[mitchntx]

The wife has a breathing problem where as she sleeps her esophagus relaxes too much and collapses when she exhales. It doesn't close completely, but it slows her breathing to a point where her blood/Ox level was down to around 80!

The short term fix is an Oxygen concentrator so that what air she does get is more pure.

Insurance company would pay 80% of a rental after our $1000 deductible was met. After the deductible, our 20% liability was almost $30. They wouldn't cover the cost of a purchase. WTF!

So, I found several sources of these units, both new and used. Purchase price is anywhere from $250 (used with a 1 year warranty) to new at $850. I bought a 6 month old unit for $300 with 3.5 years of the manufacturer's warranty still in place.

I argued with supervisors and managers about them covering the cost of purchase and even submitted an appeal which was denied. They said that they don't cover purchase of major equipment, only rental. I don't understand the thought process.

[00 Trans Ram]

The story may be on here, or if not then I'm sure I'll post it up one day. Suffice it to say that I fought Allstate over about $75 worth of damage to my car (another $75 worth of damage and the car would've been a total loss).

Here are a few tidbits:
- lower-level and even mid-level employees cannot and will not make decisions that run counter to company policy
- be nice to everyone you talk to; it throws them off their game (Allstate actually noted in my file that I was a "nice guy, easy to talk to, very logical")
- document everything (and I mean everything - record phone calls, keep multiple copies of files, etc.)
- know the law inside and out, and have copies of it so you can refer to it while on the phone
- if, at any point, they begin doing things that are unethical or illegal (not just unfair) draft a complaint to your state Department of Insurance; in your complaint, explain the problem thoroughly and include all documentation (taped conversations, documents, etc.)
- talk to people on the phone every day (2 things - first, people will begin to realize that you aren't worth the trouble; second, people are likely to slip up and say something wrong, whereas writing or typing allows them time to think before hitting send)

Was I ultimately successful in my efforts? No, I was forced to keep my car. However, I was able to convince the Department of Insurance to censure Allstate and force them to change the way they calculated damages on all cars in the state. I ended up being $75 short on damages, and I simply could not find any other damaged parts (I wasn't going to fraudulently make up something, either). So, did I get what I wanted? No. Did I win? I think so.