Dealing with shady insurance adjusters - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Shauk · 10-26-2006, 09:12 AM

Ok so....

4 months ago, someone backed into the door of my parked Hyundai Tiburon.

They came up to my door and told me about it, gave me their insurance info, and I opened a claim through their insuance company since it was their fault.

Adjustor comes, gives me a quote, take it down to the body shop, they say it'll be more, adjustor approves the increase.

I get my car back, my keyless entry no longer works (activates alarm, does not actually lock the car or unlock the car)

The light in the door does not work when you open it

and the cover for the seatbelt bolt was sitting in the back seat.

the electric motor for the window was a little bit rougher than it used to be.

I went in before I even drove off the lot and told them all of this, and they said to bring it back monday. (picked it up friday before they closed)

I go back down there, they insist that they put everything in right, that it's an aftermarket entry system (despite the Hyundai logo on the entry dongle)

and I'm saying it's a moot point, insurance is there to restore my car to the state it was in before the accident, and it worked before the accident.

Basically after a lot of backpedaling and responsibility avoidance, they talked to the insurance adjuster and he said that he'd need proof to authorize more funds to get it fixed.

so the guys at the body shop have me go to one of their contacts at aspen sound, because they specialize in stereos/alarms/entry systems and the like.

I take it down and they say "Yeah" it looks like it's accident related, due to the lock/unlock arm, being jammed into the control mechanism from the collision, and shorting out the "brain" of the entry system.

I tell the adjuster this, they both call him and tell him this, and then he just says "well I can't take their word for it" and then explains to me this process hoop he wants me to bend over backwards and jump through hoops for.

Basically he wants me to sign a "tear down authorization" in which (sounds like legal gambling, check this out) he has me drop of the car so HIS TECHS can check it out, determine if it's accident related, and then, if they say it is related, he will authorize more, but, heres the catch, IF NOT, I HAVE TO PAY THEM FOR THE SHOP FEES.

basically it's a double or nothing scam.

If they decide it's not related, I'm stuck with both shop fees and the cost of the entry system + re installation.

Thats a pretty big gamble I'd say. So I pretty much give up on it for a bit, and tell him I'm going to be incredibly busy, that I cannot afford that kind of a gamble, and that I will have to hold off on that.

fastforward to 4 months later, I'm driving along, I roll down the window just a hair because the tint makes it a bit difficult to see traffic at dusk, when not everyone has thier headlights on yet. *THUNK* the window drops entirely inside the door.

next day, i'm breathing fire at the body shop, i've had enough trouble and comprimise getting my god damned door fixed, and again, they want to jump through the insurance guy to deal with me. So the shop people call him and leave a message to get ahold of them, and in turn they'd get ahold of me, but no one has gotten back in touch with me and it's been 2 days.

now, I also have full coverage through my own insurance with a 500$ deductable, but I don't want them to really get involved in this since it involves money out of my pocket for something that was entirely not my fault (the car was parked for gods sake)

but I don't know what to do, I feel like I'm being jerked around, I have a door that has an inoperable window, no keyless entry system, a dead door light and just overall seems to be the biggest piece of crap door in existance.

what do I do?

cj2112 · 10-26-2006, 09:25 AM

Call an attorney, I don't know how long they have to fix this, but I'd imagine it's about a year before you're SOL. Insurance companies are in the business to make money, NOT to pay claims. If they can find a way out of paying a claim they will.

The_Jazz · 10-26-2006, 10:09 AM

OK, as the resident insurance professional, here's my free advice:

If you notify your insurance company, they will most likely point out that your policy has a provision calling for you to notify them promptly of any claims. Waiting 4 months is probably going to invalidate your coverage. If they will pay for it, by some miracle, you will almost certainly be looking at an increase when your coverage renews.

My best advice is to keep dealing with the adjuster, but ratchet up your saber-rattling. Tell him that you're going to go get 3 estimates to completely repair your car to leave it in the condition it was in before the accident. You're going to take the middle one, have the work done and give the shop his name and number for the billing. If that's a problem, he needs to let you know immediately so that you can start consulting with your attorney. Remind him that he's obligated by the state to return your car to the condition it was in prior to the accident. Tell him that you're only asking for repair costs and no monetary damages, but that will change as soon as you have to get an attorney involved. If you don't get a response, call and ask for the guy's supervisor. Next, call the state insurance department and tell them your story and see if you have enough to get a file opened yet. Almost all states will go to bat for consumers/voters against insurance companies. If none of this works, then call in a lawyer.

