Petty Details’ experts help with diminished value and other property damages.

We work with auto accident victims, attorneys, body shops and other claims professionals to get claims resolved from start to finish.

Has your car been wrecked and repaired?   Was the wreck someone else’s fault?

After you are put in an unfortunate situation like an auto accident (especially one that you didn’t cause), some argue the value of your car is the same after repairs.  We all know the desirability of your wrecked and repaired vehicle is clearly different.

DIMINISHED VALUE = LOSS OF DESIRABILITY

At Petty Details, we know how insurance claims work and the techniques that are used to successfully recover diminished value better than any other provider out there and we have helped recover diminished value all over the U.S.! We have local appraisers all over the country that help us help you, no matter where you are. There is no risk because you get a free claim consultation before the process is started to make sure your claim is worth your valuable time.

Below, you will find these resources to help guide you:

• Form to request a Free Claim Consultation
• Link to download our FREE diminished value guide
• Links to articles to help you find the real answers!
• Diminished Value success stories
• Product Overview: RDVA, USPAP & APPRAISAL CLAUSE

Diminished value success is not hard to come by, you just have to have the RIGHT EXPERT!  We help tons of accident victims and attorneys move their diminished value claims to resolution with our free answers, diminished value appraisals and service during the claims settlement process.

Click on the images below to read more about clients with diminished value success stories and the challenges they dealt with!

2013 Kia Sorento Diminished Value Award: $3,000!

DV Success, Kia

Diminished Value on an Infiniti G37 – Award of $7500!

Diminished Value Success, DV Success, Infiniti

2012 Audi A6 Diminished Value Success!

Audi, Diminished Value, DV Success

Chevy Malibu Diminished Value Award – $1000!

Chevrolet, Diminished Value, DV Success

Honda CRV Diminished Value Success!

DV Success

Fiat Diminished Value Success

DV Success, Fiat

Ford Mustang Diminished Value Claim Won $7,000!

DV Success, Ford

2013 BMW Diminished Value Award – $9,000!

BMW, DV Success

Ford Expedition Diminished Value – Awarded $9K!

DV Success, Ford

Click HERE to see MORE SUCCESS STORIES!

Want your own diminished value success story?

You’re not alone!

You can get a free consultation today and find out what your claim is worth.  Get on the phone with a real expert who can answer the hard questions and prepare you for the fight!

Request a FREE Diminished Value Consultation TODAY!

USPAP Diminished Value Appraisal

$250 + $35 admin fee

* This report is used for claims valued $1650 and above.

We know insurance claims and the techniques that are used to successfully recover diminished value better than any other provider. Additionally, we hold over 17 years evaluating vehicle values and damages and know what is happening on the inside at the insurance company. This is more than we can say for a lot of the “experts” that you may find by doing a Google search on diminished value claims. We have had many customers buy ANOTHER diminished value appraisal from us after getting one of their unsubstantiated reports.

If your case ends up in front of a judge, you need to have a credentialed professional to back up your technical evidence on your diminished value claim. Petty Details, LLC prides itself on the specialized knowledge, training and experience we have for successfully documenting diminished value claims. In addition to the quality and acceptability that comes from getting an appraisal from an insurance claims expert, we also pride ourselves on being unbeatable when it comes to price. We want to help individuals recover the money they are owed and we want insurance companies to get non-skewed diminished value appraisals from a reliable company. We want to help fight back against inaccurate “appraisals” from so-called “experts”.

Click Here To Find Out What Your Claim Is Worth!

Image provided by: Tup Wanders, Flickr

Total loss settlement disputes are common. The value of your vehicle is very important to you, but it may not be as important to your insurance company or the insurance company of that guy or gal that hit your car and totaled it.

No matter how your vehicle became a total loss, there are some options available to you that most don’t know about. Petty Details will help you advocate for the best settlement on your claim.

The most common method of settling a dispute about the value of a vehicle is to employ the services of a non-interested professional. If the professional is truly non-interested and an expert, then their opinion should be based upon accepted appraisal methodology and proper education, training and experience.

Request a free consultation today and find out if our help can get you a better total loss settlement!

True stories about how our free total loss claim consultation can make you money!

We talk to a lot of people from day to day and many times, Justin has to tell people who call the hard truth that it might not be worth spending money but sometimes, with just that one call, he can help you make decisions that could make you money in the end!  There aren’t a lot of experts out there talking about total losses so Justin decided to share his experiences with some of our clients with you good people researching about how to get your total losses settled.

