Auto Insurance Claims/claim time frame

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Expert: - 11/8/2009


Question
My car was stolen, I filled out all of their required paperwork, filed the police report and it has been over 2 weeks. Now I get a letter Geico wants another 30 days to review the information. What is the amount of otime they have to conclude a claim of this sort under the guidelines of the California department of insurance?

Answer
While the "Fair Claims Practices Regulations" (available at the DOI website)have time limits to accept or deny a claim, in practice, all the insurer has to do is send a note to the DOI every so many days saying they have reason to suspect fraud, and they can drag it out for years if they want to. Yes it sucks, so remember that if you vote for Republican for insurance commissioner.

Auto Insurance Claims

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Ron Cercone

Expertise

How to handle automobile total loss claims. I am the president of UClaim.com, which sells 29 different eBooks I have written on how to maximize various types of auto, home and business claims and how to get coverage on denied claims. You may view their tables of contents online. Also available are very specialized eBooks such as on EUO (Examination Under Oath) for example. Also available is an assortment of policy forms used by the most popular insurers. The eBooks have a money back guarantee and currently include personal consultation with Ron Cercone.

Experience

I have been adjusting insurance claims since 1980. 1980 to 1995 adjusting for many insurers (6 years as an independent adjuster with my own company). Currently working as a public adjuster in California, since 1995. I'm one of the few public adjusters who has handled automobile damage and total loss claims.

Organizations
CAPIA (California Association of Public Adjusters).

Education/Credentials
BA 1975 in History and Industrial Arts. Full CV at UClaim.com .

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