Fed up with Ameriprise Insurance

[Sunnyinhollister]

As some of you might know, my wife had a fender bender:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...olt#Post3686806

So after wasting a weeks time getting someone out to look at the car, they called and said that the LCA broke because of a mechanical failure, it was not a manufacturers defect, it is a wear item that should have been maintained, and they will not cover the LCA. I can understand that part because I also believe that the LCA failed. But to call it a maintenance item?????? I don't get.

Here's the kicker, they are finding my wife at fault for the accident. At first the adjuster was saying the LCA was broken prior to the accident. Well it is impossible to drive with a broken LCA the half mile to the parking lot where she stopped. Then he was trying to say that LCAs are a wear and tear item that require maintenance. Now wait a minute, I never recalled seeing that LCA bushings need replacing in any maintenance schedule on any car that I have bought. They can wear out after 100k+ miles, but not on a three year old car with less than 40k on the odometer. Lastly he was trying to say that any driver should be able to maintain control over the vehicle with a broken control arm.

If it wasn't for all the issues we had dealing with them a few years back when my F150 got T-boned by an under insured driver, I might give them a pass, but this line of __ is unacceptable.

I'll be canceling my policies once this is over. The little bit they save you is not worth the hassel when you actually need to make use of the policy.

 

[simple_gifts]

Any chance you will be filing a complaint with your state insurance regulator?

 

[rjundi]

The LCA was broken if the car drove into the pole itself. Not sure how fault is assigned but wife was driving.

Or your wife drove into the pole and the LCA broke. (her fault and part should get covered).

Does not seem in between.

Keep pressing they are hoping you accept the check and move on.

 

[Oregoonian]

Contact your State Insurance Dept., and get an attorney on contingency.....IF YOUR SURE IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT.

 

[Tdbo]

That is a load if I have ever heard one.
A control arm is not necessarily a maintenance item unless it went bad prior to breaking and the vehicle was being purposely driven with a compromised arm.
I agree. Keep the heat on, get the claim settled and dump them.
Use the threat of a complaint to the state insurance commission as leverage.

 

[fdcg27]

Cheap insurance is great until you have a claim.
I hear many people complain about State Farm, but I've never had a problem of any kind with a claim.
Yeah, you pay a little more, but you then get paid when it actually matters.
You only need insurance after an accident.
If your insurer won't pay, then you never really had insurance at all.
This is your second bad claim experience with this company?
The first one should have been game over.

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Any chance you will be filing a complaint with your state insurance regulator?


Yup, just getting all the pertinent details sorted out. Will also be sending NHTSA a complaint and contacting Chevy customer service.

 

[dishdude]

If the LCA was broken in the accident, it would be covered. If it broke first and then the accident occurred, it wouldn't be covered.

One is accident damage, the other is mechanical failure.

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
If the LCA was broken in the accident, it would be covered. If it broke first and then the accident occurred, it wouldn't be covered.

One is accident damage, the other is mechanical failure.


Agreed,

If it was a mechanical failure, the LCA should not be covered, but my wife should not be at fault either. That's the crux of the issue. They are saying the LCA is a mechanical failure AND my wife is at fault.

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27

This is your second bad claim experience with this company?
The first one should have been game over.


The first time around it took Ameriprise almost 4 weeks to get an adjuster out to the body shop. And this was after us calling on a daily basis after the first week and trying to go up the food chain within Ameriprise. After that Ameriprise would not extend the rental car even though it was their screw up that caused the delay.

Never again after this.

 

[geeman789]

The mechanical failure itself will never be covered... insurance is not a warranty. If an accident occurs as a result of the failure, the damage will be covered, aside from the part in question.

And, yes, it will be an at fault claim, unless you can prove the failure was the manufacturers fault, and get them to accept liability... not easy.

You could hire a metalurgist / engineer who could probably determine if the fracture happened from impact or metal fatigue / flaw... if the car is under warranty and the fracture was determined to be a flaw, then the manufacturer should be on the hook for damages... if your insurance company can get their money back, then it would not be an at fault claim...