This is from one of our clients, Rosa.  Here is how the story started…

Rosa was one of the lucky ones who found us early and requested a free total loss claim consultation through our website and used the Ask The Experts feature to send us a question.  Here is was what she sent:

I have sent you the CCC Report from the insurance company, which seems to be about $1000 lower than what it should be for our vehicle (KBB valued our vehicle with mileage at $5141). In addition to the higher amount, I would like to know if it is fair to request that the adjuster also include a higher amount for the tires, as we just purchased a new set of (warrantied 60k) Michelin tires on 6-5-2015 for the amount of $626.63. If so, what is reasonable given the mileage on the tires is 2,457 miles?

Thank you.

Rosa

Justin had an informative conversation with Rosa and explained all of her options but also explained that it wasn’t worth spending money on an appraisal on her case.  A previous total loss on the vehicle really put a kink in arguing well.  She understood and we sent her a sample demand letter to fight against the CCC on her own a little.

Rosa went to fighting on her own and then sent us this very kind message:

Dear Mr. Petty:

I want to thank you for speaking with me and providing me your assessment of the insurance company’s 1st Offer based on CCC of $4136.75.

We did our homework on the internet for the market value of our vehicle and even though our vehicle had been totaled prior to my purchasing it in 2008, it was in excellent condition inside and out and had no mechanical issues out of the ordinary. We attached 2 proofs of comparable vehicles on 9/14/15, respectively $6632 and $6950. We kept it simple and to the point.

We were ready to go the distance if that became necessary. However, we’re glad they saw that there were just no vehicles in their price range as a comparable. (And if there were any, they were in very poor condition. Yes, we went to see a 2004 Honda Accord with leather for $4495 at a nearby car lot. One word: Terrible.)

The Claims Representative was out of the office until today. We are very happy with their Final Offer of $6,678.72. A full $2541.97 over their original offer.

Again, thank you as it kept us focused on achieving a fair and just settlement.

Sincerely,
Rosa C.

A Free Total Loss Claim Consultation Really Does Help!

Melva called and she was trying to wade through the confusing weeks that follow a car accident  She was injured, stuck in limbo, and not sure if her car would be totaled or not.

Here is Melva’s story in her words:

Hi Justin,

Better late than not at all! I just wanted to send my experience with the Odyssey auto accident and how you were my incredible blessing in spite of the hardship.

It has become really obvious in recent weeks the power of knowledge. After being in a rear end collision at the end of February, I was anxious, concerned, and worried about the damage to my vehicle and how this car would be handled, not to mention the physical aches and pains that emerged two days after the accident. I was in unknown territory and even felt like a foreigner in a new country who didn’t know the language of insurance and legal jargon related to an accident.

Questions that immediately followed the accident on a chilly evening as the sun was setting: How does this all work? Who did I need to call first? Will this situation be handled fairly? Am I really still going to be driving this damaged car again that had the whole hatchback caved in and windows busted out? All I knew to do without knowing the answers is to seek information my searching the web.

Fortunately, the call I made to an attorney led to an expert for property damage claims, Justin Petty. You could tell right away that he was caring, very knowledgeable, and really wanted to help people who are not familiar with the insurance world of car accidents. He talked with me over the next few days for about 3 hours combined for no charge. Justin empowered me like a blessing from heaven to know the answers. He coached me in what steps to take and in what order, what questions to ask, and how to fairly solve this problem with the best outcome. It took some grit on my part to stand up for my rights but I would have no rights if I had not gained the knowledge. Even though I experienced 13 weeks of physical therapy, the accident turned out to have a really great outcome with my car being totaled in the end and buying a new car that is bigger than the last car to ensure more safety.

Thank you Justin and Petty Details!

Sincerely,

Melva

Want to see if we can help up the ante on your claim?

What if I want to total my vehicle but the insurance company refuses to total?

Frankly, I’m surprised that I don’t get asked the title question more often, but I know why I don’t.  Simply put, it is the dogmatic way insurance adjusters explain the total loss or repair process to accident victims.

From the onset of dealing with most adjusters, the tone is set by the adjuster that what they say is how it is.  Most simply TELL people how it is.  The art of negotiation is lost and with it, common sense.  This isn’t their fault; their supervisor told them how it was when they started and as they trained.  But don’t blame the supervisor because his manager told him how it was when he started.  But don’t blame the manager. . . you see where I am going with this?  It is a mindset drilled into adjusters that THEY are the ones that decide if a vehicle is totaled or not.  They are sadly mistaken.

