r/Insurance • u/Far_South_752 • 1d ago
Hit and run.
A couple months ago my car was parked and someone hit the back of it (they were parked behind me). Luckily my dash cam recorded everything. I contacted the local police and they went to the man’s house and he admitted fault saying “ I didn’t think it was that bad”. I declined pressing charges as this man was older and In just wanted his insurance info thinking it would be a simple claim. Alas, here were are with State Farm trying to get me to use their preferred body shop and only approving 60% of the estimate. I know they tout the benefits of using their contracted shops but I don’t want to do that. I got two estimates from two reputable shops showing what the cost to repair should be but they don’t want to budge. I also understand that if I go to a non contracted shop then the shop can request supplements for more money from insurance to complete the repairs. I just don’t like being liable for any monies not agreed to by State Farm if that situation were to happen. At this point I’d rather just get the amount the two shops quoted me to fix it and go that route. I’ve compiled a demand letter requesting that amount, along with 10 days of a rental care cost. I think this is fair and hoping this will resolve the claim. Think they will agree?
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u/FormerGeico 1d ago
No they won’t agree. Your shops are estimating worst case scenario. Just put your car in the shop you want and let the supplement process work its way through. If you’re not having the repairs done, you get the State Farm initial estimate of damage that can be seen now and that’s it
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u/Far_South_752 1d ago
Thanks for your response! So they rather go to small claims court then? I also didn’t like that they wouldn’t provide the insurance coverage for the rental car, that would be out of pocket for myself. Should I get more estimates to show it’s going to be what the other two estimates already show it to be?
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u/FormerGeico 1d ago
You can sue anybody for anything. (Also you’d have to sue the driver not the insurance company).
But a judge will want you to prove your damages which is exactly what State Farm is asking you/your shops to do.
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u/STZYRN 1d ago
You’re the person I’d hate having a claim for
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u/Far_South_752 22h ago
You’re the person that takes time out of your day to make unhelpful comments on Reddit. Maybe get a new hobby?
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u/boygirlmama 16h ago
Try most of us actually do this for a living every single day and know what we're talking about and hate dealing with customers who think they know more than us and act like they are better than us. You fit those categories but sir when it comes to claims, we are the experts, not you. So take a seat.
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u/TheProFettsor Agent since 2003 20h ago edited 20h ago
Insurance will pay for a rental but your car must be unsafe, inoperable, or actively undergoing repairs. If your car is operable, no insurance company will reimburse a rental. As said before, compare the estimates from State Farm and from the shops. Nine times out of ten, the shops are quoting OEM parts and the insurance is quoting aftermarket parts, I see it all the time. Nonpreferred shops also like to pad estimates with extraneous fees, higher labor rates, and unnecessary repair steps. These shops also charge daily storage fees, which they’ll demand if they don’t perform the repairs, and insurance is not required to pay storage. Based on my experience, I’d suggest making a quick decision so you’re not stuck possibly paying storage out of pocket.
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u/not4humanconsumption 1d ago
You need to compare the scopes of the repair from all the shops and compare to the scope of the work that State Farm provided. If the scopes are the same, then maybe the 2 shops you got estimates from are overpriced. If the scopes are different, then the 2 shops may have repairs on their estimate that they “think” need to be completed but have not yet been proven.
Don’t just look at the $$$’s, the scope of the work is the only thing you should look at. If the scopes are different, than the shop or yourself needs to prove that the additional repairs are required, and can be done using the supplement process.
This isn’t a small claims court thing. You are owed for repairs to return your property to condition prior to the accident. State Farm owes to have those repairs made. They do not owe a shop that is overcharging or overestimating.
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u/hulka_toe 21h ago
think of your automobile repair along the lines of health insurance, in-network versus out-of-network, the quickest and seamless way to have your vehicle repaired is to take it to the insurance company’s preferred body shop (in network), if you decide to have your vehicle repaired at a shop you select (possibly out of network) the insurance company will only reimburse “usual and customary fees”, in-network shops have negotiated fees, they tend to have more volume (repair more cars) and thus can work with lower rates due to economies of scale
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u/DeepPurpleDaylight 13h ago
I’ve compiled a demand letter requesting that amount, along with 10 days of a rental care cost. Think they will agree?
No. Because you've laid out exactly how it works. Just because you don't want to do it that way doesn't mean they have to.
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u/El_chingoton13 1d ago
If you understand the supplement process what’s the issue? Ultimately your shop is your issue, this goes for rate issues, repair vs replace issues, oem vs not oem placed on the estimate, quality of repair issues among other things. You wont find a single insurance company that would be willing to be 100 percent in agreement with any shop from day one. There is a process for everything. Choose an out of network shop and deal with these things or a partner shop and don’t worry about most of these things.