dealing with insurance companies

ahunt01 · 10-20-03, 08:10

Hey, a tree fell on my car in my college parking lot. Their insurance company is going to pay to fix my car not my company, although I have no idea whether they will pay the $7,200 worth of damage.
Anyrate, can anyone offer me tips for dealing with another parties insurance company?

kempie · 10-20-03, 09:20

Get a couple of estimates of repair and make sure the place you want to do the work is the lowest.
Contact their ins. co. and find out where to present the estimates.
Their ins. co. may have someone who they want to repair the veh. and thats not always bad but it can be. If they want you to use their shop just be sure they are doing all the work that you had on your estimate. Ask for references of their work.
If worst comes to worst turn the claim into your own co. and let them go back on the other co.
And most important......GOOD LUCK

scottabir · 10-20-03, 10:25

Insurance companies...one word...ugh. one more: headache.

ahunt01 · 10-21-03, 05:30

What do you do if they say the 7,200 quote is too hich, and offer me like 2,000? I really hate to make my insurance pay the rest, since it's the college's fault. Someone told me I should go to some kind of commission and argue my case if the college's insurance co refuses to pay.

medic · 10-21-03, 01:30

tell them they'll be getting a call from your insurance company.

I don't beleive ins companies can't raise rates if an accident is not your fault. My rate have never increased becaseu of the few accidents I was involved with when I was not at fault. therefore, you may as well just go along and have your company deal with the college insurance company.

I take it you're a student, spend your time studying instead of trying to deal with these other companies, you're paying your insurance company to handle stuff like this for you, so let them do it. Insurnace companies deal with each other all the time, so they know all the tricks. Your insurance comopany will probably pay for it inintially so your car is back and running and then their lawyers will go after the other company and make them reimburse them.

ahunt01 · 10-21-03, 01:47

So I did right be getting an estimate from the best place in the area? Now just present it to the college's insurance company when they contact me, or direct them to contact the body shop?

BradE · 10-21-03, 01:56

The insurance company representing the college will likely send an adjuster to examine your vehicle. They would calculate their own price for the damage. Then present them with your estimate if their estimate is lower.

If it really did $7,200 in damage, it's possible they might just total the car.

ahunt01 · 10-21-03, 01:59

Well there's about 3k worth of damage. My other quote for 7k is for replacing the panels, rather than banging them out, and buffing the windows with the exception of the windshield. It's also including a complete re-paint instead of just painting the fixed panels.
If they declare the car totaled, what will I get for it? My bluebook value? If so, what kind? Trade in or private seller?

Navi Man · 10-21-03, 03:43

First off. What are all the details about the car, year, make, mileage, condition and options such as power windows, pwr seats, 5spd or automatic, moon roof stock wheels and tires , or alloy wheels or custom wheels etc.

Second off. The insurance company is only liable to fix the car and put it back to the condition it was in before the accident. That can mean using used parts if available and only painting the portions that were damaged. If you want the whole car painted, then it would be your responsibility to the pay the balance. You might want to get another estimate with those circumstances in mind before you have the college insurance look at it. They cannot tell you where to have the car fixed and most body shops will work directly with insurance companies in case there is hidden damage that wasn't on the estimate. Go in with a positive attitude and decide where you want the car fixed so that you can tell the insurance adjuster.Do you have any pictures of the car after the damage. Post them on here Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

PS- If they decide to total your car, get some information on cars that are very similar to yours that have recently sold or advertised in your area. This should give you a good estimate as to what the car is worth. You can also look it up on the Kelly Blue Book website and get a value. The more information you have the better ability to negotiate with. Remember, negotiation is usually a compromise on both sides. Be prepared.

BradE · 10-21-03, 03:49

Well, then you can forget your $7,000 estimate. They are not going to replace the panels, and do a complete repaint. The insurance company will pay the LEAST amount to put the car back into it's pre-accident condition. Which means pounding out the current panels, and repainting those.

With only $3,000 of acutal damage, they will repair it. I was thought they would total it if there was $7K in acutal damage, but there isn't.

Navi Man · 10-21-03, 04:31

Panels are very seldom fixed anymore, as it's cheaper to buy the new part and repaint it. Labor cost prohibits much actual body work unless the part can't be replaced. They will look for used parts(doors, fenders etc) and if not available then they will allow the body shop to purchase new. The best bet is to choose the shop of your choice and have them work directly with the insurance adjuster. Make sure the body shop keeps you informed of any decisions of work to be done so that you can step in if you feel another approach would be better.

ahunt01 · 10-21-03, 04:58

Navi Man, it's a 2000 Honda Civic with 32,000 miles, before the accident it was in excellent condition, it had all the goodies, and was an automatic. With all that, kelly blue book values my far (trade in value) at around 10,500. I know the insurance co would not give me that cash, as it would be cheaper to just fix it for 7k, although I know getting 7k is not realistic either.
My thought, either demand the 7k to fix it in the way that will satisfy me and then they will declare it totaled, or I can just bend over and let them ram it in and have the cheaper work done. Even if I take it up the tail pipe, atleast I still will have a car the is dependable, even though it more than likely will not have that new car look. The shop can cut corners. They can probably buff out the scratches on my sunroof and rear and side windows, and hammer out the roof and hood instead of replacing it. And instead of my insurance company paying to paint the whole car for $900 they can pay for the panels that need repainting and I can pay out of my own pocked for the rest of the car.
So I guess the best thing to do is to let them give me their own estimate first (which is what they wanted to do), and then present mine. And more than likely I'll have to end up taking the car back to the shop and tell them how much $ I have to work with and take it from there?