Have you ever been in a car wash, gas station or public parking lot and been approached by an individual that tells you they can fix a chip in your windshield for free? Well it is a common occurrence and some of my own clients have been touched by this. Basically, the way it works is after they get the vehicle owners interest (I mean who doesn't want something for free?) they ask for your insurance information, contact your company to see if you have glass coverage and upon confirmation they put in a claim without your knowledge. So you ask, what is the problem? If the "fix" does not hold and the chip spreads to a crack, there are no protections for you as the repair was done by an individual who you will not be able to find later and is not an approved vendor for your insurance company. Whenever you need repairs done to your vehicles windshield and you have Glass Deductible Buyback coverage on your auto policy, always work through your Agent or Company to have repairs done. Convenience is greater as the repair facility that does the work for the insurance company will come to your place of business or home to make the repairs at a predetermined time of your convenience.
The tactics taken by these windshield bullies don't stop at a simple ask at times. Be aware as some apply pressure, some go door to door impersonating insurance company inspectors, some perform unnecessary work, some have created glass damage when the vehicle owner is not looking and they have been known to file multiple claims.
To illustrate the problem, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported a 527% increase in "questionable" vehicle glass claims in the first half of 2010 vs. 2009. If you suspect fraud please contact the NICB by calling 800-TEL-NICB or by visiting nicb.org.
