" Your Diminished Value and Post Collision Repair Inspectors"
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Testimonials The testimonials on this page are unedited and are soley the opinion of the author. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Dear Billy,
Thank you for the great service you have provided so many of my clients. Knowing there is an expert in the field of depreciation that cares about the consumer has helped level the playing field and allowed innocent folks to not become victims of insurance company fraud. I thank you for your excellent & honest service. Sincerely,
Jason E. Taylor
The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, PC
P O Box 2688
Hickory, NC 28603
Office Locations:
Charlotte & Hickory
Free: 800-351-3008
Facsimile: 828-327-9008
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 14, 2015
I just got a check yesterday finally for the Diminished Value claim on my 2012 Rav4. State Farm did not argue or negotiate...they wrote a check for the full amount $2500! I really appreciated you guiding me through the process and looking out for my interest. The shop you referred us to, K&B Paint and body did a good job, and when you found a few minor, nonstructural issues on inspection, they quickly corrected them. I would have not had the experience or eye to see the cosmetic flaws, and that the actual structural repairs were done well.
Fast forward 3 months....we are back again with a total loss on another vehicle, the 2001 Accord. Was it worth having it towed from SC to NC to you? YES! Thanks for your honest evaluation and your guidance on how to deal with an overwhelming situation. We were blessed our son was not injured. I appreciate you being patient with the many questions, texts and requests for info that I sent your way. Until I had to experience dealing with insurance companies, tow companies, and AAA, I had no clue how to negotiate with them, no clue as to what the laws and "protocols" were.
We are hoping we are through this season of "car issues"! If we ever had another incident, I would not hesitate to drive from SC to NC, and have my vehicle inspected by you. Thanks for your assistance.
Sincerely, Karen Foreman Columbia, SC _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A few months ago, I purchased a 2012 GMC Acadia Denali. After less than six weeks of ownership I was in a motor vehicle accident where my car was struck in the rear quarter panel of the passenger side door. It was a scary ordeal and thankfully no one was severely injured. However, my car door was smashed in the airbags deployed, and I could tell that my brand "new to me" car had suffered some major damage After a few days of determining whether or not the otherdriver was insured during the time of the accident, it was decided that my insurer, NC Farm Bureau, would have to cover the cost of repairs. I located a shop andhad the car towed there. Within a week, I was contacted by the body shop owner and my adjuster. They estimated my car's value to be worth around $34,000 and the initial repair estimate to be close to $16,000. I was told the majority of the expenses were attributed to replacing the air bags and it would take about a month to fix. Fast forward four weeks, my car was still in the shop, partially repaired, and my 30 day coverage for a rental vehicle through my insurance had lapsed. I was beginning to get little restless to say the least. I contacted the body shop and was told they added another $5000-$7000 in supplemental repair expenses.Alarmed at this, I contacted NC Farm Bureau to inform them that the car was in mid repair and the repair costs had increased by nearly a third. I expressed concern that the car would need to be in the shop for an additional four weeks and that the repair costs were nearing the point of the car being totaled. I was told not to worry about the costs that I could take the check they sent me for the initial $16,000 and pick up my car when it was fixed and they would handle the remaining expenses later. Not being satisfied with the insurance company's response, I began to fret and stress over the idea of driving a vehicle that had been in a major accident with repair costs only being a couple thousand dollars shy of what I initially paid for the car and wondering how the insurance company could be so nonchalant in caring about whether or not the car was being repaired in a timely and ethnical manner. I spent days on the internet reading forums about lowballed repair invoices and botched body shop repairs and finally saw some information regarding 3rd party appraisers. After researching reviews for the most credible appraisers, I came across the webpage for Collision Safety Consultants and the Pack Brothers. They offered a free post repair inspection. I called them at 9pm one evening and received a call from Billy first thing the following morning. I shared my story and Billy was highly enthusiastic about inspecting my car. He told me I had nothing to lose if the repairs were done right. If that was the case, he'd let me know an I would have a free inspection. I would only have to pay their fees if the repairs were done incorrectly and they