BodyShopBids was founded in 2010 by CEO Brad Weisberg. The company has signed up nearly 300 shops in the Chicago area, and is currently expanding to other major centres.

 

“Right now, any shop from anywhere can contact BodyShopBids and sign on to the network,” says Brad Weisberg, CEO and Founder of BodyShopBids. “From a consumer standpoint, the service is most effective when you have a high concentration of shops. That’s why, as far as the marketing push goes, it’s going city by city.”

 

Ryan Humphreys is the Manager of Tartan Auto Body in Grande Prairie, Alberta. He raises questions about the effectiveness of estimating from a photo.

 

“It’s an interesting idea,” says Humphreys. “It really depends on the type of damage, though. I’m not a big fan of doing an estimate from a photo. It’s hard to be accurate.”

 

This is a concern, of course. After all, it can be very difficult to tell just how damaged the car is before doing the tear down. However, BodyShopBids says it will do whatever it takes to make getting cars fixed as easy as possible for the consumer. Major collisions that involve mechanical or frame damage likely cannot be estimated from photos alone. BodyShopBids gives the customer access to a representative who will walk the user through the process of submitting the damage report. The representative essentially serves as a liaison between the customer and the shop, and he or she can answer any questions the customer has about the repair.

 

“Every damage report submitted is reviewed, and if we feel that the pictures don’t tell the story, we’ll reach out to the customer to update the report to allow for more accurate bidding,” says Weisberg.

 

Anne Hauck is the Operations Manager for Western Autobody in Regina, Saskatchewan. She also has concerns about estimating from photos, but also points out another roadblock to effective use of this service in certain provinces: public insurance.