I haven't been very interested in posting or commenting on posts lately. I'll explain why. My 18-year-old son had a traffic accident on the evening of January 1st. (First off, I'll say that no one was injured...the most important thing.) He was on his way to work at the movie theater and was in the far right-hand land of the frontage road of I-35. A woman in a new Mustang was in the left lane alongside of him...and decided she wanted to make a sharp right in front of him to get into Pizza Hut. I think he was probably in her blind spot, but that doesn't make what she did okay. This resulted in cutting him off and she pushed him into the curb and busted his front tire all up rendering the car undrivable. He drives a 1996 Toyota Avalon with over 300,000 miles on it...which he paid for himself. Her car was merely scratched up a bit. Jon's car was towed to a local collision place and it is still there today.
So, we're going on three weeks here. Jon goes to school and has two part-time jobs. Now he's relying on his family and friends to chauffeur him around to these things which he hates because he doesn't like inconveniencing others...he's a very independent kid.
This is gradually becoming a nightmare. The police report declared the woman 100% at fault...and yet nothing has been done since the 1st. Apparently, the woman driving the car was not the owner. And the owner has to give a statement to the insurance company that he did or did not give his permission for the woman to drive his car. He has not returned the insurance company's calls. And it is not known whether the woman driving has insurance of her own. She is not returning calls, either. So, we're in a holding pattern. My insurance company (State Farm) cannot do anything until the insured's company has completed its investigation...which they are taking their time in doing. If they find out the woman was not insured and that the guy DIDN'T give his permission for her to drive the Mustang that night, then my coverage for under/uninsured motorists will cover the damage...and State Farm will go after her to get reimbursed. If he DID give his permission, then his insurance will cover the damage. On another note, his insurance is one of those rinky-dink companies that no one has heard of.
I had the day off today so I checked in with State Farm as to the status. Just more of the same. I am so freakin' frustrated by this I'm about to explode. I pay mucho insurance for having two young boys on my policy, have never submitted a claim, and I feel like I'm being screwed. I'm not upset with State Farm because it was the other driver's fault. But I just having this feeling that the other driver's insurance company is thinking I will just forget about it and it will go away. Of course that's not going to happen, but at this point, I wonder how long this is going to go on. Jon said to me the other day, "I didn't do anything wrong, Mom." And yet we're the ones suffering. Just doesn't seem fair.
Okay...thanks for letting me vent. :-/
6 comments:
Paying insurance for boys is just a bitch. And then to have insurance drag their feet and stall is just maddening. I hope it gets resolved quickly Deb. I'm glad your son wasn't hurt!
Insurance companies can be a drag. But, mostly their clients are the real drag. If the 'Stang driver didn't have permission to be driving the car it might be time for a 'Bookem' Danno, Grand Theft Auto. This to shall pass.
Having worked with and for insurance companies for years, I hae a couple of suggestions:
Call the at fault insurance company. (the guy's) Ask for the adjuster in charge of the case. Have a list of questions ready for him/her. Include:
What is the current status?
When was the last action taken on this case and what was it?
What will be your next step?
Are you possibly pursuing criminal action if the driver did not have permission to drive the car? (notifying the police)
Let them know that you will be checking in on a regular basis. First weekly, then 3 times a week, then every other day, then daily.
Let them know that if it escalates to the neccesity of calling daily, it will be to the manager of the department, not the adjuster.
ALWAYS be nice and polite but firm.
Secondly, if you don't get any results, a snotty attitude or run around in a circle, write to your Commissioner of Insurance. Be specific with the details of the accident, where, when, who, names of people and insurance companies. Dates you contacted people, their response, etc. You WILL get a reply and probably a resolution.
Lastly, does your insurance provide for rental car replacement while your son's is out of commission. No matter that it is still under investigation, your company should be providing one. They will add this to the subrogation claim against the other insurance company.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Thanks, all. My son is so bummed about this...especially since he didn't do anything wrong.
Thanks, Wayne, for the advice. I'll have to admit when I talked to reps from both sides yesterday, I wasn't my usual friendly self. I feel like everyone is giving me the run-around because no one wants to pay. I'll keep you posted.
In Minnesota, there is a law that an insurance company must pay or deny a claim within 30 days. Do you have a law like that?
There must not be a law like that here because I've been told by several people (including the insurance people) that this can drag out for months. I talked to the other insurance company's claim rep supervisor and could tell he's a real schmoozer. We've been waiting on the other party's statement which hasn't been forthcoming. He said they had a telephone appointment this morning with her, but they couldn't get ahold of her. Go figure. What this says to me is that as long as you don't give a statement, you're not responsible for anything. My gut feeling is that they will find a way not to have to pay out on this. This has given a major negative statement to my poor son who did nothing wrong, and lost his car in the process.
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