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Page 1 of 2 Recent e-mail to Karyn and John Hendricks from friends in the French Quarter of New Orleans:
“We were startled awake from a hard sleep at exactly 6:05 a.m. this morning (Sunday) by what sounded like a major car crash. Grabbing a flashlight and racing to the balcony, we could see that the car parked behind ours was now completely on the sidewalk. Further exploration determined that not only was the car on the sidewalk damaged, but our 2001 Lincoln Town Car had been hit hard in the rear end and knocked into the car in front of ours.” About now you are probably wondering about the people I hang out with! After commiserating with the Kays from New Orleans, like a true friend I decided to exploit their pain and write about their experience. First, I directed them to my November column about Em’s plight and warned what would happen if they didn’t listen to me. They got the message. The Accident
The “accident” was caused by a driver fleeing from an armed robbery and car jacking around the corner. The car crashed first into the car behind ours, then into ours before fleeing. Police arrived four-and-a-half hours later. An executive who has been a frequent visitor to the Quarter was staying at a nearby boutique hotel. As he was leaving for the airport to return to Minnesota, he was accosted by two men at gunpoint. He was robbed of his money, credit cards, and cell phone. As the gunman walked away just a little, the victim elbowed the other man and ran, ducking into a coffee shop where he called the police. The perps took off in his rental car, lost control and careened into the parked cars. This was an unfortunate incident for a city that is trying to rebuild and attract tourism.
The accosted man is a representative of Wells Fargo in New Orleans to look for potential business and the last thing he told told the Kays was: “You know, I have been coming here for years, but the last two times, I haven’t felt personally comfortable.” He was exploring the area for a 400-person conference this summer, but this incident all but knocked New Orleans out of contention.
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“Within minutes of the incident,” began Kay, “I was on the phone to our insurance company, getting a claim number and receiving instructions that the only insurer-approved shop where they would guarantee the work was Champs on N. Carollton. The next closest shop was 90 miles away in Baton Rouge.”
“No, no, no! my e-mail practically screamed. “They must guarantee the repair regardless of where you have it done. You have the right to choose your own repair facility. I know some repair shops that survived Katrina that you could explore along with the shop the insurer “suggested.”
Continued Kay, “The CSR then asked if the car was driveable, to which I replied I really didn’t want to take a chance of further damage by finding out. When I asked how long to get an adjuster to evaluate the car, I was told Tuesday or Wednesday. Apparently speedy response is not one of the policy benefits.
“Not knowing if the car was repairable at all, we decided to get the car to Champs for evaluation. With the knowledge that I did have a choice tucked away in my pocket, I felt more secure in negotiating with the insurer.”
The police arrived and took a report four hours after the accident, Kay contacted the insurer again. When asked once more if the car was driveable, he was more definite, saying “I am not qualified to be the judge of that. It seems very risky with the rear driver-side door and the trunk bent open, not to mention the fact that New Orleans police are on the lookout for broken tail lights and that is the last thing we need on top of everything else.”
At this point, she did mention that, of course, the Kays could take the car to a facility of their choice, but the work would not be guaranteed. The adjuster seemed to be dragging his feet, another insurer-tactic to force the insured into compliance. After explaining that the car was their only means of transportation for medical, personal, and business, they insisted on having an adjuster come out no later than the next day.
“On Monday, we had a similar discussion with another CSR. This rep asked me if Champs would accept tow-ins for the auto repair express program, and if so, the repairs would start on Friday. Again she tried to pressure us into driving the car to the repair shop. Her claim was that if the car was not driveable, it was not eligible for the insurer’s guarantee. The work would be guaranteed by the shop instead.”
No, no, no! my e-mail practically screamed. More word tricks. I explained that in reality it is the shop which covers liability, but the insurer does guarantee the work.
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