Insurance company bashing time!

[Brer Rabbit]

My mothers 02 Tracker was in an accident and my mother is going thru Farmers(her current insurance company) to get her car fixed because the lady who hit her has "Apollo Insurance ". Anyway theres about 2400 in damage on the estimate but the problem here is that the Farmers adjuster is required by company policy to use aftermarket parts to fix my moms car. Well my dad is extremely mad and wants the original equipment stuff used but now realizes that there is nothing to be done at this point unless he wants to pay the difference for the real stuff. So now we are going to jump ship after I went round and round about the matter with the agent and he wouldnt do anything. I was told that State Farm will use original equipment stuff and they are the only ones who will at this point. Is that true or is there another company out there that will do what the customer wants?. My pops might shoot up the place if somebody wacks his 05 Silverado, so ur help here might save lives!

 

[turbofish38]

Is your state a no-fault state? Down here in FLA we are and its the law that if you want OEM parts the ins.co has to install OEM. I'm assuming it works the same every where else.

 

[suicide six]

Allstate was famous for making customers use aftermarket parts.I believe they were sued when a sub standard rear bumper failed.They changed their tune afterwards Im told.If you stand your grd and dont give in to hte aftermarket routine,the Ins Cos will bend because they want the issue settled.

 

[fitz3820]

Is your state a no-fault state? Down here in FLA we are and its the law that if you want OEM parts the ins.co has to install OEM. I'm assuming it works the same every where else.

No-Fault has to do with medical bills - in a collision there is always someone "at-faut"!!!!!!

 

[Blue87T]

As always , insurance rules vary from state to state. Illinois has very specific rules from what I understand ( I dont work there so I am not sure what they are but they are consumer friendly). Parts usuage does vary from company to company also.

As far as your moms damages go , assuming she is using her own collision coverage , she is going to be bound by what her insurance contract says. The Framers appraiser isnt " required by company policy " to use any part - he is giving your mom what she paid for - collision coverage with the option to fix the car using parts including , but not limited to, OEM, used and aftermarket( this is the wording found in many standard auto policies). All well and good for those of us in the business but not good , obviously , for the average person who doesnt read their auto policy ( which everyone should just to be sure.

That being said , the alternative parts ( used and a/m ) , must be of like kind and quality. This means they must function and appear the same as an OEM from an insurance perspective. The problem with the entire arrangement is that most ( none that I know of ) define, legally, what " repaired to preaccident condition ( more policy wording) " means. They never use the word " restore" as restore vs repair have 2 seperate meanings.

For many older cars and most average consumers , they , on their own , can not tell and a/m part from an OEM. Can you list the parts they have down for a/m? If they fix your car with a/m , they will have to guarantee that part to be of the same quality/appearance. I would let them fix it with them , find something that doesnt look right, save the old damage parts to compare too and prove they are not of like kind and quality. One example is lights. Some have a difference in color or the internal reflectors inside. YOu can shine them on a wall and tell they don't have the same light pattern. Militant body shops will push how life endangering this is. Squeaky wheel gets the grease ( sad but it often comes down to this ). If you need any with IDing a/m flaws let me know.

 

[Brer Rabbit]

Thats interesting

Blue87T, u certainly provided some insight to the insurance world, and ur right my mother didnt read her policy until I told her to check it after the adjuster told me on the phone about the wording. U live and u learn thats for sure. The owner of the body shop is a friend of mine and I would hate to waste his time but if he agrees to help out in finding problems (and Im sure he will) then I will squeak until Im happy. . Thanx again for the insight.

 

[Blue87T]

Please dont get me wrong , I wasnt trying to insult you or your mom's situation.. It sucks when this happens and its an arguement/discussion I have almost daily. One point , and not trying to take the insurance company's side , is that maybe they will look ok when its done. I wouldnt want an a/m hood though. Some parts do fit and have an acceptable appearance. One reasons shops don't like a/m parts ( not that they would admit this - and they have a valid point ) is that they don't make as much money on the part. Example : OEM fender costs $300. Shop profit may be 40% ($120) . The a/m fender may only be $120 list and they may only make $20 on the part. Shop mark ups and discounts vary with buying power so my example may not be accurate for all shops.

Again, if you need any help at all email me.

 

[turbofish38]

No-Fault has to do with medical bills - in a collision there is always someone "at-faut"!!!!!!

Yes,thats the medical end of it. The law is written with some owner rights to, like OEM parts and rental car use. Just because the ins.co says they dont have to use OEM dosen't mean its the law and written in stone. I think there is some arbitration process you can also use. Most insurance policies have them.

 

[SilverSleeper]

Just an FYI

I went to get my Escort put back on the road, and spoke with my agent. Natiowide actually has a seperate clause you can add onto your existing policy, that requires the use of OEM only parts. Its a little extra, cost-wise, but not that bad. Its a piece of mind thing for me. Normally, they have the same stipulations....OEm or aftermarket/used etc of comparable quality and function blah blah. So, I was happy to see they offered this option.

Dont feel too bad, I have had some pretty good horror stories with insurance companies myself, including how it took a month to swap a rear axle assembly on a 96 astro and how they were willing to pay the rental car fees for a few days, but when it came out to a month long fight, they made me foot the $1100 bill for the rental car and left me hanging.