Complaint Review: Triple AAA Auto Insurance - Internet

You are actually describing what constitutes great service on a third party claim. Again, a week is an extremely reasonable timeframe. And you seem to be confused about something. YOU are the one making the claim against their customer. If you don't file a claim, guess what will happen? That's right, they won't pay you anything. They are obligated to settle legal claims against their customers. If a claim doesn't get filed by the aggrieved party, there is no reason for them to do anything. Likewise, once they settle your claim, they are not obligated to do anything else. Insurance companies don't just pay you money out of the bottom of their heart. You can keep renting the car, you just have to pay for it. Yeah, its inconvenient, but it's an insurance claim, not a winning lottery ticket. The best you can expect is to be made reasonably whole. Finally, you have yet to describe what their offer was and why you think it's a low-ball. My point is that how much you spent on maintenance is irrelevant. If the car is well maintained, it's worth whatever a car in good condition is worth. If you spent lots of money maintaining it but the car is old, beat up, and has lots of miles, it won't be worth much. And I'm not siding with anyone, just pointing out that you are barking up the wrong tree. Last time I had to deal with a third party claim, it took over 6 months to get resolved. The insurance company (State Farm) dragged the process out as much as they could. What you received sounds like exemplary service.

1. Response Time: While I understand that a week might seem reasonable in some cases, the issue is not just the timeline, but the fact that I had to initiate contact. I didn’t ask for my car to be totaled, so it’s frustrating that I had to chase down AAA to start the process, especially when their client is at fault.

2. Vehicle Valuation: I expect a fair assessment that reflects the true value of my car in its well-maintained condition. Getting a lowball offer feels like another way they are undervaluing what’s rightfully owed.

3. Rental Car and Damages: I understand insurance companies deal with things mechanically, but pulling the rental car with little notice while I’m still in the process of securing transportation was unprofessional. I have a full-time job and a family to care for—I expect basic courtesy and enough time to make arrangements.

4. Being Treated Like a Number: Your comment that “I’m nothing more than a property damage claim” is exactly the problem. I expect to be treated with some level of human decency and not just as a number on a claim form. The fact that they’re a multi-million dollar company doesn’t excuse them from providing decent service.

It’s surprising to see you siding with a massive insurance company when all I’m asking for is to be treated fairly. I didn’t ask to be in this situation, but I’m trying to handle it reasonably. Thanks for your thoughts, but I stand by my expectations of fair treatment.

First, getting someone else's insurance to respond in a week is really good. Most insurance companies will blow you off for months and drag out the process as much as possible. Second, the maintenance you have done on your car is completely irrelevant as to its book value. Your car is worth whatever a similar car in similar condition is worth. You could have spent a million dollars maintaining and repairing it, and it wouldn't change the value by a cent. If you wanted to show that their valuation was wrong, you should have found comparable sales. But insurance companies generally know how much cars are worth. They literally look it up in a book. Third, they don't owe you anything beyond direct damages. That means that once they pay you the value of the car, they don't owe you anything beyond that. Costs such as obtaining alternative transportation or loss of time are on you. And yes, you are nothing more than a property damage claim to them. You are not even their customer. I have no idea why you think they should treat you any differently. It sounds like you got your damages settled promptly and in full, and that's about all you can expect.