I recently got a job with Company X in Washington. They paid my relocation from Farmington Hills, Michigan to Lynnwood, Washington. They contracted a moving company for my things and a separate moving company to move my vehicle. They made a contract with company Y, located in Arizona. Company Y contracted to company Z (located in Idaho) to actually haul my vehicle. Company Z couldn't pick up my vehicle within a convenient time frame, so I left my vehicle with a trusted family friend for 2 weeks while we waited for Company Z to pick up my vehicle. My vehicle is a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. Company Z arrived 3 days late to pick up my vehicle. Family friend took photos of my vehicle being loaded on the truck. It was put on the end of the hauler, in the last spot. The driver mentioned they had deliveries to make on the way to Washington, including a delivery in Chicago. This would indicate that my vehicle would have to be unloaded and re-loaded at least once on the way to Washington, if not several times.
My vehicle was delivered a week later in Washington. It was not delivered by the 9-car hauler it was loaded onto in Michigan, it was delivered on a 3-car trailer. When the driver (a different driver than the one who picked up the vehicle in Michigan) unloaded our vehicle, we noticed there was something wrong. The front bumper of the vehicle was sitting 3 inches above the ground. Upon inspection, we found that the torsion bars had both been snapped. The driver took photos, I indicated the damage on the report, and took photos. I called Company Z to ask about the damage and spoke with the owner. They said that they saw the damage when the vehicle was unloaded at their headquarters in Idaho, and assumed that the damage had been done prior to being picked up in Michigan. I told them that was impossible, because the vehicle in that state was undriveable. I have photos of the vehicle being loaded in Michigan, and it was not damaged at that time.
A bunch pf phone calls were exchanged, and hauling Company Z continued to deny any responsibility. Their Insurance Company A (located in Georgia) sent out Adjuster B (located in Arizona, according to their documents) to view my vehicle and assess the damage. The adjuster did not make his presence known, neither through a business card on our car door, nor through talking to us. My husband waited around all morning to find out the person came and left unnoticed. Insurance Company A denied the claim, insisting that the driver of hauler Z did not do anything wrong. They stated that the torsion bars were cracked prior to the move, as evidenced by rust on the broken ends of the bars, and that the stress of moving caused them to break. I checked with my mechanic, who examined the vehicle 3 weeks prior to the move. My Mechanic said that he did not find any damage or cracks to the bars when he examined the vehicle, and that the only thing that would break those bars would be if the company applied pressure to the bars (i.e. tied the vehicle down by the bars, which is not a proper tie-down method). Insurance Company A stated that they tied down the vehicle properly, and insisted that tying the vehicle down by the torsion bars was proper tie-down procedure, and denied the claim. After I produced documentation to the contrary, they stated that they did not tie the vehicle down by the torsion bars, and they were denying the claim. I checked with 3 mechanics and an employee at an auto parts store. They all stated that torsion bars do not crack, they just break. They also all stated that torsion bars are made of steel, which will rust in a matter of hours if exposed to the air. At this point I involved my insurance company to get my vehicle fixed. My insurance Company C repaired the vehicle. The total bill for repairs came to over $700. My Insurance Company C charged me a $500 deductible. During the time I had to wait for the matter to be resolved and my car to be repaired, I had to rent a vehicle in order to get to and from work. I had to pay this out of pocket, because my insurance didn't cover it. This was over $800.
My Insurance Company C suggested suing the other insurance company A for reimbursement. Upon calling small claims court and a lawyer in the area, we were informed we would have to sue the Hauler Company Z, and that we would need to file in their hometown in Idaho, and we would be unlikely to win.
So, to make a long story short, I need to know how I can proceed about getting the Hauling Company Z and/or their insurance Company A to be held responsible for the damage to my vehicle, and reimburse me for my over $1300 in costs. I have a written statement from my mechanic in michigan stating that the break could only be caused by improper tie-down. I have a broken end of the torsion bar, and my Insurance Company C did their own investigation and found the Hauling Company Z to be at fault. I have photos of the vehicle prior to loading and in the process of loading in Michigan, and I have photos of the damage when the vehicle was unloaded in Washington.