could get the car totaled. He felt 75% sure over the phone, based on my story alone, that something was up and the car may have been totaled. My car stayed in the shop another 2 weeks. Billy walked me step by step through what to say in emails and how to communicate with the body shop to get the invoices and supplemental estimate records that I needed to acquire. Once I started to inquire about the repairs I was told my car was not worth $34,000, but over $36,000. Billy helped me get that in writing from the insurance company. I went to pick up my car nearly 9 weeks after the accident and Billy had me drive it straight to him. When I arrived I was greeted the best group of car enthusiasts I had every met. Billy and the Pack Brothers were all over my car like ants to a sugar cube, inspecting it inch by inch. They offered to place me in a rental car to get me home and assured me they'd do their best to make sure my car was fixed right. Before I made it half way home, they called and said the floor of my car had major damage and should have been replaced…the vehicle was totaled. They completed the inspection, took several photographs, and sent their findings to my insurance. In less than a week, NC Farm Bureau agreed to total my car and write me a check for $33,000. I found the email Billy instructed me to save, stating that my car was worth over $36,000 and they honored that amount. Not only did they pay that amount, they also paid taxes and fees, and covered the appraisal fee Billy and the Pack Brothers were due. I got an additional $3000 by saving that email and following Billy's lead. On top of all that, Billy helped me find a new car (better than the one that was totaled) for a great deal and had it driven to my doorstep and dropped off! Billy hand held me through the whole process. He maintained contact with me throughout Christmas and New Years. He was always prompt to return a call or email within minutes. He even emailed while he was on vacation. These guys know what their doing and me and my family will forever be grateful to them for putting my family's safety first! Highest Regards, Zakia A. Nesbitt, LPC ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ January 14, 2015 Dear Billy, We have had such great feedback on your services and expertise from our clients. You have battled for them when the insurance companies have not done their proper job. All the testimonials in your web site are right on the dot. We refer any client that we think has issues of diminished value to you and you always succeed. Sincerely yours, David and Associates, P.L.L.C G. Phillip David Attorneys at Law __________________________________________________________________________________ Billy, I have to thank you for helping me out during a very difficult time in my life. My mother had just passed and the family was starting to make plans for her funeral service. My nephew, who is in the military, is stationed in GA. Since he is currently deployed, his wife decided to bring their 3 children to PA to share in the remembrance of her life. Knowing she had a rather long drive ahead of her and not wanting to experience any problems, she took their new vehicle to get serviced including an oil change. The dealer returned her vehicle without tightening the drain plug. Seeing the oil dripping in the driveway, she called the dealer. They sent a tow truck to retrieve her vehicle. Somewhere along the way of returning the vehicle to her, a tow cable broke whiplashing the cable into the rear hatch and side of their vehicle. She called me in a panic. She knew something had to be done quickly as she was leaving the next day. She could not wait for anyone to look at her vehicle to determine who was at fault or who was going to pay to fix the damage. Unfamiliar with any repair shops located near their home, I placed a call to you at Collision Safety Consultants for any help you could offer or any recommendations you could give me. Dealing with all the funeral arrangements, I had little time to deal with another crisis. You offered some suggestions and then told me to just have my niece contact you and you would help her get another vehicle to make the 13 hour long drive to PA. The following morning she tried to settle this herself without any luck. She was getting the run around from the dealer who caused this whole mess. Then she called you and got some expert advice from “Uncle Billy.” I don’t know what you told her or who you talked to but the next thing I know is she is calling me telling me that she is on her way here in a new minivan capable of safely hauling the kids and her. And that it was provided for as long as she would need it. Billy, you helped me and the family out when we really needed it. For that I am eternally grateful. Thank you again, Rick Dotterer Dotterer Auto Body Royersford, PA 19468 __________________________________________________________ Hey Billy, court-ordered arbitration in Mecklenburg County. If you recall, back in 2012 you appraised a 2002 Mazda Miata limited edition. You gave a depreciation value of $3,000. The insurance company gave a value of 382.75 and would not agree to negotiate. Arbitration went very well for us and we ended up settling the case for $3,800.00. The settlement included about $550 for unpaid rental and the cost of filing the lawsuit, but even so, the DIV comes in right around your value...and almost 10x the amount of money offered by the insurance company at the start!