by brianofseattle » Thu Apr 07, 2011 09:54 pm
Quick one. Really bothering actually. My car was stolen last month. During the last month the insurance kept changing how they were handling it. There was some dispute over mechanical damage that rendered the vehicle undrivable. Irrelevant to this question. I owned for 2 months and had no problems, including the morning I parked it before it was lost. The insurance decided it was totalled 3 weeks ago, then changed and said they wouldn't total, or repair. Then changed and said they would repair when I mentioned seeking other remedies. Because they never even looked at the police report which was very think, or the fact that the suspect was caught and charged with theft of vehicle and trafficing in stolen property because they pawned my property from car. Long story short, now they are totalling it. Paying almost 4K to lien holder. The total estimate for repairs was after my deductable was 1450.00. Why would they not pay 1450 for repairs and choose to pay 4000 to total. The mechanical issue was brake system. When it was recovered the brakes werent working, and it was discovered that power steering fluid was put into brake system causing total failure. Just seems strange. 4000, plus 2500 on rental car, plus my property and towing. Why pay all that instead of getting me back on the road, restoring my ability to get to my job.
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:36 pm Post Subject:
I'm thinking you may not understand the situation. I'm guessing that perhaps all of the damages were not known about and/or they thought some of the damages were unrelated so the status went back and forth from repairable to total loss. I'm also guessing that the damages are actually much more then $1450. I can pretty much guarantee this.
Also, I've never seen a policy that will pay $2500 in rental (or a $2500 rental bill for 3-4 weeks). Usually rental is around $30/day or around $15 if no rental (built into the policy on a total theft).
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 06:42 am Post Subject:
How did you arrive at this amount worth 1450? I guess they'd consider it a total loss only when the repairs are worth more than 80% of the value of your car. the insurance company has it's own policy in measuring the worth of damages. They'd also like to see that they compensate the right person for the right amount.
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 07:02 am Post Subject: I talked to adjuster this afternoon.
Originally he said the claim was total. Because it included putting a new bumber on the vehical, which was about 1000. I am still unsure why this was put on the estimate. I didnt say anything about it. I couldn't see anything wrong with it. Just some cosmetic stuff underneath. But, I couldnt say one way or another if it was like that when I bought it. I told them that. But, the vehicle was drivable when I last had it, and 10 days later when recovered it was not drivable, not for a second. The local ada said it was due to poor workmanship or mistake when serviced at another shop. I hadnt owned long enough to have even gotten an oil change. Never had in shop. He did insinuate that I did it. And since I know he was lying about that, and the brake mechanic said there is no way I could have owned it with the power steering fluid in it and it make it more than a day or two, It is impossible it was like that when I bought it. He put in writting his opinion that the system would have catostophically failed within days. So, I told the liability adjuster at there main office that I felt he was lying, unwilling to even look at any cause but me purposfully ruining my sole transportation I just bought. The claim gale was very nice, and said she would call him and order him to make the repairs. Also, the police had material facts relevant to the issue in there report and he was not willing to look at the police reports. The suspect was in custody and charged and unwilling to see what they had to say. He was extremely rude when on phone, and I met for first time today and he made me wait 20 minutes to give him a reciept I was asked to bring in to him for the police tow and storage when it was recovered. He said no matter even if it was day one and nothing had been spent, he would total the vehicle. He quickly printed out a check for the reciept which I didn't ask for and made some comment about me now having a few dollars in my pocket. This guy knew I work full time as an engineer for a really big software company and I didn't care about some money from a stupid reciept being paid right away. He than showed me the door and said it was a pleasure for him. I said, a pleasure. He said, well, it was for him. He also said, I had to return vehicle to hertz that minute. But, the main office said I had three days, and had been given an additional buffer to repair or locate a new vehicle. He commented on that and said no, you have to return now. I then said that I wouldnt and pay for additional days myself and he gave me a dirty look and told me goodbye. I took check to bank to deposit and it wasn't valid. Anyway, the estimates I was given were 1070 for brakes, and 1000 for the bumper and detail and all from shop his office was in. The claims admin said she instructed them to put old bumper back on, and repair the brakes and extended the rental awaiting completion. After 500 deductible it would have been 570 to fix brakes. The FMV he paid out on was 3792.00, -550 for salvage, -500 deductible to lien holder, who he didn't consult with. This seems like it was personal. Though I've never met him. He had called hertz a couple weeks back and told them that Geico would not pay past that minute and told me I had 24 hours to return. Which was not what policy said. Not what liability adjuster said. The hertz person got rude when I said they needed to talk to the liablility adjuster but did. Then later called me back and apologized saying that they were told that the main office adjuster overrules anything the local adjuster says and that I didn't have anything to worry about. Then my vehicle was dumped at my home, in a quiet and very private community, with home owner laws forbidding street parking, with no front bumber assembly and no brakes for me to leave work and drive home to recieve. I wasn't asked to sign anything. And main office said, 3 days didn't start until I signed document completing the total loss final report. Of course this is irrelavant. I have to get the vehicle repaired and can't return rental until I repair or rent something else. Because there are no buses within 9 miles of my home. And I work 15 miles away. I always kept a very clean vehicle. When I got back, besides belongs gone, 4 sets of brake pads were in trunk, and brakes didn't work. Shop found pads installed also. Just brake system had failed. He didn't say it, but he implied that it happened while I was in possession. He said machine dust making brown was indicative of a problem that didn't happen overnight. When I left had vehicle there was never any discoloration either. He said on phone that it was not consistent with an auto theft and it would not be paid. Everyone I spoke with at geico was friendly, curteous and polite. They were informative, they returned calls, they assisted, they treated me like a customer. Except this one gentleman that from the beginning did everything it seemed to be as inconvient as possible. Wait to last minute to call and tell me something had to be done right away, he said things in writting and than contradicted them while on 3 way calls with main office and on voice mails. Anyway.
I have a rental reimburement coverage which is 50 day up to 2250 per claim. sorry, didn't mean 2500.
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 01:06 pm Post Subject:
I have a rental reimburement coverage which is 50 day up to 2250 per claim. sorry, didn't mean 2500.
I should have started reading the the end as this is the only part of the post that added any information or that really made sense.Though it does seem like there is _much_ more to the situation then you initially mentioned (prior damage/condition of the vehicle, questionable prior repairs, etc). But again, that entire last post added very little info and was so "all over the place" that it was next to impossible to understand. At the end of the day it seems like you were paid for the value of the vehicle and your rental expense.
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 08:14 pm Post Subject:
Try to discuss this matter again with your insurance company to settle thing up . Tell them all the trouble that they caused to you. Hope it works and I'm here to pray for you
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