Guess the adjusters estimate to fix damage - 1938 Studebaker is settled

[SC38dls]

I smashed my 38 Studebaker the other day. The damage is seen below but basically it’s the two fenders, the grille, both fog logs lenses and both directional signals lenses.  The radiator is find the frame and suspension is fine. The hood just needs the hinge adjusted. The bumper isn’t damaged but one spring brace is broken. I did not find one but think this one can be welded. When the adjuster came I had a list of parts and cost I found online. 
Grille - found 3 - 1 was ok for $350, 1 was better for $400, and 1 was great for $900. The last one does not have any pitting or rust. I found one front fender for $700. I found the fog light lenses for $80 and the directional lenses for $35. I took the car to the Hagerty recommended shop and the other fender and painting comes to $2500 so my total was $4215.  
I received a call telling me the car was totaled and they would pay out the guaranteed. I asked what the estimate to repair it was as South Carolina requires it to be 75% or higher of the value of the car. I have a $15,000 value. What do you all think the insurance estimate is to fix it?  No prize for the closest guess just bragging rights. 
dave s 

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

10-15K would be my guess. The repair shop just doesn’t want to do the job in my opinion. 

[JFranklin]

Good thing you didn't break the headlight lenses!

[SC38dls]

Mike the repair shop I took it too was reasonable and said they could fix both fenders if needed but the one and painting both would be $2500. Then I would have to put it all back together. The fenders are actually only held on with 4 bolts. The drivers side had some wiring attached but nothing complicated. I’m sure I could have them off in a few hours and twice as long to put back on. Your guess if 15 k for the adjuster is very low. 
dave s 

Edited September 3, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[bryankazmer]

A friend had a problem with insurance wanting to total out his collector car.  He negotiated with them and essentially "bought" the car back from them.  His net payment was enough to cover the repair.  Not sure it's possible here or not.

[edinmass]

18,500 for the repair.

[8E45E]

The biggest costs will be the preparation and the paint, especially being black.   Factor in 35 hours for prep & painting alone, and then another $3-4K for materials.  (I'll let you tell us what they charge per hour.)

 

Craig

[SC38dls]

Ed you are also very low on the estimate. 
They haven’t given me a buy back dollar amount yet. The lady that called was put off because I asked to see the estimate not just get a total. She also had no idea SC requires a 75% or higher amount to total a car. When I asked about a salvage title she said it’s an antique you don’t need a title. I am very concerned about the lack of professionalism with Hagerty. They diffidently don’t have their act together. 
dave s 

Edited September 3, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[prewarnut]

A friend is an adjuster in the low country. I could see if he has any insights on antique appraisals if you want. If it's $4215. out of pocket would you just go that route?

[car crazy]

Remember, just because you have set a valuation of $15,000 on the car for insurance purpose doesn't mean that's the true "value" of the car. The 75% calculation should apply to the actual value of the car, not the agreed value you established with your insurance carrier. Just because you still have your DB4 insured for the $75,000 you paid for it 15 years ago, and never increased the valuation for coverage, doesn't mean your Aston Martin is worth $75,000. Just imagine how profitable the salvage sale on that DB4 would be for the insurance carrier.

I'd research value guides, such as NADA Classic, or perhaps Hagerty's own value guides ( not sure if Hagerty goes pre-war) and hopefully the values are higher than the $15K you used for your agreed value, and you won't end up losing your car or ending up with a salvage title if you do keep it.

[TTR]

Just after reading the thread title and OP, I was going to "guess" $20K-$25K, but seeing Ed's $18.5K being shot down as being "very low" I'm going with $30K+

 

P.S. While I don't normally deal or do "insurance claim" jobs, I did and wrote up an 6 figure estimate (which took several full days to put together) for one of my clients about 10 years ago on a fairly valuable vintage sports car and had to fight his insurance company (one of the largest national carriers) nearly 6 months, as they tried (somewhat clandestinely or perhaps even illegally ?) to prove my estimate incorrect (which it wasn't) by "shopping" 3 of their own damage assessments and pictures with several high-end, specialty shops and contracting one of the most highly regarded national appraisers high-end exotic and rare collectible cars, who even came to and spent about two hours in my shop, recording and studying the damages, etc. 

