Insurance non-settlement.

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Barrett50

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Barrett50
To start, I did not know much about insurance claims until this winter. Maybe lucky, but in the past 50+ years have had only one insured loss for a roof and that was thirty years back. We started an auto accident claim with the "lizard" company this past fall and into winter. The things I have learned, would fill a book. So, Im going to pass on a few tidbits. Finality. If one is in a state that has a Finality type of insurace settlement, once it is signed, that is the end of the end and no more claim for the same loss can ever be raised. I am in a state like that. Do be extra careful and don't rush to sign.

Next, an auto claim will be two or more separate claims. One for the property damage and another for each person. We had three people in the car so four different claims. But - the insurer may try to enclose a "blanket" release for payment on ONE claim that affects all other claims(sneaky).

The full, limited, partial, and no liability options. Of course the lizards wanted a full liability release. I sent a Demand letter that was specific that I would release the insurer from further claims, but would never, in a million years release the driver or her adult guardian from money claim liability. Of course the lizards said it had to be all or nothing, so I told them, ok I will put the insurer BACK on the hook for further injury claim. Which they turned around and said "policy limits" is our offer. Our claim is five times the insurace limits, so we can't have it both ways. Either you pay the limits and the driver accepts responsibility for the remainder or you don't. And the lizard claims guy said they can't sever liability. That is a lie.

We have been deadlocked on driver liability for months and just now got an email saying they will "good faith" negotiate on behalf of the driver and family for any further compensation over policy limits. It is like knocking down the Berlin wall with a claw hammer, but it can be done.

What helps. If the at-fault is without question 100% on the other driver, as in our case. Have access to a lawyer on retainer and NOT a percent of settlement. This is hard to find but so far my atty expense is $1100 and we are close to the end now with the property settled from the first offer of $14,700 now $30,850. I expect the injury claim from the driver two families to add at least another $100,000+ over the lizard payment. So, take your time, reject any legal document that is 7 pages of boilerplate(we demanded and got 'plain language' settlement). And keep pushing if you know you are in the right and are zero at-fault. What an education in weasel behavior by a billion $$$$$ company. Oh, and we are on our seventh claims adjuster because the rules for the first ones were limited to saying 'no'. Getting to the 'yes' person takes effort, but there is a yes person there, just have to go through many 'no' people.
 
I was an insurance agent for less than a year over decade ago, I quit on moral grounds, there were policies that obviously should have been payed but they would deny hoping they just went away, then fight hoping the claimant couldn’t afford a lawyer to litigate it. I have ZERO respect for the industry ( no personal offense intended to anyone working in the industry, I just had one particular case that really hit home and that was my last day. I had known the man since I was a small kid, he was a neighbor, close friend of my father, and a mentor to me in many things. A client of the company for 20+years, and the way they treated the valid claim…. Zero respect left for that company..
 
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Don’t negotiate for a reasonable settlement. That had proven to be a loosing proposition.

Make a demand statement for everything you expect as a take it or leave it offer. Make sure they know that the offer expires when the case is read in court. Then the jury gets to decide.
 
I put an expiration date on my written demand letter and requested reply by email. Two days before expiration I got a strangely worded email that said they "accepted" my demand letter and would begin the settlement statement for me to sign.

So, did they "accept" the amounts demanded in the letter? According to the third claims person the word "accepted" meant they received it, not that they accepted the demand part of it. Hmmmmm. But the settlement offered was nothing close to the detail in the demand. Another nice tricky wording to delay. I asked why they didnt use the correct and appropriate "received" rather than 'accept'. It wasnt like they could reject a written and emailed demand letter. No response to that inquiry.

The legal settlement after my demand didn't even have the car damage part in it! If I had signed it, I would get zero for property damage and no way to litigate it later.
 
I must have called 40 lawyers requesting a retainer fee agreement to file in district court if it goes that far. ZERO agreed to a retainer. All of them required a 40% cut(industry standard) to represent. If I have to file against the fam it will have to be pro-per. Oh, and expect no help from legal clinics. All of them are far too busy suing the state or fed govts for deep pocket quick settlement back door deals. One of the legal aids who was in law school spilled the beans that all pro-bono work for indigent clients was against various govt offices. They wouldnt take on the lizard because they might get a job offer once they passed the bar. Jeez...
 
