12XU

Please share your stories, both good and bad, about settling insurance claims in car on bike accidents. I was just in an accident yesterday (I'm perfectly fine and my bike is almost undamaged save for a bent seatstay) and am wondering how I should approach getting it repaired/replaced. Now I know I should get an estimate, but I don't want to have a botched frame straightening job, so I'm going to shoot for a replacement frame. It might seem selfish of me to take that route, but I've been wishing for a new frame anyway. So, have any of you had smooth experiences in getting compensation for damage to your bike? If so, did you just show the claims adjuster your bike and documentation showing the original price of the bike?

riderx

No experience, but I would say this: I am sure most insurance adjusters don't think about repairing a frame. And unless it is pretty expensive and steel (or Ti) it probably would not be worth it anyway, especially when you include a new paint job. I would not mention repair to them at all. Get a price for replacement and don't forget to include the shop labor for rebuilding the bike (even if you do it yourself).

shants

a lot of the time, if you don't have original receipts, you can get an appraisal from a bike shop and use that. often times the bike shop will do the appraisal for free, especially if the bike is jacked. they can do an appraisal as if the bike were undamaged -- you can submit that to the insurance company.

absntr

My experience: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ight=jesus+hit

I did get money back, took a few months but I got my bike covered. If you don't have the original receipt (but you do) you can also go to a LBS and have them look it over and assess the damages which is useful for the insurance companies. Some LBS's might charge a small fee ($10) for the assessment and some won't. If you seem like you might do business with them when you do get re-imbursed then they may do it for free.

absntr

P.S. If you *know* someone at a bike shops, well, you might be able to get your appraisal for worth more than what your bike is. AKA, upgrades.

Mildly dishonest (and I didn't do that) but I've heard of some who have done it.

jrowe

My bike & helmet damage was only a couple of hundred dollars. My medical bills were about 15k, and my crappy lawyer is still working with the car owner's insurance, Geico. My own health insurance declined to cover anything because a vehicle was involved. They've said they will pay my bills only if Geico refuses to, but that will of course not include property damage. When I was at the hospital for surgery a girl told me that the insurance co had paid her a couple of thousand to replace her bike.

12XU

I'm friends with most everyone at the bike shop I'd go to for the appraisal, so they wouldn't charge me. I have put many upgrades on my bike since I bought it on eBay for 350. I'd venture to say it's worth 750 bucks now with what's currently on it, so I don't see why it shouldn't be appraised as such. Sure it's mildly dishonest, but it's a wealthy insurance agency I'm dealing with here; it's their job to give me a fair value for my bike. It's the least I could do for them seeing as I wasn't injured and most likely won't go to the hospital and tack them with a bill.

Devolution

I'd be wary about planning out insurance fraud on an online forum however.

Haven't you seen the commercials? Your daughter will hate you when you drop her off at school once you're nailed for insurance fraud.

-brad

absntr

I wasn't saying that you shouldn't get what your bike is worth: I'm saying that I know some people who have gone in with a beater and walked out with a complete new build worth 10 times over.

There's nothing dishonest about what you want to do - that's what I did, got my bike appraised for what it was worth (and LBS's will err on your side anyway).

And frankly, I'm quite okay with walking out with a much better bike than what I went in with.

As my friend noted to me post that accident: "Ah, now you can get that Vanilla!".

12XU

Guess I'd better get crackin' on having that kid I've always wanted...

brunning

the insurance company should pay out whatever the replacement value is.

if you paid $350 but the bike costs $750 to replace, the replacement cost is therefore $750.

shants

depending on your policy, you might get "actual value" rather than "replacement value." this is especially true in renter's policies and the like. with actual value, they'll give you what it's appraised to be worth. if the bike is used at all -- has any damage, wear, etc -- then the actual value will be substantially less than replacement value. you have to watch out for that.

Mr. Shadow

I would demand a new bike. I would also tell them you are going to contact a lawyer.

auroch

That only applies to making claim against your own policy. If you are claiming against another person's policy then they might try to get you on "actual" vs "replacement"

I've dealt with insurance co. a lot and have indeed learned a bit about the ins & outs.
In my case I was 100% sure that I was not at fault which made things a lot easier.

Not sure if you wanted tips on dealing with the insurance co. or with getting
a price on your bike, but you can PM me.

oh, and insurance fraud is bad news all around.
jeff

Brensan

When I got hit a few years back I got a set of new wheels out of the deal by taking the bike to a lbs that really supports messengers. They gave me quote for what it would cost to replace what I needed, not what my wheels were worth in their current condition. I think this is totally fair.

Also, I only had a few scratches and a slightly sprained wrist but the insurance company paid out an amount for possible future problems due to the accident. ie. they gave me some extra money to sign something that said that if my injuries increased or new ones appeared I couldn't claim any more money. This was good because it was unlikely that the accident would cause future injuries, but it is always possible that even a small shake up can cause some sort of brain anurism in your head that won't cause problems until it is given another shake up and bursts. Insurance companies know they can get screwed by stuff like that so it saves them money in the long run to pay out a little for your cooperation now then to get sued up the arse in the future.

Even if you only have minor injuries (scratches even) it is good to go to the doctor and get it all checked out. That way there is an official record of the accident at the doctors office or hospital. This can be helpful. Although, I guess this is easier in a country with some free health coverage.

Good luck and take them for everything you can get.

shants

i'm confused -- you seem to be saying two opposite things, that it only applies when making a claim against your own policy, and that it applies when making a claim against another person's policy. i'm not trying to be an ass, but i don't understand what you're saying.

although not in the context of someone hitting you, i know of at least one case where a friend of mine had his bike ripped off from his house and was only able to get "actual value" due to the fine print of his renter's policy. i don't personally have experience with accident situations where the other person's insurance is the one paying, so i don't know about all that.

auroch

there are 2 seperate situations:

1. your bike gets stolen and you make a claim against a renters/homeowners policy. Some policies will have a statement saying you can only get "actual" cash value. So a 1982 Univega is worth very little. Example is your friend whose bike got ripped off. He signed a contract that he is locked into & has no choice.

2. a driver hits you and you make a claim against the driver's car insurance. In this case the claims adjustor may say they will pay your "actual" value, but the truth is this is up to adjustor. If you disagree you can deny their offer and take them to court (which is the risk) for full replacement. You never signed a contract with the other driver's insurance co so why would you agree to anything less than replacement value?

This is really simplified. I have a special rider on my renters that allows for full replacement value and it didn't increase the cost by much (compared to my not so good chicago zip code).

Hopefully that cleared up my point.

jeff

ridefixed

Having spent many years at the LBS, and dealing with many insurance people after customer crashes, I can give you a little advice. You will be dealing with replacement value. The insurance co. will not be asking about frame repair. Keep your dealings with the shop and your frame limited to one person. When the insurance calls, they ought to be directed to talk to that person. One of the things these guys/gals would do is call the shop and ask different people different questions. It is pretty obvious to anyone that has worked there more than a week that they are not talking to a customer on the other end interested in buying a bike.

auroch

good point. this is one of those times when establishing a relationship with a LBS can really pay off.
that and when your bike poops out the day before a big ride. One of my fave LBS' loaned a bike to a guy for RAGBRAI.

jeff