So, listen, it is YOUR vehicle.  YOURS.  Not theirs.  YOU decide what to do with it, not them.  Remind them of this if you disagree with them.  Ask them whose name is on the title.  After you have cleared up the issue of ownership and ultimate control over the destiny of your vehicle, then you have to implement a plan to bring the destiny to reality.

Scenario #1: The insurance company refuses to total your car, but you don’t want it repaired.

What do you do?

Simple.  Call our office and we help you find out what a buyer will pay you for your wrecked and unrepaired vehicle.  If you know your own buyer, call them.  You’ll need photos and damage estimates to show the buyers (get these from the insurance company).  Once you know what the wrecked car is worth, you will have enough data to make the decision to either start looking for your new vehicle, or start dealing with the repair of your vehicle.

So to recap, if you don’t want to fix your vehicle, simply check your options out by calling us and finding out how much your wrecked car is worth.  We will review the case for free and make sure you have the data you need to make the decision that is in YOUR best interest, and not the best interest of the bank account of the insurance company.  If it’s better to repair, we’ll tell you the truth and help you with that, too.  We’ll make sure you know about the diminished market value and make sure you don’t overlook any other recovery you are entitled to.

Scenario #2: The insurance company and you both agree it is totaled, but you can’t agree about how much it is worth.

So in this scenario, the answer depends on whether you are dealing with your own insurance company (a contract dispute), or the other person’s (at fault driver’s) insurance company.  I’ll start with dealing with your own company. . . . . If you disagree with your own insurance company about the amount of your claim, then your only real option (outside of just great negotiation) is to invoke the appraisal clause of  your policy.  It’s funny how many people don’t know about the appraisal clause, even insurance adjusters and appraisers are many times in the dark.  The appraisal clause is an option that comes with a lot of ambiguity.  If you really want to fight using the appraisal clause, make sure the appraiser you choose knows his/her s*&!.  Insist upon talking directly to your appraiser and drill them good.  Make sure you are comfortable with them because if they know what they are doing, you will simply have to trust them to settle your claim for you, and you will be in the dark during the negotiation process (by requirement).  If you want more information about the appraisal clause process, call us.

Third-Party Claim Troubles?

Just $9.95 – click here to download!

Now, if you are dealing with the at-fault party’s insurance company (a negligence claim), the process is governed by tort law.  This means, you would have to provide enough evidence to convince a court to pay you the amount you seek in a civil suit against the at fault party.  The insurance company will almost never agree with you about what a court would award you.  They like to TELL you how it is.

The fact of the matter is that if you want to prove the value of a motor vehicle in a court of law, you need a qualified expert appraiser and a formal appraisal prepared by them using known appraisal standards that can be duplicated, and that are generally accepted within the appraisal industry (not the insurance industry).  The cost of getting an appraisal from an expert varies (I charge $250), and when dealing with another person’s insurance company, there is no guarantee that getting an appraisal will change their mind about the value of your car.  In most cases, you have to be willing and able to get an appraisal, and sue the at fault person.  If you can do this, then many times, your case will settle in a mediation.

There is no ability to invoke any clause with somebody else’s insurance company because you don’t have any written agreement with their insurance company, you only have the right to recover damages from the person that caused them, and luckily they have insurance for that.  Remember you are dealing with a pending lawsuit when you are talking to an at fault party’s insurance company, and this will help you to understand the rules.  The rules are the law, not the insurance company’s internal claims handling policies.

Want to find out if we can help get your car totaled?

Rental Car on Total Loss Claims in Texas

Blogs are buzzing because in the recent Texas Supreme Court Case, J&D Towing LLC v. American Alternative Insurance Corporation 2016 WL 91201 (Tex. 2016), a major wrong that has been going on since before there were even cars was righted.

If you have never had the misfortune of dealing with a “total loss” claim, count yourself lucky!  If you have, you might have been in a situation where the insurance company for the person that hit you refused to pay for a rental car since your vehicle was totaled.  I can’t say how many times I have answered the phone and had to explain to accident victims that the law was not helpful when it came to loss of use or a rental car on total loss claims in Texas.  For the entirety of my adjusting career, the law said insurance companies didn’t have to pay for loss of use damages when a vehicle was “totally destroyed”.  I remember my supervisors telling me not to pay for loss of use or rental on totals.

It is just how it is.

Well, not anymore. 

In a stroke of clarity, the Supreme Court pointed to logic when they made the decision.  They clarified that the current rule didn’t make sense, that it was “illogical” to suppose that the owner of a totaled vehicle (whether totally destroyed or not) suffers any less loss of use than the owner of a vehicle that is not totally destroyed, but repairable.