My brother is a year and a half into fighting a house fire claim with the company that claims to take care of military members and their families. What a load of horse crap, they do EVERYTHING they can to delay and or deny, hoping the customer gives up.

As former military I also use this insurance and now question if I should change companies. My brother now has legal and other representation, and the representation says no other venders will be any better. This behavior is SOP across all insurance companies.

What a racket.
 
tlglenn said:
I'm curious, did you have collision coverage through your own insurance company?
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No, I carry liability(a lot) because I'm a good driver. At the time, I didn't have uninsured motorist coverage either. We have changed our decision on that, and now carry uninsured and under-insured. Philosophically, I'm against paying out of my pocket for a policy which is supplied only due to others failing their obligation to society.

An email just arrived that the lizard people want to now set up a Zoom call with all parties to discuss the PI claim. I will not release liability to the driver's parents/guardians even when Geico will pay the policy limits they are offering. Zoom calls have a record feature, it will be used.
 
rockyfatcat said:
Don’t negotiate for a reasonable settlement. That had proven to be a loosing proposition.

Make a demand statement for everything you expect as a take it or leave it offer. Make sure they know that the offer expires when the case is read in court. Then the jury gets to decide.
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Bold words... how much do you think a trial will cost? A retainer is at lest $5k, plus all costs are on you. Unless you have real medical issues a trial is just gonna make the lawyer's next few mortgage payments.
 
Barrett50 said:
Philosophically, I'm against paying out of my pocket for a policy which is supplied only due to others failing their obligation to society.
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Your morals can't pay a $200k medical bill. Protect yourself and your family and get all the insurance you NEED.

Twice in my 50+ years I had the misfortune of needing to file claims... and both times I had the coverage to come out whole. No way I would have been made whole if I relied on other peoples choice to have insurance (hint: they didn't).
 
Insurance is a total scam, at least if you drive used or slightly older cars. We ended up paying to fix our own car because insurance wanted to total it for less than half the replacement cost (the repair bill came to little more than 1/3 of the check they were going to cut us) and we carried plenty of coverage. Same thing happened to my parents - they got rear-ended by a guy not paying attention to the semi-on-semi accident everyone else was slowing down to avoid and their insurance totaled their vehicle for about 1/3 of the cost to replace - even though the cost to repair was less than the check the insurance company would have to cut if they totaled it. Sample size of two insurance companies, but both have been absolutely worthless.

We now carry liability and uninsured motorist coverage only. If we would have been carrying liability only and saved the difference between premiums instead of getting full coverage, we could have replaced the car outright with the savings.
 
Bill said:
My brother is a year and a half into fighting a house fire claim with the company that claims to take care of military members and their families. What a load of horse crap, they do EVERYTHING they can to delay and or deny, hoping the customer gives up.

As former military I also use this insurance and now question if I should change companies. My brother now has legal and other representation, and the representation says no other venders will be any better. This behavior is SOP across all insurance companies.

What a racket.
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I have had pretty good luck over the years with that company both on auto claims and home claims. The only disappointment was when my mother-in-law, also insured with them, backed over my motorcycle. They would not honor a claim for property of someone living in the same household. So, I turned it in with my motorcycle insurer, a different company. They paid the claim, then tried to subrogate and eventually turned it over to collection. MIL had nothing they could get at, and now several years have passed, she died, and the occasional settlement demands have stopped.
 
pfarber said:
Your morals can't pay a $200k medical bill. Protect yourself and your family and get all the insurance you NEED.

Twice in my 50+ years I had the misfortune of needing to file claims... and both times I had the coverage to come out whole. No way I would have been made whole if I relied on other peoples choice to have insurance (hint: they didn't).
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What makes you think I can't pay a $200k medical bill? and 'moral' </> 'philosophical'.

