Advice needed, dealing with insurance adjusters

"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay) 10/18/2016 at 13:42 • Filed to: None

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Two weekends ago I got rear ended in the E39. Everyone is fine, we exchanged insurance info etc. I made a claim and received a call from the other driver’s insurance the Tuesday right after the accident. As requested by the adjuster, I sent out pictures and got a repair quote the following morning. Since then I have heard absolutely nothing. I’ve tried emailing with no response, I’ve tried calling and never get through to the adjuster. I’ve left a few messages but have yet to receive any calls back. I finally got though to a human yesterday (not the adjuster, it was on the insurance company general line) and they informed me that the claim was still waiting on a statement from the other driver. I sent a text to the other driver, and they told me that the adjuster wasn’t returning their calls either. What am I supposed to do here? Do I just need to lower my expectations in terms of responsiveness (I work in an industry where return calls are expected within hours)? How long does this stuff generally take?

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 13:45

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Fuck them with a rusty piece of once-used rebar. Any questions?

Oh wait, that applies to the insurance companies in general, not any specific part.

Textured Soy Protein > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 13:48

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Call the insurance company and try to talk with someone else. They’ll at least have access to the file. If you tell them that the adjuster is ignoring both you and the other driver sometimes that can escalate things.

Decay buys too many beaters > Textured Soy Protein 10/18/2016 at 13:50

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Thanks, I’ll try that.

Decay buys too many beaters > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 10/18/2016 at 13:51

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If only.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 13:55

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Did you get the police to come? Otherwise it can be almost impossible to get the other driver to actually do their part.

Takuro Spirit > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 13:55

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Call YOUR insurance company and have them go after the other guy’s. That’s what they are there for. SHouldn’t cost you a dime or raise your rates or anything.

Hell, I’ve had MY insurance fix my cars then go after the at-fault persons’ for reimbursement.

Decay buys too many beaters > CaptDale - is secretly British 10/18/2016 at 13:59

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Unfortunately not, it was a pretty minor collision (still enough to likely total the car >:( )

I do not however believe the issue is with the other driver. They live right down the road so it’s not like they can hide. I believe the issue is with the adjuster.

Decay buys too many beaters > Takuro Spirit 10/18/2016 at 14:04

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Even if I do not have collision coverage? $1000 more per year for collision with a $1000 delectable was not exactly a smart move on a car worth maybe $4k.

And I did that initially, my insurance company is actually the one who made the claim. with the other driver’s insurance.

Takuro Spirit > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 14:09

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Yeah, if the other driver is at fault. Most of my claims were on cars with liability coverage only.

The only time I DID have an issue was this past winter on my fully covered car. Hit some snow a homeowner had plowed into the highway. Because the damage was under $1000 the County Sheriff could so nothing, and since it would be on the homeowner’s policy, my insurance company said they’d have to bill ME up front for the repair deductible, then go after the homeowner’s insurance. Unlike with a car accident where I would have been able to get the company name and policy number, all I had was the guy’s name and address and PROMISE that he had homeowner’s. He stopped calling me back, and my insurance company couldn’t guarantee me that they’d be compensated IF the guy had a policy even.

So I haven’t fixed my car. :/

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 14:10

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It’s called subrogation. It’s common practice in the insurance industry and unless your car is on a commercial policy with a waiver of subrogation then you should be able to have your coverage handle it.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 14:11

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My wife and I were rear-ended in December. Still waiting on a check for the two weeks work she missed...

jmedarts > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 14:15

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Yes have your agency go after them.

Then - having experienced 2 rear enders in an E39 - thoroughly test your radio, most of the expensive bits are in the trunk on the drivers side.

And be sure to have the repair shop execute a water integrity test. Mine did not seal up the tail-lights properly, which ended up frying said expensive radio bits the next time it rained. Good Luck

Decay buys too many beaters > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 10/18/2016 at 14:20

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Thanks, going to do some reading and give my insurance a call.

