Insurance Work

[David Lowery]

Your contract is with the shop/unit owner, not the insurance company. Just get them to pay you as normal and it’s for them to get the money off the insurance company.

[Derek Heron]

hi paul from what i remember
the shop owner will have to pay the vat separate
make sure they are aware
Derek

[Jill Marie Welsh]

I don’t know how your insurance companies work there, but I am always leery of these types of jobs.

I did vehicle lettering (his wife designed it and it had a built-in "word" distortion) for a client, he loved it. But he hit a deer and smashed one side of the truck. The auto body shop to whom he went for insurance repair work brought it out to me to letter, which I lettered using the original pattern. (this was hand painted)
When they came to get it, the auto body guy brought his wife, who went into a huge hissy fit saying that she hated it, there was no was SHE was paying for it. (The insurance company had paid the auto body shop and they were to pay me)
I had already begun to try to wipe if off when the client came over, he liked it. But it was too late, I had to do it over. It WAS crooked, that’s how the client’s wife designed it. But the other wife held the check until she was satisfied. I was ready to take a 2×4 to her.

I have also twice done quite complicated bids for prospective customers, who both needed their signs repainted after a severe hail storm. Both times, the people turned in my bids to the insurance company and repainted the signs themselves after getting a healthy check.

I now charge a minimum of $60 to go onsite for such a bid. That way I at least get something for going to the trouble of meeting, measuring, photographing damage, and quoting.

So in short, the only time I did get paid for an insurance job was as a subcontractor, and it was like working for a slave driver.
I would say, charge for your initial quote, get everything in writing and use the money to buy some aspirin.
Love….Jill

[Gavin MacMillan]

We have done a fair amount of this kind of thing, mainly vehicles but signs as well. We have never treated them any different – quote / do the work / invoice. Never had any problems. The only time we went a bit slower and waited for the bodyshop to check with insurance was when the job was one side of a part wrap.

G

[John Childs]

Like the others say, the customer pays you. Make sure that they are aware and agree to that before you lift a finger.

Exception – if you get an order from the insurance company, then you should invoice them.

Basically, whoever gives you the order pays the bill.