This has happened to everyone that drives a car. Something happens to the car and you have to take it to a repair shop. The attendant looks it over and gives you a quote for the work. For most of us, we have no idea what to expect and the body-shop has all the power. Often you get a bill back to send to your insurance company and you don’t really know what the cost of parts are or why service is so expensive.
While everyone sort of knows auto body-shops rip you off, The Toronto Star is reporting that workers at auto-body shops deliberately damaged cars, replaced good parts with older parts, invoiced repairs that never happened and billed insurance companies for new parts and instead installed older parts. The reporting comes from an investigation by a Canadian insurer that is calling on the government to take action against a problem that is getting increasingly worse.
Aviva Canada recently uncovered the fact that approximately half of the total expenses submitted for repairs to crashed vehicles in Ontario were bogus. The fraud amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
According to the Toronto Star, no one has ever really looked into the fraud with “any kind of accuracy”. To discover the fraud, Aviva tried to simulate a typical fender-bender and then had experts detail the damage and estimate the costs. Aviva then installed hidden cameras in the car and partnered them with investigators who posed as accident victims. Out of 10 cases of cars brought to body shops one one repair company acter honestly.
The video footage collected from the hidden cameras shows clear evidence of fraudulent invoicing and it’s sad that honest consumers are the ones left to fit the bill.
Even if you submit your claims directly to insurance companies it still ends up costing consumers more. According to the Star, the insurance industry estimated that between 5 and 15 per cent of premiums drivers pay for car insurance go towards covering fraudulent claims.
While industry analysts haven’t figured out a way to stop the problem, they are looking to the government for answers and support. At the end of the day, every driver is subsequently affected by the decisions of these fraudulent auto-body shops.
Source: The Toronto Star
It’s 8:30 am, you wake up out of bed, put on a pot of coffee and head into your office. You don’t even bother to change out of your PJ’s because you my friend work from home and your office is your domain.
According to our friends at Indeed people in Canada are increasingly searching for jobs that allow them to work remotely. Indeed’s numbers don’t lie, According to the popular job posting website, searches for “remote/work-from-home” increased by 111% in 2017. People want the freedom to work in an environment of their choosing and are often looking for felxible work hours as well. “Working from home has many perks: avoiding a long commute, saving money on gas and spending more time with your family, and in 2017 we saw that Canadians are increasingly attracted to roles that let them work remotely,” said Kasten. “Most significantly, searches for “virtual accounting” grew 221% and searches for “remote developer” grew 66% last year.”
Many people think that if you work remotely or from home you couldn’t possibly generate a livable salary, well Indeed has put together a solid list of 5 jobs that can be done remotely and pay over $50,000 per year.
Virtual Accountant
Average Salary: $51,753 per year
Virtual accountants provide accounting services remotely, often for online/virtual accounting firms.
Software Developer
Average Salary: $74,092 per year
Software Developers design, install, test and maintain software, which can be done from virtually anywhere!
Senior Graphic Designer
Average Salary: $56,682 per year
Working as a graphic designer allows you to be highly creative – and doesn’t require you to be in the office 9-5.
Executive Assistant
Average Salary: $52,820 per year
Executive Assistants manage a wide range of administrative and executive support tasks such as scheduling, agendas and travel – all of which can be done remotely.
Data Analyst
Average Salary: $60,861 per year
Data Analysts gather and analyze data to help businesses make better, more informed decisions.
Source: Indeed
It’s January and we understand… your wallet had a bit of a workout last month! While heading into the New Year with a lighter wallet, did you know that you could save money on almost anything? That’s right! StyleDemocracy is here to tell you that it’s okay to negotiate prices (in fact it’s encouraged). All it takes to negotiate a discount is politeness, patience and a bit of persistence. Here’s how to negotiate like a boss and save money on almost anything!
Gym Memberships
- Consider all of your options.
We bet that there was a fitness goal amongst your New Year’s resolutions. If you’re not yet a gym member, compare prices before signing up for a membership. You can almost always negotiate a discount by signing up towards the end of the month when gyms are looking to hit their membership quotas. We recommend negotiating with sales advisors to explore all potential discount options – you can often find a savings plan based on your age, employer or alma mater.
Furniture, Major Appliances and Electronics
- Be flexible.
When shopping on a budget for furniture, major appliances or electronics, be willing to scoop up a floor model for a deep discount. Do your homework by researching when new models of a particular item will be released. Prior to the release, ask to speak to the store’s manager and negotiate purchasing a display model once it’s removed from the sales floor. Save not only money but also time, by forgoing the bulk of the assembly.
Bills Bill Bills
- Beg for mercy.
Did you recently get hit with a charge that you weren’t expecting? Whether it’s a credit card interest fee or cell phone roaming charges, we recommend negotiating the fee ASAP with a customer service representative over the phone or in person. Calmly ask the service provider to clarify the reason for the charge and ask to have pity taken on you for being a “first offender”. Companies will often wave the charge entirely based on previous good behaviour or cut your bill in half because their policy was not clearly communicated.
How do you negotiate prices like a boss? Have you found any of our negotiating tips useful? Leave a comment down below.