State Farm

[EasTexRIII]

Ok, so here's the poop,
I'm an estimator at a collision repair shop so I have had to "deal" with the Insurance company (adjusters) every day for the last 20+ years & this is what I find:

1) They are ALL crooked & only out to make as many billions of dollars as possible, at your expense (I know this because I also spent the first two years of this career on their side & only did it 2 years because I like to be able to sleep at night but I'm glad I did it because I learned a lot about the enemy!!!! ) - That being said..............

Now, this mostly applies to autos, mainly because it works a little differently for bikes. I'll explain that later.

2) The #1 thing that the Ins Co's do to save $$$$ (F**k you) is force you to use Aftermarket (parts not made by the manufaturer, or O.E.M.) aka, counterfeit parts and Used/salvage parts on the repairs - As far as Suspension parts, radiators, AC Condensers & such aftermarket is fine BUT, when it comes to headlamps and SHEET METAL especially (hoods, fenders, ect) Aftermarket is the worse sh*t you could possibly put on the vehicle! They are made by companies that try to copy the OEM parts but they do not fit correctly, the gaps & lines do not line up to the point that the holes where the bolts go through to attach the part have to be made bigger, longer, wider, ect to get a bolt to go in so the part will fit (barely). Also they do not properly replicate the factory corrosion protection on the sheet metal.... .they are junk. Used parts are ok because they are EOM parts but most of the time the salvage yards send in a part that has to be sent back because it is damaged (they don't check em) & this creates delays in you getting your car back....

With bikes this is not an issue because when you have to replace a motorcycle tank, fender, ect there are no aftermarket parts offered for that (yea!)

3) Not ALL Insurance companies force the shop/customer to use aftermarket sheet metal

So THAT is my point of this post.

Waiver: I'm NOT advocating any Insurance company over another!

In Texas;
State Farm does not force the aftermarket parts to be used
Allstate does not force the use of them but does ask the vehicle owner if they "want to use them to save $ which, as they put it, keeps rates down across the board"
Travelers use to not force aftermarket parts & I believe that is still the case
There are probably some others that do not force the a/m parts but I don't recall now.

I don't know if this applies to all states so you will need to check what applies to your state. MOST all states policies are the same. Texas policy is different than all others & only applies to Texas. There may be another state or two that are also exclusive to their state only. so again, check yours

So, main point is you may pay a little more for your policy with one Ins. co. over another, but could also be getting better repairs if ever needed.
I actually found that I got cheaper rates with Allstate than the policies I previously had with Geico, Progressive, Farmers, bla bla bla & don't have to get a/m parts

If the type of parts going on your car are not a concern, go with the cheapest - you could even go that route & if you ever had to use it & the a/m parts are forced on you, just tell the repair shop YOU will pay the price difference of the a/m parts vs the OEM new parts & you would still be saving $$ over the long run with your cheaper rates And get the OEM new parts too

Clear as mud?

 

[cr0ft]

They are ALL crooked & only out to make as many billions of dollars as possible, at your expense

Yep. That's how capitalism works. By definition, any representative of any company who isn't trying to maximize income at all costs is doing a bad job. That's why lawyers are so often needed for adjusting, to force them to at least comply with their stated policy. I guess.

 

[EasTexRIII]

Yea, the lawyer thing............. I hate to see people have to use them because they don't do it for free, obviously.
One of the tactics that's frowned upon is lawyers having clients claim neck injuries & such. But the truth is, the Ins Co's are trying to screw the person involved in the accident on the property damage to their vehicle, so the lawyers have to put a Dollar Collar (neck brace) on their client just to get some "injury money" to make up for the money they were not properly compensated for on the property damage side in regards to their vehicle damage

 

[GPMAZ]

HEY that sounds like you took advantage of an oversight on their part I wouldnt think anyone would insure a car used on a racetrack

Yeah, I'm sure it was an oversight. We let everyone that signed up to rent our cars know that they had to bring their insurance policies with them. And, that if there were any clauses in the policy that expressly prohibited on track coverage they would be responsible for damage. The agreement we signed with them also held them liable for anything their insurance company didn't cover. Luckily, in the three years we rented car that was the only incident.

Another thing that saved us was how we classified the rentals. Most policies had clauses that would deny coverage for contests of speed, or any type of racing. We rented cars for a 'Driving School'. All customers were required to have an instructor with them and although all track sessions were timed, we didn't record any times for our cars. No transponders on the cars, no record in the event results listing our cars or drivers. That saved us in this case as State Farm asked for event results from the company that held the event. Luckily we'd done our homework ahead of time and covered all our bases.

 

[EasTexRIII]

SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART !