Almost Done!

Posted Tue Sep 26, 2006 in Automotive

I finally got to talk to someone who worked for the other driver’s insurance company who had the authority to bring my property-damage claim to closure. It’s a long story, but suffice it to say that this morning I received a call from the main claims handler for my case. When he asked me how I was feeling (my bodily injury claim is still pending), I told him that I thought I was fine, but was having trouble bringing my property-damage claim to closure.

So, he transferred me to the lady who was supposed to help me, but she was on the phone so I left voice mail. When she returned my call, she had not received my faxed letter, so had no idea what I was asking for or how I arrived at that number. In addition, she was less than professional in her speech. When I terminated the call with a request for her to read my letter, and a question of when I could expect a call-back, I was displeased with my treatment.

All I wanted to do was to come to agreement on the value of my vehicle and get the claim closed. So, I called the main claim handler back and asked for assistance. He put me in touch with the lady’s supervisor. I got his voice mail, left my story and number, and waited.

He called me back fairly quickly, had my letter, and had reviewed my case. We talked about the numbers I presented, they changed their estimate, and we had only the residual value of my wrecked vehicle to discuss. He indicated he would make a few calls and then call me with his offer.

He called me back after lunch with news he was still trying to track down the last piece of data. After another hour, he called me back and we were about $800 different between their offer and my request. They came up nearly $4,000 from their original offer. So, we split the difference and settled.

I called Wife (who was out running kids around) and told her what I’d learned. When she returned to the house, we drove to the claims office, signed the papers, and picked up a check. We picked up Young Son from his class, bought a bite to eat, and delivered him to his next class. I called our sales consultant at the BMW dealership to let him know we would come down and work on a deal.

We dropped off Young Son and drove to Alderson BMW. Wife and I made sure there wasn’t another vehicle we were interested in. Then the negotiations started. Marcus and I know each other pretty well. I offered, he checked and said “I can’t do that, but let me see what I can do.” He left and came back with a counter-offer. I countered and we split the difference.

The paperwork then started. There is always a lot of paperwork to do. About 1700, Marcus checked with the business manager and he had two customers to work with before us. So, we’ll go back in the morning and finish the paperwork.

So, we replaced the 2003 BMW 325i that I drove for about one and a half years with a 2004 BMW 330i. The 330i is a step up in terms of performance and the interior package and has fewer miles on it than the 325i. I wasn’t really ready to trade vehicles and certainly didn’t want to have an accident, but things happen. I wasn’t badly hurt, the car was replaceable, and we finally reached a settlement with the insurance company.

One thing I know, though, is that it’s really hard to get five people around with a two-seat roadster and a motorcycle.