Just before 5 p.m. on Monday, I finally found out what the insurance company was going to pay me for my recently-totalled truck.
Since the accident, our prayers were that the truck would be declared totalled and then that we wouldn't lose too much on the settlement with the insurance company. I did some research to know how to contest the amount if I felt short-changed. I found out the company that this insurance company uses for its valuations, and quickly found out that it is the most notorious for providing low-ball figures.
I was getting nervous about the figure I'd get from the insurance company. The fact that I'd known for a week that my truck was totalled--and still didn't have any dollar figures on it--made it worse.
When I called the adjuster to prod him a little bit on Monday, he seemed flustered when he couldn't find his valuation sheet in my file. But he did seem motivated, having finally realized that his delay was costing his company for my rental car and the storage of the truck at the tow yard.
So he got back to me with a figure as Darla and I had a Columbus Day picnic supper at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Amazingly, my research and preparation for a low-ball figure was for naught. We bought the truck for a really good deal, so the settlement (which might otherwise be low) actually turned us a $35 profit. That's with owning the truck for more than a year and a half and putting 30,000 miles on it!
We praised the Lord for that providence, and then I found out this morning that the insurance company is paying us sales tax on the settlement amount, bringing us several hundred dollars more. (A nice way to start the day!)
Now that we have some dollar figures, we can start the shopping process in earnest.
Related:
Our Protector
The saga begins
The saga continues, part 1