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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 10, 2009 9:23:58 GMT -6
some of you all may be aware of my prediciment (if not, see this post: aurorah.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=wrecks&action=display&thread=16716&page=4)They are saying my car is worth like $570. they have it valued at like 2800 before prior "damages" Damages they have listed prior to accident -door (i ruined it in another accident) -belt moldings all around (the door trim) -a front tire? thats thier fault! broken suspension... -wheel (rear center caps missing) and one bent wheel -left rear view mirror -left front door trim -left front outer door handle -L front quarter panel Rust spot on L quarter panel etc... This is BS. They are nickel and diming me to death on the value of my car. Any suggestions? Think maybe I should pick up a parts car and swap parts onto it, paint it, and then give it a shot?
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 10, 2009 9:24:39 GMT -6
oh yeah... seats. 365 bucks a piece... my ass
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Post by oldwino on Jul 10, 2009 9:50:48 GMT -6
Man, that's total BS. They always want the ding you on the cosmetic stuff. Not sure what you can do other than what was suggested earlier and give them examples of what it would cost to replace it and be firm and calm. Good Luck
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scottydl
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Post by scottydl on Jul 11, 2009 13:12:09 GMT -6
It will be your burden to prove them otherwise. Start pricing out the parts they are listing, get quotes, and show them how much less they are actually worth. There's a good chance they will modify their offer based on that kind of documentation, you just have to get numbers in writing.
Oh and is this the OTHER lady's insurance company throwing out these numbers? Your insurance company certainly won't pay for this claim, but they should be able to help you advocate for the value of your car. Call your agent and get him/her involved if you haven't already.
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Post by ntrenn on Jul 11, 2009 14:23:57 GMT -6
I just ran an edmunds used report on 95 with 140,000 miles in 'rough' condition - came back at $572 private party, $1100 retail - sounds like they are shopping in the same book. You have to pay retail, and Edmunds is much lower than Kelly.
Get your sale ads, ebay listings, anything you can get that shows vehicles for sale, screen out the ones that you don't want to include (the $250, runs ads) and put the proof of the market out for them to see from your perspective. Bet you can justify $1500 in your analysis. They will take it and run.
When I went through this with my Astro, they were HOT to settle - the car was piling up storage fees at the lot, and they hate paying those. Got almost $1500 more out of them. Their comps were 'runs good' My comps were - clean, one owner, etc... Insurance companies exist to lowball you.
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Post by kaykirk on Jul 11, 2009 14:33:43 GMT -6
and remember, they are to pay you retail !!! not private party or trade.
Also, you should get reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses for title, tax, licensing, etc.
It would be nice if your insurance company would get involved but I doubt they will since they are out nothing...that's just been my experience but who knows, maybe they would make a phone call or two.
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Post by roara on Jul 11, 2009 14:58:32 GMT -6
Your insurance company should still help get this resolved? You pay them alot of money to just sit back and watch. I was hit some years ago and notified mine just to let them know, in case of uninsured/underinsured motorist...which it did turn out to be. Some guy driving his dads truck, same name except for "Jr". Guess what? Dad went to renew his license, denied! He never knew the kid t-boned my '69 Chevelle and never owned up to it. The long and short of it is, my company helped me get paid by his company. They offered $600, BS, I spent $75 for an independant appraisal, to determine the condition before crash. Replacement value $2400, I got $1800, well worth the $75 out of pocket.
Didn't mean to hijack but thought my story would be relevant.
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 11, 2009 19:44:23 GMT -6
dont worry roara, its good to have stories to compare to (and they are interesting anyways). I bet that chevelle would be worth a lot more these days.
KBB for this car in "Fair" condition (and the description is dead on for this car minus the damage she caused): $1950. Thats what I want.
I have been involving my ins. company for quite some time (State Farm). they have been INCREDIBLY helpful, like you wouldnt believe (they have a lifelong customer now). I only have liability too. They went ahead and filed the claim with Progressive for me. I have visited my agent's office about 5x since, and I have called their claim's line twice. Every time I come out more prepared, and more informed... never a waste of time!
I have been given great tips by them too- the best ones being to ask the Progressive guy to speak with his superior (and maybe go a step above that- eventually someone important will be glad to brush me off with $2k) and also they were the ones that said that I could still fight them in the first place since I havent cashed the check.