I just got off the phone with the lizard claims people. Back when they said it was a state law that I had to release the car before they would pay, a senior rep came on and told me that is not the interpretation of the law on insurance settlements. Which I already knew. Here's the latest on PD: Joshua has sent a claim settlement only for the property damage, and all it excludes specifically any remaining PI settlement, and they will pay $25k to collect the car, and once the car and title and keys are given to CoPart, Geico rep will pay the remaining $25,850 for the total PD claim. As much as I wanted to fight to the bitter end on this, as long as that's what the settlement statement says, and the check shows up, I'll back off.

We MAY have a Zoom conf set up with the lizards and the driver parents/guardians this Friday. It's pending everyone's schedule. I replied that I'm retired, and NOW confined mostly to home or short trips, so I am flexible on the schedule.
 
Barrett50 said:
What makes you think I can't pay a $200k medical bill? and 'moral' </> 'philosophical
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You're complaining about a $1000 or so a year for insurance is one hint.

If you make $200k in annual earning then you are definitely in the top 10-15% of earners and should self insure.... with a bond or state minimums... because morals and evil insurance companies, right?

If you are at that level, congrats for winning. But also by taking on additional risk that an insurance company would handle is not smart money stewardship.

The amounts listed are not ever going to see a courtroom, and even if you did I don't think you'll have a long line of lawyers fighting for 30% of $25k or so.

Most people who think insurance is a scam simply don't understand what insurance is or does. Its not a lottery ticket. It transferring the liability (up to an agreed upon amount aka coverage limits) to another party. If you do have cash assets you can (in almost every state) post an insurance bond with the state and not have to pay an insurance company. But then you also open yourself up to all the liabilities of an accident.

Hope it goes well for you.
 
pfarber said:
Bold words... how much do you think a trial will cost? A retainer is at lest $5k, plus all costs are on you. Unless you have real medical issues a trial is just gonna make the lawyer's next few mortgage payments.
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My brother is a retired lawyer. He worked for one of the well known nationwide insurance companies. He dealt exclusively with the slim percentage of multimillion dollar cases that actually went to trial.

Want to bet how many actually settled before the trial started vs waiting for the jury to decide.

When it comes to going to trial. The insurance company has a come to jesus moment and makes the hard choice. Do we really want to have the possibility of this kind of settlement?
 
rockyfatcat said:
My brother is a retired lawyer. He worked for one of the well known nationwide insurance companies. He dealt exclusively with the slim percentage of multimillion dollar cases that actually went to trial.

Want to bet how many actually settled before the trial started vs waiting for the jury to decide.

When it comes to going to trial. The insurance company has a come to jesus moment and makes the hard choice. Do we really want to have the possibility of this kind of settlement?
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Well what %? Google says 3-5% go to trial.

In my state "Typical car accident settlement amounts with injury are approximately $29,700, in our experience. This varies on the severity of the injuries, as well as the other factors mentioned earlier that influence settlements"

You're also mixing million dollar cases with a $50k accident.
 
pfarber said:
You're complaining about a $1000 or so a year for insurance is one hint.

If you make $200k in annual earning then you are definitely in the top 10-15% of earners and should self insure.... with a bond or state minimums... because morals and evil insurance companies, right?

If you are at that level, congrats for winning. But also by taking on additional risk that an insurance company would handle is not smart money stewardship.

The amounts listed are not ever going to see a courtroom, and even if you did I don't think you'll have a long line of lawyers fighting for 30% of $25k or so.

Most people who think insurance is a scam simply don't understand what insurance is or does. Its not a lottery ticket. It transferring the liability (up to an agreed upon amount aka coverage limits) to another party. If you do have cash assets you can (in almost every state) post an insurance bond with the state and not have to pay an insurance company. But then you also open yourself up to all the liabilities of an accident.

​

Hope it goes well for you.
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Um, you've gone way off the reservation. I haven't complained about a $1000/annual insurance anywhere. I'm here complaining about the claims process, or really the lack of claims process. If you are referring to the issue I have paying for protection from others under-insured I think the premium for us is maybe $80 year for four vehicles? It's not over $100, that's for certain.

A surety bond for a person to cover auto accidents would likely be at min 10%, and maybe more. $200k bond for me, and one for my wife is a min of tying up $40k. There is also going to be a residual cost per annum, which is why no one ever gets surety bonding for auto accidents.

