auto appraiser Jason Phillips was pleasantly surprised when he was hired by the insured to represent his total loss case on a burned 1969 Camaro, opposite State Farm. “Our numbers didn’t come in that far off the number that State Farm came up with on their own”. State Farm normally requires a third party “umpire” be chosen in advance of the two enlisted appraisers coming up with their respective values. In this case, they were willing to wait, to see what Auto Appraises’ car appraisal value was. They were originally offering about $15,000 to settle the case. We came in at just over $18,500. Our figure was well supported, with multiple comparable cars listed for sale.
Any legitimate insurance company appreciates thorough research, something they don’t always have the time or resources to effectively process in house. They opted in this case to settle with their insured, at our figure, and save him the expense of having to hire (and pay 1/2 the fee) of a third party umpire to come in and rule on the case. I felt this was an extraordinary example of where an insurance company is attempting to do the right thing. People often become tainted in this process, because of stories told about unfair settlements and the like. Well in the 20 years since I’ve been in the
auto appraisal business, this was a rare but pleasant first! I was very glad to see it happen. The insured is ecstatic as well. I felt it was appropriate to share this story, considering my involvement. Hats off to State Farm, setting a new precedent in customer satisfaction.
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