I was hit by another car on my way to work this morning. Has anyone ever successfully billed a company for their time? I'll be taking time off of work to drive to their adjuster. Not to mention the time on the phone.
Don't think this needs to be limited to auto insurance. If you have done this with any other business I am interested to hear how that went, too.
Why would you drive to their adjuster? They should come to you, especially if the other insurer is liable.
It would have to be quite a long conversation for me to justify charging the company for my time on a phone call.
Are you angry with the other driver/insurer? Seems like a petty thing to worry about otherwise.
I asked to have their adjuster come to me. No deal because my car is drivable. The first appointment with their adjuster, that I have to drive to their location for, is ten days from now. I will be taking time off of work to go to it.
I am interested in billing for my time because it seems, sadly, that attaching a dollar figure to something is the only way to get attention in this world.
If they insist you drive to their adjuster, then yes, time and mileage needs to be compensated.
The only time I've had to come to an adjuster was for a comprehensive claim on my own policy. EVERY time that the other person was at fault they came to me.
I recently went to winterize someones summer house after they left for Florida for the winter. When I showed up there was a strong odor of gas in the air. I traced it to the gas meter and specifically the first nipple coming out of it. Gas company came out and replaced the meter bar but took away the meter. In order to get another meter, I had to fix the gas piping, pull a permit and stand a gas inspection, then schedule and wait for the gas company to come out and reinstall the meter they took away. Long story short, customer was billed for 10 hours of my time at $80 per. I spent only a couple of those hours working and the rest of the time I boxed and wrapped Christmas presents and some car parts I had to ship out, and also wrote out several invoices and estimates. Customer was given the option of paying me to hang around or jumping on a plane and coming back home to wait around. One time I went to a no heat call and the only thing wrong was one of the kids threw the oil burner switch by accident. Lady didn't want to pay me for coming out. I gave her the option of either paying me or she could come to my house that night and feed my cat. I left with a check for $75.
tr8todd wrote: I recently went to winterize someones summer house after they left for Florida for the winter. When I showed up there was a strong odor of gas in the air. I traced it to the gas meter and specifically the first nipple coming out of it. Gas company came out and replaced the meter bar but took away the meter. In order to get another meter, I had to fix the gas piping, pull a permit and stand a gas inspection, then schedule and wait for the gas company to come out and reinstall the meter they took away. Long story short, customer was billed for 10 hours of my time at $80 per. I spent only a couple of those hours working and the rest of the time I boxed and wrapped Christmas presents and some car parts I had to ship out, and also wrote out several invoices and estimates. Customer was given the option of paying me to hang around or jumping on a plane and coming back home to wait around. One time I went to a no heat call and the only thing wrong was one of the kids threw the oil burner switch by accident. Lady didn't want to pay me for coming out. I gave her the option of either paying me or she could come to my house that night and feed my cat. I left with a check for $75.
stuff like that happens to us all the time.
progressive would not come out to look at the olds 2 years ago when my wife got hit and the guy on the phone was pushy about getting it in ASAP even though it was sitting at her office 5 minutes from their adjusting center. however, when i took the car to their place for adjuster to look at it they were prompt, offered me snacks and stuff, had a nice warm place to wait with a tv so i could watch judge judy rip people new ones, and they told me their customer had done $900 worth of damage to my $900 car(which i had described to them as a low mile one owner just bought from a little old lady creampuff). I was cut a check on the spot, said thanks, and she kept driving our free car the rest of the winter.
hopefully it goes as well for you. you should most certainly keep track of lost wages and mileage to get the vehicle to their facility.
I was rearended last year. Travelers sent me a form asking how much work I missed as a result of the accident and to verify my pay rate and included it in my claim.
tr8todd wrote: I gave her the option of either paying me or she could come to my house that night and feed my cat. I left with a check for $75.
I love this.
My sister went to a doctors appointment on her extended lunch break. She showed up fifteen minutes early as requested. She waited twenty minutes after her appointment start time before she mentioned that she had been waiting as the signs in the lobby requested. They showed her to a room in back where she waited another forty five minutes. All told she was waiting at the office a total of an hour and thrity five minutes before the doctor walked in. When she asked him what emergency had caused the delay he admitted they had just overbooked him. She then proceeded to explain that she had used all of her time available waiting for him and his overbooking.
They had the audacity to bill her for the doctors visit. She refused to pay as no services had been rendered and sent them a bill for the time she was away from the office plus an extra thirty minutes for the missed lunch at the shop rate.
Neither bill got paid but her next and final visit to that doctor was free.
Most states have statutes listing the damages recoverable for property damage in auto accidents. Here, it's the difference in the value of the vehicle immediately before and immediately after the accident, with cost of repairs being relevant evidence, plus a "reasonable" loss of use. The adjusters just ignore requests for reimbursement of time spent dealing with repairs and estimates becasuse it's not recoverable in court.
tr8todd wrote: ?....she could come to my house that night and feed my cat......
Is this code for Bob Costas?
Nope, just my way of pointing out to her that getting in my truck and driving to and from her house had some value, even if I was only there a few minutes. She called me. I didn't ask to go to her house and flick a switch. I have had my share of overly friendly single woman on the job, but I am very happily married to the greatest woman in the world.
In reply to Johnboyjjb:
This is the type of behavior that I was referencing in my original post. There is seemingly no respect for people's time.
Thanks for sharing stories, everyone. I'll see what I am able to make happen here.
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