Problems with getting a rental vehicle after your car wreck?
One of the biggest questions we all have after a car wreck is: How am I going to get around since my car is wrecked? For most Americans, driving is an absolute necessity to get food, go to work, make money, take your children to school, or get medical treatment. Figuring out where to get a rental vehicle and how it will be paid for is a huge challenge especially if you do not have anyone to rely on for temporary transportation.
Previously, the at-fault party’s insurance company would provide a rental vehicle at their expense. This would be provided until the vehicle is repaired to its pre-wreck condition, or the vehicle is deemed a total loss and a check is provided to the claimant. Nowadays, the insurance companies have pushed the burden of finding and securing a rental vehicle to the parties involved in the wreck. Rental fees are incurred by whoever needs the rental and are not reimbursed until the claim is settled in your favor. In addition, the insurance companies have rules and stipulations on what is considered an equitable rental vehicle. So if you find the cheapest daily rate possible, it can still be considered too expensive by the insurance company! As a result, you could still be paying out of pocket for an accident you were not at fault at and still won your case!
So why are insurance companies doing this? They want to save money. Since, cars are almost a necessity to live in the United States, most households will have multiple vehicles. This lets insurance companies get around providing vehicles for most claims and save money. The amount saved over the course of an entire year for the entire United States can easily reach over 10s of millions of dollars. Second, if you are under 25 years old, most rental companies consider you to be too high risk to provide a rental vehicle. This forces people under 25 to get a ride from their friends, family, or rideshares like Uber or Lyft. If the vehicle isn’t provided by a rental company, then the insurance cannot provide rental reimbursement. Third, insurance companies know that not everyone has enough savings or line of credit to get a rental and can avoid paying for low income or low credit individuals. Finally, if the individual does not have
rental coverage provided, then they don’t have to pay for a rental. All of these are effective and ongoing tactics used by insurance companies to get out of paying for rental coverage. These companies can save 10s of millions of dollars at your and other innocent drivers’ expense!
At 770GOODLAW, we will fight and file suit for your claim! Call us if you have been in an accident, we can help you win and get your life back on track!
