I had the opportunity to share a car with my older brother, Jonathan, for one year in college. Either the at-fault driver or, more likely, the driver's insurer is responsible for returning your vehicle to its pre-crash condition. Some decide to go elsewhere.
If your vehicle is damaged by someone else and you're not at fault, you are supposed to pay nothing — no deductible and no portion of the repair bill. Lamborghini said he tells potential customers upfront that he charges more than the prevailing rate. And then came "The Night. " That means the labor rate has increased by only about 33 percent while the consumer price index has surged at four times that rate. Benson indisputably was not at fault. In 2019, there were 22 percent fewer physical damage claims filed compared with 2003, according to the lobbyist. He ordinarily charges $64 an hour for labor but discounts the rate to $50 an hour for customers who are being squeezed by the prevailing rate cap. One who helps fix a banged up car crossword. Geico is a top auto insurer in Massachusetts, with more than 15 percent of the market in 2020. It's dread as I realize my two teenagers will now be sharing a car. He gave me a hug, double- and triple-checked we were all OK and helped me figure out what to do with the banged-up car – which, remember, was his car, too. Most auto body shops are highly dependent on work paid for by insurers because most of the damaged vehicles that come into their shops get banged up in accidents, and fixing them is almost always covered by insurance.
But is it fair for innocent parties like Benson to get whacked for hundreds of dollars for choosing an independent shop? He was the one responsible for its routine maintenance. A few days after our oldest son, George, turned 16 last week, he defeated the fires of Mordor known as the Washington state driving test and became the newest driver in our house. But the highly rated, licensed auto body shop where Benson had her car repaired charged $50 an hour, which she agreed to upfront. In the end, it recommended establishing a standing "labor rate advisory board. One who helps fix a banged up car crosswords eclipsecrossword. It conducted public hearings and accepted reams of written testimony.
If you are blameless, the other driver or the driver's insurer is supposed to cover your repairs. When commission members were polled on the report, seven of the 10 members said they viewed it favorably, while the three representatives of the insurance industry viewed it unfavorably. Insurers insist that, as Geico wrote to Benson, "You have the right to go to the repair shop of your choice. " It's enough of an issue that the Legislature last year appointed a "special commission on auto body labor rates" to study it and make recommendations. One who helps fix a banged up car crosswords. In fact, in Massachusetts, you are required to have insurance in case you damage someone else's vehicle. Once the car got fixed, we still had an argument every now and then, but my indignation at not being given fair use of the car was tempered by the memory of Jonathan coming to my rescue when it really mattered.
It was a cherry red Volkswagen Golf, compact and peppy. And now he's joined his older sister in the ranks of those who are called upon to pick up a sibling from volleyball practice or grab something for me from the grocery store or drive themselves to their own dang orthodontist appointment. There was no "What in the world were you thinking? " The commission on auto labor rates included legislators, state insurance officials, and representatives of the auto body and insurance industries. Benson figured the at-fault driver's insurer — Geico — would step up to cover the full cost of repairing her Beetle. The insurance industry has also said auto body shops in Massachusetts bill for more hours compared with shops in other states, making the cost to repair a vehicle in the state only slightly less than the national average. If you are at fault, you face serious financial consequences, including a deductible and up to six years of expensive surcharges. Geico insures hundreds of thousands of potential customers for auto body shops. Something you should know before your next trip to the auto body repair shop - The Boston Globe. If a shop charges more, blameless parties like Benson must pay the difference out of pocket. And it was now kaput.
As I talked to the very kind, patient and visibly annoyed driver of the other car, I started to cry. The other driver had apparently blown through a stop sign before plowing into her car, Benson said. Local journalism is essential. But what most consumers don't know is that most insurance companies, including Geico, impose a cap on how much they will pay an auto body shop for labor. Each shared e-mail exchanges with insurers showing the prevailing rate cap is not uniformly enforced. In family relationships and in life, it's times like that where the rubber really meets the road. Lori Benson was driving home one day in May when a car that seemed to come out of nowhere crashed into the side of her Volkswagen Beetle. I slammed on the brakes, but the rain had made the roads slick, and I collided into the back of the other car, resulting in a glorious fender-bender. That advisory board would annually conduct various surveys on labor rates to "provide a basis and recommendation for … a fair and equitable labor rate, " according to the commission report. Automotive repair is getting a bit less greasy and a bit more geeky, as tablet computers become the most valuable tools on a technician's workbench. But before you blame that body shop for having a high labor rate, consider that the labor rate cap most insurers impose on shops is among the lowest in the country. New technology might make diagnosis and repair faster; however, that doesn't mean it'll necessarily be any cheaper for consumers. I had somehow managed to beg the car off him one spring evening because our cousin Anne was in town to check out the university that Jonathan and I were attending. And while there might always be a place for a small, old-school mechanic's shop to work on older cars, it's unlikely that service stations and low-volume car dealerships can keep up.
It's difficult to imagine how such a cheery little car could cause such angst between an otherwise friendly brother and sister, but if it were possible for two siblings to get a divorce, sharing that car most certainly would have been the grounds for ours. And only about $10 higher than they were paying 35 years ago. I begged, whined, threatened to tell mom – all the classic little sister moves – if he didn't let me use the car more, but it was always a fight, always a struggle. If auto body labor rates are significantly increased, the insurance industry told the commission, "there would be an increase in insurance premiums paid by Massachusetts residents.