by Guest » Mon Jun 16, 2008 02:45 am
Hi all,
New here, so please forgive me if this information has already been covered in another thread. And sorry for being so long in my first post!
I was in a 6 car accident last Friday (9 days ago). My car was the 3rd out of the 6, and was the first in the line with any real damage (front end smashed to bits, including parts of engine and rear end needs a bit of work as well).
I'm insured by Geico, and reported the accident immediately (I was on the phone with them before any emergency personnel even got to the scene!) I had a rental car the next day, and heard from my medical adjuster the next business day. So far, so good, right?
Well, it has now been almost a week and a half, and I still have not heard anything from a damage adjuster (my car has not been inspected yet), despite repeated calls to Geico to find out what was going on. The car is not in driveable condition, and was towed directly to a Geico approved auto body shop. For some reason, they had it listed in their systems as driveable, and so there was a delay in assigning a damage adjuster to my claim.
I am growing increasingly frustrated by this, as I only have 30 days worth of rental coverage through them (I am using my own collision insurance to handle the claim, and will let Geico go after the other companies for liability). Ten of my rental days are gone already. The damage to my car, if they decide to fix it, will take some time to be repaired. I am nervous that I will run out of time with the rental before the situation is resolved.
How do I get them to move faster? They claim that my car will be inspected tomorrow, but I've heard that story before...At this point, I would prefer that they total it out, and offer me a fair settlement. I don't suppose there's any way to sway them toward doing that, eh?
New here, so please forgive me if this information has already been covered in another thread. And sorry for being so long in my first post!
I was in a 6 car accident last Friday (9 days ago). My car was the 3rd out of the 6, and was the first in the line with any real damage (front end smashed to bits, including parts of engine and rear end needs a bit of work as well).
I'm insured by Geico, and reported the accident immediately (I was on the phone with them before any emergency personnel even got to the scene!) I had a rental car the next day, and heard from my medical adjuster the next business day. So far, so good, right?
Well, it has now been almost a week and a half, and I still have not heard anything from a damage adjuster (my car has not been inspected yet), despite repeated calls to Geico to find out what was going on. The car is not in driveable condition, and was towed directly to a Geico approved auto body shop. For some reason, they had it listed in their systems as driveable, and so there was a delay in assigning a damage adjuster to my claim.
I am growing increasingly frustrated by this, as I only have 30 days worth of rental coverage through them (I am using my own collision insurance to handle the claim, and will let Geico go after the other companies for liability). Ten of my rental days are gone already. The damage to my car, if they decide to fix it, will take some time to be repaired. I am nervous that I will run out of time with the rental before the situation is resolved.
How do I get them to move faster? They claim that my car will be inspected tomorrow, but I've heard that story before...At this point, I would prefer that they total it out, and offer me a fair settlement. I don't suppose there's any way to sway them toward doing that, eh?
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 03:08 am Post Subject:
The only time they are going to total out the vehicle is if the repair cost is about 70%-80% of its value.
I take it that you've called and spoken to the Geico adjusters who is handling the damage to your vehicle. If they told you they would inspect it on Monday, simply call the shop and ask them Monday afternoon around 4pm is it's been inspected. If not, you should make a call to Geico and speak to a supervisor.
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 05:08 am Post Subject:
Hi tcope,
Would like to know- if the vehicle is not damaged to an extension that demands a 70-80% cost of repairs, does that signify that its 'drivable'?
Regards, Crossbreed07
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 05:37 am Post Subject:
For some reason, they had it listed in their systems as driveable, and so there was a delay in assigning a damage adjuster to my claim.
Perhaps seniors like Lori & tcope would tell us how it could be a reason enough to postpone an assessment of the damage..
Yeah, I've had instances of cases wherein the carrier would like to get a full view of facts associated with an accident of high magnitude. Since it had the involvement of 6 cars in a row..it could have given the carrier a hint that the causes & the measure of such a tragedy had to be assessed properly before they could decide about assessing the damage of a particular car.
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 06:45 am Post Subject:
Would like to know- if the vehicle is not damaged to an extension that demands a 70-80% cost of repairs, does that signify that its 'drivable'?
No, not at all. I'm guessing who ever took the report just accidently checked the "Vehicle Driveable" box "yes" by mistake. Still, it should not take an adjuster a week to make a phone call to you regardless of the vehicles status. Most carries now mandate a call within 24 hours.Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:05 am Post Subject:
The only time they are going to total out the vehicle is if the repair cost is about 70%-80% of its value.
Or if there is significant structural damage (firewall damage will generally do it) or the cost of repair is greater than the vehicles value minus the salvage value...
Call the shop ask them if they think it's totaled...shops (like most physical damage adjusters) will know on sight of the car if it's a goner...
Your rental concerns are very valid....call the shop see if they think it's totaled if they do not and think it will repair call Gieco back tomorrow am (after checking with the shop again this pm to see if adjuster has been there)...if not ask to speak to a supervisor and explain your concerns...about running out of rental coverage...they SHOULD extend your rental (should it run past policy limits) the amount of days it took to inspect your vehicle...They don't HAVE to but they should...since it's their foul up that caused the delay...
Let us know...also if any other questions don't hesitate to ask.
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:06 am Post Subject:
Perhaps seniors like Lori & tcope would tell us how it could be a reason enough to postpone an assessment of the damage..
There is none other than generally speaking non-driveable cars are alittle bit higher priority to inspect...for the obvious reason.Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 03:46 pm Post Subject:
Thanks for all of the replies. Yes, it was a clerical error that caused the foul up, and one that I had to fix several times (each time I called Geico back to tell them I had heard nothing from an adjuster, they said "Oh, it says your car is driveable here...but it's not??")
I was finally assigned an adjuster yesterday, and was contacted by him today. He says he will complete the inspection and estimate by this afternoon, and call me back to let me know where we stand.
I am still planning on calling Geico back after it is all resolved, and try to figure out which department is responsible for the goof, and find a supervisor there to speak with regarding this.
Hopefully it will all be resolved soon. In an ironic twist, I got an automated email from Geico this morning letting me know that my renewal documents are now available (my current policy expires 7/30), and that I can head to their website whenever I want to make a payment on that. How thoughtful of them...
On a slightly related note...if I wanted to file a claim for pain and suffering (I received several contusions, and was sore for the better part of a week - was checked out by my doctor) - would I be eligible for anything? Not looking for anything huge, just something would be nice.
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 09:06 pm Post Subject:
On a slightly related note...if I wanted to file a claim for pain and suffering (I received several contusions, and was sore for the better part of a week - was checked out by my doctor) - would I be eligible for anything? Not looking for anything huge, just something would be nice.
Yes, more than likely...it depends on your state, (no-fault PIP or not)...you will want to let your adjuster and the 'at fault' parties company/adjuster know as well that you were injured.Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 01:37 pm Post Subject:
spam removed - Evan
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 02:00 pm Post Subject:
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What carrier will handle claims better?Add your comment