mike?

I have recent copies of a Farmers, Progressive, Allstate Pro, Harford, Met Life, State farm select, and USAA, contracts

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:49 am Post Subject:

Lori's Fantasyland Insurance Co., has a certain percentage of aftermarket or LKQ parts that must be used

Anything that Mike has ever posted is true and anyone who has any knowledge of the collision business will agree with this.

Well the car got fixed and Travelers got a nice big supplement.

take every word I said and quote it

and tell me how honest her insurance world is and how many bad shops are out there

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 01:10 pm Post Subject: I have no central theme again nor answered any gripe.

While I doubt that it is illegal for me to have in my possession any of these documents, it would possibly be illegal for me to post the entire copywrited document here for any company.

Progressive's confidentiality agreement says explicitly that the agreement is the property of Progressive and that I would need their permission to print it if I was one of their subcontractors. Not being a subcontractor, I am not sure if this applies to me. Never the less. if any consumer or shop owner wants to email me I would send a link to where you could find it online.

If you are a shop owner and you have signed one of these, I truly hope you have reconsidered and cut yourself from the program before you partner throws you under the bus.

If you are still a partner to some of these agreements, I can sympathize with you as I know many of you are feeling a little teary eyed after realizing what you may have signed.

Drp's are cryin a river these days because their partnerships haven't worked out the way they had hoped. If they had only had their attorneys read the documents. Now drp shops are complaining they are being steered against. What a concept. It was okay, til it happened to them even after they signed agreements and promised to work a little faster.

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I like the way ajusters for some companies refer to non-owned businesses as my shops. It is as if they own the shop. Oh wait, they almost do, they own their right to conduct business as an independent entity. Those contracted shops have to ask permission or say mother may I before they can use their professional judgement in repairing your vehicle. Now, how can a collision repair business that is nothing more than a marianette puppet on a string, have the testicular fortitude to stand up to an appraiser to tell them that what they have been asked to perform is not right. And where is the advocate for the consumer in an equation where the insurer and the collision shop are partnered. Raising objections with your partner will most certainly get you kicked off the program, but cheating the consumer from a quality repair may not. You just have to hope that the insurer's real interest isn't cost containment, but living up to the promise of the contract to make you whole or place you as you were prior to the loss; not patched up with sub standard taiwanese, korean, or chinese parts on your american made or your Japanese car.

If consumers want that kind of quality work, they should go with one of these companies that hire kids who were working at the mall one week before when they were selling shoes and dipping ice cream or jockeying rental cars to tell experts how to repair cars. It is so easy to train an adjuster for some of these companies, even a caveman or lizard can do it. Shove a shiny lap top and cell phone under their nose and put them in a little suv and you have them hooked til they begin to use that college education to understand how they are being manipulated. They can always go to jobvent.com to commiserate with fellow appraisers that hate what they are being asked to do. Or they can simply move on to other companies and infect them with the training.

It has to be intimidating to some of these trainees to walk into a shop and try to tell experts how to perform these repairs when the trainee doesn't know a cowl from a cow. Two weeks training and YOU TOO can know what it took years for experts in the collision industry to acquire in knowledge and skills. If you get real good, you may even earn a cubicle and you can then write estimates from pictures of cars you've never even physically examined.

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:23 pm Post Subject:

Lori, I guess every time I mention something a adjuster did you think it was my father. The estimate I was refering to was not written by him or anyone that works for the same company. He's a reinspector and rarely writes estimates anyway and I would never mention what company he works for or even give you a hint. Nice try. Why don't adjusters turn there companies in to the DOI? Perhaps because they will lose their jobs instantly and be labeled a trouble maker by the whole insurance industry. They might as well go tell their boss to go **** themselves.

Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:59 am Post Subject:

Geeze an insurance giant that doesn't want to 'steer' by telling you who their DRP's are? That's kind of the polar opposite of what Mike says...hmmmmm..ok I'll bite Billy, give me the names and numbers of the progressive people you talked to and I'll find out about it..or minimally the city in Ohio...