I have nothing against attorneys (several of my friends practice law), but in this situation that would be like hunting mosquitos with an elephant gun. If you do need to go down that route, hopefully you have a friend or relative that's a lawyer that will make some calls for you and not need to keep 1/3 of any returns they get.

Let me know how it goes. You're getting needlessly jerked around here, and there's no need for it.

Shauk · 10-26-2006, 01:19 PM

no, see I already told my insurance company about it when it happened, and they noted it, but as I said, I had it "taken care of" for the most part.

basically they already replaced the door, but at this point the door is pretty much worthless.

I dunno, i'm gonna go back down on monday and see what we can get going, but I gotta ask, i've never dealt with an attorney before, wouldn't it be just as expensive as just paying for my own keyless entry system? Just wondering.

The_Jazz · 10-26-2006, 01:30 PM

If you have to go the attorney route, yes, it will be expensive just by its very nature. Hence my comment about finding a friend or family who is one (or works for one). They may be willing to help you for a minimal charge. However, you don't need to let the adjuster know that you haven't already hired an attorney.

Regardless, you don't have to put up with this. At a very minimum, I suggest calling your state insurance department. If you need help tracking them down, let me know, but they have people who deal with this kind of stuff for a living, and they usually don't like insurance adjusters as a rule.

Let me know if there's anything else that I can do to help.

waltert · 10-27-2006, 11:45 PM

sounds like a combo of a bad body shop and a crappy insurance company.

Good luck getting it fixed. if its not going like you planned, you could always bust out the wrench.

pocon1 · 10-28-2006, 05:35 PM

nothing to say

10-26-2006, 09:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
Shauk Confused Adult Location: Spokane, WA	Dealing with shady insurance adjusters Ok so.... 4 months ago, someone backed into the door of my parked Hyundai Tiburon. They came up to my door and told me about it, gave me their insurance info, and I opened a claim through their insuance company since it was their fault. Adjustor comes, gives me a quote, take it down to the body shop, they say it'll be more, adjustor approves the increase. I get my car back, my keyless entry no longer works (activates alarm, does not actually lock the car or unlock the car) The light in the door does not work when you open it and the cover for the seatbelt bolt was sitting in the back seat. the electric motor for the window was a little bit rougher than it used to be. I went in before I even drove off the lot and told them all of this, and they said to bring it back monday. (picked it up friday before they closed) I go back down there, they insist that they put everything in right, that it's an aftermarket entry system (despite the Hyundai logo on the entry dongle) and I'm saying it's a moot point, insurance is there to restore my car to the state it was in before the accident, and it worked before the accident. Basically after a lot of backpedaling and responsibility avoidance, they talked to the insurance adjuster and he said that he'd need proof to authorize more funds to get it fixed. so the guys at the body shop have me go to one of their contacts at aspen sound, because they specialize in stereos/alarms/entry systems and the like. I take it down and they say "Yeah" it looks like it's accident related, due to the lock/unlock arm, being jammed into the control mechanism from the collision, and shorting out the "brain" of the entry system. I tell the adjuster this, they both call him and tell him this, and then he just says "well I can't take their word for it" and then explains to me this process hoop he wants me to bend over backwards and jump through hoops for. Basically he wants me to sign a "tear down authorization" in which (sounds like legal gambling, check this out) he has me drop of the car so HIS TECHS can check it out, determine if it's accident related, and then, if they say it is related, he will authorize more, but, heres the catch, IF NOT, I HAVE TO PAY THEM FOR THE SHOP FEES. basically it's a double or nothing scam. If they decide it's not related, I'm stuck with both shop fees and the cost of the entry system + re installation. Thats a pretty big gamble I'd say. So I pretty much give up on it for a bit, and tell him I'm going to be incredibly busy, that I cannot afford that kind of a gamble, and that I will have to hold off on that. fastforward to 4 months later, I'm driving along, I roll down the window just a hair because the tint makes it a bit difficult to see traffic at dusk, when not everyone has thier headlights on yet. THUNK the window drops entirely inside the door. next day, i'm breathing fire at the body shop, i've had enough trouble and comprimise getting my god damned door fixed, and again, they want to jump through the insurance guy to deal with me. So the shop people call him and leave a message to get ahold of them, and in turn they'd get ahold of me, but no one has gotten back in touch with me and it's been 2 days. now, I also have full coverage through my own insurance with a 500$ deductable, but I don't want them to really get involved in this since it involves money out of my pocket for something that was entirely not my fault (the car was parked for gods sake) but I don't know what to do, I feel like I'm being jerked around, I have a door that has an inoperable window, no keyless entry system, a dead door light and just overall seems to be the biggest piece of crap door in existance. what do I do?

