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Crashed car put back on the road with short cut repairs

Posted at 6:30 PM, Jan 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-04 01:53:34-05

A split second after Deb Orr drove through the green light a commercial truck struck the back side of her 2015 Honda. Orr left her Civic at a dealership for repairs and State Farm covered the costs.

This consumer said the car shook after she picked it up. She worried whether it was safe to drive.

Her concerns led to post collision repair expert Barrett Smith who has been examining wrecked autos for two decades.

Smith found multiple flaws with the work done on the Honda. They included one rear panel that was glued on and another that should have been replaced. The bottom line according to this expert, the car wasn't safe.

Orr says she sent the post repair report to State Farm and demanded they authorize funds for additional repair work.

The company responded with a letter writing.

A claims analyst stated in a letter to Orr, “State Farm has estimated and paid for your vehicle in accordance with industry standards, which has placed your vehicle in pre loss condition.”

We submitted Orr’s claim to State Farm's offices in Lakeland. Days later they responded via email.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention.....we will take care in working with Mrs. Orr to assist with her concerns."

Within days State Farm contacted Orr and let her know they would approve more extensive repairs.

Consumers who discover their car is not properly repaired by a mechanic or auto body shop can report them to the Florida Dept. of Ag and Consumer Services at www.800helpfla.com