 

Heck, after about 3-4 months of "entertaining" their various adjusters (& their supervisors), aforementioned expert, multiple requests for additional clarifications, etc, I even sent the company a separate 5 figure invoice just for all that nonsense waste of time. 

 

And in the end, the client agreed to settle for 92% of my original estimate, even after I advised against it, since I didn't think it to be fair, but he just wanted the fight to be over. 

Edited September 4, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

Car Crazy is close the adjuster says $28,480.00 !  They haven’t sent me the actual appraisal so I have no idea what this covers or why so high. They also have not given me a buy back but the lady did mention they normally are between

60-75 % of the guaranteed amount. If that is the case I will let them have it and start looking for another ride. 
dave s 

[SC38dls]

I will try to get the buy back down as low as possible using some good advice from a guy we all know as an expert. Hope it works. 
 

[61polara]

3 hours ago, SC38DLS said:

When I asked about a salvage title she said it’s an antique you don’t need a title.

You're in SC.  All vehicles require a title no matter the age.

[edinmass]

Dave.......Did you see the auction in Auburn today? 15k would buy a nice Packard.......prices were in the toilet. I’m thinking you need a 39-42 Cadillac. 

[JamesR]

SC38DLS, I'm sorry about your accident. That's demoralizing. Hopefully your insurance settlement will treat you right. I presume they can pay you an amount that will allow you to keep the car and fix it?

[SC38dls]

Ed I was looking and there is a 33 Rolls down in your area that is some where in the 1.5m area. Now all I have to do is get Hagerty to add a few zeros to the check and I’ll be all set. 
 

[Frank DuVal]

3 hours ago, SC38DLS said:

the lady did mention they normally are between

60-75 % of the guaranteed amount. If that is the case I will let them have it and start looking for another ride. 

Just given this information, if they will give you 40% of the $15,000 value, you have enough to fix it (~$4200). She may have been saying they give you 60 to 75% of the value if you keep the car, which is the range I have seen in normal insurance on daily drivers. No decision until you see actual figures.😉

[Bill Stoneberg]

I have to ask, what did you hit?   

[SC38dls]

Bill a lady in a Mercedes slammed on her brakes at a green light. She was on the phone and said she thought it was red. It was four lanes and we wee in a long line of traffic. The light turned green everyone started up and all of a sudden she stopped and I didn’t stop fast enough. A witness told the cop what they saw, neither one of us got a ticket. He said mow at to prove she was on phone even after she told him she was so I’m at fault. I hit her so it is my error. 
I should have given her more room, just my stupid mistake. 

I just have to wait and see what Hagerty is going to offer then make a decision. It’s just not a comfortable situation to be in when a company you think is supposed to be professional acts the way they have so far. 
Not a good feeling for sure. 
dave s 

 

[8E45E]

48 minutes ago, SC38DLS said:

I just have to wait and see what Hagerty is going to offer then make a decision. It’s just not a comfortable situation to be in when a company you think is supposed to be professional acts the way they have so far. 
Not a good feeling for sure.

Fix it regardless if it costs you something out-of-pocket in the end.  You'll get your nice car back to enjoy once again.

 

Remember, all of us have to pay for our errors one way or another!

 

Craig

[SC38dls]

I will keep it if possible and I don't get to much grief from my better half - she thinks my days of doing work on an old car are long past, I say what does she know when I get determined! One way or another I will have an old car, preferably pre war, in the garage. I'm 75, 80% retired (I work 3 or 4 days a month) and need something to do besides watch the grass grow. I can do that once I'm down under it!  Maybe time to keep a daily watch on BAT. 

