I had an accident at the end of May in my 06 white Nissan. First off, when I bought the policy with Allstate, they told me I had roadside assistance and that if I was ever in a jam, I would get service, meaning they would send a tow truck, etc. Well, when I got into my accident, guess who could not provide me with a tow truck? Yup, Allstate. They told me I did not have roadside and that they could suggest a couple of places, but they did not know the places' hours and would not call them for me. So the cop had to call one in. Later, when it was too late, they told me I did have roadside. My car had already been taken to another shop.
I had told Allstate that I wanted my car repaired at a Nissan dealership. They told me that if I wanted my car repaired there, they could not guarantee that they would pay for all the towing expense and/or the bill from that location, after the person who took my claim (one of the multiple reps from Allstate that I spoke to) said that I could take it to one of their repair shops or a repair shop of MY choice with no "side effect" or complications on their part. So they bullied me into taking it to one of their repair shops, because being financially limited, I could not take the risk of them not paying for everything, even though at first they told me I could take it wherever I wanted and they would take care of it. They told me how "convenient" it would be to take it to one of their shops (a one-stop-shop type deal) and that they guarantee the parts and labor for as long as I own the car (I'll tell you how that works out later), even though their location was at least 45 minutes out of my way and the Nissan dealer was about 5 minutes away.
So I had my car taken to Sterling Auto Body, and they "repaired" it. Guess what? My front bumper paint does not match the rest of the car, it is a different shade of white, and it also makes a knocking sound that it did not make before. Also, someone stole my iPod Nano out of my car, and they refused to accept responsibility for it. I told them to fix it, since everything is guaranteed for life, right? Well, they made it sound like such a chore.
They called me two days later to tell me it was ready, and since it is such an inconvenience to go 45 minutes out of my way, I did not make it there until 3 days later. They took it upon themselves to declare to Allstate that my car was done. I asked them why, since I had not approved the "color match," so technically it was not done. Now the rental car company is telling me I might be liable for the extra days. When I got to the repair shop, the color looked the same as the first time I went there and told them it did not match. It was like they did nothing to it.
Do you know what the guy at the counter had the nerve to tell me? He said the manager of the Enterprise (rental car company) said it matches. I was incredulous. I could not believe he insulted my intelligence like that. I asked him why that matters, does he own the car? Does he paint cars for a living? Who is he to tell you whether the paint matches? I own the car, and I make the payments on it! I told him it was still unacceptable, and he said I had to take it up with Allstate now.
I told him I had already called Allstate. I spoke with a woman at Allstate who told me she could not extend my rental because there is already an adjuster assigned to my claim, and she conveniently could not locate anyone else to help me. So I ended up leaving a message for my adjuster. We'll see how that goes.
Had I been able to take it to the dealership, I would not be having all these issues, and Allstate would not have an upset customer, because the paint would have matched and it would have been within my traveling distance, and therefore I would not need my rental for so long and they would not have to extend it. I bet I would have had my car back in tip-top shape, not in a hurry-up, take-it-back shape. They said that by taking my car to Sterling Auto Body it would be cheaper and more convenient. So far I don't think it is working out that way.
I'm switching from Allstate as soon as it is feasible for me. I had an accident with GEICO, and they took care of me well. I had no issues with the quality of their repair job. I wish I had never switched. Next stop, the BBB.
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