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.

~~~~~

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.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Try finding a flag that is not made in China !!!

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

there is a company in Oklahoma City that makes US flags of all sizes.

Not to hijack the thread ..but how about a company name Txjake ?

__________________
1985 300D 198K sold
1982 300D 202K
1989 300E 125K
1992 940T

"If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it"

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

State Farm cost me $40,000 in medical bills about 20 years ago, I hate them. Farm Bureau has treated me well.

__________________
For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

If the car was drivable, it should not have been put in the shop until the parts were there, and if there was a question about what parts to order, it should have been addressed prior to teardown/disassembly. From the insurance company's standpoint, the shop should be paying for the rental for the moment, because they made a drivable car, undriveable.

JimB, I realize that the car is nearly new to you, but it is, in fact, a used car, that you purchased used, and have driven since. If you had a tire with 10,000 miles on it, the insurance company wouldn't owe you a new tire, they could appropriately take betterment on that because you had used part of its service life prior to it becoming damaged. A bumper cover is the same thing, it accumulates stone chips and curb damage over time, and the finish oxidizes due to weather exposure and mechanical car washes.

If you were a 3rd party claimant, you would have a stronger case, since you would not have a contractual agreement with the insurance company, but as their insured, you're SOL.

If you want a high-end policy with a huge rental allowance and no issues with new parts, it'll cost you, but Chubb and Firemans Fund both have really nice personal lines policies that you can customize any way you like. I met a guy who told me he paid nearly 3X as much as he had with Allstate, but he liked the level of service Firemans Fund gave him...ya gets what ya pays for.

__________________
2002 Ford ZX2
2 x 2013 Honda Civics

Famous last words..... Since there is no such thing as a "good guy," insurance company.

They will all exact their justice on you - sooner or later.....

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

Geico was slowly roasting UP my rates for BOTH my Mercedes-Benz AND my diesel motorcoach. I have had NO claims ever, BTW. I love Geico, since it's a Berkshire-Hathaway company, but not to the extent that I will pay higher rates for no reason.

I was rear-ended in my '83 MB 300SD - his insurance company furnished a rent car for about a month while the MB dealer's body shop had my driveable car. I was introduced to the used parts aftermarket for replacement body shop parts on my MB, when I noticed the rear replacement tailights were NOT in as good condition as the ones that were smashed in the wreck. I refused to pick up the MB and told my service advisor to find better replacements equal to or better condition (the ones they tried to pawn-off on me were badly sunfaded) he balked and bleated at the idea of me wanting a better gradation - but I walked, refusing to pick up the car until it was done. I then drove to the Allstate insurance agent's office in person,explaining that I needed to keep the rent car a few more days, since my car was not acceptable to pick up. The agent said OK, and they did upgrade to better used taillight assembly/lenses, but they still were not new.

My car was about 12 years old, Jim, and I was surprised that they would go get better lenses for it. So watch them like a hawk on the fix.


As a note to any of the "I told you so" guys posting here:
Anyone who has read their terms and conditions policy's BEFORE having an accident - please come forward......?

Nationwide's binder for my motorcoach is in excess of 35 pages - I haven't read it, nor do I plan to. I know my main coverages, though. I am at the mercy of the insurance company in all likelyhood anyway. When banks fail insurance companies will still exist, that's how powerful they are.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

I have a pretty good idea what's in my insurance policies, my wife works as an insurance adjuster and understands how it works.

In most countries the law requires that you have insurance - unless you are able to show that you have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable outcomes. On the face of it this makes sense as from a moral and social stand point you should receive justice for an event that was not your fault.

However, this means that all consumers who behave within the constraints of the law end up in a captive market, which in practice means that insurance companies behave as though the flow of money should only go one way (that's to them). All insurance companies play a game where they pay out as little as possible.

In the case of this post when you have made a contract with an insurance company to cover the costs of your accidents they should honour their agreement. Furthermore I think that in the case that they have sold you a policy with the statement or even suggestion that they will repair / replace your vehicle regardless of blame they should also honour their agreement even if they have sneekily added some small print in their contract that says otherwise. I think this because as a consumer you have very little choice - there is very little difference between the small prints of these contracts. They all approximate to the same, as within the insurance industry the policies get adjusted in accordance with the experiences of all insurance companies. So if one insurance company catches a cold as a result of one loop hole they will all adjust their policies so that it doesn't happen to them.

In the UK a campaign (backed by the government) promoting clear and simple worded English was introduced in the 1990s. This has helped to make contracts clearer - but it has not helped the abysmal private vehicle insurance situation there... it seems that it is quite similar on both sides of the Atlantic.

I believe that governments should work harder to protect individuals from the bullying tactics of insurance companies. Governments need to remember that they are actually representing all of us and not just the large corporations that apparently make the money. (With out the little people who work for the corporations they wouldn't be half as rich!)

I don't have a rental clause because I own multiple vehicles; I've never heard of the 80% rule. That's a new one to me, but I imagine it was created because some people's rental cars are nicer than their own cars and they end up bleeding the insurance company for 60 days of rental on a one-week repair. I've personally seen some people do this.

As for the "substitution" clause, that's a common addendum to insurance policies these days; my policy has the same clause. One way around that is to take the car to a dealer for repairs; some dealers won't use that cheap Chinese crap (b/c it takes longer to fit and fix the imperfections), and they'll end up bullying the insurance company for you to get their maker's parts. We did this with the wife's Lexus.

In Texas, we have the Texas Dept of Insurance; if you sick those guys on an insurance company in Texas, their attitude changes amazingly quick. I have never used the Dept of Ins for an auto claim, but we have used them for some health claims and it was amazing how well all went once the Dept of Ins was notified.

Lastly, Jim, I'm surprised that after all that ranting and raving, you feel the need to protect your insurance company by not naming them in your post.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

The car was taken to an expert body shop that specializes in cars that fix and repaint damaged high end autos like Ferraris, Porsches ande Rolls Royces.

Compared to that, the dealer's body shop work would likely be indifferent and inferior, despite quick access to FoMoCo parts.

However your remark about their possible refusal to use non factory new parts sounds like a good one....

While I am surprised you have chosen to dismss my remarks as "ranting and raving" and by implication worthless, they are offered as a snapshot of current industry policies, and therefore meant as cautionary....

The reason the company, (who you'd recognize instantly!)was not named.... is because given their practices (they tried to bully me away from this shop by claiming they would reinburse "only at the PREVAILING local hourly labor rate", but, when pressed did NOT know what it was in my area.)

....and they have an in house army of constipated lawyers that would like nothing better than to sue for defamation or libel or slander, everything but the kitchen sink.

I don't need that.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

got a problem with perfectly good junkyard parts?

Why do you need a rental you have the Mercedes? Its only going to be in the shop for a few days.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I'm no fan of aftermarket parts, but have NO objection to salvage parts...after all it is a used car, like EVERY other car on the road. I have used salvage parts on just about every car I've ever wrecked or otherwise damaged. The thing is this...a new bumper cover just needs to be scothchbrited and painted, but a salvage cover needs "clean up" time, which would be an hour or two to knock the existing finish off to remove stone chips and other imperfections, which will sometimes drive the cost of the salvage part above the cost of a new part.

I was an estimator in a body shop for 4 years, and a shop that is worth a hoot will duke it out with the insurance company...they don't want to apply their shop's warranty if they're working with crap parts any more than you want the shop using crap parts.

There's an aftermarket vendor locally called "Certi-Fit" that is referred to as "sorta-fit", which is pretty close to the truth.

__________________
2002 Ford ZX2
2 x 2013 Honda Civics