AH, I was in a similar situation a couple years ago with Allstate. I was slammed into from behind while stopped on a highway off-ramp. Needless to say, this pushed me into the stationary vehicle at my front, etc. etc. My $40k SUV sustained ~$25k in damage, while <1yr old, <12k miles.

Advice #1- Sell the car immediately, especially if ANY work was done to the frame. Although I have a lifetime warranty on repairs through my insurance Co. (who was paid by Allstate for the repairs), the truck's been back at the body shop 6 times, and still isn't right.

Advice #2- Fight hard to give them your damaged car, and get a new one (in similar condition to yours pre-accident). Although I asked that they total my vehicle many times, I wasn't persistent enough on this one. BIG mistake.

Diminution of Value- Long story short, I went through the same crap you'll experience. It seemed to me that the job of the adjuster was to come up with any possible excuse to say no. I beleive many people give up when at this stage of the settlement negotiation, or hire a lawyer. In my opinion (I'm not a lawyer; this is not legal advice), and in my experience, neither is the correct decision.

Through consistent, regular calls, I was able to (many months after the accident) get Allstate to cut a small check.

Still haven't received reimbursment for my medical expenses, I'm hoping that will happen (without a lawyer) in the next 24 months.

The simple reality is that your vehicle is not in pre-accident condition. You want to buy one in pre-accident condition, and must sell yours to do so. Allstate needs to do the right thing, and cover the difference in price between the one you sell and the one you buy.

Call them, and offer this simple explanation. If it seems the agent you're speaking with doesn't understand what you're communicating, it may be worth seeing if you can communicate more effectively with their supervisor.

It may take 18-25 calls to make it happen, but eventually they'll do the right thing.


Good luck