[GO DAWG GO]

Any attorneys out there?


In a nutshell...

I was parked in a supermarket parking lot loading groceries in my truck when a woman pulled in the stall next to me and mis- judged her distance and hit the left rear quarter panel of my truck with her bumper. She Left a dent about the size of a half of cantelope.

She told me she would like to know how much the damage would cost so she could possibly settle without notifying her insurance. I got an estimate of $853 dollars from a local body shop. I called her and gave her the quote and she said the amount was too high to settle personnally and that I should file a claim with here insurance "Allstate" company.

This is where things get weird.

I call Allstate and they tell me to bring the truck down and they would prepare an estimate. The claim adjusted looks at my truck and prepares an estimate that totals $513 dollars. $350 dollars lower than the body shop.

So..I told the adjusted that I felt this was alittle strange that you guys are low balling the body shop and how am I supposed to get my truck fixed with the payout lower than the body shop estimate...I asked him If I was supposed to pay the difference.

Now get this..Playing along and not getting in his face just yet.

He says there is a difference between what a body shop charges insurance company's and private party's so my estimate is high.

I started to get a little annoyed and asked him if I should drive around town and ask a few body shops if they would be willing to do the work for what Allstate feels like paying??? this is just BS.

My question is..should I call the lady who hit me and tell her I'm going to take her to small claims court for the difference ($350) How can I motivate Allstate to pay the market price?

should I suck it up, drive around and beg the body shops to do the work for what Allstate thinks it should cost??

Have any of you had a claim issue like this? Is this in the "Bad faith" category?

Allstate told me they were sending me a check for the $513 to settle..I didnt sign anything and told them I wasn't happy with them.

Anybody have any ideas for a course of action?

Thanks

Bob