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Post by jeremy1980 on Jul 12, 2009 15:11:33 GMT -6
Good for you! Glad your company is helping you so you don't end up being victimized by Progressive. They got enough lawyers in those damn companies that if you don't have some experts on your side, they'd love to screw you keep all the money for themselves.
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 12, 2009 18:15:07 GMT -6
Speaking of lawyers, as a final backup plan, I have a family friend who is a lawyer. He likes me as a person and loves my fam, and im sure he would be willing to do me a favor... personally id rather save that for another time and fight my own battle, but we will see...
Progressive has lost several future customers (from me and my family).
Not that it matters for me- State Farm likely has a lifetime customer in me anyways, considering all the help they have given.
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scottydl
Super Moderator
There's nothin' like an American V-8...
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Post by scottydl on Jul 12, 2009 20:26:34 GMT -6
I know you really feel like you're getting screwed right now, but I'll caution you to condemn an entire company (Progressive) over a single experience. I had a very positive experience with them on a couple claims with my RV, so it really depends on the office/agent you happen to be dealing with. Glad to hear that State Farm is doing their part to advocate for you.
Just keep fighting the good fight, and don't be afraid to outright tell them what you will accept & why. In your case, $1950 and not a penny less based on the KBB value/description. They might jump and you'll both be done with it. If it comes to involving the lawyer family friend, in many cases a brief note from him on official letterhead may be enough to get the job done. I'm sure they would spend WAY more than $1950 in legal fees if lawyers got involved on either side, so that may be a motivator.
EDIT: moving this to "Wrecks & Repairs" since it's a good discussion on the insurance outcome of a crash.
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 12, 2009 21:13:06 GMT -6
TY scotty
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 13, 2009 17:16:55 GMT -6
So I talked to a supervisor. She was just as bad as the original guy. Also I got the original check in the mail, which I promptly locked up.
I was able to get her to drop the damage to 60%, putting the car's "value" at about $1100. That's a start! I of course said "no deal" but told her that some of the stuff they listed as prior damage was actually caused by the accident. I will also get quotes from my favorite junkyard for parts, they will be much lower than what thier vendors are charging. I will also get quotes for the installation, and a full paint job, all of which will be less. This sould drop the damage down to about $1000 (im hoping) and I can squeeze $1800 from the car.
I offered to fix some of the things myself. They promptly squashed that idea "damage prior to accident." I will fight that with vigor, believe me. I had finally gotten a second job, and i would thereby finally have the money to fix this stuff. Right around that time is when she hit me. Had it not been for the accident I would have fixed all that stuff by now! Heck, had i known if they were gonna nickel and dime me to death, I would have fixed it all after the accident anyways.
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Post by aj on Jul 13, 2009 19:45:50 GMT -6
I thought you fixed everything up and was up and running? Well you tell your ins. company what you want and say they can never replace an Aurora for that amount and have it back together. Your the paying customer.
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 13, 2009 19:57:18 GMT -6
AJ, thanks for the advice... but I think you are a bit behind the times here. I have everything running good engine wise. thats a whole nother story. However, my suspension, tires, and one wheel are severly damaged in the accident along with the body damage itself.
My insurance is not obligated to do anything but file my claim with hers and give advice. This is due to the fact that I have liability insurance only, no colision coverage. That is why I am chasing after her company. Michigan is a no-fault state, but that does not apply for private property damage. Because the car was legally parked, it counts as private property damage and not an automobile accident on my part.
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 13, 2009 20:02:32 GMT -6
GET THIS:
I forgot to mention that when I talked to the new person, she had the nerve to tell me that i was LUCKY to be hit in the parking lot. (This alludes to the no-fault rule). They originally offered me what $570? Mini-tort is $500 which is what I would get for an automobile accident while driving. So im lucky to get a $70 difference? I asked her that. Her offer was on the table already so she said "well it could make a $500 difference now, if your willing to accept it"
I swear... the nerve. Tell me im lucky... IM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE YOU MORON! I told her that and she had nothing to say...
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 14, 2009 10:19:50 GMT -6
Ok so I get another voicemail. $1100 offer still on the table, but says she didnt notice the repair estimate at $680. Too bad thier stupid repair estimate included nothing about suspension/steering/tire/wheel/undercarriage damage! I got quoted at $1900 from a shop that costs much less than thier shop does. And this includes nothing about the fuel line and brake lines that were damaged, they said they could not do them for some reason. Not a problem for me, if everything else were to be fixed I would have no problem repairing the lines.
Anyways, now they are pretending to recind thier crappy offer and drop it down to the $680 if I dont accept it now. I dont buy that.
