wreck ques on ins

[72shadetree]

you now i was hit sat before last.well my ins.is handling it
it got outter grille/bumper/fender and inner fender/rad support/fan shroud/bent wheel.and the frame is bent the wheel base is almost a inch shorter on dr side plus the bed is real close to cab on dr side.i have $12000.00 stated value collision on it.i had it est at $4500 damage at a new car dealership.the ins adjuster looked at it and called me today and said $2300 to fix it.

they want to put it on frame machine est 6.5 hours.it hit so hard that the steering rod come back thru the column almost the inch.

i know the body can be fixed but i dont want it on the frame machine.can i make them pay the damages so i can swap to another frame or am i stuck with the frame machine.

i will not settle for the 2300 i am going to call back in the morning and if not satisfied going to contact a lawyer.

just wanted your advice. thanks henry

[Russell]

Fight for what you want, you've been paying them everything single month for how many years now in case of this happening? I think you deserve to get what you want out of it considering you have very likely paid far more into insurance than you are trying to get from the claim.

[Bamm]

What Russell said. Bottom line, you didn't ask for someone to come along and take out what you've been working on for years. Why exactly is your insurance co handling it? Shouldn't it have been their insurance co? I must have missed something. I'll go back andf reread. ......Jerry

[72shadetree]

Originally Posted by Bamm 24

What Russell said. Bottom line, you didn't ask for someone to come along and take out what you've been working on for years. Why exactly is your insurance co handling it? Shouldn't it have been their insurance co? I must have missed something. I'll go back andf reread. ......Jerry

illegals no permit no green card not his car stil dont know if the car had ins

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by 72shadetree

illegals no permit no green card not his car stil dont know if the car had ins

If they can`t play by the rules, then they need to go back to where they came from. Thats the nicest way I can put it.

[dtlilly]

I think a price from a new car dealer to fix your truck will be higher than fixing at a reputable local body shop. Don't settle... I still would try to work with them individually.

Your problem is that if you find a lawyer to handle the case, they take 1/3 of the settlement plus costs. So lets assume he/she is able to bump the insurance company up to $3500 (an almost 50% increase from original offer). Now pay him his 33% and your left with $2345. Oh wait, he made a couple phone calls and mailed a letter or two <minus $45>, so your left with the same $2300, several months of aggrivation, and your truck still not fixed.

What would I do?

Try to bump the settlement check as high as you can. Shoot for the $4500 and be tough, but understand $2500 may be the best you'll get. Ask your agent for help, that's what he gets a commission check off your premium for. Maybe speak with the adjustors manager, because an adjustor gets paid a % of what they are saving the company. They may believe the claim is actually worth $4500, but the adjustor wants to "adjust" the price down to $2300. If you settle, the adjustor looks good and gets a nice bonus check from money that is actually yours!!

Take the cash, buy a frame and sheet metal off the board, have your body man spray some flames, and your back on the road.

[cojnit]

I wish I had it as straight forward as you do. I am going to have to sue Midas I think.

[VetteVet]

What's up Coj? did they do like I thought they would and deny everything and say it was on you?
Vettevet

[mr402]

May be time to find a new insurance company too. I used to have State Farm. LEft them when they refused to pay the full amount for a claim. Now with a smaller local company that is very easy to work with.

[arkracing]

don't get a laywer - it just creates more headaches than what its worth.

Take the truck to the place that you want to have it fixed at and let them fight with the insurance appriaser (it's thier job to negotiate with the repair shop of your choice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) let the shop and the appraiser fight it out...and if the insurance company doesn't negotiate - then take it to the insurance commissioner of your state - they have a lot of power to make an insurance company fold do to the fear that they will be in "bad faith" for not negotiating
Here's the link to virginia's insurance department...scroll down to get thier contact information:

http://www.scc.virginia.gov/division...oiconsumer.htm


Trust me - it's what i do (i'm an insurance appraiser) - i have to negotiate with shops all day long

[67ChevyRedneck]

I haven't had to deal with insurance people, so sorry, no advice there, but I agree with you that I would rather have the truck put on another frame. I have a friend with a 96 tacoma with a "straightened frame" after he hit a deer, yeah, toyotas are weak and suck, but his truck was never the same. wears tires and doesn't handle "right."

[silvertonguedevil]

I think there is some really good advice already here but I did want to say that I'm sorry to hear about this. I've always liked your truck. Good luck.

