Legal Question in Insurance Law in Arkansas

How can I get my insurance company to settle with me?

Please help.. Our tour Bus burned on July 21st. Our insurance company keeps putting us off,It is now Aug. 29th. They first wanted more ajusters.So we are on about the 3rd one now.Now they are saying they need another one,because they can't determine how much our bus/motorhome was worth. I gave them Pictures,prices and discriptions of about 6 other buses that were either the same year as ours or close to it,from different dealers around the country. With about the same equipment onboard or even less.

we also lost some of our music equipment ,along with CD's,cassettes and videos.{We sing Gospel Music}They tell us that NONE of these things are covered.They also complained when the bus was moved from our front door of our home to a holding lot and said that they would not pay the storage. This was early in the game,So being told it would settle any day now,We agreed to pay the storage.We don't know what our rights are and can't afford to hire a lawyer. My husband is on disability and one week after the bus burned I was told that I have MS.Can Anyone Please help us? Thank You & God Bless.


Asked on 8/30/05, 12:39 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Harvey Harris Harris Law Firm

Re: How can I get my insurance company to settle with me?

First, it is likely that the insurance co. is required to either pay for the storage or take it to a place that they choose, at their cost. I would let them know that they are welcome to come get the vehicle and store it where they want because you don't want to pay for storage anymore.

They may be just trying to put you off, asking for all these quotes. I would check the value of the vehicle on NADA.com (it may be N.A.D.A.com, or something similiar). I've never been there, but on all the insurance cases I work, I see worksheets from there, showing value of vehicles.

If you want an attorney to negotiate for you, you can likely hire one with no money up front. They will charge you a percentage of what you settle for. So, it's up to you if you feel you can negotiate a settlement, you could save the attorneys fees. If you want an attorneys' help, you will end up paying them out of what the insurance co. pays you.

But, either way, you need to just stay on the insurance co. From what you are saying, they may be trying to find cheaper prices. The first settlement offer they give you may not be the best. I would check it out on the internet and, if it doesn't seem like enough, ask for more.

Good Luck

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Answered on 8/30/05, 10:00 am


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