Ludicrous! (Not the rapper) Car Insurance nonsense

[Anthony]

this is outlandish. i get hit from behind while i was stopped at a red light. cop says it's about $1K worth of damage. i get an estimate, comes out to $949. at 1st the lady who hit wanted to not go through insurance, but then she decided she'd rather go through her insurance. i have geico. she has allstate. i get the estimate from allstate - $693. that ain't enough. so i call geico to see if i could get an estimate through them, but the only way for me to get money would be for them to take out my deductable and reimburse me that plus the difference after getting it from allstate. i stated i got hit from behind and wouldn't put a hand in my wallet for nothing. this is ridiculous, i said, this is the same country where a woman became a millionaire for spilling hot coffee on her lap and i can't get my bumper replaced without having to pay my deductible due to me getting rear ended.

this is a fucking retarded country. my only other option would be to take the car back to the original body shop and have them contact allstate and the allstate guy said they could probably increase the amount. so i'm looking anywhere between maybe $700-$900. i don't intend to replace my bumper, it's going towards renovating my basement, but just imagine if i really wanted to get my bumper fixed. that's great. i follow the traffic rules and abide by the laws and i'm the one who gets inconvenienced.

[Anthony]

this is basically amounting to $200 difference. this may or may not be worth my while to fuss over. i'll try tomorrow to have the body shop contact allstate to inform them the $693 wouldn't be sufficient to cover the costs, maybe that'll bump up the price. if not i'll probably just bite the bullet cuz this will only delay the pymt coming in. it's more the principal than anything, i just don't think getting hit from behind while stopped at a red light is only worth $693. my luck if i hit someone from behind they'd fall out of their car pretending to have a back injury and sue me for a ton of $$.

[Atocep]

You need to tell All State that renovating your basement costs more than $693.

Assholes.

[Lathum]

You should meet the agent for sandwiches

[Anthony]

i want to be properly compensated for my bumper. what i do with the money is my concern. it's my decision to make if i want to put it towards replacing the bumper. if i was addicted to cocaine it'd be my call if i wanted to use my bumper money towards that.

[Rizon]

Bizarre.

I've been hit several times and filed claims with my insurance. This is usually how it goes:

1) I file a claim by phone to my insurance company
2) An agent from my insurance comes out and inspects my vehicle or they send me to an auto repair shop for an estimate
2) I send my car in for repairs, or they send me a check for their estimate for me to do whatever the heck I want with it (which I use to fix my car)
3) The end

Total cost to me: $0
Total headache for me: 0

[PilotMan]

My car was hit last year and it went like this:

-Get other persons insurance info.
-Get phone call from other insurance co. requesting estimates.
- fax 3 estimates for repair work.
- talk to other insurance agent who tells me to take it wherever I want
- get rental car deliverd to me after my car is dropped off at repair shop of my choosing.
- get check in mail for exact cost of repair
- sign check over to body shop
- leave rental at body shop for insurance co to deal with later

Honestly, it couldn't have gone any smoother.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i want to be properly compensated for my bumper. what i do with the money is my concern. it's my decision to make if i want to put it towards replacing the bumper. if i was addicted to cocaine it'd be my call if i wanted to use my bumper money towards that.

You need to have her insurance company get an agreed price with the/a body shop that will legitimately do the work for $693. Basically, the burden is on them to prove that their estimate will indemnify you for your loss. Them saying that it is $693 worth of damage without establishing to you that it can actually be repaired for that price is acting in bad faith ("bad faith" is a term that you may want to toss around with them). If you want to be a prick about it, find out how many days your car will be in the shop and tell them that you want rental fees, as well (a lot of times, the adjuster will give you the cost of the vehicle times the number of days your car will be in the shop, rather than managing the actual rental). They are obligated to make you "whole" for your loss, so that would include repair costs and use of a vehicle while yours is unavailable.

If you go through your insurance company, they are also required to get an agreed price with a body shop that can repair your damages. You would have to pay your deductible and then they will subrogate the cost against her carrier, with you receiving your deductible back. They will require you to actually get your car repaired, rather than just cutting you a check, as they have a vested interest in your vehicle being in good condition so they will most likely want to put both your name and the name of the shop you use on any check that they cut you.

