ROCKY HILL, Conn. -- Some state officials believe a program designed to expedite auto body repairs could put safety in jeopardy.

Channel 3 I-Team reporter Eric Parker reported the Painter family from Rocky Hill was startled to discover the technician working on their car had cut corners.

The family's Honda sport utility vehicle had a tough winter. First, Arlene Painter's son backed into another car. Shortly after getting the SUV fixed, he was rear-ended by another vehicle.

When technicians at South End Auto Body in Rocky Hill made the second set of repairs, they made a startling discovery.

"He said, 'There's a lot of things that are not right here. Maybe you want to come down and look at it." So, I did," Painter said.

South End Auto Body said whoever did the earlier work cut corners and deemed the car unsafe.

"What they did is cut (a part) open ... just to make it so the bumper would fit properly," said Jamie Emmanuel from South End Auto Body said of the previous work. "So, if she got hit very hard, there's no structural safety. ... That's why we spend the money to take care of the process of repairing these cars correctly. It could have my kids in this car."

Not all the problems were safety issues, but South End Auto Body said the issues were just as glaring -- like the extender arm with a bolt snapped off and then glued back on.

"They just put dum-dum, we call it, which is glue, on the bolt so it looks like there's two bolts there," Emmanuel said.

Customer Traces Repairs To Plainville Shop

As Painter traced the repairs, she ended up at the Progressive Insurance concierge facility in Newington. She said she called her insurance company, Progressive, when the SUV was damaged the first time, and they sold her on this service.

"They just made it sound like it was so easy to do," Painter said.

Progressive said the concierge program is designed as a convenience to the customer, saying the customer is greeted at a desk, the damage is checked out and the customer picks up a rental car. Then, Progressive sends the car to a body shop, and when it's fixed, the customer picks up the car.

"You don't have to go chasing around trying to get an estimate or chasing down a rental car. Everything is here for you in one stop," said Chris Andreoli from Progressive.

Progressive told the I-Team they send business to one of 11 local repair shops they work with, saying a particular shop is chosen based on how quickly it can begin working on the car. They said customers are free to choose their own shops, but Progressive will do the legwork if customers want.

The I-Team asked Progressive what went wrong with Painter's Honda.

"We were not satisfied at all with the repair quality and what is surprising is that it's not indicative of the repair quality of that shop on a day-to-day basis," Andreoli said.

Plainville Shop 'Embarrassed,' Makes Changes

So, how did the faulty repair get through the inspection process? The I-Team went to the shop, Mike's Auto and Body Shop in Plainville, to find out what happened.

"I was very embarrassed and I wanted to hide under a rock because that's not the type of work I do here," said Mike Thibault , the owner of Mike's Auto and Body Shop.

Thibault told the I-Team his records show the repair happened on a Friday afternoon when he was out of town. He said he thinks that with the boss out of town, the technician cut corners to save time.

"Instead of tack-welding it back, which is what we always do, he just put a piece of tape over it, put (the) panel back on, put the bumper back on," Thibault said. "It was all hidden."

The employee was fired and Thibault said he has changed things at the shop. He now checks each item on each work order personally to make sure it was done right. He also hired a separate painter so another set of eyes looks at each car.

"Before, it was taking a job start to finish so an employee would start it, and paint it, and finish it," Thibault said. "So, it would be a little easier to hide stuff."

But if the problem was a rogue employee, it still doesn't answer the question of who's looking out for customers if they choose the concierge repairs. For his part, Thibault said Progressive does perform a thorough inspection.

"They're the toughest company to work for as far as quality inspections," Thibault said. "When the car leaves here, I have to bring it up there and they go over it with their flashlights and check everything. They're double-checking and triple-checking what we've already checked."

If the problems are hidden, there's no way for Progressive to spot them.

"We don't have body shop technicians working for us. Our inspection process focuses on the exterior," Andreoli said. "We don't go to the extent, nor should we, to be taking cars apart looking at the interior panels of the car. ... We have no reason to believe that there's any widespread concern for quality, but we're going to look into that."

Progressive told the I-Team that they have investigators looking at 19 other cars repaired at Mike's Auto and Body Shop.

"We have begun reaching out to customers that have gone and gotten their car fixed through this site, and we'll stand behind that warranty and if there are any issues we're going to make that right," Andreoli said.

Thibault said he, too, stands behind his work.

"I live in town, I shop in town, I'm here, and God-willing I'm not going anywhere," Thibault said.

Officials Seek To Address 'Steering'

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Rocky Hill Rep. Tony Guerrera, D-District 29, got a look at the issues themselves by visiting South End Auto Body. They claimed the issues with Painter's SUV illustrate a wider problem in the industry called steering, in which an insurance company illegally pushes business to a certain repair shop.

"The consumer may be under the impression that he or she has no real choice. We want to make clear: Your car, your choice," Blumenthal said.

Parker said the concern is that customers might think insurers are making the repairs.

"You look at your estimate and you estimate says Progressive Insurance. It doesn't say ABC Automotive. It doesn't say YZ Automotive," Guerrera said. "So, technically, they're saying they're doing the repair, and I don't think Progressive has a license to do automobile repairs."

"The insurance companies are looking to cut corners because it cuts costs, and that also cuts quality for the consumers and potentially creates dangers for them," Blumenthal said.

Both men are pushing a law that makes it tougher for insurance companies to make those recommendations.

Progressive said they're not steering business, saying that all they're doing is giving customers a choice.

"Steering is illegal and we agree with that," Andreoli said. "So, do I think we need another law for that? Personally, no, I don't think so. It doesn't really make sense."

In the meantime, Painter is getting her car fixed the right way.

"Are you changing your insurance provider?" Parker asked Painter.

"No comment," she replied.

More Information

American Insurance Association: Statement Responding To Senate Bill 288

Senate Bill 288