Up selling repairs to replacement

[maxryde]

I recently moved to Florida, for those of you who don't know Fl. has a law that states deductibles shall be waived for replacement as well as repair.

I have observed replacement sales persons at the local car wash selling folks replacement shields to folks when the damage was so minuscule that if they approached me for repair I would have filled the few pits on their WS for no charge as they were only surface damage and not requiring an actual repair.

So my question (s) are,
1. Have any of you folks observed this type of situation?
2. Is this not a form of Ins fraud?
3. Would it be appropriate to report this behavior to the appropriate authorities, or just go on about my own business.

For the most part I just feel sorry for the people that actually believe they are providing a service to the insured, (I spoke to them and they really believe that it is a safety issue), probably were trained by the glass co to believe that.

I believe that this kind of sales tactic is harmful to the repair and replacement industry as a whole, and I am certain it affects my bottom line also.

Your thoughts, Thx, Scott

[Glasseye]

If this is a law in Florida then the Insurance companies will abide by it, but I think its a pretty safe bet that insurance annual premiums will be adjusted upwards to absorb the cost so every driver pays for it. I would certainly not be happy they were pressurising someone into changing their windshield. This would be just the kind of story a local tv station would love.

[Paranoia]

I'm not tring to defend the guy, But if he is pushing replacements and he knows a repair will do just fine or better then its an ethics or integrity issue.
And he will get caught and it will bite him in back section.
However I have seen cases where people just were not properly informed what can be fixed and what should be replaced.

[AmbientTech1]

You'll have to check local licensing requirements but a lot of times you can have your local police go out and see if they have a "solicitors" license. Not sure if you're referring to Coast to Coast but they have had salespeople arrested for not having the proper licenses.

[mousestomper]

I've seen it plenty of times where there is a tiny speck of a chip in the drivers line of sight and State Farm always recommends a replacement. I'm not sure if that's the same with other ins companies.

[benswindshieldrepair]

That's a sad state of affairs. Even sadder is the fact that when that legislation was pushed through, I can guarantee there was a bunch of glass guys with $$$ in their eyes clambering from the bottom of the wood-pile to see it through. Those guys are probably not even in business any more as a result of these laws. I think this is blatant fraud and at the end of the day, the people who pay for it are the people who go to work every day to try and pay exorbitant insurance rates on their cars. Another example of why more laws are not the answer. I wish I had something to offer your thread other than sheer frustration. I would suggest though that whistle-blowing in this day and age seems to only work for those already in positions of wealth and power. Sorry man.

[the big welshman]

FLORIDA /CT/MASS/ are the only states in the USA that the Insured can get a free Windshield no deducatable In Mass the only insurance company is Proggresive when people book on line you can get a deductable $100 & $500