Friday, November 17, 2006

Fraudulent!: My adventures with auto insurance and windshield repair

God DAMMIT I am so pissed off right now. I could spit nails. I could chew glass. Windshield glass.

Last year (actually almost EXACTLY a year ago) I called up an auto glass repair shop here in Arizona because I heard their commercial on the radio and I needed the windshield in my truck replaced.
They "helped" to file my claim with my car insurance company and since they are based in Gilbert (hint hint Internet sleuths) they would get me in contact with a local glass replacement person they contract with.
That person called me back to set up an appointment. He then missed that appointment. I called back to make another. Missed it again. I couldn't pin the guy down to come to my friggin house and replace my friggin glass. I got frustrated. Eventually the guy stopped calling me back at all and I gave up.

Cut to this morning.
The glass in the truck is still cracked, worse than ever obviously. With impending snows I figured, hey, better get that fixed. I called my insurance company and said, "I have an open claim for a windshield replacement that I filed last year but the work was never completed. I need to get that done now."

THIS IS THE PART THAT MAKES MY HEAD EXPLODE

The helpful claims lady told me, "Oh no, we have the paperwork here that says they came out and repaired your windshield last year."

OH. HELL. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I told her the aforementioned story of cancelled and missed appointments, my frustration turning to apathy and resignation.

She told me to write down the name of the company, their phone number and the date my glass was replaced...at which point I cut in to tell her "No. It WASN'T replaced, that's what I'm telling you. They filed a false claim."

She then tells me that they even told the insurance company that I had paid my deductible. Um, believe me, I'd remember if I shelled out $250 and the friggin windshield never got replaced. In fact, I think I'd have called back a LOT sooner.

Soooo, the super competent insurance company is now going to "investigate" and get a copy of the receipt for the work done.

"They won't have one to send you," I said.

"They have to have something," Insurance Claims Lady said.

"Well, whatever they send you is fraudulent, because I never signed a receipt because noone ever came to my house and nothing EVER got replaced!!" I said.

"Well, we'll get a copy of the receipt and see if it's a fake signature," she said.

"It WILL be, that's what I'm telling you. It's a FALSE CLAIM," I said.

Now I'm waiting for the insurance company to call me back and tell me "Oh yes, it seems you're correct. Your windshield did NOT get replaced. You didn't get a brand new windshield last year and then DAMAGE IT IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY IT WAS PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED!!! You are NOT having a fugue incident in which you can't remember whether LARGE PIECES OF GLASS WERE BROUGHT TO YOUR HOUSE AND SOME SWEATY GREASY MAN WAS IN YOUR YARD FOR AN HOUR LEANING OVER YOUR TRUCK AND PROBABLY SPITTING ON THE DRIVEWAY!!!!!!!!!"

Whew.
I am so mad. Hopping mad. I'm hopping.
That helps.

4 comments:

cube said...

Is the glass company still in business? I'd be pretty mad at them too.

Jessica said...

I checked them out on the internet and they are still in business. But if they contract out their work it's hard to put all the blame on them.
Though, believe me, I will.

eaf said...

Well, even if they contract their work, unless they have a receipt from the contractor claiming to have done the work, then they are responsible. If they have a receipt from the contractor, then the contractor is to blame. Either way, it's fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud.

And people wonder why our insurance rates keep getting higher and higher. Sheesh.

Anonymous said...

did this ever get resolved?