I don't really understand the rest of the commentary except my finding recently that zero attys will accept 30% of a case that is filed. All of them in my state are 40%, no matter if there's depos, or discovery, a trial, a verdict or settlement. If it's filed in court, the winning recovery is subject to 40% fee and the few I read also have case costs like filing, serving, court notices, sometimes travel. I didn't find any that were less, but they may be out there somewhere.

Most personal injury cases in Texas involve no upfront attorney fees, but lawyers typically collect 30%–40% of the final settlement or verdict, plus case expenses.

Typical Cost Snapshot​

Cost typeTypical range
Contingency fee30%–40%
Pre-litigation cases~30%
Trial cases35%–40%
Case expenses$500–$10,000
 
rockyfatcat said:
My brother is a retired lawyer. He worked for one of the well known nationwide insurance companies. He dealt exclusively with the slim percentage of multimillion dollar cases that actually went to trial.

Want to bet how many actually settled before the trial started vs waiting for the jury to decide.

When it comes to going to trial. The insurance company has a come to jesus moment and makes the hard choice. Do we really want to have the possibility of this kind of settlement?
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His experience seems to follow what I'm finding out as the amateur. There are going to be cases that go to trial where at-fault may be subject to interpretation, or the damages may be difficult to support(the guy with the foam neck-ring, using a cane). I'm sure as I'm alive this case will never see a jury, or a bench trial. The disgusting thing is, the lizard people are likely going to make me schlep down to the court house, pay the fees, get on a docket, have them all served, show up for a depo, and then - only then will that start the squeezing out of some more cash. The Zoom call is prob just going to be pro-forma evidence gathering for how far I'm willing to take it before I fold and take the anal probe.
 
Barrett50 said:
His experience seems to follow what I'm finding out as the amateur. There are going to be cases that go to trial where at-fault may be subject to interpretation, or the damages may be difficult to support(the guy with the foam neck-ring, using a cane). I'm sure as I'm alive this case will never see a jury, or a bench trial. The disgusting thing is, the lizard people are likely going to make me schlep down to the court house, pay the fees, get on a docket, have them all served, show up for a depo, and then - only then will that start the squeezing out of some more cash. The Zoom call is prob just going to be pro-forma evidence gathering for how far I'm willing to take it before I fold and take the anal probe.
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When playing this form of poker, if you want to win it, you have to bet into it.

I see your stupidity and raise you even more.
 
Insurance companies are absolutely evil. They are a cancer on a capitalistic society, and saying that might be associating too much of a negative connotation to the word 'cancer'. That we allow them to advertise, and lobby for their own profit and continued existence is something we all should be ashamed of.

50 - wish you the best with your fight, good luck.
 
Albany Tom said:
Insurance companies are absolutely evil. They are a cancer on a capitalistic society, and saying that might be associating too much of a negative connotation to the word 'cancer'. That we allow them to advertise, and lobby for their own profit and continued existence is something we all should be ashamed of.

50 - wish you the best with your fight, good luck.
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Ok, why? Denying claims? Well lets all agree that people see accidents as lottery tickets. How many people think that if you get into an accident that you should get a NEW car, not the value of the car you were actually driving??? Of that the insurance company should pay off their loan, even if they had negative equity on the loan or don't understand depreciation? That $50k car driven off the lot is no longer worth $50k, even if your bank note is (hint: GAP insurance).

Medical/pain and suffering? Again, people think lottery ticket. Should your medical bills be covered? Yes if you are not at fault. But how many people have an adequate amount of medical coverage on their car insurance policy?

How many people understand that if your insurance limit if $25k and you get sued for more the insurance company will only pay the $25k and the rest is on you. If you are the one suing then this is when your under/un/insured policy saves you.

In my state the min required is $25k/$50k/$25k that isn't going to cover much medical/property damage. An ambulance ride and ER charge can be $5k easy not to mention actual tests/treatment.

If you are wise, you'll have insurance that will pay you for missed work, un/under insured and run your auto policy in the $250k+ ranges.

I don't enjoy paying my premiums... but it is something that you have to do to protect yourself and your family.
 
