Insurance assessor?

[mattian]

Ok, so I am having to make a claim with my insurance after an unfortunate mishap I had with the curb. The bike has some damage. From what I can see, I will need new handle bar. Its slightly askew. New clutch lever. Work done to grazing on the side of the tank (possibly a new tank) and possibly a new left brake disc as the edges were grazed.
Now, I am no expert! My question is, the assessor that the Insurance company provides is an expert/former mechanical engineer? with a history of motorcycle knowledge? Are they working to get the best possible outcome for me? or the Insurance company.
Having never been in this situation before would like to know what your experience has been dealing with Insurance assessors.

[Maha]

The Insurance company, always the Insurance company.

[DMNTD]

Ok, so I am having to make a claim with my insurance after an unfortunate mishap I had with the curb. The bike has some damage. From what I can see, I will need new handle bar. Its slightly askew. New clutch lever. Work done to grazing on the side of the tank (possibly a new tank) and possibly a new left brake disc as the edges were grazed.
Now, I am no expert! My question is, the assessor that the Insurance company provides is an expert/former mechanical engineer? with a history of motorcycle knowledge? Are they working to get the best possible outcome for me? or the Insurance company.
Having never been in this situation before would like to know what your experience has been dealing with Insurance assessors.

Take your bike to the nearest Suzuki dealership (Holeshot?) and start on your claim forms.
Let the finance company know where it's at. The dealership with need to perform a PAV and get all the bits that need repairing valued plus labour blah blah.
Basically once things are in motion you step back and allow others to do their job :yes:

BTW...as your bike is fairly newish, it will be repaired with new parts.
Dunno what you mean by who the assessors 'work for' as they simply just assess whether your bike is a financial write off or not...pretty much.

[Gremlin]

As dumpty says... take it to your dealer (if you have one, otherwise that brands nearest dealer) for them to assess. Start your claim form (aka, talk to insurance). The shop will come back with their idea of the damage, the assessor will visit the shop to have a look themselves, and either agree with the shop, or disagree. They usually don't know the ins and outs of the bike like the dealer does, so depending on the dealer, some will just agree with what they say.

If the value of the damage (and for insurance, every scratched part gets replaced) is more than about 75% of the value of the bike, there is a good chance the bike will be written off, as any unknown factors would push the bike past replacement.

Look on the bright side... I bet you can't do $18,500 in damage :facepalm:

[YellowDog]

My experience of this is that you choose an approved insurance repair garage, preferably your dealer, and then they haggle the repair price with the assessor.

The assessor knows fark-all about your motorcycle and is only interested in reducing the cost of his paymaster's liablity to the bare minumum.

[Highlander]

Look on the bright side... I bet you can't do $18,500 in damage :facepalm:

Holy smoke, Mr Gremlin is that what your off road adventure came up with? :shit:

[Mom]

Assessors are paid by insurance companies to provide an independant opinion of what it is going to cost to repair your bike.

Make sure the shop that has your bike has a good relationship with the assessor. The outcome can be manipulated to suit all parties, with a bit of gentle massaging of the numbers.

It is a simple mathematical equation in the end.

Have faith in the shop, talk to your insurance company, everything can be negoatiated.


I had a crash in a car years ago, 5 car nose to tail, we were 4 out of 5 of those cars. The bloke that created the mayhem got the book chucked at him, he was old and I doubt he drove again. We paid $75 for failing to stop, even the cop agreed it was an unfair charge as we were left no time, but the law around that is black and white, we paid.

We were in a Holden Commodore. I had a tiny 7 week old baby in a capsule in the back seat. The only straight panel in the car was the passengers left door. Even the roof looked like a banana. Our insurance company said they would repair the car!!!!! OMG!!! It was fuckt and because it was under $500 of market value to repair, they were repairing it! I negotiated to accept $500 less than market value so I did not get the car back!

[warewolf]

The assessor is working for the best possible outcome for the assessor, simple as that. Since the insurance company pays him, after looking after number one, he'll try to appease them as number two. He won't give a shit about you or your bike.

There used to be an Auckland-based assessor for Swann who had a reputation for shafting claimants big time. He was an expert in covering up damage, not fixing it. He admitted to me that he gets a cut of whatever he can trim out of your quote. The quality of work he approved was absolutely abysmal. Forget about matching paint or alignment of parts etc.

