Blogs are buzzing because in the recent Texas Supreme Court Case, J&D Towing LLC v. American Alternative Insurance Corporation 2016 WL 91201 (Tex. 2016), a major wrong that has been going on since before there were even cars was righted.
In nearly 15 years as an adjuster, I have seen some doozies when it comes to collision repair.
Not all shops are crooks, but body shops, like any other business, are in business to make money.
Most people are not experts on collision repair, and body shops know this.
Taking your car to a body shop is sort of like going to the doctor or hiring an attorney. You kind of have to trust what the doctor or lawyer says because they are specially trained.
It is the same for a body shop, you kind of have to trust what they tell you because they are specially trained.
We get so many questions every day from people involved in an accident where their vehicle was totaled and they are now getting a low offer from the insurance company and just don’t know what to do next.
We always tell them that it is always a negotiation and that they have to fight and prove their points with the information we are revealing below today!
We put together some total loss settlement tips to get you moving in the right direction on your auto claim.
Most of us will be involved in an auto accident within our lifetimes.
This means that we are likely to have a claim with an insurance company; either our own insurance company or someone else’s insurance company.
After over 17 years of experience in the field of insurance (most as a claims adjuster), I have come to realize that the majority of the public just doesn’t get it (the claims process, that is).
Additionally, I also believe that the majority of auto claims adjusters don’t get it.
When I first began to speak with people about insurance claims over 17 years ago, the problem was not so apparent, but as more attorneys and less experienced adjusters come on the market, claimants get fed a lot of misinformation.
Just search the internet for auto accident claims help or some similar string of search words and you will quickly become confused on how to best approach getting a fair settlement on your insurance claim.
In my own opinion, the best approach is the simplest approach. As the title of this article indicates, critical thinking is the key to a successful claim negotiation.
As an adjuster who has handled almost every type of claim imaginable, I will attempt to give some pointers on critical thinking that we should all remember when we are dealing with a claim, adjusters and claimants alike.
Does it really happen?
How do you know if you’re being steered?
Anderson Cooper at CNN just did a story on lawsuits that are being filed against huge insurance companies who continually dictate what is repaired on vehicles after an auto accident and this video is worth watching until the end!
If you’ve been in an automobile collision, after the initial shock and if the vehicle is not a total loss, the first thing to do is to determine where to get repairs done and get the vehicle there.
Most people simply take their vehicle to a dealer facility or a body shop that is suggested by the insurance adjuster or company. Although there are always exceptions, dealer facilities and body shops that insurance carriers suggest are not normally on the top of my list for high quality repairs. I present to you a few insider tips and questions that you should be thinking of when you select a repair facility.
No problem if you have uninsured motorist coverage, right?
Click here to read the rest of the article and find out important facts you need to know about your Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage that may make you shiver in your boots!
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During my auto claims career I have dealt with hundreds of claims that stemmed from the negligence of a commercial vehicle. In particular, three types of claims are most common: Claims involving rental vehicles, taxis, or small freight / towing truck companies. In most cases, if one of these commonly self-insured entities has caused you damage, then you’ll have a very difficult time recovering your damages.
I currently have a case on the books where my customer’s vehicle was damaged because a towing company failed to secure an item that was on the bed of a tow truck. The item fell off causing over $7K in damage and lost value to my client’s vehicle. The tow company’s risk manager told us that he would not pay for damages, and that my customer would have to sue. Then, he said if the customer won the suit, he still would simply never pay the judgment.
My friend crashed her car in a recent storm. She immediately filed a claim, however it took an adjuster 10 days to come look at her car! By this time the car had rusted in the damage area. They deemed it a total loss. Today she is dealing with an investigation. They are trying to hassle her about the damage saying because its rusty it appears to be pre-existing damage, when in fact it’s not. What should she do and why is her own insurer treating her so poorly like she’s a criminal? (more…)
First off, I just want to say that we get a lot of calls from irate folks who think we are CCC because this article pops up high in searches for CCC. We have lots of funny interactions with accident victims where the conversation starts out with a full-on blow out argument! lol
Let’s be clear – we are not CCC! We are appraisers who help consumers when they get a low valuation from companies like CCC (there are others as well). Just wanted to get that out there to set the record straight since so many folks are finding this article useful (and to prevent screaming matches and the therapy sessions that then have to follow :)).
If your vehicle has been deemed a total loss, many insurance companies will rely on a company called CCC (that is not US lol) to provide a market evaluation on the value of your vehicle to act as a settlement tool. CCC (Certified Collateral Corporation) Information Services Inc. is a company that provides vehicle value reports to insurance companies. They utilize their own methods and develop a value for your vehicle that is supposed to be reflective of the actual cost of a replacement vehicle in the market where your vehicle would have been sold, had it not been totaled.
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