I have had the same insurance company since 1975 (50 years). Had few home and auto claims over the years and have been 100% satisfied with the settlements.
 
It's easy to see the posters who haven't been through a serious injury accident. If this is the lotto winnings, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Seeing your wife of 40 years confined to a hospital bed for a week. Two serious spine surgeries. Back brace for six months, using a 'granny' walker with the cute wheels on the front. Retirement was supposed to be 25 years or so of lazing around the country in an RV, tow a little boat, do some fishin, I LOVE to ski fast. Well - that lotto number came up double zero for us, cuz all that stuff is off the table for at least another six months or more.

Sleep only flat on your back for 3 months, no running, jumping and walk slowly with a brace for six months. Pain when you cough, harsh pain if you sneeze, pain dumping a deuce, and soreness and stiffness when the weather turns. The lizard people send me a notice every couple of weeks that starts out with my big long claim number and the reason why they are contact me. It always say: "for your claim to be processed faster and more accurately we NEED _______________". The first thing they NEED is me to sign a HIPPA waiver so they can review my med history since I left the womb. Are you lizards INSANE!? Next one, "we NEED all diagnostic exams, x-rays, cat scans, MRI, materials mailed to us at xxxx address no later than xx/xx/xxxx." Yeah? You NEED it? Well, I got it. I got about 8GB for myself and another 30GB for my wife on a DVD. But no - you can't have it until we get to discovery.

Frankly, I don't need their money. I have good insurance, I'm no scammer, trying to soak the lizard out of ill gotten gain. They aren't even paying my property claim fully and I didn't bother to rent a car although I could have, and charged them for it, but no - not everyone thinks that getting wrecked and spending months in recovery and surgery is the big payoff. If not for financial insurance, I'd like to strap her parents/guardians up on a torture rack and give them 50 lashes each for not teaching the kids proper driving lessons. Maybe I can put that in my next settlement response: "Male parent of xxxxxxx yyyyyy, to be strapped to a medieval rack and I will go at him with a cat-o-nine tail for, oh - 20 min." Keep your check, we'll take it out in blood. When I'm done with him, strap one of the lizard claims people up there for a 10 min session too.
 
Barrett50 said:
It's easy to see the posters who haven't been through a serious injury accident. If this is the lotto winnings, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Seeing your wife of 40 years confined to a hospital bed for a week. Two serious spine surgeries. Back brace for six months, using a 'granny' walker with the cute wheels on the front. Retirement was supposed to be 25 years or so of lazing around the country in an RV, tow a little boat, do some fishin, I LOVE to ski fast. Well - that lotto number came up double zero for us, cuz all that stuff is off the table for at least another six months or more.

Sleep only flat on your back for 3 months, no running, jumping and walk slowly with a brace for six months. Pain when you cough, harsh pain if you sneeze, pain dumping a deuce, and soreness and stiffness when the weather turns. The lizard people send me a notice every couple of weeks that starts out with my big long claim number and the reason why they are contact me. It always say: "for your claim to be processed faster and more accurately we NEED _______________". The first thing they NEED is me to sign a HIPPA waiver so they can review my med history since I left the womb. Are you lizards INSANE!? Next one, "we NEED all diagnostic exams, x-rays, cat scans, MRI, materials mailed to us at xxxx address no later than xx/xx/xxxx." Yeah? You NEED it? Well, I got it. I got about 8GB for myself and another 30GB for my wife on a DVD. But no - you can't have it until we get to discovery.

Frankly, I don't need their money. I have good insurance, I'm no scammer, trying to soak the lizard out of ill gotten gain. They aren't even paying my property claim fully and I didn't bother to rent a car although I could have, and charged them for it, but no - not everyone thinks that getting wrecked and spending months in recovery and surgery is the big payoff. If not for financial insurance, I'd like to strap her parents/guardians up on a torture rack and give them 50 lashes each for not teaching the kids proper driving lessons. Maybe I can put that in my next settlement response: "Male parent of xxxxxxx yyyyyy, to be strapped to a medieval rack and I will go at him with a cat-o-nine tail for, oh - 20 min." Keep your check, we'll take it out in blood. When I'm done with him, strap one of the lizard claims people up there for a 10 min session too.
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Why did you choose this insurance company? I suspect it was price and the fact they heavily advertise. The Lizard did what they told you they would do, save you money by providing lower premiums. How exactly did you think they were going to be able to do that?

