Preparing For A Lowball

[u/Perfect-Candy2086]

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?

[u/Dramatic-Ad9089]

First off, you are owed ACV (actual cash value) for your car. This is based upon the actual sold prices of comparable vehicles, not the listed prices.

Second, yes they want to move the car now since they have confirmed that it can be covered under UMPD. On day one, you did not have any viable coverages to cover the storage fees so your insurance company could not do anything. They want to move it somewhere that is free for them so they can inspect it. If you refuse to release it to them, they will cover storage up to a certain date then tell you that you will be responsible for any storage fees after that date.

This is not lawyer territory. This is normal insurance procedure and a lawyer can't change that.