[72shadetree]

thanks everybody im working with the ins for now gotta leave town for 3 weeks so maybe we can get something settled by the time i get home so i can tear into.

here is a frame ive been working on for several years slowly its from my 1st 72 the pic is a few years old.ive got alot of it stripped and in primer.hope to finish it up and swap body over to it

[casey1972]

Some Of You Guys Need To Lighten Up On The Insurance Adjuster. I Am A Board Member Here And Have Been An Insurance Adjuster For Going On 7 Years. We Are Not Getting A Commision On The % We Reduce The Damages By, That Is A Big Misconception. The Adjuster Is Out There To Write A Fair Estimate For Repairs. Frame Damage Is Fixed Every Day By Reputable Body Shops, There Is No Reason Damage Like Yours Cannot Be Fixed. It Is Those That Are Wadded Up That Are More Questionable. Give Them A Chance To Fix It, If After It Is Pulled Back You Are Still Not Satisfied, Then You Have A Leg To Stand On. I Am Not Saying Your Adjuster Is Not Starting Out On The Low Side, But You Have To Realize Many Of These Body Shops Do Just The Opposite, They Start Out On The Highest Side And Negotiate Down. The Ins Adjuster Is Just Trying To Keep Costs Down For You, Because Every Dollar Is Costs On Your Policy You Can Expect Your Premium To Reflect That Expense They Have To Pay Out. I Do Agree With The Earlier Post That Said Leave It With The Shop And The Adjuster To Negotiate It Out, They Will Come To Agreement On A Fair Settlement, And If It Is A Good Shop, You Will Be Fine, They Don't Want To Leave A Bad Taste In Your Mouth, Cause It Will Cost Them Customers If They Do. Good Luck, Let Us Know How It Works Out.

[silvertonguedevil]

Originally Posted by casey1972

Some Of You Guys Need To Lighten Up On The Insurance Adjuster. I Am A Board Member Here And Have Been An Insurance Adjuster For Going On 7 Years.

LET'S GIT 'IM!!!! j/k

[arkracing]

Originally Posted by casey1972

Some Of You Guys Need To Lighten Up On The Insurance Adjuster. I Am A Board Member Here And Have Been An Insurance Adjuster For Going On 7 Years. We Are Not Getting A Commision On The % We Reduce The Damages By, That Is A Big Misconception. The Adjuster Is Out There To Write A Fair Estimate For Repairs. Frame Damage Is Fixed Every Day By Reputable Body Shops, There Is No Reason Damage Like Yours Cannot Be Fixed. It Is Those That Are Wadded Up That Are More Questionable. Give Them A Chance To Fix It, If After It Is Pulled Back You Are Still Not Satisfied, Then You Have A Leg To Stand On. I Am Not Saying Your Adjuster Is Not Starting Out On The Low Side, But You Have To Realize Many Of These Body Shops Do Just The Opposite, They Start Out On The Highest Side And Negotiate Down. The Ins Adjuster Is Just Trying To Keep Costs Down For You, Because Every Dollar Is Costs On Your Policy You Can Expect Your Premium To Reflect That Expense They Have To Pay Out. I Do Agree With The Earlier Post That Said Leave It With The Shop And The Adjuster To Negotiate It Out, They Will Come To Agreement On A Fair Settlement, And If It Is A Good Shop, You Will Be Fine, They Don't Want To Leave A Bad Taste In Your Mouth, Cause It Will Cost Them Customers If They Do. Good Luck, Let Us Know How It Works Out.

Leave it to your shop and the appraiser - unless you plan on doing all the work yourself and tell the insurance co. that - because an appriaser cannot negotiate with an unlicensed repair shop (which your basically screwing yourself) - the only way to to cheat the insurance company that way is to get your buddy who own's a repair shop to negotiate the repairs with the insurance appriaser and then give him a 12pack for doing it and you get your check
BUT YOU DIDN"T HEAR THAT FROM ME

I disagree with some of the "practices" of insurance companies (i.e. not paying for color sand and buff cause "dust shouldn't be a problems with today's spray booths"
but you have to realize that some of the stuff that shops put on estimates are simply there because "you don't get if you don't ask" a shop estimate will always be written @ posted labor rates where as a shop/insurance adjuster estimate will be written @ a "negotiated rate" - usually significantly less than the posted (especially @ a dealership)

and yeh i know you guys all hate insurance companies...but it is not the appraisers fault (usually...unless he doesn't know what a car is - believe me they give adjuster's licenses to some real winner's) but we as appraisers/adjusters get flamed from every angle you can imagine
-you have the customer compalining about when your going to see the car and the "aftermarket parts" and why is the estimate different from my shops
-you have the shop compalining about the labor rate, A/M Parts, Labor times, Colorsand and Buff, etc. etc. etc.
-you have your boss compalining about why you didn't use aftermarket parts or Used parts (other wise known in the insurance world as "leakage")
-then you got his boss in the home office telling you how to do you job - in which case he doesn't even live in the same state so therefore knows nothing about shops and labor rates and what you have to do inorder to get an agreed price with a shop


- oh and a note on the "commision for damages reduced" - not true, salary.
and "fair estimate" - we are basically free to write an estimate as we see resonable - which means we have no company guidlines to follow (take that as you will...we all know the real truth about that) but i can write an estimate @ 200/hr if i see that it is resonable - and if i'm caught writing estimates under "guidlines" or don't negotiate to a fair and "UNBIASED" appraisal...i will loss my license - and therefore my job
:tj: (sorry about that....just trying to help you make an informed decision)

[pritch]

I think my neck would start hurting real bad.

But why not take their money and do the work yourself-you was gonna do it anyway, now it's like getting paid to do it.