Edited September 4, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[TTR]

I'm by no means an expert on insurance policies, but to my limited understanding of "Agreed Value" compensation would be that in case the car gets "totaled" by the carrier will pay off (in full) according to that "Agreed Value", which in OPs case appears to be $15,000.-. Then, they (the carrier) will issue some kind of salvage value for the "totaled" (i.e. damaged) remains of the vehicle and usually offer the owner a choice of retaining said "wreckage" by deducting it's salvage value from the total pay-off of "Agreed Value".

The repair estimate of $28,480.00 by insurance adjuster or a third-party appraiser in itself doesn't necessarily in this case mean anything else than setting the bar high enough for the carrier to opt out for "Agreed Value" pay-off ($15,000.00), allowing them to walk away.

 

OTOH, this may eventually affect OP's ability to retain a new policy from the provider (Hagerty ?), even if for a different vehicle.

 

I would seek advise from some experienced/trained local insurance agent by having him/her look at the policy details.

 

[Guest]

 Think what an unscrupulous insurance company could do,

 The car is insured for a stated value of $15000.

 The fender is damaged for a tune of $8000.

 They write $14500 damage.

 They total it. They pay you $15000.

 They sell it for salvage to a guy that has a fender for $10000. Net loss for the company $5000.

 

 OR, you buy it back for $7500, net loss for ins, co, $7500.

 

 Moral of story, Insure it for what you would gladly sell it for!

[plymouthcranbrook]

Moral two of the story. Remember that any insurance company regardless of reputation has only one real goal. Make a profit. Some are better than others but…

[SC38dls]

TTR & Roger. I know the insurance co just wants out at best possible loss for them. My concern is they put a fix cost at $28480 but won’t tell me how they arrived at that figure. I know I can buy the parts available (all but the right fender) for around $1700 and get the rt fender fixed and both fenders painted for another $2500. I will have to do work but it’s basically replacing sheet metal. So my cost will be about $4300. Let’s say they have a shop do it at double that figure for labor.  That’s a total of $8600. How can the cost be anywhere near $28000! That’s my reason for concern. They won’t tell me what it covers because the agent assigned to my claim doesn’t know and has no paperwork other than the total, they say SC doesn’t need a title for antique cars when it is required. I don’t have a buy back number as agent has no paperwork again. All of the ads and info on the web site say how good they are and no hassle on claims. Go to FAQ on the site and all you get is “page deleted” ( this was last night and again this am - they may have just been having problems but it not very professional for it to be down for over 18 hours)

This will get resolved but it’s the lack of clear communication from a company that prides itself on being a good family owned antique car insurance co (that by the way is being sold to a Corp) that just gets me upset. 
Hell, at my age I don’t have time to waste on incompetence! 
dave s 

Edited September 4, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[Fossil]

31 minutes ago, SC38DLS said:

How can the cost be anywhere near $28000!

I think I've found the issue here. Just one too many zeros. move the Decimal one place and they are right in the ball park. 

Seriously, if you like the car fix it. That's what my wife would say. Love her. 

 

 

[TTR]

45 minutes ago, SC38DLS said:

TTR & Roger. I know the insurance co just wants out at best possible loss for them. My concern is they put a fix cost at $28480 but won’t tell me how they arrived at that figure. I know I can buy the parts available (all but the right fender) for around $1700 and get the rt fender fixed and both fenders painted for another $2500. I will have to do work but it’s basically replacing sheet metal. So my cost will be about $4300. Let’s say they have a shop do it at double that figure for labor.  That’s a total of $8600. How can the cost be anywhere near $28000! That’s my reason for concern. They won’t tell me what it covers because the agent assigned to my claim doesn’t know and has no paperwork other than the total, they say SC doesn’t need a title for antique cars when it is required. I don’t have a buy back number as agent has no paperwork again. All of the ads and info on the web site say how good they are and no hassle on claims. Go to FAQ on the site and all you get is “page deleted” ( this was last night and again this am - they may have just been having problems but it not very professional for it to be down for over 18 hours)

This will get resolved but it’s the lack of clear communication from a company that prides itself on being a good family owned antique car insurance co (that by the way is being sold to a Corp) that just gets me upset. 
Hell, at my age I don’t have time to waste on incompetence! 
dave s 

Sorry to point this out:

For you, all this is obviously fairly emotional/personal/upsetting concern, but for your insurance carrier/provider (regardless of who they are or how they "market"/"present" themselves), all this (including you) is just figures and statistics.