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Billy Walkowiak of Collision Safety Consultants got a phone call from us a few days later. I knew vaguely of what he did, but was not familiar with the industry or possibilities that exist after you are involved in an accident. I just thought you get in an accident, the insurance company fixes the car, done deal. Billy informed me there can be much more to it. knowledge of that type of claim. Billy evaluates the repairs, and even if done properly, helps you collect a check from the insurance company to compensate you for the diminished value. You know, the cheaper price you will get when you attempt to trade in your car and they see that it has been in an accident. This is something most people don't think about, they just get blindsided several years later when selling their car. shop floor to have a look at the repairs. The exterior of the car looked normal. However, the removal of a few panels revealed that the car had been fixed improperly. Not only improperly, but unsafe to drive. We were shocked to see how the frame had been cut and welded back inseveral places. Because of the crumple zones built into the car, this can render the airbags useless. These are things you would not be able to see for yourself unless you knew what to look for. "would I put my wife in this car test". The insurance inspector then met Bill the next day to see the repairs. The inspector agree with Bill and apologized for the poor repairs. The insurance company totaled the car and sent us a check for a new one. This cost us nothing, Billy's fee was paid by the insurance company. important thing is that I would never have known the car was unsafe to drive unless he had a chance to check it out.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I can't thank Billy Walkowiak enough for the tremendous service he did for myself & my entire family. Our brand new 2014 Nissan Rogue was driven through a storefront by a visiting relative during the FIRST week we had the car. The car had about 400 miles on it. We took it to a "trusted" repair shop that was approved by USAA, our insurance company for the past 24 years. This was our first claim in all that time. The car needed $15,000 in repair BEFORE they started to take it apart to see what was under all that bent metal and broken glass! Curiously the repair costs never increased as they typical do and we were assured over and again all was fine and the car didn't need to be totaled as it remained JUST below the 75% NC repair costs threshold. 5 long weeks later, owning the car 6 weeks now, we picked up the "just like new car" but felt something wasn't right about the whole deal as there was never an advocate involved to protect us,we always assumed our insurance company would protect us right? Well, No they didn't! We found Billy CSC Walkowiak and he became our advocate and things changed fast! After only a cursory examination of the car he found numerous flaws and incomplete or inadequate repairs that added to previous costs went far beyond the 75% threshold to have the car totaled. Billy also made sure I was given the correct Market Value for my Rogue so I avoided being "upside down" on the loan and after my claim went through I paid the loan back in full.
which would have been next to worthless had we ever tried to resell or trade it in. Rob Williams _____________________________________________________________________________________
Hey Billy, can use: When another driver totaled my car recently, I was intimidated by all the hoops and loops of dealing with an insurance company after an accident — they are super-complex and hard to understand. I wasn’t sure the insurance company would pay me enough to get back what I had. But I had an ace in the hole with Collision Safety Consultants helping me understand the best ways to handle my claim. navigate my claim. Their experience and deep knowledge of how insurance companies operate was invaluable. They were able to predict every move the claims adjusters made and help me be prepared to counter it. With their help, I was able to ask the right questions and insist on the proper actions the get them to restore me to the full value of what I had before the accident. at fault in my accident, Billy Walkowiak helped me understand how to make sure they advocated for the best possible result for me. He helped me understand the ins and outs of diminished value, salvage value, and total loss. He even knew how to manage ensuring the continued safety of my car if the insurance company authorized used parts in the repair. I may have insurance to protect me in some ways, but I have Collision Safety Consultants to protect me and make sure the outcome was definitely in my favor. I’ll never go through this without them again! ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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