SteveJ_in_TX

Folks:

With all the people on this forum that have experienced losses and are waiting for the insurance companies to pay off the loss, I wanted to pass on the following.

The insurance companies have a 'play book' that they follow that helps them settle claims in a fast expedient manner that helps them save money (and take yours). They practice the 'waiting game', as well as psychological warfare in order to get you to settle quickly. Typically when you lose your transportation, you are in a financially and emotionally vulnerable position...and they KNOW this.

First of all, I watched this all firsthand when my friend Bill's Audi 100 was totalled - his wife was rearended by a semi truck and the car was, at first glance, totalled. Bill's claim with the insurance company went on for months, as they wanted to give him pennies for his paid off 100. But what he learned will be of great benefit to others.

First, the insurance co. will tell you that as of such-and-such date, they will no longer pay for a rental car. Stress goes up. Then a short time later, they tell you they will stop paying for storage for the vehicle. Stress goes up more, boy that insurance check looks pretty tempting now. Then they ask you to remove your personal items from the car as they would like to send it to the salvage auction asap.

WRONG-O-MUNDO! First of all, it is still _your_ vehicle until they tender an acceptable settlement, till then they can bite you. If the fault of the accident was due to someone else's fault (like Bill's car and the person on this forum that got rear ended), then play the waiting game with them. Bill had 5 cars at the time, so he drove another one when they threatened to yank the rental car. And when they threatened to stop paying the impound fee, bill went to the yard, paid a tow truck driver to hook up to the fender that was bent into the wheel and they forcibly bent it back out enough that he could mount the spare and drive home. Stress level reduced.

I wish I could find the website that Bill had found online, it described what the insurance companies would typically do in the event of a total loss, and this company followed it verbatim. But I did find the link listed below, and it describes how the insurance companies stack the deck in their favor. Their database is designed to scr*w you and help them.

In short, remember - this is a business transaction. Keep your cool, speak to them in a businesslike manner, and remember the phrase "that is not acceptable". Bill started out dealing with one adjuster, then he finally went over her head as she would not answer his questions and kept trying to push him to settle. Don't be afraid to go up the chain of command, remember the adjusters are rated in how fast and how cheaply they resolve claims. Bill documented everything, wrote numerous letters to the adjuster and finally her boss (who ended up settling the loss), and was doggedly determined not to let them push him around. His stubborn nature ended up with the settlement being over $1000 dollars more than the original offer, AND he bought the car back, had it fixed and is still driving it!

Remember, if they lowball you, print the pages of the enthusiast's for sale sites (Audifans, here, s-cars.org, etc.) and send it via snail mail. Document everything. Attach a letter stating "as you can see, the price of a well kept Audi is much higher than that of your initial offer (blah blah, yada yada)."

Dog 'em. Don't give up. We're all rooting for you.

&lt;rant mode off, wipes spittle from mouth and steps off the soapbox&gt;<ul><li><a href="http://www.theplan.com/documents/Ryanarticle.htm">http://www.theplan.com/documents/Ryanarticle.htm</a</li></ul>

boxerfan

Thanks for that. I'm still pushing them. If nothing else my divorce has given me a VERY thick skin! Bring it on baby! I can take it! So... any idea if they can stop insuring me to drive my car in it's present condition?

RussB

To some extent, Steve, I'm in a position that's similar to your friend Bill's. Over the years I've found that it's best to come to a negotiation with a patient willingness to outlast the other guy.

I've never heard of the CCC company that your link refers to. The Allstate adjusters were vague when replying to my question about the source of their valuations.

rooster 2

Thanks Steve, forwarded your rant to my daughter, who is having trouble with an insurance claim