Being upset or stressed over this is not helpful nor likely to chance the outcome, whatever it may be.

If anything, like my earlier comment about mine and my clients experience, making you frustrated during this process, will likely help them to get you to accept whatever they offer in the end.

 

[oldcarfudd]

When my Cadillac got creamed several years ago, what TTR describes is exactly what happened between Hagerty and me.  I was very pleased with way they handled it.

[SC38dls]

TTR - I agree they are about the money, no problem there on my part. Why call me with a figure and say so we are going to pay you the guarantee amount when:

1. You have no backup detailed information about the number you are saying it will cost to fix

2. You have told me I will have options on what I want to do - also a big part of your advertising (this coming from a guy -me - that has spend 45 years dealing with publishers and the advertisers associated with that industry), hen you have NO information about those options.

3. You state inaccurate information about legal information regarding the titling of a vehicle in a state. Do the research first before you make a serious mistake.

4. Know your clients - everyone accepts the fact something like this accident and results from it can be very upsetting to the antique car owner. Have accurate answers before calling with half ass answers that are going to most likely be asked because of those emotions. Especially asked after you brought up the options in an earlier call.  Realize this is a business transaction for you but an emotional transaction for the owner. 

5. In other words - Give the service and understanding your advertising and owner stresses and may be the only reason your company got picked over another. 

 

I did circulation fulfillment for over 100 publications monthly. When I called a client, no matter the reason, I had a copy of the magazine in front of me, opened to the publishers page. I had a complet set of reports on the computer on my desk so I could have access to any demographic data they asked about. I knew how much he paid us each month and whether he was up to date with his account or past due. In other words I was prepared. Not unusual in the business world. So I expect an insurance agent to have the information in front of him/her when they are calling me about what their company is doing about my claim. I paid them for the service they advertised and told me they would provide. Now they need to preform. Maybe that is what everyone is complaining about now as we all hear a lot of bad service or no service from the current work force and no one is doing the job they are paid to do. I will not accept that from any company I hire or pay for a service. If that makes me wrong so be it, I can live with that.

dave s 

Edited September 4, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[13CADDY]

one of the many problems you face is what the salvage will bring--the insurance co. will get a good sale check--it'll probably go out of the country where titles aren't a problem--the salvage sales guar. the insurance co's a certain% dollar return, or they'll move to another of their sales--good luck--Tom

[CHuDWah]

Seems to me if the Mercedes lady slammed on the brakes for no reason in the middle of a green light, she was at fault, phone or no phone.  I'd guess the cop just didn't want to fool with it.

 

Anyway, you may never get the whole story from Hagerty.  As others have said, their concern is the numbers, so here's a few.  It will cost them $15K to total the car.  They said the buyback is 60-75% so they'll be at least $3750 out-of-pocket.  You have an estimate of $4215 for parts and outside labor.  You said you could disassemble in "a few hours" and reassemble in twice that.  You might offer to settle for say, $5K if you get to keep the car.  You might point out they likely will incur some cost selling the car to a third party.  Depending on what they can get for it, they may not recover the $1250 or more difference between your offer and their buy-back out-of-pocket.  That deal would hedge your estimate, cover your out-of-pocket, and/or pay you an hourly wage depending on how many hours you spend on disassembly/reassembly.  It may not be a high wage but since you're semi-retired, it'll probably be for time you wouldn't get paid for anyway.  It also avoids a salvage title if that's a thing in SC.

 

OTOH, if you don't want to mess with the hassle and/or keep the car, just take the $15K and put it toward another.

[plymouthcranbrook]

Well in beautiful Illinois the law regarding accidents is that if you hit someone from behind it is your fault. If someone turns in front of you but gets straight before you hit them it’s on you. 

