McNee is the president of Ultimate Collision Repair, an auto repair shop in Edison, NJ. From his perspective, appraisers and claims adjusters, paid by insurance companies, generally want to pay less for repairs than he thinks his shop deserves.
Since COVID-19 swept the globe last year, McNee sees far fewer appraisers. Instead, insurers are deploying technology, including photo-based estimates and artificial intelligence.
McNee kind of misses his old adversaries. “When the appraisers were here, face to face, you had a better relationship with them,” he says. “The appraiser knew you, he trusted you.”
The pandemic has upended many businesses. The auto repair industry is a case study of the unexpected effects of technology replacing in-person interactions.