Repairing Hail Damage

The clean ups continue after Sunday`s storms, and many times a con artist will look to clean up during a time like this, as well. KNWA`s Alexa Hamblin has more on how to get your hail-damaged vehicles repaired, without getting ripped off. It`s like being kicked when you`re already down, but sometimes scam artists strike when you`re at you`re most vulnerable. "The last storm, I remember we saw some at the mall, they`ll pop up do some dent work and take off out of town," cautions Brian Meshell of Bob Morey`s Auto Body. Looking at the Rob Ray used car lot, it seems more you`re in Baghdad than Bentonville... windshields are obliterated... sun roofs are smashed -- the dents on the vehicles look more like a bowling ball hit them, than a chunk of hail. "I want to say there was definitely tennis ball to baseball, even softball sized hail. On a few trucks, some of the pillars are just plummeted," says James McKay, an employee at Rob Ray`s First Quality Used Cars and Trucks. Their car lot was one of the worst hit places when it comes to hail damage in Northwest Arkansas. Estimates say each car here will take at least $6,500 to repair... others are totalled. Rather than looking for a cheap, quick fix, experts say it`s better to use a business you can trust -- and one you can find again, in case there are any problems with the work they did. "If they`ve been in town 5 - 10 years... where they are, what their customers say, that`s the biggest thing, is the reputation," Meshell says. Here are a few tips to keep you from being conned when you`re looking for the right person to repair your hail damage. Make sure you get an estimate, also, check out the business` web site and look for a customer service rating. And finally, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. For KNWA... Northwest Arkansas News... I`m Alexa Hamblin.