[JamesR]

25 minutes ago, CHuDWah said:

Seems to me if the Mercedes lady slammed on the brakes for no reason in the middle of a green light, she was at fault, phone or no phone. 

 

Not true in my state, and in many others. In my neck of the woods, for whatever reason you hit the car in front of you, the cops will say you were following too close. Given the slower stopping power of antique brakes, it's one of the reasons I hate driving my old cars in rush hour traffic.

 

I don't do this personally, but some people around here will even leave a car length or more between themselves and the car in front of them when at the stop light just in case they are rear ended by someone while stopped. They'll get a ticket for being pushed into the car in front of them. Strange but true. I've seen it happen. I DO NOT bring this up to assign blame in the OP's case, but to make forum members aware that such laws may exist in some parts of the country.

Edited September 4, 2021 by JamesR (see edit history)

[wayne sheldon]

I just cannot be dealing with this sort of stuff these days. The world we live in today is NOT the world I/we grew up in. Incompetence is not only acceptable, it is greatly rewarded! I have too many nasty things that have taken too much of my lifetime away from me. However.

Part of the problem, is that not all collector cars are the same thing. They are not all old improper bad restorations. They are not all extremely desirable and incredibly valuable treasures. And they are not all Pebble Beach level restorations. They NEED to be considered for what THEY are individually.

If a Pebble Beach level restoration is wrecked, repairs should make the car whole again to Pebble Beach level if it is even remotely possible financially, and the car was insured to that level to cover it. 

If a car is a very nice older restoration, showing flaws and shortcomings from a decade or more of use? It is ridiculous to factor in hundreds of hours of repair and paint preparations for a Pebble Beach level repair on a car that will not anywhere near match the repair work!

 

IF (my big IF again) a repair estimate comes in at nearly thirty thousand dollars for damage that could be reasonably and nicely repaired for less than ten thousand dollars? SOMEONE is committing FRAUD! Period!

And a lot of someones including the insurance company and the government (as if we actually had a real one anymore) through its Consumer Protection Agency should be very concerned about it.

 

And don't get me started on the "salvage title" business. It is one of the best-worst examples of a good idea destroyed by rampant corruption in our government and corporate America! Salvage titles today are far worse for the people's common good than not having them ever was.

 

As for the fault because you are "technically" at fault because you hit her from behind? That rule did make sense more than fifty years ago when MOST people lived their lives by decent rules. However, once people began committing fraud by pulling in front of another car and slamming on their brakes in order to collect settlements? That rule a half century ago NEEDED to be changed! And the fact that so few people today live by decent rules of behavior, and do not take responsibility for their own actions? Makes that archaic rule even MORE egregious! NO 'government "for" the people' would have allowed that rule to stand today.

 

Once again. Sorry for my touches onto politics. But they are important to the survival of our hobby.

[Terry Bond]

With reference to previous comment about not requiring a title, I believe whoever told you that was referring to a salvage title. In many states there is an age limit that determines when a salvage title would be needed for an insurance buy-back.  We went through that here in Va with an older vehicle of ours that we bought back from the ins co. They paid us, less the salvage value of the vehicle (which was very nominal), and we kept it. What we got in the settlement was ample to make needed repairs. The vehicle remained in our possession with no title changes. Once fixed, we re-insured it including comp. 

 

A good friend locally who has had a whole career as an adjudicator for claims like this explained nicely. The ins company will research comparables in order to determine the salvage value, which represents what it might bring at an auction.  The ins company does not "sell" vehicles, they dispose of them via auction and work with many different outlets.  The amount they determine to be "salvage value" is what your buy-back price should be.

 

Our insurance company was wonderful to work with and completely open during the entire process, even working to ensure the value of our vehicle was correct by asking about things like options, additions and accessories we had.  They also took into consideration a thousand dollars of new Michelin tires with less than 200 miles on them. All I needed to do is provide appropriate documentation.

 

I was advised at the outset to quickly move from working with the "agent" who was assigned the case and speak directly with a Senior Adjudicator.  If your company isn't being open with you, it's time to "kick it up a notch" and speak to someone who isn't just sitting in front of a computer and unable to deviate from their written script.

