PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - Auto Insurance Claim nightmare, how I am getting raped by them.

Jim B. · #1 07-04-2010, 06:05 AM

THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU, IF YOU HAVE INSURANCE FROM THIS LARGE WELL KNOWN COMPANY, on your car, if you have a accident or damage claim.

This In my * new * Mercury Grand Marquis, I had a mild accident, bashed the front bumper and put a one inch gash in the plastic grille, no injuries or anything.

I found an excellent body shop, that does good work. Made the appointment to drop off the car, rental to be delivered, and the claim adjusted and repairs to start.

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Then the nighmare begins.

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For the past week, I have been wrangling daily with the Insurance company about the parts for the Mercury, which needs a new front bumper and cover.

The insurance company, in the fine (small) policy print somewhere, has lawyer written language allowing them, evidently, to save money at the policyholder's expense, by letting them authorize repairs, at their option, using "recycled" (politically correct term for "junkyard") parts, or worse - ones that are prepped in Communist China, where the wage that the 6 year old chinese children laborers is about 3 cents a year.

Great for their profit margin. Terrible for a brand new car, and for a 30+ year insurance premium paying consumer up against this for the first time ever.

And, I have been informed, I don't have rental coverage either. What I have, is only 80% of the daily rental coverage rate, up to a maximum of $500 and then it is gone.

Furthermore, they ONLY will pay even THAT amount if, according to the claims rep, the car is UNDRIVEABLE and IN THE SHOP.

I set up the appointment to have their adjuster look at the car and at that moment leave it for repairs, and the rental company bring the car there where I rented it.

But the insurance adjuster never even showed up or called until the next day, apparently.

The body shop says that was on purpose when good body shops, not the captive ones that "co operate" with them, are involved, and use all manner of tricks like this to get the policyholder to take his car to cheaper, insurance approved shops.

(But under CA. law the consumer bill of rights allows the customer to choose the shop but NOT to insist o new parts now, even on a new car like mine.)

The insurance company claims rep has told me that the "recycled" or Communist chinese parts are like NEW and "we guarantee that, and if they fail, THEN we will replace them with brand new ones"

Oh great!!! I get to sue my own insurance company and try to enforce some warranty written by their lawyers with 1000 escape clauses; I paid policy premiums for "THIS" all these years?

It gets worse.

In response to a LOT of angry policyholders, that found out about this, who simply let their cars sit in the shop for weeks while they battled with the insurance company, the Insurance company's policy was simply to refuse to pay their rental car costs.

Wonderful.

Faced with this, the body shop, to assist the adjuster - that did not even bother to show up on time ( a common ploy to get the customer to go to a captive, insurance company approved ie, cheaper shop, ) the shop removed the bumper and lights, thereby making the car UNDRIVEABLE and IN THE SHOP already so the insurance company would be forced to allow rental coverage to start even then under its restrictive conditions.

As the consumer, under their policy, I am allowed to select new parts BUT have to pay the price difference between them and what the body shop allows, which is only the cost of cheap junkyard or Chinese parts.

In this case, for a bumper and bumper skin, which I went the cheap, non OEM route would be a bumper skin that is badly prepped for paint,(that good body shop painters hate) -- in communist China, which would start cracking again in a year or two after a stone chip hits it, and used, junkyard bumpers or other non OEM ones of dubious strength.

Screwed by the Insurance company, when they need you. Thank god I was not injured.

I shudder to think how they would use their policy language to save themselves money on serious medical claims.

One more reason this country is down the toilet. Another example of corporate greed and trickery.

If my local agent had not been so helpful and supportive here (though they can do nothing about corporate claims policy) I would be out of there, (it is one of those huge national companies) I would simply dump them and seek coverage elsewhere.

I think though I might find that they all are the same, though, with the fine print allowing them to totally cheap out on everything.

The difference between the "remanufactured", junkyard or Chinese part was only $250, in the case of the bumper skin, all that was at issue here.

But the Insurance company will fight me, and YOU and anyone else over it, and stand willing to lose a 30 year customer over it, to save a few dollars.

It would be like winning a battle to lose a war.

I am hopping mad, as YOU would be, but then I would not be surprised if ALL insurance companies are like this.

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To make things worse, on another front, ALL used front bumper skins for a new Grand Marquis are on back order now, and so far no dealer within 500 miles has one; and Ford Motor company only ships them new, wrapped in one layer of ordinary bubble wrap, and then most are damaged in transit,

And a used one can't be located yet anywhere, so far, in Communist China, the junkyards, anywhere. (Maybe a good thing, if they want to pawn off some taxi or police car bumper that has really got beat up.)

And in other news, I went shopping yesterday for a flag holder to put on the front of my house so I could fly the American flag outside my house.

Today is the forth of July.

Naturally, I wanted to buy a house flag holder that was proudly made in the USA.

But every single one for sale, was made in Communist China.

You heard me.

THAT one really pegged the irony meter.