auto insurance claim

[The Vector Doctor]

The only forum I belong to, so i thought I would post here.

I was recently involved in a car accident and the other driver was cited for rear ending me. Their insurance co told me to go to my repair shop of choice to get an estimate. The estimate is around $1250 plus they could not see under the bumper to see if anything underneath needed straightened out so there likely would be additional costs

I got an email yesterday saying their insurance is sending me a check for $1040 which does not cover the full amount and does not even include the additional under bumper work

Is this normal? I have not been in an accident in over 15 years. I thought that if it was their fault they had to pay for the repair of your vehicle. Why should there be out of pocket expenses for me?

My insurance company says one option is to file the claim through them but I have to pay the deductible. They will then fight to get the full amount and my deductible back. But I don't want to have to pay anything out of pocket nor have a claim on my insurance which could then maybe increase my rates?

I don't want to have to sue. Not worth it IMO

 

[visual800]

call those lousy %#$&%$# up and let them have it. Stay on them and cuss them everyday! I am not making that up either. they just dont wanna pay for what they are responsible for. aggravation is the key when dealing with these idiots. Is it a major insurance company?

I would also find the local agent and aggravate the hell out of him if thats possible. They should pay 100% of your damage this is not your fault.

 

[J Hill Designs]

insurance is a scam.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

I am dealing with Ameriprise

 

[James Burke]

Examine your policy and the back side of the check very carefully. Sometimes it states that by siging and cashing the check that you are settling the claim for the amount written on the check....gottcha!

And yes, visit your claims adjuster asap!


JB

 

[The Vector Doctor]

I have not received the check yet. Within 5 days

 

[CanuckSigns]

call those lousy %#$&%$# up and let them have it. Stay on them and cuss them everyday! I am not making that up either. they just dont wanna pay for what they are responsible for. aggravation is the key when dealing with these idiots. Is it a major insurance company?

I would also find the local agent and aggravate the hell out of him if thats possible. They should pay 100% of your damage this is not your fault.

This!

Insurance companies love collecting money, but will try every trick in the book to avoid paying out! DO NOT CASH THE CHEQUE! if you do, you have agreed that the amount they sent is sufficient and you will have no further grounds to get more.

If I rear ended someone and it was only $1200 worth of damage, I would be paying cash and not putting it through my insurance, the other persons rates will most likely go up by at least that much in the first year!

Also, do not file a claim with your own insurance company, they will not fight hard to get your deductible back, they don't give 2 *#$&% about you, the only time they are your friend is when you are shopping for quotes.

 

[wildside]

we have state farm here, and i was talking to the agent one day and was being informed that a person is always at some fault in an accident

she tells me, if i am sitting at a stop light and get rearended i am at 25% fault, because i was on the road driving, if i wasn't on the road i wouldn't have been in an accident. also, if my car is parked in the street legally, and i am not in the vehicle and someone hits it, i am at 10% fault for leaving it on the street.... gotta love them sons a biotches

 

[CanuckSigns]

As soon as you realize that insurance agents are just glorified salesmen, they only care about making the sale and getting their commission cheque, the insurance industry makes a lot more sense.

 

[cajun312]

Just tell them your neck and back are hurting a bit

 

[rjssigns]

Get a lawyer. Period. It is a sad state of affairs that the only way to be made whole is to hire a lawyer. Insurance companies feel they can ride roughshod over us for whatever reason. My attorney strikes the fear of God into them on my behalf.

I am not sue happy and I am loathe to even call my attorney, but that has been the only remedy in my experience. I just want my stuff put back to the way it was before the accident with no out-of-pocket expenses.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

about 4 lawyers sent me info within a week of my accident

 

[ellsmako]

Get a lawyer. Period. It is a sad state of affairs that the only way to be made whole is to hire a lawyer. Insurance companies feel they can ride roughshod over us for whatever reason. My attorney strikes the fear of God into them on my behalf.

