Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 12/29/2011

Question
I am a carrier of Geico but I was hit by a USAA insurance carrier.  The accident happened on the 9th and fault was not determined until the 18th, that being the USAA carrier.  I immediately got a rental car once fault was determineD and kept it until I was able to get the car out of the shop which was the 28th.  USAA paid for the car only from the 18th until the 23rd because repairs were completed on the 23rd(started on the 14th).  The way I see it they are making our pretty nicely here seeing as though they could have been paying from the 9th until the 23rd and I was only asking to pay from the 18th-28th.  I would have got the rental right away but was afraid there would be no fault determined and I would be stuck with the bill.  I spoke to a supervisor at USAA and was hung up on.  What other steps can I take?

Answer
Hi Andrew,

You are entitled to be paid for the rental for the time you hads a rental. However you are entitled to be paid for "Loss of use" for the days from the 9th until the 18th when you received the rental. You should call again and ask for $25.00 per day for the 9 days befor you got the rental. If they refuse you should file a complaint with your state insurance commissioners office. If that does not help then your only other option is to file in small claims court.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh