09/17/2026
I recently had the opportunity to help a preacher from Hampstead, North Carolina, after his brand-new 2025 Ram 1500 Lone Star Crew Cab 4WD was totaled in an accident that wasn’t his fault. The truck only had 3,867 miles on it. He went back and forth with the at-fault party’s insurance company, but couldn’t get them to budge on the value. I explained that he could turn the claim over to his own insurance company and challenge the value through his policy’s appraisal clause.
The problem? His insurance company was Allstate.
Talk about a clown show. The at-fault carrier had already declared the truck a total loss and moved it to a salvage yard. When he switched the claim over to his own policy, he couldn’t even get the adjuster to take action. He finally had to get his insurance agent involved.
It took THREE WEEKS for Allstate to inspect a vehicle that had already been declared a total loss by the at-fault carrier—even though Allstate knew it could pursue reimbursement through subrogation.
So much for being “in good hands.”
Then came the valuation.
Allstate relied on the ever-so-inconsistent CCC valuation report and said this nearly new truck was worth only $38,402.
The owner had just purchased the truck. He knew that number ridiculous, so he turned the task over to me.
Once Allstate finally hired an independent appraiser, the negotiations were a cakewalk.
I sent the appraiser my independent market report. He sent me his. We reviewed the market evidence and quickly reached an agreement:
Actual Cash Value: $46,000. That’s an additional $7,598. From $38,402 to $46,000. For a preacher who simply wanted to be treated fairly after an accident that wasn’t his fault, that $7,598 mattered.
And once again, this case proves why I say,
“Never trust the people who owe you money to determine how much money they owe you.”
