Even Loyalty Doesn't Guarantee a Fair Settlement

After spending an entire career serving our country, we've been proud USAA members for many years. We believed that if we ever needed to file an insurance claim, we would be treated fairly.

When our 2012 Toyota 4Runner sustained relatively minor damage, we were shocked when USAA declared it a total loss. To make matters worse, they valued our vehicle at just $10,002.24.

We didn't agree with the value, and we didn't agree that our vehicle couldn't be repaired. When we expressed our concerns, we didn't feel like anyone was willing to listen or help us understand how they reached their decision.

Fortunately, our body shop recommended that we speak with a public adjuster. After reviewing our claim, they agreed that our vehicle had been significantly undervalued. We decided to exercise our Right to Appraisal.

Our public adjuster worked on our behalf throughout the appraisal process. Unfortunately, they were unable to come to an agreement with the appraiser hired by USAA, so a neutral third-party umpire was selected to review the claim and make the final decision.

In approximately two weeks, the appraisal process was completed. The final settlement amount was $15,224.33, an increase of $5,222.09, or more than 52% higher than USAA's original valuation.

That's how inaccurate the original valuation was.

Without the appraisal clause in our policy, we would have been severely underpaid and left to absorb that financial loss ourselves. We would have been expected to simply accept the insurance company's decision and move on.

That isn't fair.

Insurance companies have tremendous influence over the claims process, and consumers deserve meaningful protections when they disagree with a claim decision. No Montanan should be told, "That's our offer, take it or leave it," without having access to an independent dispute resolution process.

We believe every auto insurance policy sold in Montana should include the Right to Appraisal. Consumers shouldn't have to hire attorneys or file lawsuits just to receive what they're owed. There should always be a fair and independent way to resolve disputes.

Our experience proves why the Right to Appraisal matters. We hope our legislators take these stories seriously and continue fighting for Montana consumers. No one should lose thousands of dollars simply because they didn't have basic rights included in their insurance policy.