Need advice dealing with insurance after getting hit

I have full coverage on my car (collector vehicle, collector insurance, 100% owned by me). It got rear ended in June. I contacted my insurance company to get this resolved. They get back to me (by phone) asking what happened, what my opinion of the damage is, and schedule to send out a damage-adjuster (3rd party). I also get an email from my assigned claims-adjuster that my claims process has started.

I get a copy of the police report that states the other driver is at fault, along with all of their pertinent insurance information. Great, sent that over to my insurance company via email (never hear back that they received it). In the meantime the damage-adjuster comes by to look at the car. I let him do his job, but when he is done asked what it looks like. The damage-adjuster will not tell you what the car needs or the estimate of damage, it goes straight to the insurance company. If that is how it works, fine, I will get my copy then.

After some time I get a phone message that my check is in the mail. I call back because I had a bunch of questions about the process. My claims-adjuster is unavailable and no one calls me back. At the end of July the check comes in the mail along with the report from the damage-adjuster. The report is obviously missing a few things. Tried to call the insurance company about this, but of course my assigned claims individual is not available. I assume that this will be dealt with between the shop and the insurance company. That seems to be the gist of the letter that came with the check, with the stipulation that I contact them and get approval for any discrepancy. So I get my car to a shop. The shop estimates the damage to be 4-5x the amount that was written by the insurance company. That is a large difference, so I take it to another shop. Same thing. I do not want to start work with such a discrepancy in cost, especially because I cannot afford the difference if the insurance refuses to pay for it.

I tried calling the person assigned to my claim, he is unreachable. I write to this individual and send the paperwork from the shop. A week goes by and I do not have a response. I call another representative in the claims department because I simply want to know what is going on, they leave a message for the manager (who is in today but cant be found, so surprising) and assures me that someone will get back to me and fill me in. Its almost another week now and I have not heard anything. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of communication and the fact that it is coming up on 3 months now and my car is still in my garage with no path to being repaired.

Where do I go next? Should I go to the insurance company of the person that hit me and get them to pay out the difference or do I need to get a lawyer and go after my own insurance company for not meeting their obligations?

State insurance board?

I'm having an issue with my health insurance coverage right now and my doctor recommends contacting them. Apparently getting a notice from the insurance board is a very good way to light a fire under their ass.

Strange. Most collector car insurance companies have a reputation of being good to work with. My own experience with Hagerty was great. And the accident was even my fault.

Ian F wrote: Strange. Most collector car insurance companies have a reputation of being good to work with. My own experience with Hagerty was great. And the accident was even my fault.

It's a smaller company, underwritten by a larger company. Once I submitted my claim through the collector insurance, everything was handed off to the larger company and it all went downhill from there.

My recent experience, still in progress, of a "hit from behind, other driver at fault, with citation noted in police report" had me deal directly with the insurance company of the driver who hit my son. It seems to be business as usual so far, and I'm scheduled for a (relatively minor) repair.

So I think I would try the other driver's insurance before cashing that check.

Don't cash the check.

If all else fails, a complaint to the insurance commission will get things moving. Unless things have changed, they are beyond the mandated time for resolving your claim.