Auto Insurance Claims: right to pick garage for quote, insurance companies, personal property

Question
I had my vehicle broken into and some items broken and stolen in the process.  I talked to the claims rep and he said I have to go have the damage looked at and meet with their insurance rep.  He said they do their own quote and will not accept any other quotes   Also, he said my comprehensive coverage doesn’t cover personal property in the vehicle and won't cover my GPS.  I live in Ohio, is this true or can i go anywhere to get a quote and why won't they cover for my stolen GPS?

Answer
Hello,

Gps, Cds, luggage etc. are all covered under renters or homeowners-seperate claim other than comp. That is the way these items are handled.

Secondly, here is how the quote thing works--most insurance companies have direct repair shops. They will give you a list of shops convenient to you. They do not recommend anyone, but they struck a deal with these shops where they work direct with the company and no adjuster is needed, speeding up the process. In such circumstances there is commonly a lifetime guaranty on the repairs.

Now as far as individual quotes go, getting rarer and rarer. Ses insurance companies don't trust insureds like they once did.

What happens now is you take it to the shop of your choice. An estimator is sent out. He writes the estimate. If your shop is higher on labor, you could be responsible for the difference.

You might not like this process, but it is the new way insurance companies work to keep from paying the insured cash.


Yes, you are the victim here as far as paying the deductible and getting dinged for the personal property, but that has gone on at least since 1980, when I first started handling claims.

Could be worse-and yhis happens a lot in which the insured is accused of being part of the claim.

Good luck!