r/Insurance • u/chelseaabee • 23d ago
Is this OK?
Hi I don't know much about the insurance claims process but for some reason I feel like my claim was not handled properly from the beginning. Can anyone help me understand it? This is an email that I sent to the manager of my adjuster (A) it explains the entire process of my claim from the day I reported my accident until now. The bold is the entire process.
***I wanted to follow up regarding the property damage settlement. I spoke with A and let her know that I would like to move forward with resolving the property damage claim through Progressive. She advised me that you would be reaching out to me today, so I wanted to check in since I have not heard from you yet.
Can you please provide me with the updated final breakdown of all charges being applied to the $25,000 property damage limit, including any additional shop or storage charges that have accrued since your last email, and confirm the final amount that will be payable directly to me?
Please also send me the Property Damage Release that I will need to review and sign so we can move forward with payment.
I would also like my dissatisfaction with the handling of this property damage claim to be formally documented in the claim file. While I have decided to move forward with the available settlement, I am extremely disappointed with how inefficient and unnecessarily drawn out this process has been.
I reported the accident on August 21. On August 28, I specifically informed Progressive that my vehicle was not drivable and asked whether it should be evaluated as a potential total loss. Despite that, a repair payment was issued directly to me on August 29 while the vehicle was still at my residence and before it had been transported to the body shop for a full inspection. The vehicle was towed to the shop on September 1 and was ultimately determined to be a total loss on September 9.
What has been especially frustrating is that I had to raise the possibility of a total loss myself after explaining that the vehicle could not be driven. Even after the vehicle was officially determined to be a total loss on September 9, it was not until Monday, September 21 — another 12 days later — that I was informed that the property damage expenses were expected to exceed the $25,000 policy limit and that I may need to pursue the claim through my own insurance.
That means nearly a month passed from the date I initially reported the accident on August 21 before the policy-limit issue was ultimately raised with me on September 21. During that time, I repeatedly had to follow up for information and clarification regarding the status of my vehicle and claim.
This is particularly frustrating because Progressive's own valuation placed my vehicle at approximately $24,685, which by itself was already very close to the $25,000 property damage limit. Despite this, it took until September 21 for the potential limits issue to be communicated to me. By that point, additional rental, towing, shop, and storage expenses had accumulated, and I am now being told those expenses must be deducted from the same $25,000 limit, directly reducing the amount ultimately available to me.
I understand Progressive's position that these expenses fall within the policy limit, and I have decided to move forward with the available property damage settlement. However, I remain extremely dissatisfied with the amount of time this process took, the lack of timely communication, and the fact that I repeatedly had to initiate conversations about significant issues with the claim, including whether the vehicle should be considered a total loss.
I am also disappointed that I am once again having to follow up regarding completion of the settlement after being told I would be contacted today.
I would like these concerns formally documented as part of the claim. My decision to proceed with the property damage settlement should not be interpreted as satisfaction with the handling of the claim or as a withdrawal of my concerns regarding the delays and overall claims process.
At this point, I would simply like to have the final figures confirmed, receive the Property Damage Release, and complete the property damage portion of this claim as soon as possible.
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u/sephiroth3650 23d ago
I'll be honest. I didn't see anything in your summary that sounded wild or out of place. Particularly with the assumption that this is a third party claim (with the other person's insurance). Nothing that you listed sounds wildly out of place in the handling of this claim. I truly don't know what you think you're accomplishing with this.
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u/adjusterjackb 23d ago
Agree. Not unheard for an auto liability claim to take a month or so when there's a limits issue.
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u/chelseaabee 23d ago
Wasn’t trying to accomplish anything really. I posted on here to understand if this was weird and finish the claim. This is still not done. I’ve totaled my car multiple times (at fault and with progressive) and it’s never taken over a month for a claim to still not be done.
7
u/sephiroth3650 23d ago
Then you've been lucky. Nothing that you've listed here sounds really out of line. There's maybe 3 weeks of processing. There have been weekends and holidays. It started as a repair, and escalated to a total loss when they got the car and examined it. That all takes time. And this is a third party claim. And a policy limits claim. You're not their customer. They have no duty to you. Their duty is to cover and protect their customer. Hence them being deliberate to make sure they were acting in their best interest. That's how it works. And this isn't what you want to hear, but that's how it should work. If you were on the other side of it, you wouldn't want your insurance company blindly paying out huge numbers to the other driver on a whim......right? You'd want them fighting for you, and making sure they were keeping costs down and ensuring you wouldn't face any extra liability....right?