[stevew]

What are you doing in the basement? I'm in the entry stages of converting mine to living space, but I can tell it's going to be expensive and time consuming. Most of the stuff I can do myself, but it'll have to happen in stages. I'm eventually going for a home theatre room and bar combo.

[mrsimperless]

I was hit head-on by a woman who was rear-ended by a drunk driver as she was slowing down because of train tracks. I was fine save a small scrape on my hand from the airbag so I opted not to go to the hospital even though my car ended up being totalled.

Little did I know I was in for a surprise when the drunk's insurance company paid out $2k less than what I still owed on my car. My car was totalled by a DRUNK FREAKING DRIVER and suddenly I had to come up with $2k at a time in my life when I struggled to pay the bills every month.

Today I am older, possibly wiser, and I now always carry gap insurance.

[Apathetic Lurker]

Originally Posted by stevew

What are you doing in the basement? I'm in the entry stages of converting mine to living space, but I can tell it's going to be expensive and time consuming. Most of the stuff I can do myself, but it'll have to happen in stages. I'm eventually going for a home theatre room and bar combo.

All he's doing s fittin' in a portapotty and some bookcases for his pron...

[14ers]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

this is outlandish. i get hit from behind while i was stopped at a red light. cop says it's about $1K worth of damage. .

Why is a cop giving you an estimate for damage?

[molson]

Originally Posted by 14ers

Why is a cop giving you an estimate for damage?

Standard info for a police accident report.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i want to be properly compensated for my bumper. what i do with the money is my concern. it's my decision to make if i want to put it towards replacing the bumper. if i was addicted to cocaine it'd be my call if i wanted to use my bumper money towards that.

Incorrect.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by 14ers

Why is a cop giving you an estimate for damage?

he didn't write it anywhere. the gist was (to the person who hit me) "this isn't a considerable amount of damage, you may want to avoid going through insurance and just have him give you a couple estimates. this is about $1K worth of damage, if he comes back with an estimate for $2K then you can contact me. otherwise if its in that $1K range you just may want to handle this outside of your insurance." made sense to me. however, i guess i was hanging on that "$1K" figure he said, and was satisfied with the $949 estimate i got from the body shop.

stevew: i've already done the demolition work on my basement myself. i'm paying $2500 to a handyman to frame and put up new drywall and install new basement stairs. i'm doing the flooring myself as well as the ceiling (and painting).

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

You need to have her insurance company get an agreed price with the/a body shop that will legitimately do the work for $693. Basically, the burden is on them to prove that their estimate will indemnify you for your loss. Them saying that it is $693 worth of damage without establishing to you that it can actually be repaired for that price is acting in bad faith ("bad faith" is a term that you may want to toss around with them). If you want to be a prick about it, find out how many days your car will be in the shop and tell them that you want rental fees, as well (a lot of times, the adjuster will give you the cost of the vehicle times the number of days your car will be in the shop, rather than managing the actual rental). They are obligated to make you "whole" for your loss, so that would include repair costs and use of a vehicle while yours is unavailable.

If you go through your insurance company, they are also required to get an agreed price with a body shop that can repair your damages. You would have to pay your deductible and then they will subrogate the cost against her carrier, with you receiving your deductible back. They will require you to actually get your car repaired, rather than just cutting you a check, as they have a vested interest in your vehicle being in good condition so they will most likely want to put both your name and the name of the shop you use on any check that they cut you.

this is exactly how i thought it worked. perhaps they gave me a preliminary estimate, the allstate guy did say they could adjust it over the phone if the body shop contact them. but i like having the burden be on them. i'm tired of having to do all the leg work. i follow the traffic laws and avoid causing accidents and now i'm the one who has to dip into my personal time to do this. but this is useful info, thanks. obviously allstate is biased and isn't in the business of giving me more than what they absolutely have to, but their estimate and the previous one i got are just a little too far apart. it's really not allstate's place to say to a body shop "you do this repair for this amount of money". i'll contact them again.

as you can see, i'm not very familiar with this process, cuz, again, i do what i need to avoid putting myself in these predicaments. but as careful as you are, i guess, it doesn't matter cuz your safety is always dependent on the common sense and driving abilities of others. ho hum.

