Auto Insurance Questions, Tips and Information

Guidelines to Help You Deal With the auto insurance Company

Accident Treatment.com provides some guidelines and information here to help you deal with the auto insurance companies and to make sure they do not take advantage of you.

1. When the auto insurance adjuster finds out that your car is a total loss, they contact a company that performs a market survey of vehicles similar to yours to determine the value of your car. They do this by keeping a database of classified car advertisements, inspecting some vehicles at dealerships, and past evaluations of similar vehicles. auto insurance companies often do not include vehicles that are priced higher than what they want to pay in their survey; thus, the average price they generate is often lower than actual market conditions. You have a right to a copy of this report. When the person from the auto insurance company contacts you (the adjuster) and makes an appraisal of your car, request a copy of it.

2. Do not accept the auto insurance company's first offer. If you do some research, you can probably get more.

3. Right away, you should do your own market research. The best place to start is by searching the Internet. Thousands of cars are advertised on the Internet at any given time. Also, look in the auto classified section of your local paper. Make copies of ads for similar vehicles that favorably price your car. If all else fails, call an auto dealer and ask what they believe is the market price of the same year, make and model of your vehicle equipped with similar options. Have them fax or write their answers to you. Average all the figures to get an idea of the true market value of your car.

4. "They didn't offer me blue book price, why not?" This is a common question. The answer is that no law requires an insurer to pay for the loss of your car based on the blue book or any other price/value book. It is simply evidence of what a reasonable sum might be and for that reason you should also use it in coming up with a counter proposal to the insurer's offer. To check blue book value, go to www.carpoint.msn.com and click the pricing link to Kelly Blue Book. Type in your year, make and model, and be sure to check all the options your car had plus mileage. Chances are the blue book value is higher than what the auto insurance company offered you. Let the adjuster know your car's blue book value.

5. When the auto insurance company sends you its market survey results, chances are that none of the "comparables" you found will be on it. You should then mail or fax your research to the auto insurance adjuster and ask him/her to raise the original offer in light of the higher values your research has uncovered.

6. Read the auto insurance company report very carefully. It's supposed to contain comparable values for vehicles available in your area. Many of the vehicles they claim are available in the local market area are neither available nor in the local market. Highlight vehicles that are over 75 miles away. Also highlight ads that are over 3 months old. When you write or speak with the adjuster, tell him/her how many vehicles were either not available or not in the local market. Explain that this makes the report flawed. In addition, certain vehicles on the report may have extra information to document the comparison between it and your car. Verify all this information by calling the dealer or source. If the company claims to have inspected the car, call the dealer to see if they remember anyone inspecting the car. If you have time, go look at the vehicle yourself. It may be in far worse condition than yours.

7. Options make a world of difference in valuing a vehicle. Everyone knows that a car with power windows, power locks, air conditioning, a cassette player, deluxe interiors, etc. is more valuable than a car lacking those options. The problem is that auto insurance companies do not figure in options at their full value in determining the price of your car. When auto insurance companies add on only a few hundred dollars at most for all the options you have, they are depreciating them. For example, if your car has a working AM/FM cassette, you should get the full value of that AM/FM cassette player, not something far less. Go to www.carpoint.msn.com and use Kelly Bluebook to find the retail value of your car as it was actually equipped. Then compare it with the same car lacking those options. The difference between the two is what you should argue the auto insurance company should add to the value of your car. This can be a significant amount.

8. Emphasize the good points of your car. If your car is older but with low mileage, this should add value. The same is true if the car was in good shape. If you have pictures of the car from before the crash, make sure you send copies to the adjuster.

9. The way you present yourself can influence the auto insurance company's willingness to offer a fair price. Be polite, yet firm. If all goes well, they will probably offer a higher amount. If you don't get a reasonable offer, the law allows you to take them to small claims if the amount in question is under $7,500. Advise the adjuster that you are willing to take that step, if necessary.

10. Know the law. auto insurance companies must comply with the requirements of the law in your state.

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The information provided on AccidentTreatment.com is not intended to be legal advice or medical opinion, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues commonly encountered. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements.