Insurance companies are crooks!

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

You all know it ,why do we let them get away with it ,not this time i am in a fightin mood !

[MAC390 327]

what happened?

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

A guy rolled his truck in our front yard and took out the water meeter and put two dents in my dads Expedition. We filed a claim with his insurer ...Nation wide . They paid off on the water meeter ,today they call and say the Expedition has been totaled ,we get 2,800 and they are taking the truck unless we want to buy it back . We never approved this or signed anything . She says it is not up to us and it has been turned into DMV as totaled . My dad is 80 years old and cant afford another car so now he will have nothing to drive . They told us we could not get our own estimate and i know that is bull . I am not going to accept the check ,it will be sent back un opened ,and the pink is in our name so they are not taking the truck ,going to take the bastards to court . 

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

And ah ...Nation wide aint really on your side!

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

Just put new tires a week ago ,all new brakes and a battery ,when they come to ...try ...and take it ,i bet it wont roll

[RPM 1,190]

 Jim, give me a call when you have time to discuss this. 

661-380-5964

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

Thanks for the help Bob ,the fight is on 

You gona bail me out of jail if i kick someones ass haha

[RPM 1,190]

Jail? There will no jail. We're much smarter than them. But I've got your back :)

[1969_Mach1 333]

We went through that a few years ago.  Some guy ran a red light while on his phone and totaled my wife's Mustang.  Fortunately she works for attorneys.  One of them had to step in to get a fair settlement.  We ultimately got a fair settlement but it took almost 2 years.

If don't like the check the amount they paid you.  Don't accept the check and by no means cash it.  You should be able to get a better settlement from the  insurance company for the water truck.  At least enough to get another vehicle.  Maybe not new but a few years old or so.  But you might need an attorney.  They won't do much.  But the mere fact one is there to help you is usually enough. 

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

I would like to give a big shout out to RPM ,not many people would take the time out to go look at a vehicle for some one  ,Thanks again Bob

[1969_Mach1 333]

Ridge, you build so much stuff and restore so many cars, why can't you fix your fathers car for him?  You know, free of charge and let him keep the insurance settlement.  From the pictures, the damage doesn't look too bad.  You certainly have the skills, equipment, and space to do so.  Rent a car for him to use while you do the repairs.  He won't be without a car and you'll have the rental bill motivating you to fix his car.

[Cantedvalve 128]

I dont deal with national insurance companies (Progressive, All-State, Nationwide, etc.) because they are clearly crooked.  Best defense is to know the laws in your state.  I would also get YOUR insurance involved as well (unless it is Nationwide).  If there is one thing insurance companies love to do, its dick over another insurance company!

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

Here is you an up date !

Friday the wonan toald my dad and me that it had already been totaled and nothing we could do about it ,we have never seen a paper or signed anything ,she told my dad the check had already been cashed and it is final ...the check was for the water meter ,see where i am headed haha. My dad told her the check was for the water meter ,i took the phone from my dad and jumped her ass up one side and down the other and she told me ,i am a licensed insurance agent sir ,i replied with BIG FRIGEN DEAL ....along with a few other choice words .

So monday she calls again and said she was going to send a transcript of the phone call ,that has never shown up ,dumb ass must have figured out her mistake ,i caught it first thing,but i watched Perry Masson alot as a kid haha . She had totaled the Expedition over the cashed check from the water meter .

Today we get another phone call and now they say the Expedition has not been totaled and we were mistaken ,i jumped right in and told her to listen to that call she recorded ....long story short ,i know to late , they are not going to repair the Expedition...or so they think  but it is no longer totaled and dad still has a car to drive . 

I am pretty sure this will be continued ,they aint getting away with this crap !!

[1969_Mach1 333]

You should have never accepted the check.  Regardless of what it was for.  That just creates more confusion if you don't already have an agreed settlement offer.  Just refuse the package when FedEx, UPS or whoever shows up with it.    Hopefully the insurance company cannot prove the check was for the car or for everything.  Fair settlements are tough when a vehicle has a low blue book value.

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

8 hours ago, 1969_Mach1 said:

Ridge, you build so much stuff and restore so many cars, why can't you fix your fathers car for him?  You know, free of charge and let him keep the insurance settlement.  From the pictures, the damage doesn't look too bad.  You certainly have the skills, equipment, and space to do so.  Rent a car for him to use while you do the repairs.  He won't be without a car and you'll have the rental bill motivating you to fix his car.

You have to be a licensed repair shop to have them let you repair it or they will not pay ,my dad was trying to make them pay and they tried to screw him over . I wanted to fix it ,would have cost less than $400 foe me to do it

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

1 hour ago, Ridge Runner said:

Here is you an up date !

Friday the wonan toald my dad and me that it had already been totaled and nothing we could do about it ,we have never seen a paper or signed anything ,she told my dad the check had already been cashed and it is final ...the check was for the water meter ,see where i am headed haha. My dad told her the check was for the water meter ,i took the phone from my dad and jumped her ass up one side and down the other and she told me ,i am a licensed insurance agent sir ,i replied with BIG FRIGEN DEAL ....along with a few other choice words .

