Insurance company won’t pay up for damage to car

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Updated: March 1, 2012 8:26AM

Dear Fixer: On Sept. 6, I was involved in a car accident. I had dropped off my two sons at St. Pascal School on Irving Park Road in the Portage Park neighborhood. I pulled up in front of school in a legal parking spot. I put the car in park and not five seconds later, I felt a huge bang. The car that hit me then crashed into the minivan in front of me.

My car sustained more than $1,600 in damage. It is not drivable. Her insurance company, Unique Insurance, is giving me nothing but the runaround. They won’t even pay for a loaner. To top it all, my 80-year-old mother has Stage 4 liver cancer and has to get an antibiotic IV every day for the next six weeks at the cancer center at Loyola. I can’t take her because I don’t have a car. My siblings have been able to, but they also have jobs and families, etc.

I explained this to the insurance company. I also checked with the Better Business Bureau and found out they had 100 complaints against them and a rating of “F.” Can you please help?

Norine Kelly, Chicago

Dear Norine: We knew Unique Insurance attracts consumer complaints — they had the 45th worst complaint ratio of 52 auto insurance companies statewide in 2010 — but we still thought your claim should be an easy one to resolve. You had documentation, including the police report and damage estimate.

Yet Unique has failed to respond every step of the way, beginning when The Fixer hand-delivered your information to their offices at 4245 N. Knox in Chicago on Dec. 8, only to be told that no one could divulge the name of who was in charge. We managed to snag a supervisor on his way out; he issued a “no comment” before we could explain what we wanted. We did leave that packet of information with him . . . but he never called back.

After that, we emailed and sent certified letters to try to reach anyone in charge over there — from President Matthew Dutkanych to Stephen Crowley, whose name appears on their regulatory filing. Still no response. We called and left numerous, specific messages. Nothing.

Sadly, in the midst of our efforts, your mom passed away two days before Christmas. Our most sincere condolences to you and your family.

In their written denial issued to you on Oct. 18, they claimed their insured driver hit your car after she swerved to avoid a truck that was in the other lane. They suggested you find that truck driver and go after him for the money. We think it makes more sense for them to pay you for the damage that their insured driver did to your car, and then they can try to collect elsewhere.

We’ve given you information on how to file your own claim in Cook County Pro Se Court. Good luck and please let us know how it turns out.

Speaking of insurance

Is your homeowners’ insurance up to snuff? According to Consumer Reports Money Adviser, about two-thirds of victims of natural disasters were underinsured. Here are some of their tips to make sure you’re covered in case of a disaster:

◆ Make sure you have sufficient insurance. Even if your home’s market price has dropped, you should be looking at the cost to rebuild, if necessary. Check out AccuCoverage.com, where for about $8, you can estimate the amount of coverage you need.

◆ Cover for major local risks. This might entail getting separate coverage with a specific deductible for that hazard.

◆ Compare rates on sites such as Insure.com, InsWeb.com or NetQuote.com, or work with an agent who sells policies from multiple companies.

◆ Address fire or tripping hazards, use surge suppressors for your electronics, install a burglar alarm — and ask whether your insurer offers a discount for doing so. Write down an inventory of your important belongings and include receipts, videos and photos. Keep this in a safe, fireproof place.

◆ If something happens, stop further damage but don’t start repairs until the adjuster arrives.

Getting the runaround over a consumer problem? Tell it to The Fixer at suntimes.com/fixer .