Re: IML: '63 Le Baron vs Insurance adjuster that's in for an adjustment

["Ken & Tracie" <ktjosephson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello All,

I just went through this with my '59 Plymouth after I took it in for a 
pinion seal. One of the employees at the drive line shop was clowning around 
with a forklift and rammed both my car and a Jeep, pushing my car into 
another vehicle.

The adjuster for their insurance came out, looked at the car (never bothered 
to climb under to look at the frame, fuel tank, etc.) and offered me 
$1200.00 to repair it. He figured one half hour labor to drop the fuel tank, 
tailgate and rear bumper, fourteen hours to repair the quarter panel and one 
half hour to reassemble the car. He allowed the standard body shop labor 
rate of $38.00 per hour.

In reality, the car needed a total of 30-35 hours of labor, nearly $800.00 
in parts and the $50.00 to $70.00 per hour labor rate restoration shops 
charge. No regular body around here wanted to touch a pre-1977 vehicle 
because they didn't have the staff to handle such a vehicle and/or the 
profit margin was too low.

I went to six shops, received estimates and called the adjuster. He went to 
look at the car again and became hostile and accusatory with the shop 
owners. He seemed bent on angering them to the point of refusing to take my 
car as he tried to steer me towards his buddy's hole in the wall "whack and 
bondo" shop.

After consulting an attorney friend and a retired body shop guy, I returned 
to the drive line shop, told the owner I wanted to deal directly with the 
insurance company and that I didn't want the adjuster's twelve hundred 
dollar check.

I spoke with somebody in the main office's claim department. Meanwhile, the 
adjuster offered me $2000.00, which I rejected, since it left only $1200.00 
for labor.

The guy at the company headquarters spoke with both me and the body shop I 
chose, crunched some numbers and had me write a letter of appeal. I wound up 
getting nearly $3000.00, which covered the parts, labor and preparation work 
on the used sheet metal.

Now another guy on the Forward Look discussion board is going through this. 
A school bus driver backed onto his property while attempting to turn the 
bus around and nailed his '60 De Soto. The car was parked in the driveway.

Just stick to your guns, present the case you build to justify the repairs 
your car needs and expect some haggling. When it becomes apparent you will 
settle for nothing less than having your car returned to the condition it 
was in before the accident, they will realize that the best way to "close 
the book" on your claim and get you out of their hair is to eat it and 
settle. I took me nearly three months to settle. But it was worth it.

Remember, they took the risk of underwriting the guy who hit your Imp. 
That's their problem.

Best wishes. I empathize with you much more than I express here.

K.





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