I agree fully, Moni. Don't let this drop...follow up on it with the Insurance Commissioner. To be fair, let them know how it was resolved, but let them know with no detail spared what was done to you and Rex. It's time we started standing up for ourselves against these highwaymen.
Just as an aside: Way back in 1985, when I was about to finish my master's degree, I was on my way home from classes when someone crashed into me running a red light. I was fortunate that I sustained no injuries (I was driving a Ford LTD 1972 at the time, "battle wagon",
, but the car was totalled. The other guy's car was worse and one of his kids was hurt, which I was very worried about, but of course it wasn't my fault. (Kid turned out okay, just a split lip).
Anyway, long and short, I filed a report with his insurance company. A couple of months went by and nothing happened, even after a few certified letters. So I sent a final letter demanding that they settle with me, threatening legal action, and sent a cc of it to the Louisiana State Insurance Commissioner.
That insurance company had a guy out there two days later. I had originally paid $1200 for the car. He gave me $1050 on it, which I considered to be more than liberal, especially since I already had another car. My mother thought that was exorbitant; the car couldn't have been worth more than about $500-700 given its current state.
Would you know, that insurance company had been BILKING people all the way along, and it was only that I threatened a lawsuit and followed up with the commissioner that I got my settlement! They went bankrupt the next month. Actually, that's not quite right...they disappeared and I heard a rumor that the president of the company had departed rather rapidly for South America. If I had waited another month...
So you see the importance of following up on things. It was a lesson I remember to this day.
[This message has been edited by Sazerac (edited 05-11-2001).]