Low-ball insurance offer

[NoNamePerson]

Apr 20, 2018 6:31:23 GMT -5 chapeau said:

Apr 19, 2018 15:55:18 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

This is all a moot point, my sister did what she wanted.  At this point, I quit trying to help.  My only fear is that 15 years from now, she'll be living in my basement.

Move and leave no forwarding address?

And be sure to take your mailbox with you  

[Deleted]

So, I just got a call from the insurance company of the lady that hit me on Friday.  They want me to just submit photos on their app for an estimate.  How do you know if there is something not showing up in the pictures?   

Anyhow, never been in a car accident (besides hitting a million deer), so I am totally lost with what I should be doing here.  I honestly don't care a whole lot since it's just cosmetic.  I almost just told her to forget about it when it happened, but if I can get a little cash out of the deal....well...not going to turn that down. 

[andi9899]

Ask them where you can have a reputable repair facility send the estimate instead. They're not going to tell you that it's the app or nothing. Just remember that if they total your car that you'll have to retitle your car as salvage. If you plan on driving it until it quits it shouldn't matter anyway. Junk yards don't care if you're title is salvage.

[CCL]

Have you gotten your own estimates yet? I'd start with that, then submit the pics and see how close their estimates are to yours.

[Deleted]

They said if I went to get it fixed and the estimate came out to be higher than what they said they'd have to send a Progressive agent out to see the vehicle in person that they don't work with any of the shops.  I'm used to just always going to my local body shop and them being affiliated with my insurance companies.

[Deleted]

They're sending me $2371.  I'm totally cool with that number.   I really don't think the van is worth more than 4K and this doesn't effect it's usability any.

[wvugurl26]

Apr 23, 2018 14:50:17 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

So, I just got a call from the insurance company of the lady that hit me on Friday.  They want me to just submit photos on their app for an estimate.  How do you know if there is something not showing up in the pictures?   

Anyhow, never been in a car accident (besides hitting a million deer), so I am totally lost with what I should be doing here.  I honestly don't care a whole lot since it's just cosmetic.  I almost just told her to forget about it when it happened, but if I can get a little cash out of the deal....well...not going to turn that down. 

They'll come in and do a supplement if there is more damage that isn't visible until they do the repairs.

If you are just looking to pocket the cash and not have the work done, I guess that's the risk you take that there could be more damage underneath. I guess you could take it to a body shop and get an estimate. They might be better at guessing if there's additional damage.

The two times I've had repairs done, there has been a supplement for additional damage. I'm not sure if they expected that or not at the time the estimate was approved by the insurance company.

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2018 11:50:39 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

If you are just looking to pocket the cash and not have the work done, I guess that's the risk you take that there could be more damage underneath. I guess you could take it to a body shop and get an estimate. They might be better at guessing if there's additional damage.

You need to be aware of another risk, too- if the vehicle is involved in another accident, whether it's your fault or someone else's, you may have a big fight on your hands with the insurance company. They're not going to want to pay (again) for damage done in this recent accident. Frequently the extent of damage from the second one is a matter of interpretation. I saw this happen with a co-worker; she'd gotten in a minor fender-bender and didn't get the damage fixed because it was cosmetic and she didn't have the money. A year or so later when someone ran into her (not her fault), their insurer was practically refusing to pay for ANY damage because some was from the previous accident.

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2018 12:37:01 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Apr 24, 2018 11:50:39 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

If you are just looking to pocket the cash and not have the work done, I guess that's the risk you take that there could be more damage underneath. I guess you could take it to a body shop and get an estimate. They might be better at guessing if there's additional damage.

You need to be aware of another risk, too- if the vehicle is involved in another accident, whether it's your fault or someone else's, you may have a big fight on your hands with the insurance company. They're not going to want to pay (again) for damage done in this recent accident. Frequently the extent of damage from the second one is a matter of interpretation. I saw this happen with a co-worker; she'd gotten in a minor fender-bender and didn't get the damage fixed because it was cosmetic and she didn't have the money. A year or so later when someone ran into her (not her fault), their insurer was practically refusing to pay for ANY damage because some was from the previous accident.

Meh.  I don't care about that.  I'm already driving it with a check engine light on, a broken power sliding door, rear wiper doesn't work, and it has a whole list of things on the "recommended" repairs list like strut replacement and leaking CV joints.  I'm not going to stick $2500 of cosmetic work into a 4K vehicle.  It starts and drives perfect, that's all I care about.  I'm sticking the money in my vehicle replacement fund for the day when it has to be put down. 

[Deleted]

It doesn't even look that bad.  I was planning on dropping full coverage come August when the kid has his license anyhow. 



By the way, replacing those two "Odyssey" emblems was $70 on the quote!! 

[CCL]

Does the door open and close alright? 

[Deleted]

Yes, works fine. 

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2018 12:55:58 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Meh. I don't care about that. I'm already driving it with a check engine light on, a broken power sliding door, rear wiper doesn't work, and it has a whole list of things on the "recommended" repairs list like strut replacement and leaking CV joints. I'm not going to stick $2500 of cosmetic work into a 4K vehicle. It starts and drives perfect, that's all I care about. I'm sticking the money in my vehicle replacement fund for the day when it has to be put down.

Sounds like a good plan to me!

[CCL]

I wouldn't spend the money to fix it, either, but definitely put it back for your new car fund. One of these days it won't be safe to drive anymore.