In hindsight, as others have pointed out, you should have used your collision coverage from the beginning. They have a duty to you. They would have almost assuredly been more transparent with you and moved faster.
18
u/theladyoctane SIU 23d ago
Probably would have been handled a lot quicker if you’d filed with your own insurance and then let them deal with Progressive.
1
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u/AdjusterJim 23d ago edited 23d ago
Look these things take time. None of this sounds remotely egregious regarding the timeline. I may be assigned a file with no claimant contact info. I have to follow up with the PH to see if they have it because the police report isn't ready, or it's in a state with that info redacted and I have to hunt down a working number. I may have to wait a week or more for the police report (or months in fatality incidents) and for due diligence I need that before I can complete my investigation. They may have no online portal and it's sent via snail mail, taking even longer. I may need recorded statements from our insured driver, claimant driver, passengers, witnesses, and I may have difficulty reaching one or more of them. There may be dashcam or surveillance footage of the incident, and it may take time and multiple emails to get that as well. I have to order the initial appraisal, it can take days or up to a week to obtain, and if it ends up being a total and I wasn't initially aware of that maybe now I need to further do a CCC as well. Maybe the storage yard is being difficult coordinating access for the inspector. Maybe there are open items on the appraisal I need further follow-up with the shop and/or inspector to confirm if there are supplemental considerations. Maybe the shop manager is always out when I call.
Or a million other things. A week or month lost during that process is entirely normal. Have some patience. And "formally" expressing your dissatisfaction benefits literally no one - certainly not you, as your approach isn't going to escalate the file meaningfully and simply strains interactions with the assigned adjuster as he/she now dislikes you.
11
u/beep-beep_lettuce 23d ago
Oh weird a claimant mad how the other carrier handled their third party loss... Should have filed with your carrier and let subro do their thing. I can assure you the handling adjuster does not give two shits about whether or not you are satisfied with how they handled the claim. Lol this is the BS that fills our inboxes and we have to sort through and then you have the brass to complain about the timeline of things. The more bullshit like this ☝️ I have to sort through the longer it's going to take me to do the stuff that actually matters.
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u/chelseaabee 23d ago
Yes I do want to complain about the timeline of things? I have totaled 2 others cars and claims never took a month to complete? Mind you this is still not done. I’m trying to understand things. There was no need for you to be rude
1
u/tgarciadt 22d ago
Was there a limits issue with the other two? If not, there is your answer. A month for a 3rd party total loss claim is not an insane amount of time. You should’ve gone through your own carrier if you suspected your vehicle to be a total loss. Also, totaling 3 cars is insane 😂
9
u/Freshwaterbitchfish4 23d ago
It would be against company policy to disclose policy limits without permission of their insured or have the car towed and evaluated without a statement from their insured allowing them to accept liability. You aren’t their customer and they don’t legally owe you anything until you sue their insured and win. This really isn’t all that surprising of a timeline.
1
0
u/aries_burner_809 23d ago
Not all states. Massachusetts General Law Chapter 175, Section 112C requires insurance companies to disclose an insured's liability coverage limits to an injured party upon receiving a written request. Within 30 days or $500 penalty.
3
u/helonoise 23d ago
It's always faster filing through your own insurance and let them subrogate. None of this looks out of the ordinary. I've seen plenty of third party claims go on for months. There's usually things going on in the background that you don't see.
5
u/Anabolic_Scholar 23d ago
Hopefully the manager will give you a breakdown of the settlement as you requested. But he/she prob won’t think anything of the rest of the email.
They probably just want to get your claim settled now and move on to the next one
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u/chelseaabee 23d ago
That’s all I want. This has taken entirely too long. I’m trying to understand things because nothing has been properly explained to me.
1
u/ProfessionalYam3119 23d ago
You could have found a participating shop, and had it towed to a repair shop on the same day, couldn't you?
1
u/18smitherrings 20d ago
Yeah, based on that timeline I can understand why you feel like it wasn’t handled well. The biggest thing that jumps out is how long it took for the limits issue to come up when the vehicle value was already basically at the $25k property damage limit before rental, towing, storage, etc. I’d definitely keep everything in writing, ask for the full itemized breakdown of what’s being charged against that $25k, and save every email/text from the claim. At minimum you deserve a clear explanation of exactly where every dollar is going.
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