insurance "betterment"

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Old 04-22-2004, 09:38 AM
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insurance "betterment"

Does anyone know if there is a way to avoid insurance companies from claiming "betterment" on some items?

I got my car repaired, but they refused to pay for 30% of certain parts due to their betterment claim. There was nothing wrong with the parts prior to the accident, but somehow, according to them, they just made my car better.

Old 04-22-2004, 09:58 AM
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What's "betterment? mean? Never heard that.
Old 04-22-2004, 09:59 AM
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This is something you would have to talk to the shop about. They might be able to write off the 30%, but unlikely.

I did get told I had to pay a % for the tire that was given to me as they replaced it after an accident.

I would try to discuss it with the insurance company.
Old 04-22-2004, 10:14 AM
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It basically means bend over...

The insurance company is saying that because the damaged part is being replaced by a new part, they are making the car better and they deduct a percentage from the cost of the new part, leaving you to pay more out of pocket.
Old 04-22-2004, 10:17 AM
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What insurance company? That doesn't sound right on an 03' ... talk to your agent about it; sometimes they can help you out.
Old 04-22-2004, 10:25 AM
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I have metropolitan - granted I have a lot of miles on my car, but there was still nothing wrong with the original part. I also have a 100k mile warranty that would have replaced anything that went wrong.

The agent has been useless - I think my only hope is that I can avoid using my insurance company and go after the construction companies...
Old 04-22-2004, 10:54 AM
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You can always sue instead of putting in a claim ... you can even go to small claims court to recover your out-of-pocket cost. The only problem would be, the judge might agree with your insurance company if you put in a claim. How much are we talking about?

If it was me, first, I would talk to the place that is doing the body work. They mark-up parts (like all places do) and might be willing to eat the 30% difference to keep your business. If not, call around, other places will! Of course, you don't want to go with a shady place because you want the job done right.

Second, if it's a large claim, I would go ahead with the insurance claim. If it's a small amount, I would pay it myself and sue for it in small claims court. That way, you'll get full payment.

Anyway, good luck.
Old 04-22-2004, 11:48 AM
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that sound like bs for an 03, but betterment does exist. a good example is if your tires were 50% worn and the insurance company gave you brand new ones, basically they made your car "better"than before. Or if they replace your 3 year old muffler with a brand new one, they may charge you a small % for making your car "better" But there should not be any betterment on a 1 year old veh.
Old 04-22-2004, 04:07 PM
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Here is the correct answer... I am in the insurance industry... and no, there is no way around betterment deductions. betterment gets applied to any parts that are used up... example would be tires.... does not come down to how old the vehicle is. it's a matter of how much of the equipment life has been used up. No insurance company would bypass betterment unless they're blind and on crack.

idea behind betterment is that since you use up a certain part or equipment in the course of your normal driving, you have to come up with the amount that you have used up. so... if u use up 50% of the tread on your tire and they replace the tire, you have to come up with 50% since you have used it up anyway.... blah blah u get the drift?

I know it sounds extremely unfair since it's not your fault that you were involved in an accident and you also had no intention of prematurely replacing the part, but it's a standard practice. it will be extremely difficult to argue this in court.

So basically, you get to bend over and take it hard in the ass... you could actually try your luck in court and make an argument based on negligence of the other party alone and the judge might possibly over look the betterment issue ...
Old 04-23-2004, 07:07 AM
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Thanks for the input Mongolian. I don't disagree about some parts being hit up(like tires) for betterment, but there are some that, at least in my view, are just ridiculous.

I got hit with a pretty hefty betterment charge for my exhaust - L/R muffler and B pipe ... I might(if pressed hard enough) agree with the mufflers - but the B pipe?!
Old 04-23-2004, 10:47 AM
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So, how many miles on your car? Are we missing something? Unless your way our of range of the rest of us with an 03' (you know, 20k to 30k), I don't understand the 30%. How much damage do you have? Were you at fault on this accident?
Old 04-23-2004, 11:04 AM
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i have around 60k miles on the car - the tire only had 8k miles on it though.