Decay buys too many beaters > jmedarts 10/18/2016 at 14:22

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Oh I know all about water incursion in that area. When I first got the car it had a pretty bad taillight leak. Flooded the trunk to the point where the celis tail ballasts were submerged and caused a no start.

E92M3 > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 14:26

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 Many adjusters were sent to the storm areas hit by Hurricane Matthew to help process the abundance of claims. The adjusters left behind have a higher than normal workload, just be patient.

Decay buys too many beaters > E92M3 10/18/2016 at 14:28

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Ahh didn’t think about that (insulated from it here on the west coast)

That actually makes a fair deal of sense.

E92M3 > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 14:36

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Happens anytime there is a catastrophe. They have quality of service targets they are supposed to meet (first contact/call backs,etc), but they get a free pass during times like these. Their pay structure is per claim completed (not salary or hourly), so I can assure you they want it completed just as fast as you do.

Decay buys too many beaters > E92M3 10/18/2016 at 14:42

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Wasn’t aware of any of that, good to know!

CaptDale - is secretly British > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 14:42

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Well that is good news then.

Monkey B > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 15:30

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Find a shop that has a good relationship, or at least is very familiar with the local adjusters, and let them handle it.

Decay buys too many beaters > Monkey B 10/18/2016 at 15:53

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Unfortunately the shop I went to said it’s probably a total.

haveacarortwoorthree2 > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 16:07

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Document contacts (or make contact) via email. When my 66 Mustang got totaled by some jackass who didn’t look before turning, I had to ride the adjuster’s ass to get them to take care of the property damage claim (car was totaled). Then I had to ride another adjuster’s ass to get the personal injury component (busted my head open) resolved and, eventually, even had to get a friend who also is a lawyer to represent me with a threatened lawsuit if they didn’t get it taken care of. All told, it took two months for the PD claim and a year for the PI claim. The only good thing about it was that the insurance company pissed me off so much that they ended up paying a lot more than they would have if they simply had acted promptly and courteously.

Decay buys too many beaters > haveacarortwoorthree2 10/18/2016 at 16:10

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God I hope it doesn’t take that long. I’d listed the car for sale earlier that morning.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 16:15

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Our adjusters might have a lot going on right now too from local events. There’s quite a few trees down in my area, undoubtedly a few damaged cars as well.

Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/18/2016 at 16:17

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Thought it only got bad at the coast? It was a pretty standard wind and light rain around me.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 18:47

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I didn’t think it was that bad either. But apparently all the big old trees around me just couldn’t take it. Ok maybe not whole trees down, but lots of big branches. Some friends did have a whole tree fall on power lines right next to their house though, made some nice little explosions/pops/arcs and small fire that didn’t last long but scared the crap out of them.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Decay buys too many beaters 10/18/2016 at 20:55

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Yup... you have to adjust your expectations...

The Stig's former college room mate > Decay buys too many beaters 10/20/2016 at 12:31

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Regulations in every state are different. I normally recommend to my customers that they use their own insurance, then have their insurance go after the other person’s. You may have to front your deductible, but generally things go quicker, since this is why you pay your insurance company. Not to mention, they will want their money back, too.

Also, in NY on a property damage claim, they are not obligated to pay for new, factory parts when used or aftermarket are available. If you have an OE endorsement on your own policy, then you wouldn’t have to worry about that. The other company would reimburse yours based on your coverage. Unless you like chinese knock off parts on your car.

And no matter what, don’t use the shop the insurance company recommends! They only want you to go there because they’re cheap! Insurance companies make deals with shops to save money. They’re called Direct Repair shops, Program shops, Concierge shops, etc. Among things like using junkyard parts or imitation parts, the shops agree to not charge the insurance companies for certain things, in exchange for the insurance company funneling them more business. Things like seam sealer, sound deadening, rust proofing, wet sanding, etc. Try getting a flat-rate body technician to do something he’s not getting paid for. Good luck. If it’s not on the estimate, it’s not getting done. Even if it needs it. So if you go to a program shop and later wonder why the door sounds like a tin can when you close it, or there’s wind noise, or the new paint is dull compared to the original, now you know.