How do I proceed past this? I have already put forth a considerable amount of money to get my vehicle back on the road, (to the point that it has been a financial hardship) and I cannot afford to hire a lawyer, but conversely I can't afford to file a small claims case in Idaho.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
My vehicle was delivered a week later in Washington. It was not delivered by the 9-car hauler it was loaded onto in Michigan, it was delivered on a 3-car trailer. When the driver (a different driver than the one who picked up the vehicle in Michigan) unloaded our vehicle, we noticed there was something wrong. The front bumper of the vehicle was sitting 3 inches above the ground. Upon inspection, we found that the torsion bars had both been snapped. The driver took photos, I indicated the damage on the report, and took photos. I called Company Z to ask about the damage and spoke with the owner. They said that they saw the damage when the vehicle was unloaded at their headquarters in Idaho, and assumed that the damage had been done prior to being picked up in Michigan. I told them that was impossible, because the vehicle in that state was undriveable. I have photos of the vehicle being loaded in Michigan, and it was not damaged at that time.
A bunch pf phone calls were exchanged, and hauling Company Z continued to deny any responsibility. Their Insurance Company A (located in Georgia) sent out Adjuster B (located in Arizona, according to their documents) to view my vehicle and assess the damage. The adjuster did not make his presence known, neither through a business card on our car door, nor through talking to us. My husband waited around all morning to find out the person came and left unnoticed. Insurance Company A denied the claim, insisting that the driver of hauler Z did not do anything wrong. They stated that the torsion bars were cracked prior to the move, as evidenced by rust on the broken ends of the bars, and that the stress of moving caused them to break. I checked with my mechanic, who examined the vehicle 3 weeks prior to the move. My Mechanic said that he did not find any damage or cracks to the bars when he examined the vehicle, and that the only thing that would break those bars would be if the company applied pressure to the bars (i.e. tied the vehicle down by the bars, which is not a proper tie-down method). Insurance Company A stated that they tied down the vehicle properly, and insisted that tying the vehicle down by the torsion bars was proper tie-down procedure, and denied the claim. After I produced documentation to the contrary, they stated that they did not tie the vehicle down by the torsion bars, and they were denying the claim. I checked with 3 mechanics and an employee at an auto parts store. They all stated that torsion bars do not crack, they just break. They also all stated that torsion bars are made of steel, which will rust in a matter of hours if exposed to the air. At this point I involved my insurance company to get my vehicle fixed. My insurance Company C repaired the vehicle. The total bill for repairs came to over $700. My Insurance Company C charged me a $500 deductible. During the time I had to wait for the matter to be resolved and my car to be repaired, I had to rent a vehicle in order to get to and from work. I had to pay this out of pocket, because my insurance didn't cover it. This was over $800.
My Insurance Company C suggested suing the other insurance company A for reimbursement. Upon calling small claims court and a lawyer in the area, we were informed we would have to sue the Hauler Company Z, and that we would need to file in their hometown in Idaho, and we would be unlikely to win.
So, to make a long story short, I need to know how I can proceed about getting the Hauling Company Z and/or their insurance Company A to be held responsible for the damage to my vehicle, and reimburse me for my over $1300 in costs. I have a written statement from my mechanic in michigan stating that the break could only be caused by improper tie-down. I have a broken end of the torsion bar, and my Insurance Company C did their own investigation and found the Hauling Company Z to be at fault. I have photos of the vehicle prior to loading and in the process of loading in Michigan, and I have photos of the damage when the vehicle was unloaded in Washington.
How do I proceed past this? I have already put forth a considerable amount of money to get my vehicle back on the road, (to the point that it has been a financial hardship) and I cannot afford to hire a lawyer, but conversely I can't afford to file a small claims case in Idaho.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
