Insurance question after garage vandalism

[sm70911]

Hi
Just trying to figure out whats the best way to proceed here.
Yesterday I go to get my car from the parking garage I keep it at and pay monthly for. (Its NYC rates so read not cheap). I find my DS door lock pried off and that thieves had attempted to break in.
I spoke to the garage manager and he is going to tell the owner and put me on the list of damaged cars. I assume they will claim under their insurance. What concerns me is I know they will not understand the parts pricing, and I don't want this doing at the garage of their choice. (New Porsche door locks are $900 with no labor. so the bill will be in excess of $1500 I don't see why I should do this myself)

Do I involve my own insurance company ? I don't want to make a claim pay my deductible and loose my NCB.

[cashflyer]

Go ahead and let your ins co know about the damage now.
They may advise you to wait and see what kind of settlement the garage co offers.

If the settlement offer is too low, then file with your ins company and let them subrogate against the other company.

You don't want to DIY this repair. You want it done by a reputable shop that will document every expense.

[JAR0023]

A new door handle with lock is less than $500 from our host. Couple hours labor at a reputable shop. $750 tops. Go get a couple of estimates. Present them to garage management and see if they'll pay. They really don't want to keep filing small claims any more than you do.

If they won't pay take it up in small claims court or file with you carrier and let them subrogate. It should go down as a comprehensive loss and not be considered 'at fault'. Still that won't prevent some less scrupulous companies from raising your rates or dropping you.

If you file with your carrier don't be suprised if they source a good clean used door handle/lock cylinder. Looking at your other thread your tumbler keys are all still there and working. Should be easy enough to swap the keys into a new cylinder.

Me? I'd get a couple of local estimates and make the lot pay. Then I'd do the work myself. But that's me.

FWIW My job is insurance claims.

-J

[JAR0023]

Originally Posted by cashflyer

Go ahead and let your ins co know about the damage now.
They may advise you to wait and see what kind of settlement the garage co offers.

If the settlement offer is too low, then file with your ins company and let them subrogate against the other company.

You don't want to DIY this repair. You want it done by a reputable shop that will document every expense.

Careful with letting your insurance company know. They don't all work the same. State Farm, Farm Bureau and others that still keep agents...yeah call your agent and talk to them. Many others you'll call a claims reporting hotline and you'll have to go through the whole process of filing a claim just to talk to anyone with half a brain. Whether they end up paying or not your insurance company will have a record of the claim. I wouldn't actually file a claim until you need to...and again this is what I do for a living. -J

PS. Document everything with lots of photos. Scene/damage/other cars/ingress egress of parking lot/signage/disclaimers/etc. If you end up having to file with your Ins Co a month from now you have them and it'll make the whole process much smoother.

[sm70911]

Thank you for the help. Very much appreciated.

[john70t]

I would take pics and write a polite follow up letter.
Who knows, memories change...

"Dear X, this is a follow up letter to the X damage which occurred X at X time/date. I spoke to X and understand he will be contacting you regarding this issue. Thank you for following up on this and please feel free to contact me."

[legion]

Originally Posted by cashflyer

Go ahead and let your ins co know about the damage now.
They may advise you to wait and see what kind of settlement the garage co offers.

If the settlement offer is too low, then file with your ins company and let them subrogate against the other company.

You don't want to DIY this repair. You want it done by a reputable shop that will document every expense.

^This. I assume you have comprehensive. I've done this multiple times. It may take months to get your deductible back, but your car will get fixed sooner rather than later.

[drcoastline]

I'm an NJ agent not an NY agent but car insurance is basically the same in both states. File a comprehensive claim with your carrier. Yes you will have to pay your deductible but the car will get fixed promptly.

No one can dictate where you take your car for repairs, that is up to you. They can however limit the amount paid. What I mean by that is if estimates are coming in say between $1,000.00 and $1,500.00 and you take your car to a place that charges $2,000.00 they can say we will only pay up to $1,500.00 you pay the balance.

There is no harm in filling a comp claim it does not follow you like collision. Comp is considered no fault and not of your doing. So your rates will not go up and/or you will not be dropped as a result.

By filing the comp claim your carrier will investigate the incident. They will also notify the parking facilities insurance carrier. If it is determined the parking facility has some liability your carrier will subrogate and recover the money paid for damages including your deductible and reimburse you.

Lastly, you have a responsibility to notify your carrier of any incident that may result in a claim timely. Failure to notify them timely could result in denial of your claim.

Did you file a police report? If not do it.