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Car Crashed? You Could Be Cheated

by Robert Brown

156 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0459; ISBN 1-55369-646-8; US$19.00, C$28.00, EUR18.20, £12.70

A behind the scenes look at the auto insurance claims process, auto damage repair shops and how to choose the best insurance company and best repair shop. Tips that will enable the consumer to recieve a fair settlement on auto insurance claims and auto repairs.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts and Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book A behind the scenes look at the auto insurance claims process, auto damage repair shops and how to choose the best insurance company and best repair shop. Tips that will enable the consumer to recieve a fair settlement on auto insurance claims and auto repairs. R. Brown is a licensed property and casualty claims adjuster with 32 years experience in the auto claims department. He is a I-Car Certified (Inter-industry Conference on Auto Repairs): He has worked for several body shops and owned two small shops. During his claims career, he continued to repair damaged autos to keep abreast of car construction, repair techniques and repair equipment technologies. His experience in both industries offers an insight of the claims process and repair shop practices.

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About the Author Robert Brown grew up in Farmersville, forty miles north east of Dallas, Texas, the hometown of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War II. Robert lost his father in August of 1952. Rayford Jackson a local Auto Body Shop owner offered him a job while he completed High School. Jackson set the ethical standard for dealing with customers, insurance companies and employees. Robert attended North Texas University, in Denton, Texas: Dallas Baptist University and Criswell College in Dallas, Texas. In 1963, he began his career in the Auto Insurance Claims Department until his retirement in 1996. He worked for Service Fire Insurance for five years and then moved to Farmers Insurance until 1996. During his career he trained, certified and supervised dozens of claims adjusters. Many adjusters advanced with the company and many left the company because of disillusionment and disgust. He wrote adjuster training manuals and adjuster guides for the auto claims department. Conducted office and field seminars, taught adjuster classes, coordinated storm losses and oversaw insurance salvage pool operations and the day to day operation of the auto department. He fought fraud internally and externally when it was dangerous to do so. Robert conducted local office and field audits and resolved problems locally and regionally with consumers and shops. He assisted body shop personnel in dealing with the insurance companies and consumers. This effort benefited the companies. During his career he continued to repair damaged autos in his spare time to keep abreast of the latest repair techniques, car construction and equipment technology. His experience offers a behind the scenes operation of the auto claims department and the auto repair industry that can assist consumers in settling their vehicle claims fairly and obtaining satisfactory repairs.

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Sample Excerpts and Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Sarah Albertin, of the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, states there were 6,279,000 police reported accidents in the year 1999. There were approximately 100,000 more in 2000. There are far more accidents that are not reported. The daily average vehicle accidents are approximately 17,200. The majority of these accidents are insurance claims. Many of these consumers are shortchanged or cheated by the insurance companies and the repair shops. This is evident in the often-reported charges and fining of insurance companies for wrongdoing and repair shops for cheating on consumer repairs as exposed by newspaper articles and T. V. news reports.

The insurance industry in the United States is divided in two categories, Life and Health, and Property and Casualty. Vehicle accidents fall under the umbrella of the property and casualty category. Premiums collected for property and causality for the year 2000, were $299.6 billion. The property and casualty insurance industry had a surplus of $319.4 billion for the year ending 2000. Surplus is the remainder after the companies liabilities are subtracted from its assets. The above information was taken from the Insurance Information Institution on the Internet and from the Property and Casualty spokesperson seen on Fox Cable Channel, The Factor, Bill O'Reilly. That's a lot of money.

Consumers are at a disadvantage in dealing with the insurance companies on a claim and especially when there is a dispute. The company may offer less that required to settle a claim or they may unjustly delay or deny knowing that the claim should be paid promptly and in the full amount. Companies are aware of the inexperience of the consumers about the claims handling process and take advantage of this lack of knowledge.

The auto claim process is a game played by the company and the adjuster against the novice consumer. The adjuster is the dealer and will stack the deck against the consumer to win the game. The object of the game is to reduce, delay, confuse, wear down, blame, or force the claimant to file under his/her policy or accept their low offer or to deny the claim. This practice is very effective and used extensively by many companies.

