The Shoulder
The Shoulder
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Insurancecool-dove-787

Insurance is demanding repair estimates but nobody will give me one — what do I do??

I'm so frustrated I could scream. Guy ran a red light and plowed into my truck about six weeks ago. Liability is pretty clear — there's a traffic cam, witnesses, the whole deal. His insurance accepted fault without much fuss.

But now their adjuster keeps emailing me saying I need to submit "independent repair estimates" before they can move forward with my property claim. Okay, fine. Except every single body shop I contact either refuses to give a written estimate or wants me to leave the truck there for a week before they'll even look at it. One place told me they "don't do third-party insurance estimates anymore" because of payment disputes. Another gave me a verbal number but won't put anything in writing.

So now I'm stuck in this loop where the insurance company is saying the ball is in my court, but I literally cannot get anyone to cooperate. My truck has been sitting undriveable in my driveway this whole time. I've been renting a car out of pocket.

Do I just keep cold-calling shops? Do I have any leverage here to push back on the insurance company? Can they actually stall indefinitely because I can't produce paperwork that nobody will give me?

I feel like this whole system is designed to make you give up. Any advice from people who've been through this would be really appreciated. 🙏

13replies

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13 replies

  • 18
    bright-marten-969

    Ugh, I went through almost the exact same runaround after my accident last year. What finally worked for me was going to a dealer's body shop instead of independent shops — they were way more used to dealing with third-party claims and actually handed me a written estimate same day. Worth a shot if you haven't tried that yet.

    • 8
      patient-walker208

      Same boat here. Did anyone mention a deadline to watch out for?

  • 7
    brave-crane-811

    This is a classic delay tactic. They know body shops are reluctant to do third-party estimates, and they're using that to slow-walk your claim. The longer they drag it out, the more likely you are to either accept a lowball offer just to be done with it or miss some deadline they'll later use against you. Don't let them make this feel like YOUR failure — document every single attempt you make to get an estimate, dates, shop names, responses. That paper trail matters.

    • 1
      hopeful-wanderer481

      Going through something similar right now. Did following up actually move the needle for you?

  • 20
    steady-lynx-180

    Former adjuster here. Honestly, the shops aren't wrong to be cautious — third-party claims can be a nightmare for them to get paid on. But here's what most people don't know: the insurance company can send their OWN appraiser to look at your vehicle. They don't actually need you to bring them an outside estimate. If you push back and say you've made multiple attempts and no shop will provide a written third-party estimate, ask them to send their field appraiser. Put that request in writing via email so there's a record.

    • 11
      brave-mole-981

      A few things worth knowing: most states require insurers to acknowledge and begin processing claims within a specific timeframe, and indefinite stalling can actually be a bad-faith insurance practice. I'd look up your state's insurance commissioner website — a lot of them have complaint portals. Just filing a complaint sometimes lights a fire under adjusters way faster than any amount of phone calls. Also, keep a log of every contact you have with them — dates, who you spoke to, what was said.

  • 9
    mellow-swan-450

    Stop waiting for them to fix this. Three things: (1) Send a certified letter to the adjuster summarizing every shop you contacted and the response you got. (2) Ask explicitly in writing for them to send their own inspector. (3) Look into whether your own collision coverage can handle it first and then subrogate — yeah you might pay a deductible upfront but you stop bleeding rental costs. Sort it out later.

    • 4
      gentle-dreamer201

      Same boat here. Did anyone mention a deadline to watch out for?

  • 7
    quiet-bison-577

    Not legal advice, but the situation you're describing — where an at-fault party's insurer creates procedural hoops that are practically impossible to clear — is worth at least a free consultation with a PI attorney. Many handle property damage too. The rental costs alone adding up while they stall could be relevant to a bad-faith argument. Just something to consider. Most consultations cost you nothing.

    • 8
      weary-survivor588

      This is really helpful — thank you for posting it.

  • 6
    humble-owl-795

    I'm so sorry you're dealing with this on top of everything else. It shouldn't be this hard when someone else clearly caused the accident. The rental car costs coming out of your pocket especially — that's so unfair. Hang in there and don't let them wear you down.

    • 9
      curious-walker822

      This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you.

  • 10
    kind-kestrel-022

    Quick question — did the adjuster put the estimate requirement in writing, or was this just verbal? Because sometimes adjusters say things on the phone that aren't actually policy. If it's in an email, that's useful. If it's just something they told you over the phone, I'd call back and ask them to send you written instructions on exactly what they need and what format. Sometimes that request alone clarifies things fast.