Get ready for your mind to be blown in the latest article from Justin Petty regarding the Appraisal Clause and how much it can vary from policy to policy.
You will see four different versions of the appraisal clause and he’ll compare them and show you some of the differences/problems with them. He’ll also talk about how they work and how the clauses can sometimes be worded in a way that ultimately works AGAINST you, even though everyone normally assumes it was created to HELP you!
Read his opinion about these different appraisal clauses and how you might be able to deal with them if you are trying to resolve your total loss.
You might walk away with more questions than you had before – luckily, Justin is just the guy to point you in the right direction!
If you’re getting a less than fair offer and being given some fake excuse why they won’t pay or being told “take it or leave it” on your low value diminished value or total loss claim ($3500 or less and damages are not your fault), then you have a tough realization to come to.
That realization is that you CANNOT obtain justice.
No joke, you can’t win unless you ignore the economics of it and define justice solely as having your day in court and winning.
Let me say it again. . .
Unless you spend the majority of the $3500.00, YOU CANNOT OBTAIN JUSTICE if you have suffered $3500.00 or less in property damages like diminished value or a total loss and the person responsible, or their insurance company, is refusing to pay for the full amount of damages.
Ever so often, an insurance carrier or at fault person will surprise me and simply pay for what they owe, but most of the time, they let their insurance company deny payment, or they personally refuse to pay for the full amount of damages. That nothing can be done is so hard for people to accept / believe that victims refuse to believe it and constantly attempt to convince me that I am wrong and that if I will just help them, they will prove they can get justice.
Questions you need answers to!
Below I have listed the 10 most common arguments / questions I hear when I tell victims that their claim is a lost cause, and then below that, I have listed the answers I give them. . . .
1. No way, that’s why we have a legal system, there has got to be something I can do, right?
2. You mean to tell me that the insurance company can just get away with not paying?
3. Isn’t it illegal for them to deny my claim?
4. Won’t the department of insurance help me?
5. That ain’t right! I’m gonna call a better expert – do you know anybody?
6. Well, I am going to sue the insurance company immediately, can you send me information on small claims court?
7. Fine, if you won’t help, then can you refer me to an attorney?
8. If I spend the money to fight and I win, the other side will have to pay back my attorneys fees and costs, right?
9. Whatever Justin, I will sue and get the insurance company in trouble for DTPA violations (deceptive trade practices), you didn’t think of that, did you?
10. I will get the media involved and expose this – that’ll work, right?
Want to hear the truth bombs from an expert??
Click below to find the answers to all of these questions and more!
Sometimes, when you invoke the appraisal clause, the two appraisers get in a sticky situation where they don’t agree and one tries to make up unwritten rules on the idea of “that is what we have always done”.
This case was one of those.
The owner had been through a pretty horrific hail storm and his new vehicle was totaled in the process. When he got his offer, he felt like it was pretty low. We took a look and agreed that his valuation contained the typical problems they normally do and seemed to be several thousand dollars off.
Do you own a high end vehicle like a Lamborghini, Mercedes, Cadillac, Infiniti, Bentley, Rolls Royse, Porsche, Maserati, BMW, Audi, Saab, Lexus or any other vehicle that is considered a luxury or exotic vehicle?
If so, you should certainly be thinking about diminished value if you were involved in a collision! You might not know the technical term for it but you know you’re gonna be put through the ringer when you go to trade that baby in and those are the FACTS!
No matter if you backed into a tree or if some negligent driver crashed into you, it is highly likely that your vehicle has lost value because of the simple fact that it was in an accident. Even if you took the vehicle to the best repair facility around, it doesn’t change the fact that your car was once wrecked.
Diminished value is a concept that has been around for nearly 90 years.
There is law relating to it in Georgia dating back to 1926!
If you’ve been in an accident in your luxury vehicle, what the heck can you do about it?
Let me make this really clear up front: We are not tax professionals!
We do not give tax advice. We are simply pointing you to information to aid in your research when filing your taxes after taking a loss in value after an auto accident.
Did you know that casualty losses are deductible from your income taxes?
In Topic 515 on the IRS’s website, it discusses the types of losses that can be claimed on your income tax.