I am not sue happy and I am loathe to even call my attorney, but that has been the only remedy in my experience. I just want my stuff put back to the way it was before the accident with no out-of-pocket expenses.

So thats that will Be $1040 for the first 4 hours he/she will need just to look over your file, get the secritary to write a letter, speak to you on the phone and scretch hi/her own butt,...

 

[mikefine]

Your repair shop of choice may have inflated the estimate, knowing it is an insurance job. Why not ask if they can reduce their estimate to the amount paid?
Be grateful you are okay from the accident, and that you received a quick check in hand.
Sounds like it could have been a lot worse.

 

[Pat Whatley]

DO NOT CASH THE CHECK! Get on the phone with your agent, you're paying him to deal with this for you, make him do it.

Maybe things are different in Ohio but the two times I've been hit I took my truck to the body shop and the body shop dealt directly with the insurance company. I never saw a check but I never paid a dime, either. I did get under the truck in the body shop parking lot and made damn sure it was actually fixed and not just "patched". You're not at fault, you shouldn't be paying a thing.

Tell the adjuster for the person who hit you that you need a rental car for the time yours is in the shop and make sure you get a car that's comparable to what you were driving. If you were in a full size car make them rent you a full size car. Also tell them you want retribution for "loss of resale value", cars are worth less when they've been wrecked. Again, YOUR AGENT should be the one telling you this.

 

[rjssigns]

So thats that will Be $1040 for the first 4 hours he/she will need just to look over your file, get the secritary to write a letter, speak to you on the phone and scretch hi/her own butt,...

My last "incident" cost me $500 in legal fees and netted about $2200. Money I would have otherwise never seen since it was an out of state guy that hit my wife's car.
That included letters to the idiot who wrecked our car, letters to the insurance company, talking to the DA, negotiations, counter-offers and setting a court date. Plus all the additional paperwork required to bring him back from Oregon if necessary. I feel I got good value.

It was a complicated mess and I won't go into specifics.

 

[Marlene]

also find out if your state is one in which they also have to pay the difference between what your car is worth before and after the accident. I can't remember what it is called but it covers your loss for the futrue when you go to trade and now have a car that was in an accident. one of my co-workers just got that money on top of what they had to pay to fix the car

 

[rjssigns]

also find out if your state is one in which they also have to pay the difference between what your car is worth before and after the accident. I can't remember what it is called but it covers your loss for the futrue when you go to trade and now have a car that was in an accident. one of my co-workers just got that money on top of what they had to pay to fix the car

 

[slappy]

so they are basically knocking off 15% almost like telling you that the other driver was 85% at fault for the accident.
i think you should call your insurance company and notify them about the cost of repairs verse what they want to send you. Or ask about having your insurance company cover all your repairs under your collision coverage, less your deductible if you have one. Then your insurance company will seek reimbursement from the other driver and refund your deductible when the money comes. If you have a good insurance company, they should fight for full amount. And if i was you, i would go somewhere that could look under the vehicle for the estimate.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

DO NOT CASH THE CHECK!

That cannot be stressed enough. You would be surprised what people put in the memo section or elsewhere on the check that signifies that cashing that is acceptance of the contract that the money cashed is sufficient.

Maybe things are different in Ohio but the two times I've been hit I took my truck to the body shop and the body shop dealt directly with the insurance company. I never saw a check but I never paid a dime, either. I did get under the truck in the body shop parking lot and made damn sure it was actually fixed and not just "patched". You're not at fault, you shouldn't be paying a thing.

That too. I have only been in two accidents, both rear ends on my truck (poor dually) and everything as far as money is concerned was handled by the insurance and body shop. All I did was drop the truck off and pick her up.

Tell the adjuster for the person who hit you that you need a rental car for the time yours is in the shop and make sure you get a car that's comparable to what you were driving. If you were in a full size car make them rent you a full size car. Also tell them you want retribution for "loss of resale value", cars are worth less when they've been wrecked. Again, YOUR AGENT should be the one telling you this.

Yep.