So monday she calls again and said she was going to send a transcript of the phone call ,that has never shown up ,dumb ass must have figured out her mistake ,i caught it first thing,but i watched Perry Masson alot as a kid haha . She had totaled the Expedition over the cashed check from the water meter .

Today we get another phone call and now they say the Expedition has not been totaled and we were mistaken ,i jumped right in and told her to listen to that call she recorded ....long story short ,i know to late , they are not going to repair the Expedition...or so they think  but it is no longer totaled and dad still has a car to drive . 

I am pretty sure this will be continued ,they aint getting away with this 

1 hour ago, 1969_Mach1 said:

You should have never accepted the check.  Regardless of what it was for.  That just creates more confusion if you don't already have an agreed settlement offer.  Just refuse the package when FedEx, UPS or whoever shows up with it.    Hopefully the insurance company cannot prove the check was for the car or for everything.  Fair settlements are tough when a vehicle has a low blue book value.

The check was for the water meter not the Expedition ,it was two different claims ,they confised them

[1969_Mach1 333]

At least in our experiences insurance companies try to settle these thing quickly but not fairly.  If you don't accept they will then sit on it for a 3 or 4 months then try again.  That will happen many times.  If you can get by without a quick settlement then patience is a big help.

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

Since they cant take the Expedition and we have to sign a form giving permission for them to do anything ...we are not going to sign a thing 

[newstang 388]

These Californians are a strange group. 

You own your own water meters?

what the hell is the utility company for then?

I gave my 2001 explorer to my inlaws, its not worth much at all, a tree fell on it and their homeowners gave them $6800 !!

 

 

[1969_Mach1 333]

The form is probably something to do with the vehicle being totaled.  I wouldn't sign it yet either.  If you have spent any money on repairs, service, etc. in the last 12 months they should ask for those receipts.  A percentage of that will go to increase the settlement amount.

After you agree on a settlement and it is totaled, you have the option to buy it back for usually about $500 and it will have a Salvage Title, but can still be registered and used.

[1969_Mach1 333]

31 minutes ago, newstang said:

These Californians are a strange group. 

You own your own water meters?

what the hell is the utility company for then?

I gave my 2001 explorer to my inlaws, its not worth much at all, a tree fell on it and their homeowners gave them $6800 !!

 

 

Same happened to an in-law of mine but with an older Ram Pickup.  Homeowners insurance paid much more than it was worth.

I think Ridge is far outside of city limits.  I'm not sure how his water meter works.  In city limits it's strange.  Water, gas, electric meters they tell you are owned by the city and power companies.  But if you damage one and it needs replacing, you will be charged for it.

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

4 hours ago, 1969_Mach1 said:

Same happened to an in-law of mine but with an older Ram Pickup.  Homeowners insurance paid much more than it was worth.

I think Ridge is far outside of city limits.  I'm not sure how his water meter works.  In city limits it's strange.  Water, gas, electric meters they tell you are owned by the city and power companies.  But if you damage one and it needs replacing, you will be charged for it.

They charged us for the meter .

Got a letter in the mail to day ,they totaled the damn thing any . When you file a claim you give up your rights to the vehicle ,they do what they want and nothing you can do about it ...its a deturant to keep you from filing a claim ,but you still have to pay them 

[1969_Mach1 333]

2 hours ago, Ridge Runner said:

They charged us for the meter .

Got a letter in the mail to day ,they totaled the damn thing any . When you file a claim you give up your rights to the vehicle ,they do what they want and nothing you can do about it ...its a deturant to keep you from filing a claim ,but you still have to pay them 

Now that you mention it, I remember my wife saying something similar about giving up the rights to the vehicle when her 96 Mustang was totaled.  I also remember she still has to sign some documents to release it to the insurance company.  Has the insurance company mentioned what they would offer for the settlement of the Expedition?

About 15 years ago a teenager ran a red light in new Z28 and I T-boned it in my F150.  My truck wasn't totaled so the settlement wasn't as messy.  Basically payment to the body shop and a settlement to me for a broken thumb and several abrasions on my face.  Yeah, air bags punch pretty hard.

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

Its not the money ,my dad is 80 ,they cannot afford another car ,to have totaled because of a dent is over the line ,once you have filed a claim you are screwed . Now how do they do banking ,keep doctors appointments or do their banking ,this isnt even their insurance ,it is the other guys 

[1969_Mach1 333]

I understand the situation.  My daily driver is a 1995 F150 so almost any accident would deem it totaled and I don't have money to replace it.  Older cars are almost always totaled when two or more panels need repair and repaint.  I know auto insurance companies care less about the situation you're in, but, I think older cars are easily totaled because of body shop high pricing.  At least in my area of CA it's $900 to $1000 to repaint a single panel that doesn't need any body work.  If it's something you can fix, maybe buy it back with a salvage title and do the repairs yourself.  Your father will have a vehicle and some money from the settlement.