Rauch vehicle appraisal

by Tom Rauch
(Oregon)

April 6th 2010 a customer of USAA totaled my specialty wheelchair van. USAA has accepted responsibility, but is using comparables from other vans (private party only) that break the State of Oregon Insurance commission rules. The rules say that they must get their comparables locally first, start with Dealerships and then work outward and finally use private party vans to compare. Also the vans had to have been for sale or are still for sale within 90 days of the accident. USAA could not find 1 Dealership comparable in the whole USA, (Ive found 6 on the west coast), 4 of their 5 comparables were old with the vans selling 2yrs,13mths,12mths and 6mths prior to the accident. I haven't been able to get OR Ins Commission to get them to throw out these comparables and apparently USAA won't research this. USAA's hired Independent(?)3rd party research company, CCC Valuescope said they don't research sale dates (unless USAA asks them), they just use what they find on the internet that looks like it is for sale. (We all know that every thing on the internet is true, right?) I've contacted 5 of 6 of the prior owners and they gave me the old sale dates. The first comparable that they gave me was from Connecticut. That's about far from Oregon as you can get. All of the comparable were from thousands of miles away! I was able to recently find info on their last 2 comparables. #4 per the prior owner wasn't even a lowered floor conversion van like mine and #5 wasn't either per the website it is for sale on. I truly doubt this van even is still for sale as all prior owners complained that they could not get the "for sale" websites to take off their vans and are still getting calls to this day.
USAA's adjuster who looked at my van at the body shop has to either be incompetent or is acting fraudulently as he didn't notice the 10" lowered floor of the van, the electric drivers side transfer seat, the hand controls, steering wheel spinner knob or the automatic rear kneeling system that helps the electric computer operated ramp be as level as possible. I have had to make so many calls to USAA, Or Ins Commission and USAA's 3 party research people,(CCC valuescope) just to try to get a fair value. I've recently learned that CCCvaluescope has depreciated the value of the $(16K approx)in 2003 conversion of my van down to $2875.00. That rate of depreciation seems extremely drastic, but I don't know I don't know where to turn from here.

Some of the info I've figured out is in an email that is yet to be read by OR Ins Commission, but they know most of it. USAA's offer started at 15K then 18k and now 19k for a van that will cost at 24k-33k to replace. Can't anyone hold these companies responsible for this kind of unfairness?

How is CCC Valuescope a Independent 3rd party when they get their money from from insurance companies and although they will talk to you, they won't accept any comparable values that don't go through USAA and USAA filters only what they want to let through at least not without a call from OR Ins Commission and they won't research sale date unless USAA asks them to and they haven't yet since I asked them to 3 weeks ago.
I asked USAA to give me the VIN #'s or License numbers to their comparative vans so I could get verifiable proof from DMV's in those other states, but they have not provided that info.

Thanks,
Thomas Rausch

Dear Mr. Rauch-

CCC is indeed a company with a long list of consumer complaints. For an article about CCC Click HERE.

I recommend that you contact an attorney to discuss your case.

I recommend that you cease communications with the DOI by any method other than Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested.

I also recommend that you contact the manufacturer and/or customizer of your van and get a written quote for a new model of your van with all options you had on your damaged van. THAT is the replacement cost of the vehicle. Then, depreciation may be applied based on age and condition at the time of loss.

Also consider contacting the nation's foremost authority on diminished value at www.collisionclaims.com.They may be able to help.

Your auto policy likely has an Appraisal Clause. This clause allows either party to invoke the clause. Both parties submit a competent and independent appraiser, and each appraiser nominates an umpire. The appraisers submit their numbers to the umpire and he determines the ACV of the claim. It this process does not work, then you must file suit against USAA. Read your policy.

You may contact me here at my website if you need further assistance.

Good luck,
Russell D. Longcore, Author