As with most things in life, the lowest price usually isn’t the best quality.
 
I'd like Paul Harvey to weigh in on this...
 
Barrett50 said:
It's easy to see the posters who haven't been through a serious injury accident. If this is the lotto winnings, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Seeing your wife of 40 years confined to a hospital bed for a week. Two serious spine surgeries. Back brace for six months, using a 'granny' walker with the cute wheels on the front. Retirement was supposed to be 25 years or so of lazing around the country in an RV, tow a little boat, do some fishin, I LOVE to ski fast. Well - that lotto number came up double zero for us, cuz all that stuff is off the table for at least another six months or more.
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I get it, and you have my sympathy. Haven't had it happen directly to me, but I've seen it happen to friends. You're hoping the insurance company is a partner and trying to help, but instead they're nickle and diming you to death at best, and using tactics to slow down the process hoping you'll give up or worse.

Sometimes insurance companies will treat people with claims fairly, but it's hit or miss. When I had a fire, actually unintentionally started by the landlord on their side of the property that they were living in, insurance co was great with the payouts and settlement to me. I'll still stand by the statement that insurance companies are miserable.

Hope her recovery is as quick as possible and your stress levels go back down to normal soon, too. Best of luck.
 
Any large company is going to have a mix of great/good/garbage employees. That's just the way it is. And if you are the injured party in an accident I can empathize with anyone in that situation as I have been there also. But insurance is not a lottery ticket. If the other person's insurance is capped at $25k then you're gonna have a hard time getting $100k of bills covered from them.

If you have the means, then you need to crank up the coverages and even look at PiP policies. For a few more dollars a month you get realistic levels of coverage and compensation.

The real tragedy is that state minimum coverage is so low.
 
Clip4 said:
Why did you choose this insurance company? I suspect it was price and the fact they heavily advertise. The Lizard did what they told you they would do, save you money by providing lower premiums. How exactly did you think they were going to be able to do that?

As with most things in life, the lowest price usually isn’t the best quality.
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Lizard is not MY insurer. I'm dealing with the lizards because it's the at-fault party insurance carrier. So, I paid literally zero for this recovery, if I ever get anything.
 
  1. Automotive
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Are you this business?
GEICO

GEICO Reviews​

1.3 (out of five stars)

5,366 reviews & ratings

Well, to my untrained eye it looks like the lizards loaded up on the worst of the worst Richard Craniums out in the public workforce. 5,366 claims people can't be wrong. :rolleyes2:
 
Clip4 said:
Maybe past time to get an attorney.
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At a 40% cut, retaining a lawyer would make my settlement payout go down. The defendants are not wealthy people. So, the atty is going to get 40% of the payout from the lizards, and I'll take my 60% cut and shut up and like it. Which is why I said earlier that there are zero attys who will rep me for retainer. So, maybe not.
 
pfarber said:
If the other person's insurance is capped at $25k then you're gonna have a hard time getting $100k of bills covered from them.
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:yeahthat:
unfortunately that is the reality, unless the defendants have more that typical assets. Getting anything beyond the insurance limits is mostly trying to squeeze blood from a turnip. The only reason to really try to get more is to just punish the defendant.

I know of one event back in the 70's where a Boy Scout was operating a glider winch, The Glider ended up stalling and permanently disabling another scout. FYI I think this resulted in the end of Scouts and Soaring programs. The winch operator ended up being sued, and was ordered to pay future income to the defendant. All this really accomplished is the defendant can't or won't hold a job since a percentage of his wages are garnished. I don't think the defendant ever got any significant payout from it.

With my wife's accident the short version is our health insurance ended up taking about 30% of the insurance pay out and taking the hit for about 80 % of the rest of the medical bills. One reason Medical insurance is so expensive. It was explained to me that my health insurance company has the right to take all of the insurance money to cover the medical bills, Most of the time they only take up to 30%, but sometimes take more up to 100% or less down to 0% (Bell Shaped curve if plotted). Probably varies by state. Then typically attorneys take 30-40% and you get what ever left over.

