Someone decided to play bumper cars with me a few weeks ago, resulting in $5600 in cosmetic damage to my vehicle. Other driver's fault.

Trying to handle it through their insurance was getting me nowhere fast, so I filed it with mine to get the ball rolling on the repairs. Car was repaired within a week. My insurance says they've initiated subrogation to recover their money from the other insurance, but I need to pursue repayment for the rental car and any diminished value directly with the other company.

Finally, two days ago, I get a letter from the other insurance company's claim department. This is the first return contact I've received from them, 20 days after the incident. Mail was delivered at ~5 pm on 10/26. This letter says that I have to contact them before 10/28 to discuss the claim. That's 1 day's notice.

So first thing yesterday, 10/27, I call them. Immediately goes to a voicemail that says that due to inclement weather their systems are down, but please leave a message and they'll get back with me. I do so. Crickets. I email the claim adjuster. Crickets. I call back yesterday afternoon. Crickets. I call back this morning. Same immediate shunt to voicemail, and still fucking crickets.

Your driver fucked up. You know you're on the hook for money. And I can't get a fucking peep out of you for 3+ weeks.

I guarantee these assholes will now try to say "Whelp, he didn't contact us before 10/28 like the letter said, so case closed".

The other Insurance company is......GEICO?

Farmers

([jingle]They are Farmers... very dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.[/jingle])

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Farmers

([jingle]They are Farmers... very dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.[/jingle])

Well, they've learned a thing or two.

I'd leave a message for them saying you're sure their lack of response is just an oversight, but if it's not, you are documenting it all in case you need to file a bad faith claim.

That's when you leave them a message tell them your next call is going to the Arkansas state Insurance Commissioner.


I guarantee you they will call you right back!

Yes, the insurance commissioner is the first call to make if you start to get the run around.
And document everything.

Actually, if you had told them from the start that they need to respond or you'll talk to a lawyer, that would have gotten their attention.

Avoiding injury lawyers will save them money.

Farmers, not any better in a No-Fault state like Michigan.

After what I went through to file and collect a Mini-Tort claim against one of their insured it would be a cold day in Hell before I would consider them for insurance. Especially when their driver was cited and arrested for OUI (2X+ Michigan's .08 law)and while not charged with it he did have a loaded rifle in his back seat, not even close to hunting season. When I got ahold of a claims manager all he tried to do was deflect and evade, used the term "alleged" too many times for me.

Though I will give him credit. He told me initially that the claim would take 30 or more days and he would get his own copy of the MSP crash report. Apparently he went to the District Headquarters right away, less than a hour later I received a call "You will have your check by the first part of next week" and hung up. Guess he didn't like what he read on the report.

There are laws (at least around here) that people need to report damage to the DMV w/in a small window (w/in 1 week of accident?).

There should be a law that forces insurance companies to close on claims to customer satisfaction w/in a a window as well.

Consumers are always subject to this and that fee or penalty or interest when payments are late. Corporations should be held to similar standards.

File suit against the other driver in small claims court. That'll get their attention.

quote:

Originally posted by 2Adefender:
File suit against the other driver in small claims court. That'll get their attention.

Or contact the other driver and tell him that's what you are going to do. That will get him on their case.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
Yes, the insurance commissioner is the first call to make if you start to get the run around.
And document everything.

I was getting the runaround from State Farm a number of years back. Their whole attitude quickly changed when I told them I was going to contact the PA State Insurance Commission. It works!

Was at an intersection when a van pulled out from a stop sign and was hit. The driver stopped within feet. I left her my contact data.
Weeks later I get a call from the driver. Seems both drivers had State Farm and their rep told her they weren’t paying. That she was speeding!
Told her to find a supervisor and have them call me.
Nice lady calls I go over time, weather, etc. and she interrupts. “Sir that was a month ago. How do you remember this? “I’m in the Army and wrote a memo down as I was trained to. Would you like a copy?” She paused then promised my the lady would be covered. Then thanked me for being a good witness.
I’m pretty sure they otherwise would have dodged paying.

Any insurance is a form of legalized gambling .You pays your money and hope to get to collect ................. drill sgt.

Call a lawyer.

The reason I have insurance is to handle interactions with the other insurance company or the uninsured driver. First thing I'd do is go back to your insurance company and remind them it is their job to get repayment, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Nuclear:
The reason I have insurance is to handle interactions with the other insurance company or the uninsured driver. First thing I'd do is go back to your insurance company and remind them it is their job to get repayment, etc.

My insurance company has already initiated subrogation to recover the amount my insurance paid to repair my car, and get me back my deductible. So they're handling that part.

But I'm having to deal with the other insurance company for stuff not covered by my insurance, like my out of pocket rental car cost and diminished value for my vehicle (since even though it's been fixed it has now officially been in a wreck and therefore has lower sale/trade-in value).


The other company did finally contact me last week. They're "still investigating liability", and said they will get back with me once they've made their liability determination. Only if they accept liability will they then discuss rental and diminished value repayments.

My insurance company had already completed their investigation within the first few days, and assigned liability to the other driver. Apparently, Farmers is now taking several weeks to do their own investigation and make their own determination, before they either agree with my insurance's determination and accept liability, or if for some reason they claim I'm the one at fault they can turn it over to arbitration to sort through the two conflicting liability decisions.

My insurance says that it sometimes can take months. The good news is that I'm only out of pocket ~$1k currently between rental and deductible, so while I fully intend to vigorously pursue repayment plus diminished value, it's not like I'm going to be destitute in the meantime.

I used to be a claims adjuster, the ones saying to call your state's division of insurance or whatever it's called where you are are the correct ones. Don't bother with an attorney on a property damage only claim. There's nothing in it for them so they likely won't be of much help.

If you have the ability to bounce out of that one particular adjuster's voicemail to someone else that may also help. Try hitting 0 when you hit their VM and see if that works.

If not then yes, a call to your state's DOI will get them moving as they have to respond within a certain amount of time and then have to follow up with the DOI stating that they did indeed contact you and what the issue was.