Just remember one thing Larry..if you take your truck to a repair shop thats not on their list and your shop says 4,000.00 to fix and insur. says 3,000.00 ..guess who's footing the difference..you! out of pocket.

WRONG !!!
I've been doing this for 30 years as a tech and am a Ma licensed appraiser , I know the laws trust me !

Ronnie is right..100%....If needed...:hihi: It will not cost a dime to Larry as long as there is no betterment involved and by looking at the picture there will be none...Nobody likes insurance companys because of all these false statements..

then I guess I shouldn't trust my insurance agent [wife]. I'll go out and tell her shes a liar. ..far to many fine lines in this game of apraisels..insurance co's and bodyshops which are all out to screw the public...and don't tell me there's no "it's who you know"to get things covered or have things changed to benifit the friends/family on the inside....I've seen it first hand...the whole system stinks.

Tell your wife what ever you want if it makes you happy :spin:

Fact is, ins co can NOT make you go to a shop on their "referral list"
Thats Mass. law !

If that is the case then the body shop never called the insurance company for a supplement...If that is the case the body shop is at fault and should let the owner of vehicle know,..If the insurance company can not reach an agreed figure with the shop the insurance company has to inform the owner of the vehicle..There should never be a surprise total figure...I sugest your wife should reveiw the claims process

Holy crap Larry...

I just had a similar situation. I was plowed into by another car while driving my Lexus. The insurance Co. (Arbella) estimated the costs and I - like you- couldn't believe how low they came in. I also got a check for a ridiculous amount. The insurance Co, pays you, not the body shop and then you pay them. Hold the check until the job is complete.

The car has a flexible cover over the bumper and it looked like it was a simple repair. I knew the car had lots more damage and squawked like mad. The auto body guy told me to bring the car in and let them take care of the deal. He took the cover off and called the appraiser and I got another check that covered a whole lot more than the first check. The job was done to my satisfaction using Lexus parts and not a penny out of pocket.:uhuh:

Thats the problem..As an insurance appraiser we can only write for VISIABLE damage,,even tho we might think there is additional damage behind the damaged area..We can not write for that damage until it is taken apart at at shop..Its just the process we have to follow...

Thats how the process works and it should be that way !
For the ins co's part, why would they want to over rite it from the start ???
Send a check to the vehicle owner, and from there, lots of times they don't have the car fixed, have it fixed at a back yard not registered -licenses- insured (legal) shop, or just fix a minimal amount of the damage!

Larry, take it to a shop along with your Ins. apraisal. hand them the estimate and make an appointment to get it in. Simple as that.
the body shop will handle the rest with the Ins. company. If there's additional damage trust me the body shop will get it covered bye the Ins. co..
They allways write it cheap. they are not allowed to write what they can't "see" the body shop will take it apart then call for a suppliment.

they {ins co.} can't tell you where to take it. that's "steering" and it's illigal. They give you there "prefered shop" list claiming they will only gaurantee the repairs if you take it to there "prefered" shops. blahh.bLahh. they will only pay a certain amount per hour blah blah.

Find a shop you feel comfortable with that will do a good job and let them handle the rest..
Make sure they gaurantee there work for life.

deposit the check they gave you. that is only the preliminary estimate. you will sign a direction to pay at the body shop and the Ins co. will pay the shop for anything else.
call your agant and see if you are covered for a rental car while the truck is in the shop?
Thats all YOU should be doing.

You will get NO WHERE calling the adjuster.or the Ins company.. you are not a licenced appraiser. let the body shoip handle it. thats there job. All you will do calling up and tearing someone a new one is a wave of pissed off people in your path.
Just tell the shop your a picky SOB and you want the truck perfect or your not giving them the job..













And don't ever piss off the painter :hidin:

Because 9 out of 10 times cash is king and they figure they'll never hear from you again. Most would be happy to pocket the cash and F%$#@ the vehicle so ins. co gets off cheap. Don't be one of them guys Larry, they will do a supplement if the repair goes over estimate, sometimes it's a PIA waiting game but they'll pay in the end.

Great advice...Don't piss anyone who's working on your vehicle off, infact, a coffee goes a long way...I know from experience...:humpty:

I saw a drip. :hihi:

larry , like many said relax , i did body work for 15 years , i am still a licensed auto damage appraiser and even did a brief stint working as an appraiser at a big ins.co., there are 2 things here , like others have said when the truck goes in for repairs the body shop will call the insurance co. and ask for a supplement the appraiser will come back out and look at the truck agian and you will get more money for repairs .what they want is to see the truck is getting repaired . the other part is the insurance co.s make out when people cash the checks and just throw there own tail light in , it just cost them $ 1200. instead of the $2400(just a guess) that it will cost to have the repairs done right at the bodyshop . and with the economy the way it is many are doing just that . i know i do it because my trucks get rear ended once a year like clock work . the toughest fight you my have is getting a factory bumper they only like to pay for factory bumpers on vehicles less than a year old , good luck

Yup drop it off and tell them take as long as it needs as long as it's done right.Exchange coffee and a firm handshake.Your truck will be well taken care of.

Great advice :uhuh:

If you write for damage you can't see, that's fraud, plain and simple. All damage must be measurable or visible, until it is it doesn't exist. Take the truck to the shop and have it torn down. Then stay out of the tech's way.:laugha:

insurance
 

You get an estimate and the insurance company might lower the estimate. At this point you get the insuranc eman in a headlock and you almost always get more money out of him.

hmm,,,
 

Wow,,, From what I can read here looks like there are a few guys who really have a handle on this Larry,,, Especially in the MA.. I would stay in touch with them,,

As far as the insurance company checks,,, I THINK (JMHO) they low ball it and send part of the payment to the customer then wait for the rest of the bill from the body shop,,, Maybe because if some people get the big check they will just keep it and do nothing and then there are just some insurance companies that are just not that good.:humpty::humpty:

All in all I think you will get some good advice here,,, Try not to raise your blood pressure any more than it already it,,, It will all work out in time,,,,,

OK! I think we are good to go to the body shop now!:bsod:

I would not call her a liar at all..Just mis-informed as well as you are..

So Larry,
The truck fixed yet ???
From looking @ the pic, it's a 2 day job tops !
Your making this job a MUCH bigger deal than it is !!!

Just telling you waht the body shop said Ron! 5-10 days......paint, dry time???? I don't know and I don't care I just want it fixed! Got all my ducks in a row, rental car is arranged (truck) and I will go in Monday and make an appointment for the following week as we have memorial services and Angie's family here all week.

[QUOTE=BigFish;606186]Just telling you waht the body shop said Ron! 5-10 days......paint, dry time????


Like I said Larry, 2 days, TOPS !
Paint is dry in 15-20 minutes in a booth with a bake cycle !
Probably 2-3 days waiting for the appraiser to show up for the supplement.
I could only imagine the fun if this was the typical heavy hit (border line total) that I fix on a weekly basis ! :err::spin:

Ronnie....you got no argument from me on the time it should take....I bet 3 days tops. Like I said...just want it right.

Fishchick
 

Larry I believe from reading the post about Angie having family she lost someone close. Sorry to hear. I didn't see any other post about it. Give her my regards.