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Post by unirok on Jul 14, 2009 19:05:58 GMT -6
GET THIS: I forgot to mention that when I talked to the new person, she had the nerve to tell me that i was LUCKY to be hit in the parking lot. (This alludes to the no-fault rule). They originally offered me what $570? Mini-tort is $500 which is what I would get for an automobile accident while driving. So im lucky to get a $70 difference? I asked her that. Her offer was on the table already so she said "well it could make a $500 difference now, if your willing to accept it" I swear... the nerve. Tell me im lucky... IM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE YOU MORON! I told her that and she had nothing to say... Well calling her a Moron wont help your case trust me..
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 14, 2009 20:20:31 GMT -6
Im no longer talking to that lady either. The upper management that I am now dealing with will definitely hear about her little comment, which will be used to my advantage.
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 16, 2009 15:03:52 GMT -6
Up to about 1400 plus keeping the car. Not too shabby. By tomorrow I should be up to my pre-set minimum of 1650 plus keep the car. I can turn around and sell it for 500 (any body interested?) That gives me over two grand to shop for a new car. I am dead set on getting that alero now!
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 16, 2009 15:04:28 GMT -6
BTW, deciding to fight the verdict is one of the BEST decisions I ever made... THANKS to all those that urged me to reconsider!
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XJSman89
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Post by XJSman89 on Jul 16, 2009 16:13:38 GMT -6
I look at the board and the word "CLIMAX" popped up at me.. lol. Congrats on the extra dough, man. Sounds like a good idea. You can get a pretty solid alero for $2K. You could also get another Aurora... oooOOOooo
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 16, 2009 19:56:32 GMT -6
You could also get another Aurora... oooOOOooo Nope. If I end up with an Aurora, it will be this one. Thats looking doubtful now though. Even for me, the car seems out of my league for repairs (and with all the little things it doesnt seem worth it). I dont want another one for the time being, because I have little use for a car my first few years as a college student, and I want to leave my mom something that she can handle. Dont worry, I will still be an active member here no matter what, AND when im out of college and started a career, etc, I will definitely buy TWO auroras! A classic and a FOUR LITER V8 second gen (lol). And I will straight pipe them both!
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XJSman89
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Post by XJSman89 on Jul 16, 2009 20:28:52 GMT -6
[A classic and a FOUR LITER V8 second gen (lol). And I will straight pipe them both! Good boy. I have taught you well. ;D
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2009 8:54:02 GMT -6
so scrolling down the home page all I see is Insurance....(CLIMAX ;D thought that was a bit funny, congrats on getting more than you first thought you would. Peronsally I would sue the S*** out of that lady.
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 17, 2009 11:10:57 GMT -6
Id rather not deal with more red-tape, lawyers, courts, etc. Otherwise, I would try to make the best of it.
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scottydl
Super Moderator
There's nothin' like an American V-8...
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Post by scottydl on Jul 18, 2009 8:07:23 GMT -6
You are doing the right thing Chris, and at this point even the current offer is a whole lot better than the original! Insurance companies, etc. will often lowball people to begin with, because (unfortunately) a lot of folks jump at the offer or don't realize they have any negotiating power. That saves the insurance company money. There are a lot of scammers out there too, so I can understand the tactic to some extent... although IMO it just makes them look bad when they try to implement that practice in every situation, especially one like yours when you had NO part whatsoever in the crash.
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 19, 2009 15:52:49 GMT -6
Im gonna make sure I mention that to the current lady as soon as I settle on monday. I will tell her what a bad rep they have put on her company. Anyways, I E-Mailed her a parts list (with names and numbers) of individual parts numbers from car-part.com and I will make her remove the tire from the damage list (both since it was caused by the accident and because it has already been replaced due to making the car unsafe to drive). After those adjustments, I should be well over 1700 on the car's value, and I will tell her if need be that she can adjust the damage percentage or scrap value to match my final payment to 1650, which is exactly what i want
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Post by unirok on Jul 20, 2009 22:16:36 GMT -6
I hope this all works out for you in the end. Keep on top of them till they just give up and send you a check for what you are asking. Its really not that much money i dont see why they are giving you such a hard time..
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Post by cbburtraw on Jul 21, 2009 9:20:26 GMT -6
me either. I had them up to $1658 and keep the car, and i said deal. i get a call today and now the car is not a total loss, but they are not counting the suspension damage and refuse to aknowledge that damage.
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