🚀 go-pugleaf

In <Dx82nv.ADv@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> ie3s@virginia.edu writes: 
> 
>
>I have a 1994 Toyota celica. I always take good care of my cars. 
>I wash them frequently, wax them twice a year, change oil every 
>3-4000 miles...

That's good. Preventative maintenance always helps!

>So, I'm driving the car in Washington, DC it's a nice day and I
>approach a traffic light.

That's your first mistake...driving in Washington, D.C. You
should have taken the subway. Driving in Washington, D.C. is
like walking through Harlem at 2:ooam!


>The light is red so I stop.

Yes, red means stop!

>There are a few cars in fron of me. Suddenly, out of nowhere 
>something hits me in the back. Some guy in a GMC truck (SUV) 
>wasn't looking ahead and he hit me. So, I get out of the car, 
>take a look at my car's rear end and I see that my bumber has 
>been dented. Cool, I think, looks like those bumpers are really good
>since the impact was quite hard and there is only a little dent 
>in the plastic. GMC's bumper feel of, BTW.

What you just experienced was called an "accident" as it wasn't
done intentionally.

>The guy was nice, he said that it was his fault and he gave me 
>his insurance policy number. Geico. Oh well. After reading this
>newsgroup for several years now, I knew I was in trouble.

Newsgroup..NO. Location...Washington...Yes!
 
>I go home and I take a car to three different places for an 
>estimate. They all tell me one thing. The bumper can NOT be 
>fixed, it has to be replaced with a new one. Their estimates 
>were all very simmilar. $600-650. Few days later a GEICO 
>insurance adjuster comes to take a look at the car. He takes 
>pictures, scratches the paint and tells me that he'll be sending 
>a check. Sure enough, a week later I get a check for $175. $150 
>for a repair and 19.95 for a car rental for a day. 
>I take a car to a Toyota place and talk to their body shop
>manaer who explains that the bumper cannot be fixed becasue 
>it is plastic and the only way they could fix it would be to
>heat it up and try to pish it from the inside. He said that it 
>would always be visible and that I could as well leave it as it is. 
>So, I call a GEICO guy. I tell him what 4 repair shops had said 
>about fixing the bumper. He's very rude and extremely unpleasant to
>deal with. 

He was probably all stressed out from people like you calling
him all day long!

>After I don't know how many calls he finaly agrees to replace my
>bumper. He sends me his estimate and it is now for $420. I look at
>every item on the list  and I see that a price of the bumper 
>that he put on his list is $70 less than the price of a bumper 
>on other 4 estimates. So, I call him again and ask about the
>difference. He tells me that he does not authorize the use of the
>original part but of an aftermarket bumper. I got really pissed and
>told him that I demand that the original Toyota bumper be put on the
>car. I said that I bought that car because of its quality and among
>other things good ratings in crash tests. He says it's a company 
>policy to first look for an aftermarket product, which also means,
>checking the car cemeteries and salvage places for crashed cars and
>then buying parts off of those cars. It also means finding a company
>that makes bumpers for different cars at a lower price.

Come one now. Let's get serious. Geico is in the business to
insure their customers (and liabilities)...not lose money. I
am a Geico customer...I love Geico!

>I tried to reason with him that the original part is of better 
>quality and that the car manufacturers have spent years of 
>research and technology to develop those parts, and that it is 
>not my fault that one of his clients slammed into me and that now I
>have to compromise with some no name  bumbers.

Like I said, your only mistake was driving in Washington, D.C.

>He said that he could not change a company policy and that they 
>would only authorize the original bumper if they could not 
>locate an aftermarket one.I realized that it made no sense to 
>reason with a guy and I decided to wait and see if they would 
>find an aftermarket bumper.

Yea? Then what happened?
 
>Several days later he calls me and tells me that they could not 
>find an aftermarket part and  tells me to take a car to a body 
>shop in town. He also authorizes 2 days of car rental. So, comes
>Wednesday, I take a car to a body shop to get it fixed. They 
>said that they had terrible experiences with that guy and 
>GEICO in general and that they wouldn't even take the car in if 
>they knew that GEICO would be paying for it. 

Sounds good to me. I don't want Geico paying for every claim
that the shops put in front of them! Then my rates will go up!

>But, they say, they talked to the guy and that they faxed him
>their estimate and that he agreed to pay for it. Cool, I think. 
>They say come pick a car on Friday after 4:30 pm.

OKAY...then what happened?

>So, after 2 days of driving in one of those GEO Metros with no AC 
>in 98 degree weather with humidity of 90%, I finaly come to pick
>up my car. I look at the car and they've really done a great job. 
>I go to pick up my keys and they tell me that they cannot release 
>the car because the bill hasn't been paid yet. The lady explains 
>that the GEICO guy refused to pay the entire bill because they put
>clear coat on the bumper and he said that there was no clear coat on
>the car before.

Sounds like the shop screwed up, right?

>The cost of repair was $580 and a GEICO only agreed to pay $510. 
>I'm standing there like na idiot wondering what the $#*& is 
>clearcoat. The lady also says that the manager is not there and 
>that there is nothing she can do about it. I try  to reach the 
>GEICO guy. He's not there, his office closes at 4:30. It's 4:50pm 
>and the shop closes in 10 min.
>The lady explains that they've put clear coat on beucase it was on 
>the bumper  before and if they didn't put it it the difference in
>the color of the bumper would be noticable  when compared to the 
>rest of the car.  Now, I'm really upset. 

I'm still upset that you even drove in Washington, D.C.!!

>I decide to call Geico 800#. I get to talk to some lady, she tells 
>me to call the adjustor. I say that his office is closed. She 
>tells me to call his supervisor (who BTW is in a city 120 miles 
>away). I ask her how long does the guys's supervisor work. "4:30 
>she says." I then exploded. After I explained the whole story and 
>told her that I have to have it all resolved before 5 at 4:55pm she
>tells me to call a supervisor who's office is closed. I demanded to
>speak with her supervisor  and after explaining the whole story once
>again, the lady finaly agreed to pay for the difference.

See? I told you GEICO was a good company!

>And after she sent a fax to the lady that had my keys, I was on 
>my way home.
>
>As GEICO ad says: a 15 minute call can save you 15% on you car
>insurance....but it'll cost you a lot of nerves and energy if you 
>ever need to make a claim. Please, stay away from GEICO.
>
Yep! They try to keep the costs down so my rates won't go up!

Try staying out of Washington, D.C. when you drive and you might
*never* to call an insurance company again!

=KEN=