State Farm Valued My Totaled Taurus at $12,638. Appraisal Determined It Was Worth $16,750

When State Farm declared my 2015 Ford Taurus a total loss, they valued my vehicle at $12,638.00.

I didn't believe that amount accurately reflected the value of my Taurus, so I expressed my disagreement with State Farm. Despite raising my concerns, the valuation didn't change.

At that point, I wasn't sure what else I could do. I knew I didn't agree with the number, but simply disagreeing with the insurance company wasn't getting me anywhere.

That's when I hired a public adjuster.

They reviewed my claim and explained that my policy included an appraisal clause that gave me another way to resolve the disagreement. I decided to invoke my Right to Appraisal and have the value independently reviewed.

Once the appraisal process was completed, the value of my Ford Taurus was determined to be $16,750. That's $4,112 more than State Farm's original valuation.

Had I simply accepted the original amount after expressing my disagreement, that $4,112 would have been left on the table. The only reason I had another avenue was because my policy gave me the ability to invoke appraisal.

What I learned from this experience is that there needs to be somewhere for a consumer to turn when they genuinely disagree with an insurance company's valuation or estimate. Otherwise, the insurance company gives you a number, you disagree, and then what?

For me, the answer was the Right to Appraisal.

I didn't need the insurance company to agree with me. I needed a fair way to settle the disagreement. Thankfully, my policy gave me one and every policy sold in Montana should afford the same right