10-26-2006, 10:09 AM	#3 (permalink)
The_Jazz Asshole Administrator Location: Chicago	OK, as the resident insurance professional, here's my free advice: If you notify your insurance company, they will most likely point out that your policy has a provision calling for you to notify them promptly of any claims. Waiting 4 months is probably going to invalidate your coverage. If they will pay for it, by some miracle, you will almost certainly be looking at an increase when your coverage renews. My best advice is to keep dealing with the adjuster, but ratchet up your saber-rattling. Tell him that you're going to go get 3 estimates to completely repair your car to leave it in the condition it was in before the accident. You're going to take the middle one, have the work done and give the shop his name and number for the billing. If that's a problem, he needs to let you know immediately so that you can start consulting with your attorney. Remind him that he's obligated by the state to return your car to the condition it was in prior to the accident. Tell him that you're only asking for repair costs and no monetary damages, but that will change as soon as you have to get an attorney involved. If you don't get a response, call and ask for the guy's supervisor. Next, call the state insurance department and tell them your story and see if you have enough to get a file opened yet. Almost all states will go to bat for consumers/voters against insurance companies. If none of this works, then call in a lawyer. I have nothing against attorneys (several of my friends practice law), but in this situation that would be like hunting mosquitos with an elephant gun. If you do need to go down that route, hopefully you have a friend or relative that's a lawyer that will make some calls for you and not need to keep 1/3 of any returns they get. Let me know how it goes. You're getting needlessly jerked around here, and there's no need for it. __________________ "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin "There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush "We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

10-26-2006, 01:30 PM	#5 (permalink)
The_Jazz Asshole Administrator Location: Chicago	If you have to go the attorney route, yes, it will be expensive just by its very nature. Hence my comment about finding a friend or family who is one (or works for one). They may be willing to help you for a minimal charge. However, you don't need to let the adjuster know that you haven't already hired an attorney. Regardless, you don't have to put up with this. At a very minimum, I suggest calling your state insurance department. If you need help tracking them down, let me know, but they have people who deal with this kind of stuff for a living, and they usually don't like insurance adjusters as a rule. Let me know if there's anything else that I can do to help. __________________ "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin "There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush "We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

10-28-2006, 05:35 PM	#7 (permalink)
pocon1 Banned	nothing to say Last edited by pocon1; 07-06-2008 at 09:19 PM..

10-26-2006, 09:25 AM	#2 (permalink)
cj2112 Unbelievable Location: Grants Pass OR	Call an attorney, I don't know how long they have to fix this, but I'd imagine it's about a year before you're SOL. Insurance companies are in the business to make money, NOT to pay claims. If they can find a way out of paying a claim they will.

10-26-2006, 01:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
Shauk Confused Adult Location: Spokane, WA	no, see I already told my insurance company about it when it happened, and they noted it, but as I said, I had it "taken care of" for the most part. basically they already replaced the door, but at this point the door is pretty much worthless. I dunno, i'm gonna go back down on monday and see what we can get going, but I gotta ask, i've never dealt with an attorney before, wouldn't it be just as expensive as just paying for my own keyless entry system? Just wondering.

10-27-2006, 11:45 PM	#6 (permalink)
waltert Insane	sounds like a combo of a bad body shop and a crappy insurance company. Good luck getting it fixed. if its not going like you planned, you could always bust out the wrench.