I spent more time finding a good attorney with references than anything. Then paid him by the hour to handle it. I pretty much wouldn't talk the insurance company unless he told me to.

Brian
 
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Reason 423 why I pay into the insurance industry as little as possible
 
In 1988, my girlfriend and I were in a motorcycle accident. Other party ran a stop sign. My insurance company made me whole on the motorcycle (paid me 100% of what I paid - $100 ( my deductible )) and paid all the health bills. Later the next year, they paid us (individually) an additional settlement for our injuries.

Years later, they sent my dad a check in my name for 67.33 (didn't have my current address). They had recovered from the other party, I guess, and paid me back my deductible minus the fee for serving court papers to the other party.

I thought that was amazing.
 
I got a check! For property damage. The PD claim started out at $14,750 due to depreciation of the car was in the 'high' category. I rejected this, and submitted a claim for $40,409. This was a total loss, plus some personal property, plus the tow, and storage and then tow home. I'm sure I'll be accused of padding it, but the reality is I saved them money by not renting a car, and also I expedited the release of the car from the lot, saving $211 per day in storage. My loss is within a hundred bucks of what I claimed.

They came back and said the insured's limit was $30k, I said someone has to find another $10k. On Thursday night they said I could have $36,001(don't ask about the 1 dollar, cuz I have no idea). CoPart calls on Friday asking when they can get the car. When I get a check, they get a car. Claims guy on the phone lies again and tells me it's a state law I have to give up the car, and sit and wait for them to issue a check later. I told them they were insane, again and it's not moving until I have a check in hand. Friday 4:20PM, the guy who did the adjustment back in early Nov shows up with a check on the lizard bank, is nice about it, and actually apologized, handed me a check asked for the title, and he left. CoPart is coming on Mon 10am to get the car.

So, we're seeming to get along just fine for a few mins and I says; 'hey, what about the $6k over the PD policy limit? Not like I was gonna reject it, but he either let slip, or didn't care and said that the lizard company has an 'override' up to 20% of the PD claim that can be used in extreme cases, and where the lizards feel it would be beneficial customer service. He also said it's extremely rare, and he's only seen it go 20% over a few times in many years of PD claims adjustment.

You learned something today. Be straight up, but be very demanding. It might pay off. I'm only out about $4k, or a bit less, but there's really no more blood coming out of that turnip. Now - on to the injury claim, with the knowledge that the lizard has a 20% pad avail. I just need to get past a few more 'no' people to a 'yes' person. If they come up with the 20% bonus, I'm prob going to fold my hand, take the check and wish them bloody stools for the rest of their lives. The slime parents/guardians get to declare victory. With my 'winnings'(haha) maybe I'll buy a huge billboard in their town with the kid picture on it in front of her smashed car holding her phone up.
 
Update. Interesting turn of events on the PD claim. I got my check deposited for the PD, and now, after the fact, the lizards have sent me notice by email that I owe them $2624 for 'overpayment beyond the scope of the policy limit per our previous agreed settlement'. They had an automated email generated from a 'do-not-reply' source that says I have 30 days to tender the balance back to them or face possible legal action up to and including criminal theft by deception. I'm drooling at the possibility of them reporting me to the county sheriff office or our DA for criminal theft. That should do real well in our later civil action for personal injury. I can't believe insurance claims at a big corp are this stupid.
 
Clip4 said:
Why did you choose this insurance company? I suspect it was price and the fact they heavily advertise. The Lizard did what they told you they would do, save you money by providing lower premiums. How exactly did you think they were going to be able to do that?

As with most things in life, the lowest price usually isn’t the best quality.
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Really??? Give it a rest from judgemental crrap. I've used many different providers for home/auto/personal liability/umbrella over my life. The company in question was used for a number of years for home/auto/boats and behaved well with the few claims I had. I could afford any of them and chose P for the service I was provided. Don't impose your suppositions on the OP please.
 
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