 

Each situation is different of course, and each state has their own laws regarding these things.  Our vehicle was not an antique and was insured by a major company along with our other newer vehicles.  I don't know why the process would be any different with collector cars. 

 

Hope everything works out for you. It's a nice car.

Terry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alsancle]

One of my cars got the trunk dinged from the inside because of a loose item during shipping.   You could only see the problem from a certain angle.  My insurance is through J.C. Taylor. I forget the actual insurance company behind them, but they told me to get an estimate myself to get it fixed which I did.  They sent me a check for the 5500 without ever seeing the car.  

 

I guess I have two points:

 

1.  I like J.C. Taylor.

 

2. Paint work is very expensive these days.

[SC38dls]

By law it was my fault. By my following too close it was my fault. By common sense it was not my fault. Common sense looses evert time.  The cop did not want to deal with it. He said to me  - she said she was on the phone and make a mistake thinking the light was red, when she gets to court she would change her story to say she just hesitated or something like that so no tickets will be issued. - But because I hit her in the rear I'm at fault. He did put "with additional circumstances no tickets were issued"  on the report. 

When I was first contacted by the ins co they said one of the options was I could accept the check for the damages and fix it myself as long as that estimate came in under the guarantee. I would be happy to take a dollar amount less than the guarantee amount to fix it. They could take the guarantee and reduce the salvage amount and take another couple thousand off and I would be happy.  I just need to get all of the options in order to make a good decision. Not a half assed one like I did following too close.

Terry - I asked the lady if I would get a salvage title and that ius when she said you don't need a title for an antique car in SC so no I would not get a salvage title. That's when I got upset and said get me all the information or have some with all of it call me next if she could not get it. 

dave s 

[SC38dls]

MY ideal result from the ins co would be to talk with someone in authority and offer to take the guarantee and give me half value and keep my title as is. The guarantee is $15000 i they pay me $7500 - that's a quarter of their estimate to fix it and only 50% of what they would lay out less the salvage  If they wanted me too I would even renew the ins for a year for liability only if that is what makes them happy. After a year I would switch to another company. I believe we would all come out OK but again common sense does not apply.

[30DodgePanel]

I'm probably going to get flamed for being so brutally honest here but... what else is new?

Not trying to cause anyone harm or be disrespectful of anyone's situation (sorry for your loss btw, it really does suck) but just my view as devils advocate after viewing things from the other side for several decades as the insurance industry and public behavior have evolved. 

 

SC38

As you know, there are many other factors that could be at play in regards to response times and answers you have received that are causing your frustration. 

Your assuming how you want the adjuster to respond base on your past business experience in an entirely different industry. I fear reality is much more different. Isn't there a hurricane that is effecting the east coast on a weekly basis this time of year? 

Didn't the accident happen "a few days ago"? 

 

A bit of history:

My wife is a claims advocate for one of the top 5 insurance companies worldwide after spending many years as an adjuster on the front lines and ask that maybe a bit of patience is needed... Oh the stories she could tell of your situation and countless other more complex situations (the loss of the twin towers comes to mind).

 

As you've said, it's only been a few days, everyone is overwhelmed by the losses in your area currently. All customers are important but there are many factors involved that WILL be relayed to you as they get to your situation more in depth. What you have been told to this point is a generic overview and an "estimate" to at least provide you with some initial hope and trust in an emotional time for you, not to try and disrespect you but to try and put you at ease. 

 

One thing that's important to remember is:

The car is not your daily driver. Meaning, with all due respect yours is not a priority since it's not a daily driver as adjusters have many other vehicles/structures/businesses that are experiencing more catastrophic losses than your fender bender and maybe, just maybe others have reported those substantial losses prior to your damage. The estimate (when finalized into an agreement) will break it down and you'll be floored by the amount of labor cost and I'm sure it will all make sense or you can at least know so you can then dispute it or file suit or settle etc....

