69L71

OK, so I'm a week early for 3 months, but I figured you soap-opera fans would like an update on the situation between Lifts Unlimited, Gemini Auto Lifts, and I. Its a short summary - I'm still waiting.

Back in March Lifts Unlimited (the Perfect Park 7000 retailer) contacted Gemini (the manufacturer), and asked them to handle my claim. They, in turn, made lots of nice flowery promises about how they stand behind their product and would take care of me. They sell 700 lifts a month and have a strong record of customer satisfaction, and have a $2M liability policy frm which to ping for such a problem. They submitted my claim to their liability insurance carrier for processing. Well, of course, being a 3rd party, the carrier was not exactly incentivized to move out on this very quickly. After several telephone calls and emails between Gemini and I, Gemini continued to be supportive and said they would chase the insurance guys around, and if it started taking too long they'd pay out of pocket to keep me happy. This promise was made specifically for my wife's 96 LT4, which has been to the shop, been repaired, and is now back in my garage (on MY nickle).

I got tired of waiting so I contacted Hagerty Classic Insurance about my 69 and after just 3 weeks had a check in the mail. This was great and allowed me to sell the car to Larry Bell, here on the forum, who has repaired the car and is enjoying it while I continue to wait. Nonetheless, it was great to see somebody stand up and do what they were supposed to. It freed up the cash to repay myself (Visa actually) for the damage to the 96.

Three weeks ago Gemini stated they agreed that this was taking too long and that they would push their carrier to pay inside a week of they would make the settlement in full and seek repayment themselves. My contact actually said he would sue his broker for non-performance. I explained that Hagerty had already come through with the 69's claim but that my garage, 96 corvette, and lift replacement values were still on the table and that the balance was now only around $10K. The week came and went with no correspondence. The following week I called my contact back and reminded him of his statement. He swore he never made that promise and said, angirly, 'Chris, you just want and want and want, and I don't care if your tired of waiting...'.

I spoke to ther insurance adjuster a week ago and he said he just processed and sent the check for the 69. Great.... now I finally get a check and I can't keep it because it's double payment on top of Hagerty. The adjuster understood and told me to hold it in abayance. Meanwhile we discussed the option of me just submitting the claim through my homeowner's policy and let the insurance lawyers fight it out. He told me it was OK either way, and that his company would probably pay the full amount (minus the lift) either to me or my carrier but that my insurance would probably get me money faster. Well.... contacting my carrier I found that they won't cover the 96 vette under homeowner's, even though it was parked in the garage with no one inside. It has to be a separate auto damage claim, complicated of course, by the fact that car was already repaired! This means two claims and two deductables, both of which would be repayed when they get resolution from Gemini's carrier.... Why bother? If I have to wait for Gemini's carrier for the deductables, why not just wait for them to award the settlement?

So, you might ask why the lift is excluded from the claim... Well, I guess its standard liability practice to pay to restore the result of a failure, NOT the value of the thing that caused it. According to Gemini's insurance adjuster, my homeowner's policy would likely process it the same way.

So....

I just wrote back to Lifts Unlimited and asked them to buy-back my lift at the prices posted on their website and come to collect it. This was an initial offer by them that got pushed aside when the bigger numbers started tallying up. I'm anxious to see what stance they take over the next couple of days. Its the one time that somebody in this mess COULD wind up looking moderately responsible.

That's it for now. In a nutshell: 3 months and not a penny. Just thought some of you would be interested in how some of the vendors who want your money so badly treat their customers when the poopie hits the fan.

Stay tuned.


[Modified by 69L71, 11:48 AM 6/9/2002]

69 N.O.X. RATT

That is ridiculous. Hope it works out in the long run. Companies are so short sighted sometimes. There is no doubt that you will never do business with the idiots who are hassling you again, neither will your friends.

I had a recent experiance with Richmond transmissions I posted about. Due to the way they treated me I will but another tranny from them soemday, and tell everyone of my dealings with them.

91mongoose

I would sign that check over to your insurance company that actaully paid promptly on the '69. If anyone should be out money for a lift collapse, it should be the insurance co. for the responsible party.

R. Bruno

I understand that things take time but this is clearly way too long and smells funny. Anyone who buys a lift from that retailer or that brand of lift from another is a fool, plain and simple. Unfortunately your case had to be the one to instruct others. I wish you luck.

0Mike69@ECS

This is BS :mad Funny... I was talking to a forum member the other day about a lift that he will be purchasing in the next month or two... I told him what was happening with you and to wait and see how they will handle it... Well I guess their lack of action and lack of concern speaks for themselves... Louder then they would like...

I'm posting the links to your story on all the boards I frequent.... Screw them hit them where it hurts. I'm active on prob 10 very active automotive boards. If it stops them from screwing 10 other people it's worth it. I know I'll be looking for a lift in the next 6 months too... Guess what... It's definately not going to be theirs!!! :mad :mad :mad :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :cuss :cuss :cuss :cuss :mad

paso

I hope they hang themselves which they appear to be doing. The collapse lift post had what...15000 views this one needs to be kept near the top. I hate when companies just have LIP service. Stand behind your product or get out of the way of company's that will.

C3 Shark Tank

Thanks for the warning. Another vendor I won't be doing business with. I think it's time for you to sick the lawyers on them, that should change his attitude.

mrvette

OK, NOW I can speak my mind,.....

