Originally posted by shine
i dont know about the states your in but here in texas the ins co.'s cant dictate where and what. i hate them and always have. i do claims on streetrods and they either pay my estimate or come get the car. if your young and starting out the ins co will rob you of your retirement over the next 20 years. set your cost in stone and dont back down. it's your shop , run it that way. you can make it without insurance work.
No insurance company anywhere can tell you where to take the car, period. They can suggest repair facilities. Their pro shops usually will offer a lifetime guarantee on the work and back it up with insurance company funds if need be. To a lay person, this can be a strong incentive. Personally, I know who does good work and who doesn't. If asked by customers, I put quality of work and the shops ability to cooperative ahead of discounts or insurance company preferences.

As for taking a shops estimate...let's just say that if the shop isn't reasonable, I know 10 other shops who can do just as good a job. And this includes street rods. It makes no difference to me who makes the money.

That said, I expect no one to work for free. I also don't write estimates for collectable or specialty cars at the same rate as a typical late model either. In cases where special paints or custom body work is concerned, consideration definitely needs to be given. But all a 'My way or the highway' attitude would do is make your competitor happy.