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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – When you are involved in a car accident, your insurance helps you repair your vehicle. That’s what insurance is for. Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple.
As 13 Action News host Tricia Kean finds out, the pandemic is creating complications and you could be stuck in the middle.
RIDICULOUS!
“I pay a lot of money for auto insurance a month. They can’t help me at all? It’s a bit ridiculous honestly,†says Skylar Koszer.
He is frustrated and doesn’t know what else to do. The 23-year-old was involved in an accident in June.
AAA insurance therefore put Skylar in a rental car, while repairs were made to his 2013 Honda Accord. There is just one problem.
DEFERRED ORDER
“They said they needed an SRS module, which was out of stock,†Skylar explains.
An SRS module controls the airbag of a car. Without it, your airbag won’t deploy and this is the part the store is waiting for to finish fixing Skylar’s car.
PLAY RECALL
“They told me Honda shut down a few months ago during the pandemic and now they’re trying to catch up with all the parts. They can’t make parts fast enough,†Skylar explains.
So, three months after the accident, Skylar is still waiting to get his car back. This delay caused another problem.
NO RENTAL CAR
AAA provided a rental car for only 30 days. He can’t afford to rent a car on his own and Skylar says the AAA is unwilling to extend the rental.
“They pretty much told me that wasn’t our problem. It’s up to you. We’ve completed what we need to do,” Skylar explains.
Skylar therefore contacted 13 Action News. We reached out to AAA for answers, but were told they couldn’t discuss Skylar’s case due to privacy policies. We also left messages at the repair shop, but they never returned our calls. So we went to a third-party mechanic.
PARTS SHORTAGE
“That’s right. There is a shortage of a lot of parts. Some people just have to be patient,†says director Steve Oliva of Honest-1 Auto Care.
He says auto parts shortages are causing significant delays at his North Las Vegas store.
“Sometimes it’s weeks. Sometimes it’s months,†says Steve.
NOT AVAILABLE
He checked on the SRS module in Skylar’s car and verified that it was not available.
“I found out it was out of stock, indefinitely,†Steve says.
It is a national problem.
SLOWED PRODUCTION
“The auto parts shortage has a lot to do with the pandemic because what we have seen is that auto parts makers have slowed down production,†says Janet Ruiz of the Insurance Information Institute.
She admits that the entire insurance industry is seeing delays in auto repairs. The shortage of rental cars is also very real.
RENTAL PROBLEMS
“You have to plan for this as a consumer and know that it might take a while or you can get one and you might not have it as long as you once did,†says Ruiz.
Ultimately, Ruiz stresses the importance of reading your policy and communicating with your insurance company about your needs.
PATIENCE REQUIRED
“It takes more patience because we see that repairs take longer, the shortage of vehicles …
As for Skylar, his case is closed. After we contacted AAA, he says they called him back and gave him almost $ 13,000 for his vehicle. Skylar says he’s happy, all he ever wanted was to hit the road.
“Either write me the check and take the lost car or get me a rental car,†Skylar explains.
PLE OF INSURANCE
If you have a conflict with your auto insurance, consider speaking with the Nevada Division of Insurance.
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