Insurance:

Because insurance comes up here ever so often.

2 stories.

My oldest niece was rear ended at a stop light. She had liability only. The guy who hit her insurance company tried to devalues her car because of rust. My BIL ask me to be there when the adjuster showed up again. When I told him sure, we'd take his offer providing that she could replace her car with another of the same year, make, model and mileage with his written guaranty he suddenly upped his offer by more than 2K. He was low balling, a violation of state law and never figured on having to deal with a licensed adjuster.

When my wife messed herself up pretty bad in a car wreck because we had coverage from a big name national company they paid 100% of both cars and medical to include follow up corrective surgeries. Was never a worry to us.

Rick

About two years ago, my daughter (away at college) had her driver's door hit and the side mirror got knocked off. This was in Lincoln, NE. Her car had liability only. The guy who did it left a note under her wiper saying that he would pay for it. He did not stick around for the cops and my daughter made the mistake of not calling the cops either. I repeatedly tried to call him, but got nothing.
Later on, I called my insurance company and the cops. Neither one would do anything about it. The cops wouldn't even look at her car and my insurance company tried to contact the guy, but said if they tried to contact him more than once, they could get hit by a lawsuit for "stalking" the guy. I finally dropped it, which is what both my insurance and the hit-and-run guy wanted.
The damage was too little for small claims court.

As an attorney I don't practice a lot in the Tort area, however, all I usually have to do on behalf of my injured client is to serve a formal DEMAND on the wrong doer for X amount of damages (which I itemize, maybe include a police report) and in the event such is not received threaten to file suit and that often settles the case then and there, just one demand letter. I dont fool with phone calls and meetings and negotiations at that point, simply a demand letter, your client was negligent and such was the proximate cause of x amount of damages (enclosed) for which you pay or we can let a jury decide the damages, thank you and have a nice day PERIOD lol

John T

I got rearended when I was in college. Was driving a 200K mile audi. At fault ladies insurance wanted to give me a couple hundred bucks for the totaled car. They said it had low value cause it had 200k miles(fine, I agree) then they took off more value cause the clear was peeling, there was a ding in the quarter panel etc etc. I told the adjuster "of course the clear is peeling, its got 200K on it!!)" If it was a new car, then I could see taking value off for the paint. All I wanted was $1800 which was a fair value for a running driving all wheel drive car. They strung me a long for 3 months. Finally I mentioned the word "lawyer" and I got my check in a week...

When our daughter was in college at Nebraska Wesleyan, she was going through good old 27th and Vine in Lincoln when a drunk coming the other way made a left turn into her. Witnesses at the scene told the police Amy had a full green light.

The drunk was driving a Dodge pickup and Amy was driving a Buick Century. The police hauled the drunk off to the drunk tank and Amy got all the attention at the scene.

The drunk was on a high risk insurance plan in Indianapolis. His adjuster offered me about half of what Amy's car was worth. Amy's car was loaded up with every factory option available, including a factory sun roof, and the adjuster had obviously based his offer on the cheapest, stripped down Century for that year. He wouldn't budge.

So, I took the average of four price guides for the price I wanted for Amy's car, wrote a letter supporting my position and debunking his claim, went to the Nebraska Department of Insurance, and filed a complaint against the drunk's insurance company.

Once the complaint was filed, his company had, by law, fifteen days to respond. I loved this. On the afternoon of the thirteenth day, his adjuster called me at my office. He said they'd "had reason" to review my claim and they'd decided to up their offer. Their offer was now almost exactly to the dollar of what I'd asked for the car, plus a rental car for thirty days. I told him he had a deal.

In other words, the Nebraska Insurance Department told them to get real or they were history in Nebraska.

A couple of other times I've had adjusters try to lowball me on accidents. Usually when I inform them that I've been an adjuster myself and know how to play the game, and maybe yell a little, they straighten out and get reasonable.

Small claims courts work.

I am a retired claims supervisor and adjuster. But for crop insurance. That dont impress them too much. :lol:

Gene

I was talking Insurance with one of my older, more knowledgeable customers, back when I was in business, he said,"Steve, the job of the insurance company is to make maoney for its' stock holders"'. Kinda says it all doesn't it.

In my experience, they ALWAYS try to do that. The comment that what the insurance company is trying to do is to make money for the stockholders is right on the mark. The adjuster for the other guy"s insurance company is NOT your friend, but rather an opponent.