Massachusetts Auto Insurance: Claim Delayed

So one of the insurance adjusters I know tells me that there is a problem with a claim he’s been working on. The vehicle is a brand new, luxury model, SUV. With a price tag well over $50,000, this claim is getting some extra scrutiny. He tells me that the insurance company thinks there is something “fishy” with the body shop that is planning to do the repair work. “What do you mean “fishy”?” I asked him.

Each company has something called the special investigations unit SIU. They look at claims that are questionable in nature. It might be that the garaging of the vehicle wasn’t correct. It might be that a driver that had the accident was not a listed operator. In this case, the repair appraisal that was submitted by the body shop wasn’t consistent with the damage on the vehicle. “You mean the body shop caused more damage to the vehicle after the accident and then inflated the repair order?” That’s right he said. They think a sledge hammer was used.
This insured reported a “hit and run”. Unless the SUV was hit by a Mack Truck, something’s not adding up.
What’s next…Special Investigations will conduct some accident reconstruction experiments and try to determine if the damage is “in line” with the accident reported or not. If this proves to be inconclusive then they will side with the insured and pay the claim. It can take a month for the findings to be returned.

The customer is caught in the middle. The only thing this poor guy can do is wait. He doesn’t have use of the nice SUV that he is still paying for. The company even told the insured that they are not paying for the rental charges until this gets settled. The claim is in limbo until this all gets ironed out. There is nothing more frustrating than having to wait, and wait.

We hear about the unfortunate situations that people get into every day.
If you have a claim that ends up with “SIU” Special Investigation Unit, be prepared to wait. If your issue is simple like the correct garaging or adding that driver who should be listed anyway, DO IT, GET IT FIXED, GET THEM LISTED TODAY!

www.jmdins.com For more than “37” years “steering you in the right direction”
Thank you!!
HD