State Farm, Allstate, Nationwide, Farmers Insurance Group and other companies have been fined in the millions of dollars and one case over 1.18 billion dollars for cheating or unethical practices. The consumers are not number one, the companies are. The consumers are not even a number until a claim is reported, then in many cases just a nuisance.

Larger companies may not be the best when purchasing a policy or offering the best service. State Farm is not always a good neighbor, Allstate is not always the good hands people, Farmers Group does not always put the consumer back where they belong {nor are they fast, fair and friendly} and Nationwide is not always on the consumers side. All of these companies and others have been fined and ordered to make restitution in the millions of dollars for infractions. These infractions are detailed in Chapter V., The Company.

This work is not a blanket indictment of the insurance and the repair industry or their employees or the owners and employees of any related venders. There are many employees in both industries that are honest, dedicated and ethically career minded individuals who want to do a professional job. However, there are those in both industries who are petty, vindictive, thieves and mean-spirited. They have a Machiavellian mentality and activity that punishes any one who does not fit their selfish greedy thinking. They ask not what can I do for the consumers and the employees, but what can I do against the consumers and the employees to benefit my own goals.

Unfortunately, most of these individuals are in supervision, management or'wannabe' supervisors or managers. They are arrogant, obstinate, ruthless, and cruel. They are all about power and control. Though many began their career as an entry-level trainee, they brown nose their way up the ladder by parroting management's philosophy until attaining position and power. If anyone disagrees with their thinking, that person is down and out of the loop and any chance of promotion or out of a job due to the treatment received. Management does not care about consumers or employees, only themselves. They have "hemorrhoid" credentials.

If these statements about the companies seem too harsh and the reader does not wish to continue, fast forward to Chapter V, The Company, for a look at the unethical and dishonest activities of the companies.

To better understand the attitude of the adjuster working a claim, it is important to know the atmosphere and environment of the working conditions. The attitude of the adjuster determines the treatment consumers receive. This topic will be discussed in Chapter VI, The Claims Adjuster.

Both the insurance and the repair industry are closely connected when negotiating how to repair a consumer's vehicle. However, there is enmity between the two, neither trusts the other. The companies want to repair as cheaply as possible, reduce, delay or deny the claim and the repair shops want to charge as much as possible and many times more than is required. It's a paradox.

Corruption is widespread in all areas of the insurance industry, repair industry and by consumers.

This work can assist the auto insurance consumer to work toward a more equitable settlement on a claim and to receive satisfactory repairs. There are solutions and they are listed.

CAR CRASHED? YOU COULD BE CHEATED.

The fleecing of the auto insurance consumer. A behind the scenes look at the auto insurance claims process, auto damage repair shops and how to choose the best insurance company and the best repair shop. Tips that will enable the consumer to receive a fair settlement on auto insurance claims and auto repairs.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgment
Foreword
Introduction

Chapter I The Consumer
Show me the money
Consumers unaware
Consumer Rights

Chapter II. The Commissioned Agent.
Factors when choosing an agent
Coverage request
Murder for money
The Honest Agent

Chapter III. The Commissioner of Insurance.
Rate Regulation
Advantage, Company
Disadvantage, Consumer
Company praises the Commission
Company ties rates to credit score
Companies ignore commission order

Chapter IV. The Coverage and Cost
General Coverage
Options
Documentation

Chapter V. The Company.
Keeping Claims Cost Down
Attitudes
Poor Treatment of Employees
Employee age discrimination
Company awareness but no correction
Treatment of Consumers
Adjusters deny claims for cash
Management theft
Reputable Company

Chapter VI. The Claim
A nightmare
Consumer defeats mighty Allstate
Tactics used against the consumer
Tips for the consumer
Documentation-Documentation-Documentation
Allstate M.O. for hindering claim
Collection
Drive through claim service
Types of damage
Comprehensive losses
Consumer Cheats
Consumer vs. Repair Shop
Other Intentional Cheats
Justice of the Peace Court: The consumers' best friend

Chapter VII. The Claims Adjuster
Overworked, Unqualified and Frustrated
Lying Adjusters

Chapter VIII The Auto Body Repair Shop
Dishonest Repair Shops
Honest Repair Shop

Chapter IX The Corruption
Consumer Fraud
Other Fraud

Chapter X

The Conclusion
Not consumer Friendly
Consumer Friendly

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Catalogue Information

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