Unfair treatment by insurance company

THE EDITOR: Please permit me a space in your daily papers to express the troubles and inconvenience some people really cause you.

I was involved in a car accident on May 30, 2003 in Couva. Another vehicle lost control hitting my car (B13 Sentra Sport Edition) and damaging almost the whole front. I am currently seven months pregnant with my first child, and with a miracle all the four occupants escaped injuries especially myself. As you would imagine, I was stressed and traumatised by the incident. It took almost two months after the accident before a figure representing less than half of what the damages were ($5,500) was offered by the insurance company. Now tell me having to travel around (unaccustomed and in my stage) getting to and from work, appointments etc and constantly calling and getting no guarantees for almost two months, how can this ever be right? When I queried the figure, they said that because it was a foreign used car, the estimate was too high and that Bicks Auto had a massive sale on parts.

On doing research, the parts advertised were regular, basic parts and my vehicle originally entailed different parts (just to mention one item, the front bumper I had was a bumper equipped with double fog lights etc) and what the insurance quoted from Bicks was just a regular bumper alone. So what if Bicks did not advertise sale at this time. Would I have gotten more of my claim or were they delaying settlement, waiting for this sale? Whichever or however it is, it’s very unfair. I didn’t ask to be an accident victim and I am not trying to make money, I just wanted my car’s damages value. I could have argued the figure but it would take an even longer process and I have already wasted a lot of time, energy and resources because of them. You insurance people should have to go through what you put people like me through!!!

F CAPILAH
Santa Cruz