Here is a thread about the accident...

accident
Old 04-23-2004, 11:19 AM
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Originally posted by 99gixxer
i have around 60k miles on the car - the tire only had 8k miles on it though.
60,000 on a 2003
Well, I guess that somewhat explains the insurance company’s reasoning here.
Old 04-23-2004, 11:21 AM
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So, your fucked. No one to deal with but the insurance company. With that many miles, you won't win the battle against an insurance company. You might want to take the money for the OEM parts and buy the comptech cat back system. Might be cheaper ... I always try to spend the money on an upgrade I was already going to do.
Old 04-24-2004, 03:01 AM
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You know.. now that you've mentioned mufflers and B pipe... it's actually rare for insurance companies to take betterment on the exhaust system. we just simply replace the whole thing most of the time.... without any questions...

I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume your company is a dinky little insurance company operating in your state only and they are doing their best to save some extra $$. I have yet to see a betterment taken on mufflers.... i have seen one instance on an estiamte written by AAA but it's still rare. They hate you I think....
Old 04-24-2004, 11:34 PM
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Originally posted by Mongolian
You know.. now that you've mentioned mufflers and B pipe... it's actually rare for insurance companies to take betterment on the exhaust system. we just simply replace the whole thing most of the time.... without any questions...

I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume your company is a dinky little insurance company operating in your state only and they are doing their best to save some extra $$. I have yet to see a betterment taken on mufflers.... i have seen one instance on an estiamte written by AAA but it's still rare. They hate you I think....
I work for AAA in CA and they are the only insurance I know of that does not take betterment. I used to work for Mercury Insurance and they take betterments left and right.
Old 04-25-2004, 12:37 AM
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My wife works for AAA... and if you bitch enough with AAA, anything happens ^_~. I work for Farmers and I have AAA insurance. AAA has the best service =)
Old 04-25-2004, 04:32 AM
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Originally posted by Mongolian
My wife works for AAA... and if you bitch enough with AAA, anything happens ^_~. I work for Farmers and I have AAA insurance. AAA has the best service =)
True, AAA has pretty good service. So I guess you've heard that AAA is moving its operation out-of-state.
Old 04-26-2004, 12:51 AM
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I thought AAA operates in multiple states already.... I'm not quite sure about what you're saying I know for a fact that CSAA is downsizing, but Southern CA AAA doesn't seem like it's going anywhere. Are you trying to say they are downsizing the work force in CA?
Old 04-26-2004, 02:10 AM
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Originally posted by Mongolian
I thought AAA operates in multiple states already.... I'm not quite sure about what you're saying I know for a fact that CSAA is downsizing, but Southern CA AAA doesn't seem like it's going anywhere. Are you trying to say they are downsizing the work force in CA?
Yes, CSAA is moving its claims operation to out-of-state.
Old 04-26-2004, 07:09 AM
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Originally posted by Mongolian
You know.. now that you've mentioned mufflers and B pipe... it's actually rare for insurance companies to take betterment on the exhaust system. we just simply replace the whole thing most of the time.... without any questions...

I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume your company is a dinky little insurance company operating in your state only and they are doing their best to save some extra $$. I have yet to see a betterment taken on mufflers.... i have seen one instance on an estiamte written by AAA but it's still rare. They hate you I think....
I have Metropolitan - I don't think they are small, but then again, I've never really cared.

I actually gave the check back to my insurance company and I'm trying to go through the constructions companies insurance now(Zurich)...I think I have a much better shot at getting everything from them. Either way - I think the betterment on the exhaust was crap and if I do go through my insurance company, I'm going to try fighting it again.

If they don't hate me yet - they will definitely hate me by the end of this whole thing.
Old 04-26-2004, 04:20 PM
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I think you defintiely have a better chance with Zurich. They do have a tendency to overlook things. Good luck!
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