[miked]

Did the other person get a ticket? I was told by some cop in Jersey once that rear-ending somebody is almost always a case of reckless or careless driving. In fact, I was on the highway in an exit lane going about 35 MPH and somebody went over 2 lanes of traffic and squeezed in front of me and then hit the brakes. I couldn't stop in time and hit him, causing a small dent in his bumper. Cop comes and gives me a ticket for careless driving or something and explained to me it was always careless driving if you rear end somebody. I even had a witness stop and tell the cop the other dude cut over a few lanes to squeeze in.

I brought this all before the judge including the statement from the witness. Guilty. Hopefully the cop stuck it to the other dude in your accident. In my estimation, all you usually have to do is use the words "bad faith" and "small claims court" and you will almost always get a good response.

[Anthony]

ok, this "bad faith" term seems to be pretty powerful, i'll wield this mighty sword tonite and see where it gets me. i'll say either find me a palce that would fix the bumper for only $693 or pay what the body shop i want to take the car to wants.

[Dr. Sak]

I hate how you pay all this money for insurance but when it is time to get a fraction of that money back on something that isn't even your fault it is like pulling teeth. Good luck HA.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Believe me, I hate insurance companies. But I don't have much sympathy for you because you are not actually getting the repair done. The insurance co./driver is obligated to pay you either (1) the cost to fix it, if you actually get it fixed, (2) the reduction in "market value" of your car from having the wrecked bumper (which may not necessarily be the value to repair it, if that makes any sense), if you don't get it fixed. Seems to me you don't have much complaining to do here because arguably at least, your car was only reduced by $693 because by getting a brand new bumper you would actually be overcompensated for your loss since you originally only had a used bumper. In the industry, it's called "betterment."

Also, FWIW, no old lady ever became a millionaire by having hot coffee spilled on her. Everyone remembers the ridiculous jury verdict of $2.9 million ('cause it got media attention), most don't realize her award was reduced to $640k and she then settled for less than that afterwards before the appeal happened. She did make out ok, though, no doubt about that. Interestingly, after she was injured, she first only asked MacDonalds for $20k. They offered her $800, and the lawsuit ensued.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Originally Posted by bsak16

I hate how you pay all this money for insurance but when it is time to get a fraction of that money back on something that isn't even your fault it is like pulling teeth. Good luck HA.

HA actually never paid a dime for the other driver's insurance through Allstate.

[Icy]

Do you really get a check that you can cash for whatever you want after being hit? If so, I think there is the main problem then with USA regulations.

In Spain, when you are hit by another car, you go to a garage, they fix the car and then they pass the invoice to the insurance company. That way you can't try to fool the insurance company, nor they can pay less than what the car fixing really cost, as they just pay the real fixing invoice to the independent garage whatever it was (if the garage asks for too much, then they need to fight the insurance, not you).

[markprior22]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Incorrect.

I don't know if you are referring to the cocaine comment or the fact that he can do whatever he wants with the money. He absolutely can do whatever he wants with the settlement. As someone mentioned earlier, the payout is compensation for the damage. He is under no obligation to fix the damage with the money.

[PilotMan]

Have you tried getting your insurance company to intervene on your behalf? Sometimes they can help with negotiations.

[Subby]

Do you work at Burger Chef? You can't afford to renovate your basement AND have your car fixed?

Maybe you should use that money and buy a change purse or passbook savings account.

[rowech]

Allstate is a pain in the ass to deal with. My only accident and it wasn't my fault but it was just an unbelievable ordeal. Was actually hit from behind, while stopped, by someone I taught with at the time. Never cared for her before and hated her after.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Icy

Do you really get a check that you can cash for whatever you want after being hit? If so, I think there is the main problem then with USA regulations.

