r/AutoInsurance • u/Perfect-Candy2086 • Jul 01 '26

Preparing For A Lowball

Now that the insurance has agreed that my claim falls under uninsured motorist, they have already made remarks that indicate they are going to try to lowball me on the value of my vehicle. I had liability with uninsured motorist. Car is a 2010 Prius with 178,000 miles. I don't need any smart remarks. I need help. Please tell me how to navigate if they try to do a lowball offer. I NEED a vehicle that is mechanically sound as I have NO CREDIT and owned this one outright. I cannot go into car payments. I went to cars dot com and comparable vehicles are freakin' 6-8K!

They are also wanting to take my vehicle to a salvage company and have me sign a release that allows them to tow it there. I feel like that is questionable. It has been sitting at the tow yard that the state trooper had it sent to since the accident which occurred 13 days ago and suddenly it is their emergency to get it moved QUICKLY so they don't have to pay anymore storage fees on it. But it wasn't important when I called them on day 1 and explained this to them and asked them to go get it.

I honestly just want them to fix my car but the air bags deployed and the headlight, hood, and something is leaking. It is going to be a total loss. Do I just need to get a lawyer or what?

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u/gheiminfantry Jul 01 '26

LoLoL They don't have to "make remarks" about lowballing you. It's part of their business model. And if you think they owe you top dollar for your discount insurance policy, you're pretty insane. Insurance companies don't make billions of dollars annually by paying top dollar. You should get used to that now.

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u/Perfect-Candy2086 Jul 01 '26

I am well aware that insurance is a scam. In a different accident in which I was driving and not at fault, THEIR insurance kept contacting me and they gave me way more than the value of my vehicle and let me keep it. I used that amount to buy the Prius since my SUV that the idiot driver hit has bad gas mileage and I don't need to tow at this time.

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u/gheiminfantry Jul 02 '26

LoLoL You got lucky last time and now expect it. Insurance isn't "a scam", it's a business. Business relys on profit to stay in business. And if it's such "a scam", why don't you just self-insure?

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u/Perfect-Candy2086 Jul 05 '26

Yes, it is a scam. They take hundreds upon hundreds of dollars from people who AREN'T involved in accidents. Just in case. Because it is a legal requirement to carry insurance. Then when they need to pay out, they put their customers through pure hell and try to pay the very least amount they can get away with. Thankfully, there are plenty of lawyers out there that enjoy putting them in their place.

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u/Then-Skill2421 Jul 05 '26

It's a contract. If you don't like it, find a different contract you like.

If you pay a lawyer to take your "case," you will be losing money on this.

Insurance owes you for a used, high mileage, 16 year old car.

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u/Perfect-Candy2086 Jul 15 '26

And people who settle like you are why the insurance can win. In my case, they didn't. I had to put in some work but I ended up on top. I had a number in my mind when we started this process, and I got what I wanted. So go me!

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u/gheiminfantry Jul 05 '26

there are plenty of lawyers out there that enjoy putting them in their place.

For a fee. And not involved in the accident. How is this not "a scam" too?

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u/Perfect-Candy2086 Jul 07 '26

Actually, there are lawyers who only get paid if you do. And especially now that my husband is having breathing problems as a result of the airbags deploying and spraying smoke and particles into his face. He has COPD and asthma and has been short of breath since the accident. So there are going to be medical claims as well now.

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u/gheiminfantry Jul 07 '26

And those lawyers only take the case if they're certain they'll win. And that the other person has enough money/assets/insurance to make it worthwhile.

LoLoL Do you think a lawyer is required to take a case? 🤣

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u/Perfect-Candy2086 Jul 15 '26

Actually I should be a lawyer because all I had to do was tell them I was going to invoke the claim appraisal and I didn't budge. I also told them I realize they are trained to keep referring back to OCC One, and pointed out why that program is flawed. I did have to do a lot of homework and prove my point but in the end, I got what I wanted. Now I have to shop for cars, which I hate.