I'll reiterate something I was told by a big AKL dealership when I crashed my bike:
"I hope you are not with Swann and if you are, pray you don't get this assessor..."

[mattian]

I take my bike to Holeshot in Barrys Point Road. Always been pleased with their work. I'm with Swann insurance and, I deal with them through kiwibike.

Thanks for the advice so far. I'm still riding the bike at the mo as its my only vehicle. I doubt very much if the damage will exceed 75% of the value of the bike. I have it insured for $11,995. Anyone had dealings with Swann???

[Gremlin]

Holy smoke, Mr Gremlin is that what your off road adventure came up with? :shit:
Yes :facepalm:

I doubt very much if the damage will exceed 75% of the value of the bike. I have it insured for $11,995. Anyone had dealings with Swann???
I'm the same as you... Kiwibike, Swann. I've just put the filled in claim form through to Kiwibike a few minutes ago, shop has already had the bike for assessment since Thursday last week. Now I'll need to wait and see what Kiwibike/Swann say, so I guess I can tell you a few days before you find out, at each stage :)

You might be surprised re damage. All parts are priced by dealer, at normal price, a single tiny scratch on a part means it gets replaced... the cost racks up, urrr... rather fast.

[mattian]

Yes :facepalm:

I'm the same as you... Kiwibike, Swann. I've just put the filled in claim form through to Kiwibike a few minutes ago, shop has already had the bike for assessment since Thursday last week. Now I'll need to wait and see what Kiwibike/Swann say, so I guess I can tell you a few days before you find out, at each stage :)

You might be surprised re damage. All parts are priced by dealer, at normal price, a single tiny scratch on a part means it gets replaced... the cost racks up, urrr... rather fast.

yep, awesome man. thanks. would be very interested to know how you get on with the assessor.

[scott411]

The assessor is working for the best possible outcome for the assessor, simple as that. Since the insurance company pays him, after looking after number one, he'll try to appease them as number two. He won't give a shit about you or your bike.

There used to be an Auckland-based assessor for Swann who had a reputation for shafting claimants big time. He was an expert in covering up damage, not fixing it. He admitted to me that he gets a cut of whatever he can trim out of your quote. The quality of work he approved was absolutely abysmal. Forget about matching paint or alignment of parts etc.

I'll reiterate something I was told by a big AKL dealership when I crashed my bike:
"I hope you are not with Swann and if you are, pray you don't get this assessor..."

although not with that company we have had to fight with assessors over certain things as well, most assessor are reasonable and will not be an issue, we had an issue over a tank that they wanted painted, but since the bike was a metallic paint, and i had little confidence that the painter would get an exact match we did a deal on a new tank for the insurance company to keep the customer happy, and give a repair I think he deserved,

the advice given above is good, the dealers will sort it out and since they deal with assessors all the time they tend to know what to do,

[DMNTD]

I take my bike to Holeshot in Barrys Point Road. Always been pleased with their work. I'm with Swann insurance and, I deal with them through kiwibike.

Thanks for the advice so far. I'm still riding the bike at the mo as its my only vehicle. I doubt very much if the damage will exceed 75% of the value of the bike. I have it insured for $11,995. Anyone had dealings with Swann???

Swann have been the duck's nuts when I have dealt with them personally and also via work. Just remember though that YOU will be dealing with KiwiBike(Dave/Donna) who have always been excellent with me.

I know that assessor that they utilise 95% of the time...you're in very good hands!

Please tell me that you have already started the process with KiwiBike, at least?

[warewolf]

most assessor are reasonable and will not be an issue,...
the dealers will sort it out and since they deal with assessors all the time they tend to know what to do,This guy was an a-grade c@nt; his reputation preceded him and there was not much the dealer could do, although they tried and did manage a few small wins.

After several epic fails matching paint, I suggested that the painter was given an existing part for reference... duh! The quality of the paint was rubbish: soft and chipped/scratched very easily. The painter they used also would take liberties with things, "customising" my bike. Do you see fcken' tassles and skulls, mate? Just fcken' paint the thing so it looks the same as before!!

The bike had one of two mufflers destroyed, they couldn't buy a single and were refusing to pay for a pair. WTF?!

It goes on and on. For the amount of re-work and admin time spent on the job, they would have been better off simply buying genuine parts at a preferential rate from the dealer/importer first go, and had a satisfied customer.

