So, long story short, I had a minor accident a couple weeks ago. Thankfully no one was hurt, but my car got pretty banged up. Insurance finally got back to me yesterday with their settlement offer, and honestly, it's kind of a joke. Like, seriously lowballing me here. I did some quick googling and it seems like this happens a lot more than I realized.
I've never had to deal with insurance claims before (lucky me, right?), so I'm kinda lost on what to do next. Do I just call them up and say "hey, this isn't fair," or do I need to get some kind of documentation or appraisal or something? I've heard people mention hiring independent appraisers or even lawyers, but that seems kinda extreme for my situation... or is it?
If anyone's been through something similar, I'd really appreciate hearing how you handled it. Did you manage to get them to budge at all? Or am I basically stuck with whatever they decide to give me? I'm not trying to get rich off this or anything—I just want enough to actually fix my car properly without dipping into savings.
Any advice would be awesome. Thanks in advance!
Been there, done that, got the lousy insurance offer to prove it. 🙄
"Do I just call them up and say 'hey, this isn't fair,' or do I need to get some kind of documentation or appraisal or something?"
Honestly, calling them up is a good first step. I did exactly that—politely explained why their number was off (had a couple repair quotes handy) and they actually bumped it up a bit. Didn't make me rich, but at least my car didn't look like Frankenstein's monster afterward... Hang in there, you've got this.
Calling them directly can definitely help, but from my experience, having some solid documentation to back you up makes a huge difference. A couple years ago, I had a similar situation—my insurance offered way less than what I knew the repairs would cost. I called them first, thinking a polite conversation would sort things out, but they barely budged. It wasn't until I got a detailed appraisal from an independent mechanic that they started taking me seriously.
The appraisal wasn't free, unfortunately, but it was worth it in the end. The mechanic pointed out several issues the insurance adjuster had completely overlooked. Once I sent that appraisal over, the insurance company revised their offer significantly upward. Still wasn't exactly generous, but at least it covered the actual repairs without me having to dip into savings.
One thing I'm curious about though—has anyone here ever tried using comparable vehicle listings from local dealerships or online marketplaces as evidence? I've heard mixed things about whether insurers accept those as valid proof of value. Seems logical they'd consider it, but logic and insurance companies don't always go hand-in-hand...
Totally agree about documentation being critical. I've never personally used dealership listings, but a coworker did when her car got totaled. She said the insurer initially dismissed them as "asking prices," but when she combined those listings with recent sale prices from online marketplaces, it seemed to carry more weight. Insurers do seem skeptical of dealer prices alone, probably because they're inflated to allow negotiation room...but pairing them with actual sales data might help your case.
I've never personally used dealership listings, but a coworker did when her car got totaled. She said the insurer initially dismissed them as "asking prices," but when she combined those listings w...
That's a good point about combining dealer listings with actual sales data. When our family SUV got rear-ended last year, the insurance company initially offered peanuts based on some generic valuation. I ended up printing out a bunch of recent private sales from Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for similar models in our area. Once they saw real-world numbers instead of just dealer sticker prices, they definitely softened their stance and increased the offer—not by a ton, but enough to make a difference.
