Dear Roger,
Would this be Allstate by any chance???
I have not had this exact set of circumstances happen to me, but I have
had similar things happen. At the risk of offending any insurance
agents on the list a lot of them are just plain crooks. A friend of
mine who worked for an insurance co. told me an adjuster's job is first
to protect the company and minimize its losses, and second to serve the
customer. Their usual practice is to offer you a lowball offer first
because statistically they know that X amount of people will accept
this initial offer because A) they think they have to, or B) they just
don't want the hassle. In other words, I would treat this as a
negotiation. They are probably willing to pay more, but you will have
to fight for it.
I went thru hell trying to get one of my car's restored to its original
condition after it was rear-ended. The tactics ranged from refusing to
return my phone calls to making me wait three months for an answer to a
letter I sent them to physically getting in my face. They initially
told me they would have total the car and offered me $500 for it.
(This was a low mileage car that, at that time, would have brought
maybe $10,000 if I had sold it.) The bodyshop estimate to repair the
damage was $5000. I refused to accept the $500 and fought them
literally a whole year with my car sitting in the bodyshop's garage.
At one point I was told pointblank that all I would get was $1500 and
that was it, discussion was over, and I should be grateful to get that.
Then they hung up on me and sent me a check for $1500. If they send
you a check, and it is less than what you need, SEND IT BACK. Do not
deposit it. If you have to go to court, your acceptance of any money
from them will be said to constitute tacit acceptance of their terms
and you will not be able to get anything beyond that.
I ended up getting approx. $3500 from them in the end. I forget
exactly how I was able to get this amount, but basically it came down
to me being a stubborn SOB who got mad and decided to make their lives
as miserable as they were making mine. (By the way, beware of thinking
of the bodyshop or painter is your ally in this kind of fight. Their
allegiance is to whoever is paying them. Insist on getting a check
made out to you, not the bodyshop.)
I have never heard of a paint that cannot be matched. It might not be
the same paint, but it can be matched. (Of course, I'm not a painter.)
If the people you get the estimate from know this is an insurance job
they may not give you the straight dope (in my opinion) because they
know from experience that these things can sometimes turn into
protracted battles, and guess who gets stuck with the bill for the
work? Oftentimes it is the bodyshop when the customer orders the work
and the ins. co. refuses to pay.
I would use any and all tactics I could think off, including writing
the appropriate state agency with jurisdiction over this kind of thing.
Screaming and yelling is also a good tactic (I'm not kidding!) My
first mistake in dealing with these folks was trying to be a gentleman
and assuming they were reasonable people. I was amazed at the change
in their attitude when I lost my temper one day and cussed out everyone
in sight. It was not an intentional, staged thing, but looking back at
it I thought "Gee, I shoulda blown my stack in week #1." (Instead of
week #42)
Now, I'm not saying ALL insurance companies or agents are like this.
When I went to State Farm (I will never deal with Allstate again as
long as I live, and that experience was 17 years ago) I had a totally
different experience. One day someone backed into my car in a parking
lot and it took about 1 week to get a check from them-- and they even
recommended and paid for work that I would never would have known to
ask for.
I hope you are not dealing with the difficult kind, but if you are
stick to your guns, be patient, and don't give up! Good luck.
Mark M
On Friday, November 21, 2003, at 02:52 PM, roger crabtree wrote:
> Here is a interesting story about the way insurance
> companies work. I own a 1955 Imperial sedan with
> 37,000 original miles on it. The car has been covered
> in a heated garage for 20 plus years. It is a
> beautiful original auto. Last August I was being lazy
> and took the car to a local car wash. It was a fully
> automated wash with two hand wash attendants. As the
> car went into the wash, one of the attendants blew the
> paint off of the trunk. The wand he was using was a
> high pressure wand and should never have been laid on
> paint. The company admitted that they did the damage.
> It was turned into the companies insurance. This is
> where it gets interesting. I was told to take the car
> for a appraisal for repaint of the trunk. I was told
> by the Chrysler dealer that the paint can not be
> matched. He stated that the type of paint on the car
> is no longer used in the industry. I called six other
> body shops in the area only to hear the same story.
> The insurance company then told me to get an estimate
> on a total repaint. Chrysler bid it at $4,200. The
> bid was turned in on August 28th of this year. Last
> week after multiple phone call to the insurance
> company. They sent an adjuster to look at the car. He
> wrote a bid for $2,400 and depreciated the paint 50%.
> They stated that the paint had a life of 10 years.
> The company offered $1,200 to repaint the car. I have
> filed a complaint with the state insurance
> commissioner. Has anyone in the group ever have this
> type of thing happen to them? I could use some help
> on this.
> RC Billings Montanaaaaaa
>
> =====
>
>
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