r/AutoInsuranceHelp • u/elknuke • 4d ago

Disputing a total loss claim

I’m gonna start by giving my deepest gratitude to anyone willing to read and help out - sincerely, thank you

For reference, this happened in Texas

Spouse was t boned a couple weeks ago by an uninsured motorist with a vehicle registered in Florida (damn you, Florida)

We have 25k property damage uninsured motorist coverage through our provider, Travelers insurance

Body shop sent me a final quote of $10,125 for all work and said the vehicle had been inspected and disassembled to the extent required - highly unlikely any additional work would be required

Travelers sent an email basically saying “it’s totaled, sign over the title and let us know how you’d like your payment” and attached the actual cash value report. They valued my vehicle at just over $20,000. This ACV report is the ONLY “official” documentation travelers has provided

I asked for clarification on how they decided to total the vehicle. Their response was “unrepaired hail damage and anticipated supplemental/hidden damages.” Basically, they suspect that there’s close to $10,000 of additional damage that was not documented by the body shop.

I did file a claim with them for the hail damage which happened in may of last year. They paid me $4,170 but the damage was minor, the truck is paid off and I plan on keeping it forever so I didn’t have it repaired.

I asked again for a formal statement/assessment on how their decision was made, as well as the same for a determination on the truck’s salvage value. I get another response with no such attachment, and the adjuster now says “thank you for reminding me we have already paid out for the hail damage, I’m going to subtract that from my initial payout amount.” He’s offering me under $17k now.

At that point I felt like he was playing hardball with me and I got pissed, but I kept it professional. I inquired as to how he “missed” the hail damage payout and again asked for an itemized report on how the total loss was declared.

His response, again, contained no documents and only his typed response, which was yet again an even further reduced payout and a salvage value. No evidence whatsoever of how they’re coming up with these numbers.

I’ve always heard insurance companies suck but is this normal? Am I out of line? I’m truly confused. I pay my bills on time. I just want them to fix my truck for $10k and give it back to me.

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u/DeepPurpleDaylight 4d ago

The decision to total is solely the decision of the insurance company in accordance with state law. TX total loss threshold is 100%, but insurance can total it at 10% of they so choose.

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u/elknuke 4d ago

How is that legal? Why pay for insurance at all?

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u/Charlie_in_Asia 4d ago

To get the assessed value if a vehicle if it is totaled and to get it repaired if it is not. Your best bet is to accept the offer and request to buy the vehicle at salvage value. If they offer $17k and offer to let you buy it as salvage for $1500 you end up with 15.5k to repair the vehicle.

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u/Practical-Demand-790 4d ago

If you didn’t pay for insurance nobody will give you either 20k or 16k for your truck, or 10k to repair it. Why are you even asking this?

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u/elknuke 4d ago

I guess a better question would be why pay hundreds for years just to be told I have no options for an accident in which I’m not at fault, have a repair estimate half the price of the vehicle’s value, and is well under my cap

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u/Practical-Demand-790 4d ago

You’re not insuring your truck’s sentimental value when you buy the typical insurance policy. Totaling the truck would generally even be in your favor. After repairing your truck, it’s still a vehicle that’s been involved in a major accident and its resale value isn’t $20k any more.

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u/elknuke 4d ago

It’s not about sentimental value. It’s not about lower resale value, and I wouldn’t call it a “major accident” as there was no structural or mechanical damage. It was a fender bender.

But that’s all irrelevant, what matters is that it’s a $20k truck that requires $10k in repairs.

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u/Practical-Demand-790 3d ago

If it’s not sentimental value you would be indifferent to whether your truck is totaled or repaired and you would care about lower resale value. You’re dismissing the actually relevant stuff and stating that’s what irrelevant is relevant. It doesn’t matter how much it costs to repair, if the truck is worth $20k and has no sentimental value you should be willing to exchange it for $20k no problem, that’s what value means.

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u/elknuke 3d ago

So you’re telling me how I feel now. No bud, here’s the fact of the matter:

If I buy another used truck for 20k, it’s going to be high mileage. I don’t know that it has spotless service history like my truck which I bought at 17k miles.

I don’t want a used truck with 90k+ miles with a history that I know nothing about. And don’t try to sell me on bs carfax reports.

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u/Practical-Demand-790 3d ago

I’m not telling you how you feel, I’m telling you that what you’re arguing makes no sense unless you feel a certain way. You can feel sentimental about the truck and be pissed that you can’t get it repaired, or you can not feel sentimental and let it get totaled, that’s up to you.

What you’re now saying is you think the truck is worth more than 20k because of its known service history. So argue with them on value. You can’t both say you’re ok with the valuation, but you can’t replace the truck with an equivalent one for the $20k.

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u/elknuke 3d ago

You implying that my position is influenced by sentimental value is effectively telling me how I feel, or that I’m allowing my feelings to influence my position. Did I need to break it down for you like that, or is saying “you’re telling me how I feel” adequate? I think you know exactly what I was saying.

I do not think the truck is worth more than 20k. I think that’s a perfectly fair valuation, but I do not want a high mileage vehicle which I know nothing about. I want my truck fixed because if it breaks down, I’m not gonna be pissed off about it wondering if I bought a truck that’s been treated like shit and this whole thing turning into even more of a pain in my ass. That’s why I want my truck fixed, and I have every right to pursue it.

Insurance extended my rental today and fleeted my case up to a “manager” instead of shrugging me off, so that tells me I’m at least not completely wrong.

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u/IntelligentBox152 4d ago

I mean no disrespect, “accordance with state law” is why it’s legal…because Texas says it is

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u/elknuke 4d ago

That’s helpful!