SWB 4x4 was totaled. Now what? Can I get it back?

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice new truck George. Feel free to drop it off in Iowa.

[georgieb51]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Nice new truck George. Feel free to drop it off in Iowa.

Hello Ryan, Maybe the next transport will decide to roll the load somewhere near your exit! BTW I went ahead and filed a complaint with the Iowa State Insurance Commision. Now we will see what happens.

[Dieselwrencher]

George, how's it going? Were you able to get the insurance company to do anything for you yet?

[georgieb51]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

George, how's it going? Were you able to get the insurance company to do anything for you yet?

Hello Ryan, Thanks for asking. I now have the Iowa State Division of Insurance dealing with this. I filed a formal complaint. Apparently this has only succeeded in making the insurance adjuster really mad at me because he has responded with all sorts of threats. Crazy huh? I believe this will all work out in the end. I think the guy is really trying to get me to blow my cool and do something regrettable. It was quite helpful for me to read the other thread about the fellow in Reno who was having insurance problems and then read what the lawyer wrote. It was a good reminder that insurance companies do not care about me one bit. I will let you know if something significant happens. Now I am just going to let this Iowa state agency deal with it for awhile.

[Boog]

Hey George. I am glad you filed a formal complaint with the insurance commission. It just might help you. If the adjuster is flaming mad it is because the IC is seeing just how badly he is doing his job. He may end up having to find a new profession. It goes without saying the IC will automatically lean toward the Insurance company but what that insurance company is doing gives the insurance industry a big black eye as a whole. I hope something good comes of this. It has been a terrible ordeal for you all the way around. You stood your ground. You showed them you are not helpless and would not accept their "determination" and they are stalling you with the intention you will give in. It's fantastic you had board members going out of their way to help retrieve your truck and put it in your possession. Had he not done so the truck surely would have been long gone. Best wishes my friend.

[Chevyland]

You,
Are a patient man!!!!

At least you have the truck.
Which is better that
Not
Having the truck!
But now,
Having to deal with the seized up wheels
Of
Bureaucracy
What are you hoping to get out of this mess?

[georgieb51]

Originally Posted by Chevyland

You,
Are a patient man!!!!

At least you have the truck.
Which is better that
Not
Having the truck!
But now,
Having to deal with the seized up wheels
Of
Bureaucracy
What are you hoping to get out of this mess?

Since my truck did not arrive in the condition it was in when I bought it I am just trying to get the insurance company to pay for what it would cost to fix the damage-- the same as in any other traffic accident. The truck is classified as "cargo" since it was one of 9 vehicles in a tractor trailer transporter. The insurance company that covers the cargo is the company that is dragging their heels here. It seems as if they hope I will go away. I appreciate that you recognize my patience. At the same time I must admit I have very little patience for the sort of people who "do not make the world go around". Folks on this forum like Ryan are my idea of the sort of folks who really make this world go around in the right direction. Life is too short to be making life miserable for others. I guess that Alan Clark (the adjuster) has to live with himself. I cannot imagine that he is a happy man.

[Chevyland]

All true
I would probably handle it the same way
I'm sure the adjuster IS a miserable man
If he has to do Bussiness dishonesty
I'm sure it is bigger than him
By the sounds of it
Sorry for your troubles
And
Good luck

[67ChevyRedneck]

Imagine the storage fee if you had waited until the insurance was resolved to get it out!

[georgieb51]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Imagine the storage fee if you had waited until the insurance was resolved to get it out!

Good point. At one point I actually calculated the amount I was saving his company by pulling my truck out of the wreckers facility but Mr. Clark criticized me for doing that as well. Storage adds up quickly when you pay $20/ day . I have already saved them more than $1000., AFTER I paid $900 to get it out. and I will be sure to keep that in mind when negotiations finally begin. So it is not difficult to see that this truck would be costing more than $2,000 at this point. Why continue this? A few weeks ago I made Mr. Clark a serious reasonable offer to "end it all today, and be done with it" but he continues to prolong the process. I do not know what he stands to gain by being a "stick in the mud". I choose to not live like that. Thanks for your interest in this whole scenario.

[Grumpy old man]

They can afford to wait you out for as long as it takes , They wear you down over time to their own advantage , It's how insurance companies work .

[Boog]

My dad once trained for an adjuster job. Once he was made aware of their tactics he quit.
Those commercials try to make you feel all warm and fuzzy about paying those premiums. Peace of mind and all.
Complete bs.
First and foremost it's a business. Remember that.
They are in business to make money off of us. They do so by limiting the payouts any way they can and upping premiums when they can. We've all heard the horror stories of dealing with them. There is no end to them. Not all insurance people are bad but those bad ones out weigh the few good ones.

