The Daily War Between Shops & Insurance...From Someone That Has Been On Both Sides

About this episode

Featuring George Ryan, Body Shop Manager at a Mercedes-Benz dealer in upstate New York, this episode is a straight-up masterclass in why shops are sick of getting jerked around by insurance companies—and what it looks like to push back with facts, laws, and zero fear.George’s perspective hits different because he’s lived both sides of the table: he grew up in a body shop, worked as a tech, then spent 20 years inside insurance (including overseeing DRP operations across 13 states and 300+ shops) before coming back to the shop world. Translation? He knows the games. He knows the scripts. And he’s done letting them run the show.You’ll hear how New York’s regulations (like the 48-hour supplement window and the 6-day inspection rule) can be used to stop the stall tactics, how insurers try to steer repairs toward cheaper parts and slower processes, and why dealership-level repairs—especially on Mercedes—don’t play nice with “Amazon parts” logic.In this episode, we get into:-Why “appraisers” are really adjusters (and what that means for your money)-The daily war: supplements, desk reviews, delays, and puppet scripts-How shops can prep the customer before the insurance company turns it into a circus-OEM vs aftermarket battles on high-end vehicles—and why the “policy” excuse is trash-The insanity of paint/material audits, pour sheets, and nickel-and-dime fee fights-The bigger problem: an industry getting squeezed while techs age out and joy gets sucked dry-A call to action to stop fighting alone—and start organizing shops who are done bending overIf you’ve ever felt that “here we go again” moment when an adjuster walks into your shop… this one’s for you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.