 

 

1. You have no backup detailed information about the number you are saying it will cost to fix Give them time to finalize it, that detailed info is never offered initially in your situation all things considered. Remember, there are many options for this outcome so don't assume you know what it will or should be. 

 

2. You have told me I will have options on what I want to do - also a big part of your advertising (this coming from a guy -me - that has spend 45 years dealing with publishers and the advertisers associated with that industry), hen you have NO information about those options. Your assumptions about how they are "suppose" to respond will cause this type of frustration especially if you use another industry standard for your demand on how Insurance should be handled. Folks need to realize that because fraud and deceit are so wide spread there are many other behind the scenes factors to any investigation and therefore the answers are not instantaneous nor are they initially revealed hence the generic answers your getting currently. Not to be confused with lies or knowingly deceptive practices....

 

3. You state inaccurate information about legal information regarding the titling of a vehicle in a state. Do the research first before you make a serious mistake.

If it's a salvage title that could change many things, so again, please be patient. 

It is true that human beings make serious mistakes all the time, there's no denying that.., some out of incompetence but others out of a lack of experience or buckling under pressure just to name a few reasons (in the industry)... doesn't mean they will not take care of your case properly in the end. So yeah, mistakes are made, especially in stressful situations when being pressured un-necessarily or out of extreme misguided care with good intentions, but in the end the company HAS to follow state guidelines before a settlement is agreed to and your answers will be quite different than you think.  Automobile total loss adjusters have more facts to look into than you can even imagine.. it's stupid how many laws and legal bs we have in this world nowadays (thanks to widespread fraud) and they get to deal with it daily. Not to mention any new laws or changes they have to be on top of in order to keep up their licenses...

 

4. Know your clients - everyone accepts the fact something like this accident and results from it can be very upsetting to the antique car owner. Have accurate answers before calling with half ass answers that are going to most likely be asked because of those emotions. Especially asked after you brought up the options in an earlier call.  Realize this is a business transaction for you but an emotional transaction for the owner. Adjusters and agents are all consumers too so trust me, they are very concerned about every situation and trying to do what's right for you as a client because losing you is a direct reflection on them and, WILL effect their own job security. Never assume they don't care lest it create more frustration within you, you're getting to old for that  ...

 

5. In other words - Give the service and understanding your advertising and owner stresses and may be the only reason your company got picked over another. They company pays them handsomely and they were trained (by law) for this and will provide the service you paid for but after only a few days, with everything else going on in regards to losses in your area, yours may not be priority number one. Your answers will come once the investigation and other factors are completed. Many of which you know nothing about that happens behind the scenes when it comes to underwriting, police reports, other insureds, special investigative unit, managerial direction for cat losses that may take precedent. etc...

 

Moral of the story? (I know most of you don't care to hear this but it's the truth) 

Adjusters are humans not robots. They have one of the hardest, most thankless jobs and are constantly being sh*& on, lied to, disrespected and denied proper time to do their job according to the law by the public, lawyers, bosses, etc... but they keep plugging away because it's their very lively hood AND, believe it or not, most of them actually do care about getting it right since they are consumers and have families of their own and have had personal losses also... They are not robots, they don't know every answer to your questions initially (which is why they call it "adjusting"), they can't put you at ease or heal your shattered world but most of them always and thoroughly investigate and try to resolve each individual claim as if their own family member was involved, while keeping to company and industry standards by law. I've witnessed this first hand for decades from many family members and friends who have been adjusters.. Do we box in detectives investigating theft of our property or the loss of any other kind? Why then box in someone trying to help you with a damaged vehicle? 

 

However,  the ones who you should be worried about are those adjusters who don't care anymore because they've become jaded and or FEEL as if they are forced to be corralled into giving false answers thanks to a demanding or lying public, irrational management, slick lawyers etc.. but those adjusters don't last long because they don't abide by law and industry standards (which they are required to in order to maintain their license).

 

In other words, the real moral of the story when dealing with a loss adjuster, their very lives are at stake on every call (believe it or not). And you just thought they were incompetent or didn't care .... lol. Right.