[jeffahart]

Let me step in and be the voice of reason, as usual!

Simple fact: Life expectancy is half of what if should be... Because the insurance industry is sucking the life out of us!

Advice I give to law students; if you don't like hearing lawyer jokes, don't become a lawyer!

[67ChevyRedneck]

In the past 5 years:

2011: Brand new 2011 Mustang damaged with hail (only +/- $1,500) and about 15K in damage to the house.

2012: Deer ran into the side of my 2000 Z71 +/-$2500

2016: $8500 in hail damage to 2011 Mustang (again) and over 20K in damage to the house (again).

2017: $4,300 in hail damage to my 2015 Z71. The house was damaged again as well, however, I hadn't had the roof redone yet (you have 2 years) so we didn't have to file another claim.

Yes, I absolutely HATE hail. My plan is to build a shop to protect the cars when they're home, that's about the best I can do. I'm not moving. We're hoping it's a freak thing. We talked to people who have lived in our neighborhood for 30+ years and they claim it's hailed more in the past few years than the past 30 total, so maybe it will pass us by for a while...

Each time state farm has been very easy to work with. Yes, my homeowners rate has understandably gone up. Our car premiums have remained relatively unchanged over the past 5 or 6 years. So pretty happy with State Farm.

[jeffahart]

If you're ever on a construction site when the truck pulls up and the guy gets out grabs the big hose and sucks the crap out of the Andy Gump. You always here someone joke... "That's a $hitty job!" And it never gets old!

[Dieselwrencher]

Sheesh, take a breather! If I were George I'd have a bad taste in my mouth about adjusters no doubt about it. Let's not get his thread locked. I'd like to be able to see if he finally gets this worked out. I can tell you right now BrianG, there are 8 other pissed off people just from George's wreck because I guarantee they're getting the same BS run around from the same company. Yes, the bad ones make all the rest look bad. It's no different than in any other industry.

You brought up the Circuit Rider and how the tornado hit the building it was stored in and the insurance company took care if it. Yep, they did. They were also a classic car insurance company. Besides all that, that's what insurance companies are supposed to do, right? I used to work in body shops and we always had more hassles and mad customers at adjusters than at their agents. It seems the adjusters are the ones trying to save the money and maybe that's just how the ones with the bad raps get trained? The hassle and struggle is real though.

This entire situation is pretty over the top and that's why it is being talked about in such a long thread. How would you feel if you were in George's shoes? The truck was wrecked in May.......

[old Rusty C10]

Some people are just always looking to put their wise answer in to stir the pot.. we call them snerts... Theres one in this thread who is constantly getting reported for his remarks and constant stirring..... LAST WARNING stop stirring up trouble with your remarks, I see a vacation in your future

[georgieb51]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Sheesh, take a breather! If I were George I'd have a bad taste in my mouth about adjusters no doubt about it. Let's not get his thread locked. I'd like to be able to see if he finally gets this worked out. I can tell you right now BrianG, there are 8 other pissed off people just from George's wreck because I guarantee they're getting the same BS run around from the same company. Yes, the bad ones make all the rest look bad. It's no different than in any other industry.

You brought up the Circuit Rider and how the tornado hit the building it was stored in and the insurance company took care if it. Yep, they did. They were also a classic car insurance company. Besides all that, that's what insurance companies are supposed to do, right? I used to work in body shops and we always had more hassles and mad customers at adjusters than at their agents. It seems the adjusters are the ones trying to save the money and maybe that's just how the ones with the bad raps get trained? The hassle and struggle is real though.

This entire situation is pretty over the top and that's why it is being talked about in such a long thread. How would you feel if you were in George's shoes? The truck was wrecked in May.......

THank you Ryan. Just today I got the following email from Mr. Clark. Does this sound reasonable? Should $1500 be deducted from the payout for the value of the salvage? I am not an expert here. Perhaps I am worn out and this is the best I can expect. Perhaps someone with actual knowledge can explain why I should be paying for salvage? I have already saved them more than $1,000 in storage fees.

"We are prepared to tender the following settlement to conclude your claim based on the current information/documentation made available at this time.