In Spain, when you are hit by another car, you go to a garage, they fix the car and then they pass the invoice to the insurance company. That way you can't try to fool the insurance company, nor they can pay less than what the car fixing really cost, as they just pay the real fixing invoice to the independent garage whatever it was (if the garage asks for too much, then they need to fight the insurance, not you).

That is essentially what happens here when you use your own insurance, as well. However, some states have laws that assign fault to accidents and whoever is "at fault" for the accident has their insurance pay for the repairs. Since they have no vested interest in seeing whether or not someone else's vehicle is properly repaired, most of the time they just pay the cost of repairs to the other party, who can then choose whether or not they want to apply their money to repairing their vehicle.

[RendeR]

save yourselves this emtire melodrama.

#1 immediately contact YOUR insurance, file a claim, give YOUR insurance rep the other persons insurance information. Let them know every detail including where you are taking the car for repairs.

End of your real involvement in the situation. your rep should then take over getting everything filed, paid for and setled. including filing medical, rental and any pain and suffering payments *which may require going to court if the other guys insurance balks at a single item*

You're paying for this service, don't waste your time and effort trying to handle this yourself.

[Rizon]

Originally Posted by RendeR

You're paying for this service, don't waste your time and effort trying to handle this yourself.

QFT. That's what you pay them for.

[Lathum]

I have Geico and on the one incident my wife had they were extemlly helpfull. I would call them.

[sterlingice]

Same with myself and State Farm. I've had nothing but good dealings with my car insurance company. Now, medical insurance, that's another story...

SI

[Anthony]

i decided to take the check for $693, which Allstate confirmed would be put in yesterday's mail. to me, the only thing in the world more valuable than money is time. you can always print more money, you can't print more time. Geico would've been more than happy to take care of this for me, but again, they stated there was no timetable for when the resolution would be. not knowing how long this would take i decided to cut my losses and just get compensated in the fastest manner possible.

at first i was going to dispute the fact that allstate's estimate involved the price of an after-market, cheaper bumper. the body shop i got the estimate for involved an OEM original bumper. the difference was $223 (allstate's suggested price) and $289 (the body shop's better quality bumper), which amounted to $66. i decided if i were to actually replace the bumper i would've fought for that extra $66. for me to get that $66 i'd have to go back to allstate's estimator guy and take it up with him. with all the time i've wasted on this nonsense i felt an extra $66 was not worth it and further arguing would only delay payment.

the only thing that truly pissed me off was as of yesterday allstate still didn't have the police report. i asked how long does it take for an insurance company to get a police report in this Age of Information and Technology and she said "a month to 6 weeks". i asked why don't they request their insured to fax over a copy and she replied "we do request it, but the person who hit you must not have gotten around to it yet". i got fed up and simply scanned a copy of the report and emailed it to them. yet more work on my part. had i not done this there's no telling how long this crap would've gone on for.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Subby

Do you work at Burger Chef? You can't afford to renovate your basement AND have your car fixed?

Maybe you should use that money and buy a change purse or passbook savings account.

the car i drive now ('02 Hyundai Elantra) is currently our only car. we plan on getting a 2nd (gas guzzling manly SUV) sometime this year. i drive my car to work, i have no intention on replacing the minimally messed up bumper and then wait to get either hit again or have someone mess it up in the company parking lot. rather, i'm fine with the bumper being cracked and the paint chipped, but in another 5 years time the car will have minimal market value. i have better uses for the $693. the way i see, and rightfully so, the $693 i put towards my basement will help increase the value of my home whereas putting it towards my bumper will still result in the car being worth nothing at some point.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

the car i drive now ('02 Hyundai Elantra) is currently our only car. we plan on getting a 2nd (gas guzzling manly SUV) sometime this year. i drive my car to work, i have no intention on replacing the minimally messed up bumper and then wait to get either hit again or have someone mess it up in the company parking lot. rather, i'm fine with the bumper being cracked and the paint chipped, but in another 5 years time the car will have minimal market value. i have better uses for the $693. the way i see, and rightfully so, the $693 i put towards my basement will help increase the value of my home whereas putting it towards my bumper will still result in the car being worth nothing at some point.

WHEN DID YOU SELL YOUR 500SL, YO?