I was rear-ended last November by a woman who is with the same insurance company I am (ALFA). I talked to the woman’s adjuster today about filing a diminished value claim since I had my new car a month before she hit it. The adjuster said I had no right to file this claim because I was also with ALFA. This made no sense to me though and it left me with a couple questions.
1) Is this a legitimate reason for them not to have any obligation to allow me to file this claim?
2) Could there be something in ALFA’s policy that says they don’t allow diminished value claims? This seems like it’d be the only reason they wouldn’t have to pay me, not because we both have the same insurance like the adjuster said.
I originally just wanted what was mine, but this adjuster has been a complete jackass and a man I spoke to today told me to get him to put it in writing that he refused to do the claim and that could be trouble for the adjuster. I really want him to get his now too ha
ALFA Adjuster Issues
Re: ALFA Adjuster Issues
I'm the man you spoke to Yes, you only want what's yours and then they mistreat you - it's wrong. And that's why there are laws in place to award people additional damages if the insurance company is not treating them right. Refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance_bad_faith
1. The adjuster is either deliberately dealing with you in bad faith (lying) or has no idea of what they're talking about. Since you're also insured by ALFA they are obligated to deal with you in good faith and if they fail to do so they are exposing themselves to a bad faith lawsuit from you. Ask them to put their denial and reasoning for the denial in writing.
2. I'm sure there is something in ALFA's policy disallowing diminished value claims. It's usually called a coverage exclusion. So policies outside of Georgia exclude diminished value. But this is 100% irrelevant in your case because you're making a diminished value claim against the woman's policy, not against your own policy.
In the context of your diminished value claim, your claim with ALFA is called a third-party claim, meaning you're making the claim with ALFA because they have insured the negligent at-fault party who hit you (the woman) - not because they insured you. It is true that you're not eligible to make a first-party DV claim under your own policy but that is NOT what you are doing. In your situation ALFA is playing two roles: your insurer and the insurer of the at-fault party. Those are different roles. As your insurer the relationship is guided by contract law which in this case is your policy but as the insurer of the at-fault party the relationship is guided by tort law - meaning they have agreed to indemnify the woman from your tort claims such as diminished value.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance_bad_faith
1. The adjuster is either deliberately dealing with you in bad faith (lying) or has no idea of what they're talking about. Since you're also insured by ALFA they are obligated to deal with you in good faith and if they fail to do so they are exposing themselves to a bad faith lawsuit from you. Ask them to put their denial and reasoning for the denial in writing.
2. I'm sure there is something in ALFA's policy disallowing diminished value claims. It's usually called a coverage exclusion. So policies outside of Georgia exclude diminished value. But this is 100% irrelevant in your case because you're making a diminished value claim against the woman's policy, not against your own policy.
In the context of your diminished value claim, your claim with ALFA is called a third-party claim, meaning you're making the claim with ALFA because they have insured the negligent at-fault party who hit you (the woman) - not because they insured you. It is true that you're not eligible to make a first-party DV claim under your own policy but that is NOT what you are doing. In your situation ALFA is playing two roles: your insurer and the insurer of the at-fault party. Those are different roles. As your insurer the relationship is guided by contract law which in this case is your policy but as the insurer of the at-fault party the relationship is guided by tort law - meaning they have agreed to indemnify the woman from your tort claims such as diminished value.
Do you need more help? Sick of adjuster lies? Check out these resources!
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Frequently Asked Questions about Diminished Value
Simon Galperin is a senior auto appraiser at Tiger DV and an expert on diminished value. He consults attorneys, insurance companies and individual car owners on the subject of automotive diminished value.
How to choose a reputable diminished value appraiser?
How does a diminished value claim work for a car accident?
Frequently Asked Questions about Diminished Value
Simon Galperin is a senior auto appraiser at Tiger DV and an expert on diminished value. He consults attorneys, insurance companies and individual car owners on the subject of automotive diminished value.