The fix is in... but it's not the fix you want!
After a fender bender, Travelers auto insurance pushed me to this place, saying it was part of their "Concierge" service. Basically, the idea is that they are a body shop that has Travelers staff right on site. Travelers assesses the car, writes you an estimate, and Parkway fixes the car based on that estimate. Supposedly easier than having an appraisal by the insurance guy, then going to a separate body shop for an estimate.
I believed them, at first. But pretty quickly the scam was revealed to me. If the body shop and insurance company are in cahoots, where is the oversight on either?!
I was put in the office, speaking on their phone to ANOTHER Travelers rep, while the Parkway/Travelers guy looked at my car. When he came back in, about ten minutes later, I stressed that my car was still under warranty, and that I would likely need some OEM parts in order to keep it under warranty. They told me the car was drivable, and that they'd be emailing me the appraisal/estimate soon.
They emailed me the appraisal/estimate pretty quickly. Full of aftermarket parts. I had a pre-scheduled appointment that week with my dealership for an oil change, and they looked at the damage and the insurance appraisal. They informed me that my headlight was non-functional, and that I could be ticketed for that. They also let me know that the aftermarket headlamp quoted on the estimate wouldn't match my existing VW headlamp.
I, of course, immediately asked Parkway/Travelers a lot of questions. Why didn't they tell me the headlight was out? Why are they quoting a non-matching part? What is the cost to me if I ask them to use all OEM parts?
They didn't answer my email for two weeks. When they did finally answer (only after I complained repeatedly directly to Travelers) their responses were vague and not useful. For example, in response to my headlight being out, he answered "headlight will be repaired." I had asked if they were a VW Certified Repair Shop, and he answered "we are state certified." It was like he was going out of his way to misunderstand my questions. I emailed for clarification, but have not heard back.
In my conversations with the Travelers main NJ office, they have defended Parkway (they suggested my headlight broke after Parkway had evaluated the car) and repeatedly tried to steer me toward fixing the car as soon as possible, regardless of the fact that I haven't been given an answer on whether Travelers will cover a matching OEM headlamp, or what the price differential would be at Parkway if I asked for all OEM parts. They are just push push push. And Parkway gets the benefit of it.
This is an unprofessional way to run an auto body shop, and a despicable way for an insurance company to treat customers. Avoid Parkway Auto Body at all costs, especially if you are a Travelers customer! read more