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Smart Shopper Questions About Auto Insurance & Accidents
3963 messages, Last post on Jun 18, 2008 at 2:34 PM
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Replying to: euphonium (May 07, 2008 5:51 pm) About 15 years ago I had the experience of getting t-boned and having the car totaled. The other driver's insurance made an offer and I said (nicely) I'd just done $1,500 of work on it committing myslef to hand on to this thing for a couple more years. They upped the offer. No, I didn't get everything I wanted but I did better than the initial offer. I can't say whether that would work with Farmer's but I can say with some confidence that in this case it's too late to try that tactic. I never thought I was entitled to any more in a rental than something that would provide transportation equivalent to what I was driving. If they hit my van I'd expect a van as a rental because I'd need the seats. I have found insurance to be pretty accommodating in that respect. How you equate that with a 16 year old car I don't know.
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Replying to: euphonium (May 07, 2008 5:51 pm) Refusing to chat on the phone is actually best. Everything is in writing. On the phone it's simply "he said, she said". Ask a lawyer friend what s/he thinks about that decision of mine. Also, do some research on the car itself. That entire model line is in demand. Not classic status just yet, but well on it's way. People like that model and it will increase in value. Far more than that 1972 Pinto sitting in front of your house. And while I appreciate your offer to arbitrate I'd have to pass due to your comment "no insurance company is out to screw you over". May your Higher Power see to it that you never find yourself in my place. Finally, I've no husband. Nor wife. I prefer the company of my cars. When I get PO'd at one of them, I can sell it. Now does anyone have something helpful to say or must I endure more of this?
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Replying to: satire (May 07, 2008 7:42 pm) 
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 06, 2008 5:40 pm) "the victim is usually punished" Oh so true. But darn it, I just can't understand why. I guess there's so much insurance fraud that we all have to suffer for it. I know my demand was stupid. But I'd settle for just having my car back in the same shape it was before that dumb lady ran the red light. I fail to see why that is, in Farmers eyes, unfair. The car can be repaired. Their insured is an idiot. But yet Farmers considers me the bad guy. How dare I drive thru a green light! Now that I've yelled "I'm the victim" loud enough, I'd still love to hear of any sort of success anyone has had against ANY insurance company. |
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Replying to: fezo (May 07, 2008 7:14 pm) "It seemed Farmers was civil and was not getting that courtesy in return." I should mention that the email messages started 21 days AFTER the accident and by then I was talking to the sixth person at Farmers. At that point I wasn't feeling particularly warm & fuzzy. Nor did I suspect that Farmers wanted to be my BFF. Their adjuster had no option but to be civil. After all, she's in a dead end job, probably making minimum wage and hates it. Every day she has to get up, go to the office and annoy people. Eventually one turns into something much like a Stepford Wife. On the rental thing my position was just like yours. I should have a car that offers a level of refinement and luxury similar to what I was driving. A Pontiac G6 just wasn't gonna do. But I guess I should be happy that California mandates a $25 per day reimbursement for "inconvenience". Now if they'd just allow a fee for "annoyance". Heck, at this point I'd be rich.
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Replying to: satire (May 07, 2008 10:35 pm) Your car is not a classic and probably never will be. If a 1970s coupe struggles to be a collectible of even marginal value, I can't see how a 90s coupe is going to be a classic in our lifetime. Trust me on this one. It's just a nice, lovely, old used car. So I see no reason for you to refuse $10,000 as a settlement. The advert I posted for $10K asking price on a 300CE--that was a lovely low mileage car. Why wouldn't that satisfy you? As for "totaling" it, the insurance company is, as you know, probably obligated by law to do that, as the damage has exceeded the percentage of value that triggers the "total" rule. I think you've been given any number of rational solutions to your problem and you should pick one and get moving. The longer you delay, the more of a mess you will create for your ultimate solution, IMO. It's a drag that you lose your car to a reckless driver, but again, the insurance system is not about "justice on earth", it's about playing a game and maneuvering to best advantage. You've got some decent options, so use 'em. That's my two cents. If you can't let go of this "classic" business, then I can't argue with you about it. This is an area I really do know about and I'm passing on to you that it's a very weak and unsustainable argument. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 08, 2008 8:42 am)   
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My apologies mikefm58 for making you sad. I hope that mood passes quickly. But as respects my attitude, I invite you to deal with Farmers Insurance and see what kind of an attitude you develop. By the way, why the personal attack? A hobby of yours? If so, I now understand why you're so sad.
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 08, 2008 8:42 am) I threw out the outlandish price to encourage them to come up from their original offer. Had they made any movement whatsoever, I would have gone down. But they won't. And by the way, the law does not mandate how a car is totaled. I've read the insurance code and much of the DMV code. While they allow a car to be totaled when the repairs exceed the Actual Cash Value, it does not mandate it. Frankly the code really doesn't mention much about the accident victims. Rather it's more geared towards settlement of claims when you're fighting your own insurance company. Farmers offered ACV based on books and statistics. Per your original suggestion, I think an independent third party should determine the actual value. And that's a course of action I'm considering unless someone has a better idea. And finally to all, if you think I'm a jackass and I'm getting what I deserve, that's fine. But please keep those opinions to yourself. Posting insults is a waste of time. I promise to be a good boy from here on.
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Smart Shopper Questions About Auto Insurance & Accidents
