WESTFIELD,
Mass. (WGGB) — 500 garages from 36 states have signed a lawsuit against top
insurance companies.
Cloot’s
in Westfield is one of those auto
body shop’s that’s speaking out.
“Aftermarket…Aftermarket…Used…,”
said Gary Cloutier from Cloot’s Auto
Body.
Gary says
this has been an issue for years. Auto insurers pushing cheap
and dangerous repairs on shops.
“We’re
being forced to use inferior parts which in turn is causing inferior repairs.
Putting our customers vehicles in poor condition,” said Cloutier.
The aftermarket
parts can pose serious safety issues. He showed us pictures of parts that auto insurers told him to put on.
They don’t fit.
“When
you take 10, 15, 18 parts collectively. Basically, the whole front of the
vehicle. You try to put all that together. Now, you got the front of the nose
on the vehicle that nothing matches off right,” said Cloutier.
He says
insurance companies are making him use similar components rather than the
actual one.
“Now
you’re taking the potential of that airbag system, not triggering at the right
moment. So, if it goes a hundredth of a second sooner than it should have.
That’s the difference of a person getting injured or killed…or not.”
“Most
if not all have preferred repair programs in place with local reputable auto body shops to protect
the consumer from these types of practices. The insurance companies based here
in ma can’t risk their reputations on delivering inferior repair parts to
consumers,” said Stephen M. Brochu from AAA Pioneer Valley.
Calls
out to other insurance companies in the area weren’t immediately returned.
Gary
hopes the lawsuit will make sure insurance companies won’t have as much control
over the repair process as they do now.
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