Right to Appraisal Got Me $3,646 More for My Totaled Truck

When Progressive declared my 2014 Ford F-350 a total loss, they offered me $18,853.25 for my truck. The offer seemed low, but I wasn't sure what I could do about it.

My local body shop told me they knew someone who could review my claim before I accepted the settlement. They explained that my insurance policy included a Right to Appraisal, which allows consumers to dispute the value of their vehicle when they believe the insurance company's offer isn't fair.

The appraisal clause was invoked, and over the next few weeks the appraiser's exchanged information and worked through the valuation. When the process was complete, the final agreed value of my truck was $22,500.

That was $3,646.75 more than Progressive's original offer.

If I had accepted the first offer, I would have left $3,646.75 on the table. I had no idea there was a way to challenge the value until someone pointed me in the right direction.

Going through the appraisal process showed me that there is a fair and reasonable way to resolve disagreements over a vehicle's value without ending up in court. This option should be available to all Montana consumers. When there's a genuine dispute over what a vehicle is worth, consumers deserve the opportunity to have an independent appraisal and receive a settlement based on the facts, not just the insurance company's first offer.