Auto Insurance Claims: auto ins, body shop madness

Question
my son had an accident turned in a claim it was his fault he had a 500 deductible the auto repair place he took it to agreed to fix the truck for 7200 the insurance company agreed they mailed my son a check a 2 party check for 7900 my son took the check to the repair shop they gave him 700 then told him he needs to hand them back 500 for deductible isnt the deductible taken off the top before they even mail him a settlement check?

Answer
Donna,

  The deductible is taken out prior to issuing a payment unless a mistake was made.  The only way for me to answer this question is to see the repair bill from the shop and compare it to the repair estimate written by the insurance company.  Be careful when dealing with a shop that is cutting you a "deal".

  Think of it like this. . . what the insurance company pays is usually based on an estimate written by an appraiser that works for the insurance company.  How much the shop charges is up to the shop.  There are just way too many factors for me to determine what is going on here, but it seems like the shop is really charging $7700.00 and not $7200.00 like you mention.  The deductible is irrelevant.  How much did it cost to fix the vehicle, period?