GhostPost wrote:

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I found 3 high valued vehicles same year and model as mine. They took the 3 and paid the middle asking price plus tax. I was happy. I printed off 3 from autotrader. They were happy with that. Hope that helps

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 Sure does. :) This is exactly what I was doing.

My experience is they will low ball you first  then ignore you for two or three weeks. they will send you a appraisal or quote from  401 auto that is just stupid. I just told them when we came to an impasse if they can replace it with a vehicle with the same or lower Ks and the same options do it. be ready for them to say the replacement has more options and try to get you to pay for them. Mine tried with the optional wheels which I quickly replied that I hate them and if you cant find another I will have to get rid of them myself. rather deal with crack heads then the lying scum I ran into. they lost big in the end but it was a fight all the way.

If your insurance company is paying for your replacement rental car tell them you're in no hurry to accept their offer until they get serious.

1.  Its my impression that they are always in a rush to get settled    

2. and its my impression, its your car until you SIGN OFF ownership

 

I agree with getting prices from High End dealers   BMW  Mercedes etc

I just did this last year with my wife's car. Used up the entire amount of rental car as it is never unlimited, read the fine print of your insurance. I got an extra $500.00 with no effort but was unwilling to continue with them and waste my time for more. I got what I had into the car and I bought it back and parted it out as well and got another $1200.00 from that.

bmw2002e3 wrote:

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Playin Hookie wrote:

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and never release it from the storage yard until you are satisfied. Keep adding up the bill there too, between a rental and storage cost that can be $100+ a day......they will call you back quick.

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 Now this I didn't know, because there was a push to release it from the yard. :(

I see the game they play...

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 Exactly. Storage adds up very fast and they know it, no cap there.

 

Look at it this way, basically you are negotiating the sale of your vehicle to them. You wouldn't let anyone else take your car without paying for it at an agreed price, why let them?

The flip side is be reasonable and not too greedy.

Talked to the guy who owns a large recovery yard by Brantford the resting place of missing chevy trucks he had to of had 200 or so burnt out shells sitting in his yard. when ask why so many he replied he has to track down original owner to find out what insurance company paid out on them save a few up to make it worthwhile then sue them for cost. Even when you sign over the ownership on payout it's still in your name years latter and any recovery company will come after you first. As far as rentals go have a close look at your policy because most have a maximum limit on rental cars. Like the government these people only care if it cuts into their profits and when that happens they raise everyones rate and say you live in a high risk area. Basterds    

Wow.

Your comment of be polite???  I don't see that mentioned in the fine print of my policy 

But then again...... you have to be an attorney/paralegal to understand all the in's and outs.

Do our own research??? really? Shouldn't have to. Again.....we pay for this service and should get what we pay for.

I'm sure like everything else, there are people out to rip off insurance company's so on the flip side, would you agree........ that there are insurance company's that  are out to rip off customers??

Kinda why some feel like we have to beg.....to get the service/coverage we pay for.

I don't care that they choose to take the top money I pay for the "service" they provide and pay lesser wages or sub out there job to an entry level flunky????

No disrespect meant to you in any way. I have had some great experiences with some insurance company's and some horrific ones.

 Not always easy to be polite to an ******* insurance company/adjuster  who is dragging out a claim so you can no longer afford to fight or "justify" why they should pay you out a fair price. That they feel that they are in a position to "ignore" a claimant  is very comforting as well...... unfortunately, customer  does not have the same indulgence nor do I at my job and still expect to collect a pay check. 

But thanks for the educational post and taking the time to explain what you did.

-- Edited by janies dirty 37 on Saturday 1st of March 2014 09:08:29 PM

Maybe I've offended some of you. I'm sorry.

I say be polite, because why wouldn't you? No it's not in your policy but if you start off thinking you're going to have a difficult time, you will. I say please and thankyou with everything, whether its my family or I'm ordering a coffee at Tim's. I get great service at Tim's, and believe it's because I'm polite.

You do have to do your own research, it is in the policy. It's your obligation to prove your loss. No one does. The company always hires appraisers, contractors etc to put a value to the claim but it really is up to the policy holder to provide it. You don't pay for them to do that, but they do. The only service you actually are paying for is to be financially reimbursed for your loss, that's also in your policy.

My point about the low paid entry level desk adjuster wasn't meant to belittle them or suggest you are getting lessor service. The point was supposed to be that it's an employee that has little to no experience dealing with people or knowledge of claims, and they have very little if any authority to make their own decision. They are not allowed to pay more than the appraisal shows. That's why it's important to show your own documentation. They absolutely can't make a larger payout without documentation to support it. Most likely they know nothing about your car, or any car. It's all just paper to them.

It definitely is not easy to smile at an ******* and be polite but you really have to rise above the situation and do it. They make notes in their computer of your conversation. If someone else looks at the file they can read the notes and see where the claim is at. They will record anything nasty you say, and I bet dollars to donuts they won't record the comments they make back to you. Don't provide them with any ammunition to say to their superior that you have been difficult to deal with. They can easily paint you to be an ******* and gain sympathy in the office for dealing with you. Their superior will have to approve any payment larger than their original appraisal.

You are at a real disadvantage with this. I agree it's not fair, and say not all will do that, but there are definitely some who do.

I've never been a desk adjuster. I work for 18 different companies, hired as needed. There are none I work for that ask me to do something unethical or to do what I did not think was fair. I wouldn't do it anyways, life is too short to compromise principles for money. I'd rather do something else for a living than not be able to sleep at night. I was a mechanical engineer, and hated it. I went back to school to learn this job. I wanted a job where I was helping people, and at the end of the day I believe I do. I have helped people restore their lives when there is coverage available. Being said I have had to deny claims for people in very unfortunate situations because the policy conditions were not met or there was no coverage for the incident that occurred.

I don't know how many companys are out there, maybe 1000, maybe 4000? I can't say how they all work. I would like to believe they all work fairly and honestly, because there are laws in place to enforce that, but the reality may be very different. It's really not hard to find someone with a horror story of an insurance claim.

I have met other many other adjusters in my local area that are great to deal with and several that are 100% complete dicks. Every profession has people that leave others with a very poor image of what the profession is, but we do seem to have our fair share human douchbags in this one.

That is the same in most business.I will sometimes if really busy go to fix the familys stove over the guys dishwasher say,Doesn't make him happy but thats just the way it is.It is a question of need.People need to remember There are other people in this world and sometimes you are second in line and sometimes you are wrong in a matter.I would be a lot easier if the average person read what they were signing and actually listned to what was being said and not what they thought was said.The people you deal with during the day weather selling you a coffee or a car are just that people doing a job .A guy I used to work for once said something I think about all the time when dealing with customers ,Help the ones most in need first,help the ones that are fair and pay there bills on time next and leave the screemers till last as they probably can't get any madder than they are now.Think about your job if the first workorder on your desk or person thru the shop door or drive thru window or checkout counter is a screemer or the first guy you see at the factory is that pinhead manager and he is headed your way,how do you feel.Point is people are people and all should be treated like the golden rule says.If you didn't read the whole thing or ask questions when buying who is really at fault. Ed