The fault determination in a collision claim is often blatantly unfair... bad luck is not "at fault..."

 

[dishdude]

Is the claim being filed as collision or comprehensive?

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: geeman789
The mechanical failure itself will never be covered... insurance is not a warranty. If an accident occurs as a result of the failure, the damage will be covered, aside from the part in question.

And, yes, it will be an at fault claim, unless you can prove the failure was the manufacturers fault, and get them to accept liability... not easy.

You could hire a metalurgist / engineer who could probably determine if the fracture happened from impact or metal fatigue / flaw... if the car is under warranty and the fracture was determined to be a flaw, then the manufacturer should be on the hook for damages... if your insurance company can get their money back, then it would not be an at fault claim...

The fault determination in a collision claim is often blatantly unfair... bad luck is not "at fault..."



THIS^ It can be unfair. BTW-you can still get good insurance rates with 1 "at fault" accident. Two accidents-not so much if both were at fault.

 

[NHGUY]

Nothing is made as heavy as it used to be,when control arms break..you lose CONTROL.I'd like to see any of todays cars take some of the punishment that Dukes of Hazzard,Duel,Vanishing Point,Dirty Mary/Crazy Larry,Bullitt....handed out.Cars today may last 200-300K miles,but just don't hit any potholes or do anything a little stupid..(like "driving" them).

 

[A_A_G]

Why wait to cancel? You can do it now and get reimbursed the difference if you paid in advanced for a 6 or 12 month policy.

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

Originally Posted By: geeman789
The mechanical failure itself will never be covered... insurance is not a warranty. If an accident occurs as a result of the failure, the damage will be covered, aside from the part in question.

And, yes, it will be an at fault claim, unless you can prove the failure was the manufacturers fault, and get them to accept liability... not easy.

You could hire a metalurgist / engineer who could probably determine if the fracture happened from impact or metal fatigue / flaw... if the car is under warranty and the fracture was determined to be a flaw, then the manufacturer should be on the hook for damages... if your insurance company can get their money back, then it would not be an at fault claim...

The fault determination in a collision claim is often blatantly unfair... bad luck is not "at fault..."


Ameriprise is saying that it IS a mechanical failure and that the wife is at fault because she failed to maintain control of the vehicle. That is a load of horse hockey. With the short distance involved, even though it was low speed, a simple vehicle distance calculator factoring in response time tells you that it is not possible.

There is a reason they have lower rates.

 

[PandaBear]

Just read your original story and the photo as well.

Basically, if I understand correctly. Ameriprise is saying that the manufacturing defect is causing the accident, but they didn't dare to challenge GM in court for this claim and end up blaming you for neglect.

The only time a control arm is a wear / maintenance item is the bushing wearing out. The arm snap in half in clean cut. It is either a manufacturing defect or caused by the accident. Tell the insurance adjuster that you want someone else to look at it because he doesn't know squat about "wear and tear on a control arm".

Tell GM about this and tell GM you want their expert opinion (just against Ameriprise for you, and let Ameriprise defend itself against GM for you).

In any case it should never be YOUR fault.

 

[spk2000]

I had a friend that got into insurance he got into a State Farm franchise and literally changed. He told me that he could just keep denying claims and 80+% of the time eventually the people just give up and eat whatever he is feeding them. This was then all profit for him and he said he could make $1-1.5 million each year by denying legitimate claims. After seeing how the greed transformed him I now really hate insurance and know it is really only a necessary evil. Keep fighting and you might be the few that win.

 

[eljefino]

What is it going to cost to fix this control arm, a few hundred bucks? If you file a claim for that, your company will get the money back through surcharges, or the absence of safe driver discounts.

You'd be better off self-insuring for the small stuff and saving insurance for catastrophes.

 

[clarkflower]

Originally Posted By: Sunnyinhollister
As some of you might know, my wife had a fender bender:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...olt#Post3686806

So after wasting a weeks time getting someone out to look


I've never done it that way. I've always taken my car to 3 dealers, usually ones who will be through the roof like a MB or BMW dealers and turn in the estimates. Get the check and I go to a favorite cheap bodyshop.