Our settlement offer is as follows:

$5,703.10 Suggested ACV
$ 888.10 Recovery/Storage (this is what I already paid the Barney's towing to get my truck out of storage)
$6,591.20
($1,500.00) Salvage
$5,091.20 Suggested Settlement"

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by georgieb51

THank you Ryan. Just today I got the following email from Mr. Clark. Does this sound reasonable? Should $1500 be deducted from the payout for the value of the salvage? I am not an expert here. Perhaps I am worn out and this is the best I can expect. Perhaps someone with actual knowledge can explain why I should be paying for salvage? I have already saved them more than $1,000 in storage fees.

"We are prepared to tender the following settlement to conclude your claim based on the current information/documentation made available at this time.

Our settlement offer is as follows:

$5,703.10 Suggested ACV
$ 888.10 Recovery/Storage (this is what I already paid the Barney's towing to get my truck out of storage)
$6,591.20
($1,500.00) Salvage
$5,091.20 Suggested Settlement"

Yes, that makes sense. You have to pay the salvage because you are keeping the truck. The salvage value of the truck is 1,500. It was worth 5,703.10 prior to the accident. According to these numbers at least. And they are reimbursing you for the storage you already paid. Both seem low to me but who knows. If they were to raise the initial value then the current value would maybe also increase so it could be a give and take. If you can get it back to the condition that it was in prior to the accident for $5,091.20 then I'd take the offer. They are not making you pay any kind of deductible either so that's nice.

[Boog]

Originally Posted by vics stuff

As mentioned a concern that the insurance company was trying to take the truck from you. That is also false. I have dealt with insurance companies many tie regarding claims to totaled vehicles . Under federal law your vehicle is yours until said times that you settle the insurance claim and at that point if the insurance company pays you for the vehicle as a total then and only then does the ownership transfers to the insurance company. All claims adjusters are on the insurance company side and are there to save the company money from any litigation in court.
You as the owner do not have to accept what the claims adjuster offers , but if goes to court then you would have to accept what is decided at that time .
I hate to be devils advocate but do hope that you had gotten many pics of the truck before it left the posession of the tow yard . the claims department will try to say that you accepted the shipped vehicle as is . Be careful and think out any decisions made. I have been there and done that several times with these people.
Vic

So as i understand it George's truck is now a salvage vehicle according to the insurance company. The insurance company values it at $5703. They will reimburse George for the tow and storage fee. The truck is still George's for now. If he accepts their settlement offer the truck becomes their property but he can buy the truck back from them for $1500. Settlement all cleaned up nice and tidy. Now George's truck title will be labeled SALVAGE on any subsequent registrations? That does have an effect on current and future sales values. That just doesn't deal out fair to me. George didn't cause this accident. He certainly didn't want his truck damaged. He now has to decide if it's a good idea to put any more money into this truck, now that it is a SALVAGE vehicle. No one wants to see a truck like this go to a parts yard but how smart is it to proceed with this settlement? Laws vary from states but is there a way to rebuild this truck, in George's state, and then have it inspected and assigned a clean title? Will the truck have to be inspected, once rebuilt, in Iowa instead?
George is the victim here. He did absolutely nothing wrong but has to endure all this to keep what is rightfully his. Doesn't sit well with me at all.
My apology to all. I tend to get worked up some times over stuff like this. I have no dog in this fight but, in a way, we all do. What's happening to George can happen to any one of us too.
This thread is now 9 pages long and i have forgotten what the initial settlement offer was. Is this current offer more or less than the original one?

[georgieb51]

Originally Posted by Boog

So as i understand it George's truck is now a salvage vehicle according to the insurance company. The insurance company values it at $5703. They will reimburse George for the tow and storage fee. The truck is still George's for now. If he accepts their settlement offer the truck becomes their property but he can buy the truck back from them for $1500. Settlement all cleaned up nice and tidy. Now George's truck title will be labeled SALVAGE on any subsequent registrations? That does have an effect on current and future sales values. That just doesn't deal out fair to me. George didn't cause this accident. He certainly didn't want his truck damaged. He now has to decide if it's a good idea to put any more money into this truck, now that it is a SALVAGE vehicle. No one wants to see a truck like this go to a parts yard but how smart is it to proceed with this settlement? Laws vary from states but is there a way to rebuild this truck, in George's state, and then have it inspected and assigned a clean title? Will the truck have to be inspected, once rebuilt, in Iowa instead?
George is the victim here. He did absolutely nothing wrong but has to endure all this to keep what is rightfully his. Doesn't sit well with me at all.
My apology to all. I tend to get worked up some times over stuff like this. I have no dog in this fight but, in a way, we all do. What's happening to George can happen to any one of us too.
This thread is now 9 pages long and i have forgotten what the initial settlement offer was. Is this current offer more or less than the original one?

