House Bill 1979 Petition

Petition Title:  Protect WA Drivers and Consumers against insurance unfair claims settlements & level the playing field against your insurance company, act now, tell the legislature to pass House Bill 1979!

House Bill 1979 provides consumers in Washington an affordable and fair route to dispute their auto insurance companies’ low settlement offer for (1) vehicle value when a vehicle is declared a total loss, (2) vehicle repairs and OE Manufacturers repair requirements or (3) poor fitting knock off parts that devalue their vehicle and don’t meet OE Manufacturer standards for crash performance, safety, fit and finish.

Today, many insurers have taken advantage of the covid pandemic and virtual claims handling by way of photo apps on a cell phone to undervalue insurance claims payments.  In many cases, costly law suits are the only option for the consumer to be made whole.  Most people can’t afford to fight billionaire’s like Warren Buffett (GEICO insurance) in court and are left getting shorted by their insurer. 

HB 1979 creates a required dispute resolution “Right to Appraisal” clause in all personal auto policies that requires the insurance company to pay for the reasonable appraisal costs when the consumer wins more in the appraisal process than what the insurance company tried to pay. 

You must act today and tell your local Representatives and Senator’s as well as the Consumer Protection and Business committee in the House of Representatives and the Senate (the Committee of Business, Financial Services & Trade)

Use the below link to find and contact your Washington Legislatures directly and tell them your personal stories and experiences with big insurance companies who didn’t act fairly or use our sample statement. https://leg.wa.gov/LIC/Pages/hotline.aspx

Go to Collision Consulting of Washington's website to find more information on the problems in our state and find more info on the legislation or go to WICRA.org

Sample Statement to Send to your Representative or Senator:

“Dear Representative/Senator _________,

As a constituent in your district, I am writing to insist that you strongly support HB 1979.

House Bill #1979/Senate Bill #___(TBA)  provides consumers in Washington a much needed, affordable and fair process to dispute an auto insurance claims adjusters low settlement offer for (1) vehicle value when a vehicle is declared a total loss, (2) vehicle repairs and OE Manufacturers repair requirements to correctly repair a vehicle or (3) poor fitting knock off parts that devalue their vehicle and don’t meet OE Manufacturer standards for crash performance, safety, fit and finish.  

Today, many insurers have taken advantage of the covid pandemic and virtual claims handling by way of photo apps on a cell phone to undervalue insurance claims payments.  In many cases, costly law suits are the only option for a consumer to be made whole.  Most people can’t afford to fight billionaire’s like Warren Buffett (GEICO insurance) in court and are left getting less than they’re owed by their insurer. 

The top 4 insurers made an additional 1 Billion dollars in net line profit during the first year of the Covid pandemic, partly due to the virtual claims adjustment processes that has allowed claims adjusters to short pay claims while hiding behind their key boards.”