Welcome to modern american business paractices and standards of morality....

anything goes, just get the bux....period....don't give a damn who gets hurt, run over your mother for 50 cents if necessary....

hate to say it, but I saw it coming in B school in the early 60's, and since the 'hippy' revolution and turning the world upside down, well....guess who's now running modern american corporations and teaching in colleges....
and training 'modern' management for most of the foreign corporations, and running the government....
the credo is get the bux and damn the rest...pure and simple....
bury anything rong in lawyers, paperwork without any serious meaning, and lie, lie lie.....lie in court if necessary, government too busy catching dopers to give a damn about perjury....
lie in bankruptcy court, lie to the FBI, don't matter to the US dist atty...guarantee it....

CPA's well before the ENRON mess, lie like hell, directly lie about a business viability, conceal their financial involvement in the business as a creditor....lie to rip someone off.....and the courts don't give a damn, they more interested in civil 'rights' than civility itself....

your government has NO teeth....

think the slicksters/lawyers don't know that???

GENE :rolleyes: :mad :mad :mad :mad :mad :smash: :smash: :smash: :boxing :boxing :boxing :sad:

killain

That's a heck of a story. Personally , I would never get my homeowners insurance involved in this. You know your rates are going to go up if they have anything to do with it. BTW, How bad was the 69 damaged? The pictures don't tell the full story!

PROSOUTH

Let's see, what was it that lawyer's Tee Shirt had on it the other when I was at Court? Oh yeah, it had

SUE"M ALL AND LET THE JUDGE SORT'EM OUT!"

JIM :lol:


[Modified by PROSOUTH, 5:35 PM 6/9/2002]

Wrencher

It's stuff like this that makes me glad I pay a retainer. If it works out, I'm not out much and if it doesn't, they pay his fees. That's life in the good 'ol USA!

Hans

Juliet

Chris - sorry to hear this is still dragging on and on. Remember when Greg's parked Suburban slid down the icy driveway into the open garage and into my parked '70? Well they wanted 3 separate claims with 3 deductables for that - one each for the cars and a third for homeowners. Insurance really Sucks. :( ~Juliet

Paul Borowski

Boy, when insurance companies "bill" us, there is a "due date". Chris, maybe you need to send them an "official" looking "bill" and put a "due date" and see what happens? :lol:

NO BUMPING, especially on eBay :lol:

eBay, Where America Shops For Corvette Lifts

toyvet1

I had a oak floor installed in my kitchen, Sears delivered a new fridge and didn't hook up the water line properly and I ended up with a warped floor. Between Sears, the trucking company. the insurance companys, private inspectors it took three and a half months to solve. Nobody want to take responsabilty for it and the more people that got involved the slower it got. Bring in a laywer and see how fast it get's resolved.

madmaxgt

I think we all (as friends and loyal forum members) should let everyone know this crap has happened to one of our own and ban this company! I was looking at their lifts but now "no way" an accident is one thing but treatment like tis is BULL----! :mad

C3 Shark Tank

Don't you know that holding back isn't good? :jester I see someone forgot to send you the memo about the lawyers taking over :lol: Lawyers, they're like women, you can't live with them and you can't live without them :rolleyes:

glen242

Most everyone I know has a 'Lawyer'. I have my word and a Colt .45.

Rockn-Roll

Actually, legal actions aren't all that difficult. I read several books on it, and fought and won several cases for unemployment and unpaid wages. But, it does take a lot of time, and judges tend to ignore pleas and motions made by a self-litigator; but, fortunately there are fines that can be levied against that ignorance, and many other ways to force the system to repect an individuals right to complain...but again it takes time to get everything in order. The fact is that when you get an attorney and they file suit then everyone listed suddenly drop what they are doing and focus on the problem. I think the statistics are that less than 10% of all cases ever make it to trial...the litigants settle out of court, mostly fearing that the attornys will just drag it on longer while increasing their fees. Yes, many times attornys will drag out the conflict for a year or more. So, unless you get the feeling that there will never be any money coming from them, then just keep calling them, send letters, and by all means contact your chamber of commerce, or other business organization that those companies belong to and complain about them!

ddecart

Yup. I think it's time to take the lawsuit route. This crap they're pulling is total BS!


[Modified by ddecart, 7:32 AM 6/10/2002]

GregP

Chris -

There is a time and a place to use the clout of a lawyer, and I thnink this is one.

When buying my first house in California it was about a week to close and they started coming up with all kinds of changes, extensions, can't do's etc. A friend gave me the name of a friend who was a lawyer and offered to take a look at things for me (for free I might ad) and see what was up.

I was in his office. He made one phone call and said "I'm Mark P and would like to now the status of Greg Page's home loan processing". That's it.

By the time I got back to work an hour later there were three messages asking me to please get my lawyer off their back, that they had Fed Ex'd the needed papers (with return pre-paid Fed Ex mailers I might add) and would have everything taken care of in three days. And they did.

I found out later that Mark P was the top realestate lawyer in Orange Co. Just hearing that a lawyer was "looking into things" was all it took to get things moved to the top of the "we will do it" list.

I think in your case a phone call from a lawyer is well due and I'd bet would work wonders.

Good Luck - Greg

PS- The boat is actually running this summer, think we still owe you and Steff a ride. Give a call when your free sometime.