At 07:41 AM 1/4/97 -0500, you wrote:
>In a message dated 97-01-04 00:27:39 EST, bleckstein@monmouth.com (Leckstein)
>writes:
>
><< I submitted a claim for
> the $5000 and received a call from her adjuster. He told me that there
> "wasn't an MG in the world that was worth 5 grand" Those were fighting
> words to me.
>
>Mike,
>
>Good for you! It feels great to fight "City Hall" and win. Been there, done
>that!
>
>Since I drive my '73 MGB everyday, I can't get a lot of the specialty
>insurance that is available. If I ever wreck it, Allstate and I will be going
>around and around. I hope for both of us it never happens. My 4" stack of
>receipts for parts over the past nine years will choke them.
>
>R. Johnson - Dallas
CAUTION: THE FOLLOWING MAKES REFERNECE TO SOCIALISM. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE
EASILY POLITICALLY OFFENDED.
Our Provincial government run auto insurance corporation, ICBC, is a
monopoly. It is run in place of, as opposed to in competition with, private
insurance companies for ALL automotive public liability insurance. It is a
socialist monopoly that has, surprisingly, managed to survive the ultra
conservative eighties intact. For a long time I thought ICBC was a bad
thing, probably because I was a kid, a new driver, male. In other words a
bad risk.
In recent years, as other jurisdictions rates have exceeded ours, and my
rates have dropped substantially, I have come to change my mind. Mike's
story reminded me of my second `go round' with ICBC. My first GT, a `67
with wires and O/D, in condition 3+ was broadsided by a monster F**d in a an
intersection, spun 540 degrees, hit the curb so hard it snapped of the wire
wheels and bent the body like a pretzel. Neither my wife nor I were
seriously injured. We discovered the car that hit us was driven by a 16
year old moron who had taken the plates off his Beetle and put them on
Daddy's Mach I so he could go joy riding. Note that in BC auto insurance is
tied directly to the license plate, your plate number is your policy number.
This meant the twit who crunched us had no valid insurance.
Because it is a monopoly ICBC was responsible for both cars, there was no
squabble about who would pay. It was obviuos to all that we were the
injured party and should receive full compensation. It was equally obvious
that our beloved GT was toast. When negotiations with the insurance corp
began I expected to get screwed, royally. I anticipated them looking up the
value of my car in some so called expert's book and offering me some
insultingly low amount, something like $500. We had payed $3000 a little
over a year before. I informed the adjuster that I would like to keep the
wreck, figuring that if ICBC was successful in screwing me I'd at least be
able to recoup some of my loss by parting it out. The adjuster said she
couldn't handle the claim if that's the way I wanted it and she'd have to
hand the file over to a "Total Loss Expediter". Do what ya' gotta do I
replied, already defensive. A couple days later I got a phone call at home
while I was studying. I remember it like it was yesterday. As soon as the
guy identified himself my guard went up and bullsh*t radar went to full
scan, watching for the knife in the ribs. The guy was very chatty, told me
how sad he thought it was that such a great little car had gone to the race
track in the sky. Said he was a pony car buff and new it must be like a
death in the family. I was non-commital, still waiting for the bad news.
Eventually he got round to the issue and said, "I hear you want to keep the
wreck. You understand of course, that we'll have to deduct the value of the
wreck from your settlement?"
"Yes" I replied,"but just how much will you deduct?" I expected him to drop
his insulting $500 offer to a humilliating $200 and the wreck.
"I estimate the corpse is worth about $1200." he replied. I was stunned,
baffled.
"How much were you planning to settle for?" I asked, completeley confused.
"Thrity five hundred....."
"THIRTY FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS?" I almost yelled into the phone. I guess my
surprise was obvious but not the reason why.
"Okay, $4000. But's that the absolute limit". I was flabbergasted and, when
I regained my composure told him we had a deal and he could keep the wreck.
I told him what I'd been expecting and he laughed. That's the way it used
to be done he explained. Now they use price ranges for similar cars in
comparable condition to estimate a wrecks value. They keep files of auto
trader magazines and scan them for the two months before and after the
accident to get a handle on the actual market value of the car. Not long
after that we bought our current GT.
The moral of this longwinded reminisence is that a) you CAN prove the value
of your car even without trophies and testomonials , b) socialism is not
necessarily a bad thing (flame suit on) and c) sometimes you do get a break.
Just before my typing blisters burst I'll also tell you that the same
insurance corp covers my TC for replacement value against fire, theft,
vandalism, own and other driver damage and public liability for $375/year
(about $300 US) the only stipulation being that I can't drive it to work.
Sorry about the length, digital diarrhea.
___ \______ Ross MacPherson
/ __ \ __ / /------|) arm@unix.infoserve.net
/ (___)---------/ (___) Vancouver, BC, Canada
1947 MG-TC 3528 1966 MGB-GT
|