I just wanted my bike fixed, he just wanted to patch it up so it "looked" ok at first glance, and suggested I sell the bike ASAP if I wasn't happy with the long-term effects of his disguise work.

As this was the second major barney I'd had with swann, they will never, ever get another cent of my hard earned cash. Still pisses me off when I think of it. (can you tell? :rolleyes:)

[mattian]

Swann have been the duck's nuts when I have dealt with them personally and also via work. Just remember though that YOU will be dealing with KiwiBike(Dave/Donna) who have always been excellent with me.

I know that assessor that they utilise 95% of the time...you're in very good hands!

Please tell me that you have already started the process with KiwiBike, at least? [/B]

Yep, I have downloaded the claim forms. Will get bike to Holeshot asap.
I agree, kiwibike have always been brilliant to deal with. I shopped around alot for insurance for my bike and found most companies dont really give a shit about bikers. Couldnt even get my bike insured with AA unless I already had a car insured with them first!!! WTF?? I dont even own a car.

[caseye]

Yep, directly and with results that not only pleased us but made everything better.
have had dealings with other insurance companies over the years, but Swann really did a great job.
Bike was repaired to as new(it was only 1 year old at the time) and we were returned to a full no claims situation because of extenuating circumstances creating the crash.
Only bug bear was AMI and how much they paid out on the gear. Now though, Swann's price includes new for old on all gear for rider and pillion, to $3000 for rider and approx $2500 for pillion, same policy, bloody awesome.











I take my bike to Holeshot in Barrys Point Road. Always been pleased with their work. I'm with Swann insurance and, I deal with them through kiwibike.

Thanks for the advice so far. I'm still riding the bike at the mo as its my only vehicle. I doubt very much if the damage will exceed 75% of the value of the bike. I have it insured for $11,995. Anyone had dealings with Swann???

[hellokitty]

I have a question - when I crashed my car, it became the insurance company's property the second I put the claim in (or discussed the claim/crash) over the phone. I was only allowed to get my stuff from the glove box etc (and drained the full tank of gas - thanks tow truck guys!)

Are you supposed to, or allowed to be riding it around, or is it meant to be at a shop waiting for repair? Has this even been mentioned to you? Not trying to give you a hard time Mattian but I just wondered...
I am sorry your lovely bike has been damaged :hug:

[hellokitty]

Couldnt even get my bike insured with AA unless I already had a car insured with them first!!! WTF?? I dont even own a car.

Yes I found that with AA - they wanted my house, and car with them as well - then they told me my car was old and crap and why bother having full insurance. Wow! I would have saved $10 a week!!! (where is the face palm smiley when you need it)
:nono: dickheads... Luckily I didn't listen to them as I wrote the car off the next month.

[mattian]

I have a question - when I crashed my car, it became the insurance company's property the second I put the claim in (or discussed the claim/crash) over the phone. I was only allowed to get my stuff from the glove box etc (and drained the full tank of gas - thanks tow truck guys!)

Are you supposed to, or allowed to be riding it around, or is it meant to be at a shop waiting for repair? Has this even been mentioned to you? Not trying to give you a hard time Mattian but I just wondered...
I am sorry your lovely bike has been damaged :hug:

Thanks.... yeah, that's a very good question. I'm not too sure what the situation will be. The damage to the bike is such that, it can still be ridden. If it comes down to it I won't wrestle my bike back off them. I'm sure something can be worked out... might be a good time to organise some holiday off work as its my work vehicle.:banana:

[marie_speeds]

Does pay to shop around, I'm now $30 better off a month after recently changing companies...which will be probably be taken up with gas now. But HK raised a really interesting question, hopefully any members in the insurance industry can answer that one?

[DMNTD]

Are you supposed to, or allowed to be riding it around, or is it meant to be at a shop waiting for repair? Has this even been mentioned to you? Not trying to give you a hard time Mattian but I just wondered...

You are still covered by YOUR insurance until you drop it off to the repairer. From that point on until it's completely repaired it is covered under THEIR insurance.

BTW...I think you will find that your gear is covered (prolly up to $4k????) too.

After having a 'claimable incident' it is ideal to get the process started ASAP.

[warewolf]

Not sure about here, but in NSW as soon as the assessor declares it a write-off then the bike is no longer yours, and it is no longer roadworthy so cannot be ridden on the road.

And if the insurance company is Swann, despite them declaring it a write-off which means they have decided to pay out, it can take months to actually get the money out of them.

