Terri Mawby - Colorado

My Allstate Horror Story
May 31, 2002

Well lets begin with my purchase that I had waited and saved over the last 5 years for. Keep in mind I am a single parent so it gets tough to save. I finally purchase a 2000 Ford Focus Wagon, big enough for my family which includes my baby niece and my 2 dogs along with my 2 children. I am so happy with it, fully warranted etc. No more worries, right???? Until I was hit by an uninsured motorist on 4/27/02. He was at fault and criminal charges have been brought against him, but of course the investigator working this still as of 5/31 doesn't know who is at fault. My wonderful adjustor Lance Benson has been told at least 4 times by the body shop it's a total. The body shop has tried to pull the floor, although they didn't like that idea but trying to work with Lance on this. (I was t-boned) When pulling part of the floor snapped off and put a hole in the wall. Ford will not recommend repairs. Yet Lance and now his buddy from one of their repair shops still thinks its fixable. Sure if I wanted a hack job.

I finally told Lance to get a certified letter of recommendation for repairs from Ford. The body shop cant get one and they have tried. He has basically refused. I told him with his "25" years experience and he is fully confident that repairs can be done with 4k then it shouldn't be a problem, if not, why recommend this repair if the manufacturer wont. I told him that I will sell it to him when the hack job is complete if that's how he wants it then he tells me that's another option, I CAN SELL IT FOR PARTS!!!!! Not the brightest crayon in the box. No one will give me the copy of my "policy book" that even my agent and the 800 # know nothing of. He wants me to take it to a shop that is preferred because they can fix it.....I have told him repeatedly no. I don't trust that and I will have to put my family in this car. (Just for background BMW....top of the line engineering on cars will not even sell a floor as they don't recommend that type of repair and don't even want someone to attempt it, of course, this is word of mouth but from someone in the business I have complete trust in.) Lance apparently went back to the body shop again after I spoke with him and left a message for his supervisor on getting this letter from Ford and is taking a second look as to why the car is not fixable. Being a layman myself with some of this stuff after seeing my car, I don't think it can be fixed with out a very costly bill. In the meantime for the last month and a week I have had to have my finance company extend my loan and may have to ask again since I'm 3 weeks away from my next payment and my car is no closer to being repaired than the day it was wrecked ....... this is where I am now, trying to find an attorney .....if anyone has any suggestions on how to just either get my car back to pre-accident condition or it just totaled so I can recoup my 5000 in losses and save for a new down payment please let me know ...... thanks and get away from Allstate as fast as you can I have never had a nightmare situation turn so bad by the people you pay to protect you.

MY POINT IS THEY ARE CORRUPT AND DOING PEOPLE WRONG.

If anyone has insurance with these people please cancel and help spread the word about their wrong doings. The only way to fight large companies is with the lose of accounts and money.

"There is no incentive for insurance companies to do what is right, such as live up to the promises made in their policies. Tort reformers fueled by insurance money think big business and the insurance industry need to be protected against "runaway juries." It's the other way around. Big business and the insurance industry have always been able to take care of themselves. The little people need protection from them. This country was founded on the common law right of the little guy to get into court with his hired gun to fight the oppressor, be it big government or big business. Take that away and we have nothing left. Look around. It's being whittled away, bit by bit, caps on damages here, restrictions on jury trials there. It won't end until we recognize the enemy and join together to take a stand against them. It will take the little people to do this together".

Louis G. Fazzi, Esq. Attorney & Counselor At Law