The bill supports and reinforces NYS Ins Regulation 2610.

Insurance company influence of network or program-preferred shops has some consumers confused as to their rights following an accident, especially when they find themselves directed to take a vehicle to a drive-in facility that is housed in a repair shop. This bill requires insurers to notify consumers--in writing on the appraisal--that it is up to the consumer to decide which shop repairs their vehicle.

In response, NYSACTA executive director Ed Kizenberger said, “The passage of this bill is the culmination of 4 years of conversations and meetings with the NYS Assembly and Senate members to garner support and understanding of the issues facing consumers when filing and processing a claim with their insurance company for property damage to their vehicle.”

NYSACTA president Mike Orso said, “This bill, now law, goes a long way to protect and inform consumers. They need to know they have the right to take their vehicles to the shop of THEIR choice. Some tactics being used by some insurers direct consumers to drive-in network locations, which may indeed be body shops, where consumers may get the impression they are required to have the vehicle repaired at that shop.

“Insurers will be required to inform consumers in writing they have the ultimate choice. Regulation currently provides that even the inspection is 'at the convenience of the consumer,' meaning they can meet the appraiser at the shop or location of their choice as to avoid further pressure,” Orso said.

A7738 Was sponsored by Syracuse Assemblyman (D) William Magnarelli and Syracuse area Senator (R) John DeFrancisco.

To read the bill in its entirety, click here

I've been screaming about diminished value for decades. A hit on a history report, correct or not, creates an undeniable diminution in value that only a newly landed Martian would be silly enough to deny. Twenty five years ago when vehicle history reports first started surfacing the average price of a new car was $30,000 or less. Today it's double. Who ever thought an Escalade would be sneaking up on $100,000. A small insurance claim intrinsically creates a desirability issue that crushes the value. The proverbial "shopping cart" accident can make that Escalade's ACV plummet. Who will bid and why they won't changes the “desirability index” dramatically and therefore the value simply is not the same...or close.

Over the decades (holy smokes time flies) we built the tool that universally solves the issue of quantifying the valuation, the dollar amount, on the VIN specific unit. Thank any God we did. Because now that the buzz on the diminished value topic is intensifying we are ready willing and able to bring the Diminished Value Calculator (it will be using dimvalcal.com as the URL) DVC as the acronym, to the general market.
Real time, the DVC takes all the specific VIN explosion details that are obvious like any recognized value guide might, but it also takes into consideration thousands of details and market driven nuance that aren't so obvious. The multitude of things that we've experienced qualifying, quantifying, pricing, actually buying, and actually selling, millions of vehicles over the decades.
The DVC patent pending algorithm fundamentally changes the accident victims view of the heretofore dilemma… how they go about collecting what the law says they have coming to them but nobody has figured out, the diminution in value they experienced when their vehicle had an accident in a clear, empirical, accessible to anyone, market driven guarantee.

In addition to being 100% transparent, DVC enables the user to transact. The fact that a pre and post-incident guarantee to purchase the specific unit in question sets it apart from the “opine” of any other entity/system/book/company. While capturing the granular detail necessary to make a purchase offer DVC inherently creates a desirability index that considers how a unit is viewed by traders in the liquid wholesale market from coast to coast in the US and Canada. How an accident impacts a white 2014 Mercedes S550 compared to a blue one with the exact same characteristics is dramatic in reality. You ask how or why? I say a lot and because.
The because is in the market driven nuance which makes up the science baked into the algorithm. Separate from geographic variance, supply, exportability, depth/of the hit, location of the hit, contiguous panel effected in the hit, miles, color, smell, DVC includes a very unique way it looks at the depth of the predictive buyer base on the specific unit. The DVC process also captures granular detail that produces a “pedigree “of the VIN and the case. All vehicle valuation and case documentation are housed on Headstart DVMS, a robust cloud based workflow brain, a management process, where permanent record of each case that can be accessed by subscribing lawyers, dealers or individuals. Headstart DVMS (Diminished Value Management System).

Our goal is to make collecting the diminished value an open and shut process. The impact on the specific 17 digit VIN is one that falls outside a layman's capacity. The DimValCal, our diminished value calculator, creates a guaranteed value, a wreck report, to be used in getting your wreck check. Individuals, dealers, dealer loaners that always end up with a hit on FAX, lease companies, captives, rental car companies all have a clear path to getting paid.

The analogous line: Books, market reports, are maps. Accutrade is VIN specific navigation. That's the elevator speech, the following is some detail.

A map costs little and could get you to the neighborhood, anybody can make one

Navigation costs a bit more to create and maintain, but delivers you to the front door.

Accu-trade is the transparent ignition switch to any marketplace...wholesale, retail, auction, online or in lane, diminished value calculation (guarantee), which is agnostic and actionable.

If you put the wrong address in navigation it will take you to the wrong place, similarly, Accu-trade is sensitive to accurate input of a few well defined VIN specific details:, color, smell, value impact options/physical characteristics (clearly defined on the site), previous paint, which combined create a VIN specific “pedigree”. This pedigree remains as the DNA(details never asked) of the VIN.

Accu-trade’s pedigree report (Universal Condition Report/UCR)can be accessed and modified by any authorized subscriber throughout the trade-in, transport, re-marketing, auction, arbitration process, future Diminished Value calculation and archiving.  Like a “one write” checkbook, transparency is absolute, fundamental, and unique.  By default, the product quantifies all information required by OMVIC and lending regulators.  There is little “wiggle room” left for interpretation.

Accu-trade’s transparent value impact price adjustments, each showing the associated value add or deduct, remain logical/irrefutable which enable logical conversation with your customer.

Accu-trade enables/determines a transparent Diminished Value Calculation Report resulting from accidents for insurance claims.  The report gives a guaranteed pre and post incident purchase offer that determines the exact diminished value. This is available to law firms as well as dealers, lease companies, and OEMs.

The Accu-trade process insures full compliance with OMVIC and any other compliance request when the user takes a few seconds to input vin specific disclosures that can be used in audit and can be accessed remotely.  By having your customer sign our time, date, location stamped report, we archive each transaction that can be accessed by an inspector in office…or remotely.  This will save every dealer from associated aggravation and panic attacks when the inspection is scheduled.

The Accu-trade lead generation widget for the user's website is unique to the industry.  Among the items that differentiate Accu-trade it can be set to be a guaranteed value directly to any consumer.  Obviously this has never been done in Canada.  It is instant and totally transparent.  To insure transparency, the product enables modifications for instances where the description from the retail customer has, by intent or oversight, entered inaccurate or incomplete information.  Using any mobile device, the dealer modified information co-validates the inspected, current condition.

The dealer website lead generator/ trade valuation product is built to recognize and enable modification to the subscriber's needs. It can create a trade-in range that matches the dealer's profile.  The rooftop can increase or decrease the consumer facing “offer”.  Depending on a dealer’s profile, business acumen/inclination, which obviously varies based on location, brand, the dealer can “white label” and modify what they want to offer their customer.  *this can only be done if Accu-trade is not referenced on line or at the dealership. 

Accu-trade builds a dealer/user profile that determines predictive activity based on their use. Part of the “one write” analogy it requires no second action from the user. It proactively adjusts as the user changes inventory needs, buying or selling. This process is patent pending that we believe will permanently disrupt the re-marketing process as we know it.

The founders and  Accu-trade team and re-marketing support have been in the wholesale valuation/re-marketing industry  cumulatively over 1,200 years (seems ridiculous but it is true, my name is Robert Hollenshead, not Methuselah).