fatbrit

Did you have "gap insurance"? This could have either been paid as a one-off sum when you bought the car, or it could be in your auto insurance premiums. If not, you could be SOL on the difference.

TruBrit

sorry not much advice as it depends on both insurances. good news that the family are all ok that's the main thing. the same happened to me two yrs ago, luckily i was driving my suv and the guy that rear ended me had full insurance and i claimed on his..i had quite a lot of whiplash and that was also taken care of on his policy. sure hope the family continue to do well.

Scorchio

In Dec '04, our Honda had a argument with a Buick, and came off worse. After they inspected the mashed up remains of the front end, they concluded it was a write-off, which was a shame because I really liked that car. We'd bought it used about 6 months previously and they paid us about the same amount we'd paid for it.

We were insured through Progressive, who were quite nice about it all, but dropped the ball when it came to supplying a rental car. Originally, they said we could have a rental car for up to 30 days, I guess while the car was repaired, but once they declared the car a write-off, the most they would offer was 3 days. Didn't find this out until I was heading back to work after Christmas, and our new car wasn't due to be delivered for another couple of weeks.

But yes, as others have mentioned already, once the insurance company pays up, they own the car. Once we got the cheque, we never saw it again. I'm still wondering if I left a CD wallet under the front passenger seat...

snowbunny

You've verified that he is a paid-up policy holder, correct? But he hasn't phoned in the claim? His agent should be contacting him ASAP. I'm glad the police were on the scene as he may try to contest who's at fault. Even if your wife was stopped at a red traffic light.

You may end up needing uninsured/underinsured coverage from your policy. I would inform your agent that the other party still hasn't contacted his agent and see what they can do for you.

Neither of the companies you mention have a *great* reputation at paying out claims. Hopefully this won't affect your claim.

Take a deep breath -- this is a long process.

scrubbedexpat099

Gap Insurance by Dealers is a bit of a scam, whether you need it as an extension of your own cover is another issue, depends on how upside down you are.

fatbrit

I agree! Think there was someone here who got offered it when they bought a car for cash if I remember correctly!!! Get your credit score up and always put 30% down and then you simply don't need it would be my advice. And if you can't afford the down payment, you can't afford the car -- simple as that! But if you have been scammed by this, at least it might be time to collect for this particular scenario.

scrubbedexpat099

Agree Police Report is essential.

Uninusured/underinsured cover is fortunately not an issue, OP said no injuries.

You pays your money etc and Insurance is no different. The comment about Progressive amused me, the better companies would have paid out the limit for rental cover in the event of a write off. But Progressive competes on price and that means keeping the settlements low.

Bob

you reported it to the police?

over here, anything that even remotely looks like it might be over $1K in damage requires a call to the police for them to check it out before the insurance will even touch you...I know that's a state thing though.

bit of a bugger ain't it, but glad everyone was alright

dbj1000

Yes, we have confirmed with this insurer that he's paid up and covered. There were multiple witnesses who talked to the police, because the impact drove my wife's car into the cars infront.

Out of interest, who DOES have the best reputation for insurance? I'm realizing pretty quick here that we could have done better than the coverage we have, which we obtained purely on policy cost.

Partystar

We have USAA (obviously there's a limit as to who can apply for it), but they have been absolutely superb in every aspect of insurance. We have almost all our insurance through them, they are always very helpful, caring, professional, I cannot say enough good things about them. If you have anyone in your family that is military, get them to refer you!

snowbunny

USAA are indeed superb but in the main for *officer's* immediate families until very recently, and Yank military at that.

State Farm are very good.

There are customer satisfaction ratings conducted, but I don't recall seeing any recently. However, you now have an opportunity -- you will doubtless tell some folks about your wreck and as I said, it's a long process in a bad wreck like this. Ask the folks you talk to who they're insured with and if they like them. If they haven't had to file a claim, disregard. Know of any coworkers who've been in wrecks? Ask them.

Insurance is very much on a state-by-state basis though there are national firms. Texas is rather lax about the coverage amount that's mandatory, as well as making the insurance companies cough up the cash when you claim for it.

scrubbedexpat099

http://www.insureuonline.org/ is a start.

Look for the Comapnies that have the best reputation for settling claims, I used to work in Insurance in the UK, biggest gripes were always on claims, saving a few pounds/dollars on premiums is soon forgotten.

You also need to deal with someone who knows what they are talking about, not all Agents are anything like the same, you need someone who will work with you and provide the service you need, no different to any other 'profession'. Unfortuanatly US Insurance practice is complex, much more so that in UK.

State Farm of the ones mentioned so far have a good reputation.

TruBrit

we are with state farm and although a little more costly were excellent in keeping on top of my claim.

blaze

We have USAA also, although (thank god!) we haven't had to use them. Thank goodness your family is okay, that is indeed the main thing, sorting out the car and insurance is a pain in the butt and an inconvenience but it could have been worse .

dbj1000

Oh, I know! We were very lucky indeed, and I can't tell you how happy and relieved I am that they're all OK.

Don't get me wrong - my question here is just because people here are always good at providing this kind of factual information and viewpoints.