17 - Friday, February 2, 1990 - North Shore News AU —T 0 M GO fT I V E S What can you do if you disagree with ICBC? AS WE mentioned last week, the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of claims handled by ICBC each year are settled to the satisfaction of the motorists involved. There are, however, times when you might disagree with decisions made by our claims adjusters. ‘AutoTopic Ken Hardie INSURANCE OF BRITISH COUMEIA Last week's column dealt with the situation where lia- bility for an accident was in dispute. This week, we will cover los of Claim-Rated Scale discount and collision coverage settlements. What if you don’t think your premium should be af- fected? Normally, if an accident results in ICBC making a payment on your third party liability or collision coverages, you will lose dis- count levels on the Claim- Rated Scale. This normally means your next Autoplan premium will be higher. But there are cir- cumstances when this does not happen. If the other per- son is 75 per cent at fault — in other words only 25 per cent of the damages are paid from your coverages, you will not lose your discount. Sometimes the facts of the claim can be such that your loss of discount is waived. If, for instance, the other motorist suffered a seizure as the result of a previously unknown medical condition, he would not be legally liable for your damages. Even though you were not at fault, your vehicle repairs would be paid out of your collision coverage, but you would not lose your dis- count. ICBC’s Customer Service President MARLENE BUCK, owner ‘of Dave Buck Ford Sales Ltd. in North Vancouver has been installed as president of the Automobile Dealers’ Association (ADA) of Greater Vancouver for 1990. With 121 members, the association represents 95 per cent of the automobile dealers in the Vancouver metropolitan area. Other officers of the ADA for 1990 include first vice- president Joachim Neumann, MTK Auto West Ltd.; second vice-president Ken Griffith, Richport Ford Sales Ltd.; and immediate past-president Sherrold Haddad, Flag Chevrolet Oldsmobile Ltd. Directors for 1990 include Bill Sie, Richmond Toyota Ltd., Don Carson, Coastal Ford Sales Ltd., Ron Horn- by, Clarkdale Motors Ltd., and Bob Brinkley, Rich- mond Plymouth Chrysler. Owner and president of Dave Buck Ford since 1983, following the death of her husband, who founded the dealership, Buck has been a — Accounts department can help if you have questions about a loss of discount. If they cannot resolve your dif- ficulties, the matter can be referred to ICBC’s Discount Review Committee, which will examine the claim files of both drivers to determine whether or not your premium rating will be af- fected. You must ask for this review in writing within 60 days of the date on which written notification was sent to you regarding your loss of discount. As with the Claims Review Committec, you will be advised of the decision by mail. What if you disagree with a proposed collision coverage settlement for tepairs or for total loss? In this situation, you can discuss the matter with your adjuster, the unit manager or the claim facility manag- er. If you still feel you can- not accept ICBC's settlement you must submit the issue to independent arbitration. In this process, both you and iCBC select an ar- bitrator (each side covers its own costs). Both arbitrators carefully examine all aspects of the dispute and, if they agree on a resolution, it will be binding on both you and ICBC. If they can’t agree, they will jointly choose an umpire to come up with a binding settlement. If you have collision coverage or if the other motorist was at fault for the accident, you can choose to accept ICBC’s settlement of- fer.as an advance payment on your claim. Then, you can proceed with your ap- peal alternatives. If you don't have collision coverage, but the accident is the other driver's fault, you can ask for a review at the claim centre. Should there be no satisfactory resolution after that process, you can accept an advance payment from ICBC and stili take the other motorist to court. There can be as many dif- ferent situations as there are claims. To help you under- stand the claiming process and. ICBC’s review system, we have produced two brochures: ‘‘Making a Claim named MARLENE Buck ---@ppointed president of the Automobile Dealers’ Association of Greater Van- couver. director of the association for a number of years, and also serves the industry as committee co-chairman for the Pacific tnternational Auto Show, the largest auto show in Western Canada. Established in 1920 as the Vancouver Motor Dealers Association, the ADA now includes members from throughout the metropelitan area, reflecting the growth of Greater Vancouver. — what to do after you've had an accident’’ and ‘‘The Claims Review Procedure — what to do if you disagree with your claim settlement.”” They are available at all Autoplan brokers and ICBC claim facilities. If you are dissatisfied and some ‘‘one-to-one”’ help and unsure of what to do, advice. You can call them at ICBC’s Public Enquiries 661-2800 or toll free at I- department can provide 800-663-3051. | INTRODUCING ANOTHER “Great,great - G.M.A.C. 48 MONTH TERM FIXED RATE FINANCING ON SELECTED MODELS $410 BLAZERS 10.9% FINANCING CHEVROLET OLDSMOBILE- What a great, great guy-yy!-*. 845 MARINE DRIVE, NORTH VANCOUVER - 987-5231 DOWN INTEREST PAYMENTS O.AC. till May '90 G.M.A.C. 90 DAY DEFERRAL MAXIMUM 60 MONTH TERM ON SELECTED MODELS CAMARO BLOWOUT 9% one. 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