Hello Boog, You have been very supportive. To clarify, this is the first time they made an offer to settle. Originally the adjustor said that his estimate was that it would cost $5500. to repair. Now they are not talking repair at all because they want to label it as totalled. What I do not understand is that I have the truck in my possession and I have the title. I have before and after photos. It seems that I do not have to accept their judgment that the truck is totalled. I have it in my possession--it will never enter a salvage yard and they have no way of changing the title unless I surrender the title. So now I just wonder where this leaves me? I just want to be done with this episode in my life. What do I do to achieve maximum value out of a settlement? And do I have to accept it in terms of "being totalled and becoming salvaged"? I am beginning to think I might need a lawyer to understand what I should be doing. Overall I get this uneasy feeling in my stomach that says, "George, this adjustor is just not being nice, nor is he being open and honest with you". Should I just write back that I will not accept any offer if it in any way stipulates that my truck is salvaged? I have already made an offer to them that they simply send me money to pay for repairs, the same as any other damaged vehicle, and to just throw "salvage" out of the conversation. He did not accept this approach.

[Boog]

Good morning George.
"What I do not understand is that I have the truck in my possession and I have the title. I have before and after photos. It seems that I do not have to accept their judgment that the truck is totaled. I have it in my possession--it will never enter a salvage yard and they have no way of changing the title unless I surrender the title. So now I just wonder where this leaves me?"

This bothers me too. I don't know the ins of the insurance business but the salvage label has come up in other threads too. From what i read they don't have to have physical possession of the title. Once you sign an acceptance form they list the vin with the dmv or something. Then the next time said vehicle is registered a new title is issued and will be labeled salvage.
Dad and I used to buy and rebuild late model wrecked vehicles. We never bought one with a salvage title and never had a problem selling them. We never hid the fact our car had been damaged either. There is nothing wrong with a rebuilt vehicle if it was done right. Collision repair shops rebuild cars every day. Many guys would buy a salvage titled car, rebuild it and sell it for less than book value. Some guys registered cars to get a clean title back then sell it. States caught on and stopped that avenue. Some states allowed the car, once rebuilt, to be inspected and if passed was issued a clean title. That all was many years back though.
I would like to see one of the insurance agents, adjusters or that lawyer that posted in this thread come back and let us in on how the paperwork goes from here forward.

[dmjlambert]

I went through a total of a car years ago. The way it worked for me is the insurance company totaled the car. At that point if I accepted their settlement, that means they were buying the car from me and giving me a check for the value of the car. It was a 74 Dodge Charger SE Brougham and I didn't want to give up the car, I wanted to fix it. Man, that was the coolest car ever made, containing the crappiest engine ever made, but the only thing messed up in the accident was sheet metal and bumpers. Their estimate to fix was within a certain percentage of the total value of the car, so they totaled it. The insurance guy said he could essentially "sell" the car back to me for the salvage price, which is what they would get for it when they scrapped it, $350. So they just deducted that from the settlement payment and I kept the car. Nothing happened with the title, I kept the title the whole time. I can imagine things may vary from state to state, and this was in Texas. I'm not sure if there is anything an insurance company could or would do to affect the title if they don't actually take possession of the truck. The DMV should (in theory) be the best source of info about exactly what is going to happen, but it is state government and they could have one person say one thing and another person do something else.

[Moose Monkey]

Stay the course. Still praying.

[BrianG]

George you should get clarification of whether or not they plan on changing the status of you vehicle to a salvage vehicle. I think this case is a little unique. Correct me if I'm wrong but this isn't your auto insurance covering this claim but the trucking companies correct? I though I read this before, but again I could be wrong. Aren't they just treating this as "Cargo"? If that is the case, they may not care what you do with the title. Imagine it was your furniture that it was hauling. You may want to keep certain things because they were heirloom. You pay the salvage costs on those items in order to keep them. To the insurance company it is considered a recovery. They pay out a loss of lets say $6,000. Then they have a recovery of $1,500 for the salvageable goods that were covered in the $6,000 loss. That could be you buying your stuff back or them selling it to a third party in some cases. Luckily in this case it was you. They then have a final loss paid of $4,500 for the claim. I'd find out if they will adjust your title because that would effect the salvageable value of the vehicle. Also, how in the world did they come up with $5,703.10? That is an awfully specific number.