[scott411]

Not sure about here, but in NSW as soon as the assessor declares it a write-off then the bike is no longer yours, and it is no longer roadworthy so cannot be ridden on the road.

And if the insurance company is Swann, despite them declaring it a write-off which means they have decided to pay out, it can take months to actually get the money out of them.

here in NZ you normally have to sign away the bike to the insurance company, after it has been written off, that is the way i have always had it done,

[Oscar]

I have a question - when I crashed my car, it became the insurance company's property the second I put the claim in (or discussed the claim/crash) over the phone. I was only allowed to get my stuff from the glove box etc (and drained the full tank of gas - thanks tow truck guys!)

Are you supposed to, or allowed to be riding it around, or is it meant to be at a shop waiting for repair? Has this even been mentioned to you? Not trying to give you a hard time Mattian but I just wondered...
I am sorry your lovely bike has been damaged :hug:

The car or bike continues to be your property until it is declared a write off and you sign the claim discharge. If you drained the petrol after that, you would be guilty of theft....

[hellokitty]

The car or bike continues to be your property until it is declared a write off and you sign the claim discharge. If you drained the petrol after that, you would be guilty of theft....

I don't remember signing anything... everything was done over the phone. Beside they "stole" thousands of dollars worth of mags and runflat tyres off me, when they refused to cover them and refused to let me swap them for original wheels.

[Oscar]

I don't remember signing anything... everything was done over the phone. Beside they "stole" thousands of dollars worth of mags and runflat tyres off me, when they refused to cover them and refused to let me swap them for original wheels.

Refused to cover them?
Did you ask them to cover them before the crash?

What you've found is that old saw - you can send $$$ on your bike/car, but there is not always a commensurate increase in the value.

[hellokitty]

Refused to cover them?
Did you ask them to cover them before the crash?

What you've found is that old saw - you can send $$$ on your bike/car, but there is not always a commensurate increase in the value.

They were a gift, and were "too expensive" to be on my car apparently. Which is fine but I expect to be able to take them off and replace then with the cheap mags and tyres that were on it when I bought it.
No point even worrying about it now - the car was only fit for crushing, interestingly it is back on the road somehow, it wouldn't have been done legally.

[Gremlin]

So an update... (not sure how yours is going?)

In short... there is no news. I rang the shop last Friday to check if they had been visited... no sight of an assessor. Rang Kiwibike, the earthquake is to blame, with a large number of claims causing delays. They asked me to wait another week, then ring if I hadn't heard anything.

So just over a day to go, shop still hasn't seen an assessor. I'll check in with them Friday morning, if they haven't seen assessor I'll stick a rocket under Kiwibike, for them to give to Swann. Or they can give me their phone number. It's real simple in my eyes. Shop got bike. Shop assessed bike, priced parts, made nice pretty form with everything on it. Assessor puts tick on form.

Shop orders parts, gets parts, fits parts, checks bike over, and finally hands back to me. It isn't a Zong Shen that can be repaired by a backyard mechanic, indeed, there are 5 authorised dealers that can work on the bike, and with Chch somewhat out, it leaves 4.

Shop basically does all the work, insurer doesn't have much to do, so what's the hold up? If it carries on much longer, I'll be telling the insurer they're going to be looking at a new battery as well, for the amount of time the bike is sitting.

[hellokitty]

Yeah Mattian, what is happening with your insurance claim? Got it fixed yet? I suppose things don't happen that quickly?

[Gremlin]

Good ol Kiwibike and Dave. Rang them this morning, to give the process a bit of a nudge. It turns out Swann has been doing valuations and assessments in the background (it may be a write off :weep:), and Dave took some time out to follow the whole process up, and give me a summary. He's a top bloke he is :niceone:

While the quake has certainly made them busy, apparently bloody motorcyclists have been falling off all over the place elsewhere in the country, which has pushed them beyond capacity... Stop it, you're delaying my claim... wait... nevermind :facepalm:

[Gremlin]

mattian has obviously gone AWOL missing his bike (I know how he feels).

Assessor rang me today, he assessed the bike yesterday, agrees it's pretty much cosmetic or bolt on pieces, so they are happy to repair (my first choice as well). He also just wanted to check with me before giving authorisation etc.

So now I wait for the parts to arrive... realistically we're looking at 4 weeks to being back on the road. Roughly half for the parts to arrive, then book it back into the workshop, pieces fitted etc.