How about that?  A little logic for once.

If you have been the victim of an unfair total loss claim settlement that didn’t offer you loss of use, you might want to revisit the claim.

If you have been involved in an automobile collision, don’t forget to call our office to make sure you have all the information you need to get your claim settled the right way.

TOTAL LOSS SETTLEMENT TIPS

What should you do when you are dealing with a total loss?  We get so many questions every day from people involved in an accident where their vehicle was totaled and they are now getting a low offer from the insurance company and just don’t know what to do next.  We always tell them that it is always a negotiation and that they have to fight and prove their points with the information we are revealing below today!  We put together some total loss settlement tips to get you moving in the right direction on your auto claim.

Read below to find out our best total loss settlement tips and how to get your offer up just by taking the right steps and doing the right research!

OUR BEST TOTAL LOSS SETTLEMENT TIPS

1. Release your vehicle to the insurance company immediately upon their request.

This simple step will save you a lot of money in storage charges. If the insurance company is storing the vehicle, there are normally no charges, but if you leave the vehicle at a shop or tow yard, you will be responsible for the storage charges and they will be subtracted from your total loss settlement. Many people have concerns over this, but don’t worry, you are the owner of the vehicle, and the company can’t do anything to it except hold it until your property claim is resolved.

2. Request documentation on the calculated value of your vehicle.

This will be one of a few different things, depending on the company. Most companies use either “CCC” or “ADP” to evaluate the market value of your vehicle. If the company doesn’t use one of these programs, then they will most likely utilize N.A.D.A. split value as a starting point for your vehicle’s value. Remember, no matter what the initial total loss settlement offer is, you can negotiate it.

3. Don’t get upset!

After the insurance company has made an offer on your vehicle, they have the right to terminate rental. If you were in a rental car, the company will most likely advise you to turn it in, and that they will pay no more rental (regardless of whether their offer is fair).

4. Inquire about loss of use in lieu of rental.

Essentially, loss of use is a cash out option in lieu of rental car expenses. Sometimes, you can get both rental and loss of use.

5. Ask about diminution of value.

Depending on the State where your claim occurred, and whether your claim is a “First Party” or “Third Party” claim (see definition page), you may be entitled to a cash settlement for the actual or inherent loss of value in your vehicle due to it being involved in a crash, especially if you are retaining your vehicle.

6. Ask about registration fees.

You paid for your vehicle to be registered, so is there still time left on your sticker? Ask the insurance company to reimburse you for the unused portion of your registration. Also, ask them to pay for title transfer fees and applicable taxes if they don’t offer them up. Many companies will wait to see if you ask instead of paying what they owe.

7. Negotiate the salvage value.

If you want to keep your totaled vehicle, then the insurance company will estimate how much it would have brought at a salvage auction and reduce your claim by that amount. Essentially, there is a material damage specialist that is “guessing” about how much your wrecked vehicle will bring at auction. Call them out on the salvage value and request that they provide you with a salvage bid from a reputable auction/salvage company, or at least require that they provide documentation on how they arrived at the salvage value (should consist of a list of similarly wrecked vehicles and the price for which they sold at auction, then negotiate for the lowest amount).

8. Find out what you can get for your wrecked car!

We have relationships with buyers that are looking to buy your wrecked car!  Reach out to us and have the insurance company provide you with a few things to get a quote on what they will pay for your total loss:

– A damage estimate

– A Salvage Retention Offer from the insurance company

– Photos of the vehicle in its current condition exterior and interior (normally the insurance company can provide photos of the vehicle that they took upon inspection)

If you send that info to us, we can reach out to our buyer and get a quote for you.  The best vehicles to submit are newer model vehicles (2012 and up) but we can check on any vehicle you send!  You can reach us at dv@pettydetailsllc.com to get more info any time on this option!

We have so much more advice to give but don’t want to overwhelm you in this article so……

WE WROTE A BOOK ABOUT IT!

In our new ebook “Fight For Your Total Loss!”, we talk in depth about all of the issues you run into when dealing with a total loss settlement and the offers given by insurance companies.  We also provide you with steps you can take to fight against the low offers they routinely shell out to victims of auto accidents and are always here to give you a free claim consultation to discuss with one of the top experts in the field of auto insurance claims so you can get the answers you deserve and that many in the industry try to hide from you or lie to you about!

You can also get a FREE claim consultation to discuss your claim, all we need is a copy of the valuation you received so we can look it over and see if the offer you are getting is fair or downright dirty!

Download our FREE Diminished Value Guide for answers today!