Going to start out with a quick summary...
PROS - no cost to me, no more dents, fleet cars available, will come to you to pick up and deliver your car
CONS - took four months start to finish, several spots where paint is chipped, received car with a fuse blown, communication*
*I will say, the times I was in touch with Jessica (who guided me through the process), she was always very pleasant.
Okay, now if you want to know the details of my experience, I recommend you grab a fresh cup of coffee and get comfortable.
Let me start out by saying that in most cases (including mine), getting your hail damage repaired here won't cost a dime. Since it literally didn't cost me anything, I can't really be too upset about the results.
I reached out to the business back in May about getting some pretty significant hail damage on my Mazda3 repaired. I don't have rental coverage, so I was put on the wait list for a fleet car. I was told it would be about a month before they would have one available for me. I was really glad they offered this convenient service, so I didn't mind waiting.
In the meantime, I proceeded with the claim process. The evaluator came out and estimated $2500 in damage.
Over the following months, I called the business several times. It was rare for someone to pick up. I left several messages (on a machine and once or twice to a person) that went unanswered. Finally August came around, and just as I was about to give up, they contacted me to let me know they had a fleet car ready.
I dropped my car off to their location in Irving. I was told they'd need to update the estimate and get approval from my insurance company, then the work itself would only take a few days.
The process of getting their estimate approved took nearly two weeks, which was surprising because the insurance company had gotten my initial claim handled within 36 hours. Then I saw that the new estimate was for nearly $6500, and I understood why.
Once they got approval they began work. I was thinking it would be a few days, but it was another two weeks before they were ready. Once again, I was grateful they offered fleet car service. They were extremely flexible with the use of the car as well. I had planned a weekend trip to Houston thinking I would have my car back, but when it wasn't ready, they said it was no problem for me to take their car.
Finally, a day short of a month after I dropped my car off to them, they delivered my car to my apartment parking garage for me, which was once again, a really nice service. However, there was a miscommunication, and my file noted I didn't have a fleet car. While that didn't really affect me at all, it does raise a little concern about the organization and record keeping at the company.
I was working from home that day so I didn't have much time to take a break. I took a quick look around the car and didn't see any remaining dents. So I signed the release and off they went.
Well, I got in the car to go move it to my parking spot and it wouldn't start using the push button start. I called Frank (who had dropped off my car) and he was very nice to come back to help me start it. He said that the remote battery was dead, and that was how they received the car. When I dropped it off though, it had been working perfectly. It also struck me as odd since the light on the remote was still blinking, but when he put the key in the ignition it worked.. mostly.
I replaced the battery in my remote, but the issues persisted. Not only would the car not start, the power locks, cabin lights, and radio weren't working either. It was clear the problem wasn't with the remote battery. After investigation, I figured out that at some point in the repair a fuse was blown. Luckily a cheap fix, but still a bit time consuming to figure out on my own (I'm not the most car savvy person). I think that is definitely something they should've been able to catch, but the release I quickly signed did say it was on me to verify the electrical system was working.
Enough about the whole extended process, let me talk about results. The countless dents are gone. However, there are several, albeit very small, paint chips. These can be problematic down the road, so I'll probably have to order some touch up paint and try my hand at covering them up.
All in all, if you're patient and okay with some imperfections and slight inconveniences because you aren't paying anything, definitely go with DFW Storm Solutions. I felt compelled to share my experience because going into it the situation seemed to good to be true and I had no idea what to expect. I hope that by sharing my story, potential customers get a realistic sense of what it will be like for them. read more