I was involved in an accident in the middle a major intersection during rush hour, and my car incurred something in the ballpark of $4,000+ worth of damage. It was a sitting duck and was towed to Palellas (or, I guess, Palellas towed it) while I was being checked out by the EMTs.
Once the chaos died down and the PD informed me where my car was, I was in contact with Chuck that evening. He was nothing but pleasant and accommodating. He told me he would work with me and my insurance company to salvage my car (since I was sure it was totaled). That was a relief to start with..
I also asked to come and collect my personal belongings from my car, and he told me their hours of operation. I told him I'd be there the next day (Friday) around 4, but ended up having to cancel the since I had to go to the doctor (injuries resulting from the accident). Again, he was very pleasant, and said that they might be there a little later if I still wanted to head over. Since that didn't work, I told him I'd be by the next day (Saturday). My mom and I arrived about 30 minutes before they closed, and I checked in with him. We cleaned out my car, and even though we went a little bit over their closing time, I didn't even realize it because we weren't rushed. Actually, no one was even around us when we did. It was a relief to finally have my personal effects (medication, iPass, etc) again.
It's been over a month now, and long story short: my insurance company has really dragged in following through on what they have to do (i.e. sending out someone to do an estimate, contacting me, communicating with each other, communicating with Palellas). I'm still dealing with that as I type this... I JUST got off of a 3-way call with one of my insurance agents and Chuck regarding my still-damaged car and claim. My snotty insurance agent told me that *I* didn't do X-Y-Z (not true... apparently adjustors and agents don't share notes?!) and "lectured" me and told me that *I'VE* incurred a bunch of storage fees at Palellas and it's *MY* fault... she asked Chuck to look up the exact cost/fees incurred ($1825), and during the time we were on hold I began defending myself to her asinine claims... unbeknownst to me, Chuck came back into the conversation and heard that part. Hah, oops. Awkwarrdddd!
So, my insurance company has f'd me over by taking too long to get their part of the job done, and now my car needs to leave Palellas and go elsewhere to have the work done (or else wait 3 more weeks... totaling 8 weeks without my car). NOT Palella's fault. I wonder who's going to foot that hefty bill for the storage at Palellas...? Meanwhile, my snarky insurance agent gets on the phone with other body shops in the area to see who can get my repairs done ASAP.
I called Chuck afterward to ask him to release my car to the new body shop. Thankfully he was able to accommodate my verbal request without me having to take a 45 minute trip down there. He was also sympathetic to the situation with my insurance company, and told me himself that "they dropped the ball." He apologized for the situation (again, not HIS fault!), and told me if I ever needed any advice on this claim or follow-up repairs, just to call.
Hmm... now that I think about it, I should ask him what insurance company he recommends...
So, even though I've been stressed with the accident itself, not having a car, dealing with injuries, dealing with the defendant's insurance company, and dealing with my own incompetent insurance company, I WASN'T jerked around by Palellas. Chuck was personable, easy-going, and accommodating EVERY time I've spoken with him. Sadly, I can't comment on their body work, but their customer service was A+. Chuck's good peeps: definitely recommended. read more