Auto Insurance Claims: lengthy auto claim, auto claim, warrantee

Question
I was involved in accident on Sept. 23, where I was run off the road into the side barrier.  The driver who forced me off the road, never stopped, and I didn't get a license plate number.  The accident was reported on Sept. 24, and was called a no-fault accident.  Today is Oct. 3, and my car is still sitting in the lot it was towed to.  The adjuster has been out there already to look at my car and write an estimate, which I have received.  I have called the person at my insurance company every day since the accident, hoping to hear a response that the car is on its way to the dealership to be repaired, but alas nothing has been done.  They say they are waiting on the regional adjuster to approve my claim.  My question is, is this normal for the process to take this long?  Why is it taking this long?  The car was brand new (3 days old when this happened).  Is there anything I can do to speed up this process?  They tell me that there is only 2 regional adjusters for where I live (Maryland), handling all the claims that come in.  Do I have a right to be furious that it is taking this long?  It has already been 10 days, and the estimate says it will take 21 days to fix the car.  I am insured through Geico.  What a joke they are!

Answer
Hi Brent,

You are just 1 of hundreds if not thousands of claims they are handling and often people fall through the cracks.  

You should not wait for the insurance company.  This is your vehicle and you need to take control of the situation.  You should select a competant body shop to do the repairs. Do not let the insurance company select the body shop.  You should meet personally with the body shop manager to be sure you are confident in their ability to properly repair your vehicle.  You should receive a minimum of a 5 year warrantee on all work performed including the paint.  Once you have selected the body shop, give them the location of your vehicle and tell them to send a tow truck to pick up the vehicle to bring it to the shop. The shop will pay any towing and storage charges and add them to the repair bill that the insurance company will pay. Then call your insurance company and tell them that you have had the vehicle moved to the shop of your choice. The insurance company estimator can then inspect the vehicle at the shop.  In the mean time the body shop can begin to disassemble the vehicle and order parts. This will help keep the process moving forward.

Remember, it's your car. You control the process and only you can authorize the body shop to pick up the vehicle and begin repairs.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh