Law and Government

by

Praise for WS Campbell Towing & Repair and Anger at Aviva Insurance

The mechanic at WS Campbell dug through a salvage yard today and found the correct part for Miranda. Nothing is jury-rigged. She’s in as good a shape as she was before the moron rear ended me.

Once the part was on, it didn’t take long to get her road ready. I was asked to move her into the repair shop for some checks and then take her on a test drive. It felt SO GOOD to be back behind the wheel!

They want her to sit overnight (LEVEL AT LAST) so that the grease has time to work its way through everything. Tomorrow morning, they will make their final checks to the repair,  top up the air pressure, and check all the fluid levels. Enterprise is waiting for me at 8:30 to return the rental car. I should be on the road by about noon and will be able to take a reasonably leisurely place to Montreal.

But this is only possible because I can pay them for the repairs. Or, more accurately, I can pay for the repairs with a borrowed credit card and repay the loan when my car settlement comes in. There was no way (understandably) that they were letting me leave without the bill being settled.

This is where Aviva comes in. My adjuster, whom I am biting my tongue not to name, is consistently unreachable. I always have to leave a message. She wasn’t in again today. I went through the phone maze and got the Aviva claims department after a number of attempts. The lady who answered transferred me to another adjuster who transferred me to a supervisor who had already left for the day. It was 2PM in Vancouver for crying out loud.

My adjuster has been absolutely unsympathetic to the fact that the repairs are time sensitive and that Miranda is my home (never mind that I have a full-timer’s policy). She has barely made any effort to reach the third party insurance company, her excuse for the delays in processing the payment. I have tried to be patient and fair and understanding, but I have had it up to here!

My experience trying to get someone else to help me tonight gives me the impression that this is how Aviva operates. So heads up everyone. Yes, you can get insured as a full-time RVer in Canada, but good luck if you have a claim. If they are this bad for a not-at-fault claim, I’d hate to see them dealing with an at-fault one.

by

A Day in Richmond, VA, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (and Amuse Restaurant)

Ooh, it’s been a long day and it’s not over yet. I’m at a Starbucks somewhere in Virginia, maybe Hopewell. I’ve got some pictures at the bottom of this post.

A nasty couple of leg cramps during the night meant that my early start today was on about an hour of sleep. Gah. I headed north out of Petersburg, stopped for breakfast, and then pointed the car towards Richmond for my appointment.

Minutes after leaving the Starbucks where I posted this morning, the phone rang. I was shocked that it was my adjuster at Aviva; it was 7:30 in Vancouver! She confirmed that they will be filing a claim with the moron’s insurance company to cover the repairs, my deductible, and the tow bill. The repairs are coming in at $5,600… HOLY MOLY.

She, of course, couldn’t resist chastising me again for continuing without having a thorough inspection made of the rig. I maintain that discovering the damage during an inspection is a big what if. One of the guys at the salvage yard in West Virginia actually got under the rig with me and said that there was no visible damage. Who’s to say that an inspector would have even thought to look for a weak axle? I maintain that the moron’s insurance company got off lucky because I would have put them on the hook for kennel fees, a rental car, a hotel, and three square meals a day, minimum, to salvage my vacation had I been stuck in West Virginia.

I asked her how long I can have a hotel room (thinking that I might need it again Monday) and she said that as long as I’m within the prescribed limits, it can be until Miranda is road ready. She was concerned that I’m staying at home this weekend, saying that if I cause extra damage to the axle by living in the rig, the extra repairs won’t be covered. *shakes head and reminds herself that not everyone RVs*

Anyway, she gets points for calling me early! 😀

By the time I hung up with her, it was about 10:50. I couldn’t believe I was now concerned about being late for my appointment! I knew I had plenty of time to get to the address, but was worried about parking. The options got more dismal the closer I got to Capitol Mac, so I was relieved to find a spot right across from the store. I popped in, handed over my computer, and was out of there in less than 10 minutes. I guessed, correctly, that I’d need to charge the new battery, which justifies ending the day at another Starbucks.

From Capitol Mac, it was just a couple of blocks to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia’s answer to New York’s Met. Now, nothing compares to the Met, but this was a fine museum and the perfect place to kill several hours. Best of all, it’s free! I had fun leisurely roaming through the exhibits, which cover the span of human history. I did pretty much skip over the modern stuff, however.

Many of the reviews I read said that lunch at the Amuse restaurant on the top level is a must. I was leery about eating at a museum, figuring the prices would be astronomical, but a couple of reviews claimed the prices were reasonable. I decided to give it a shot. I got a nice table on the balcony and glanced through the menu, relieved to find that just about everything was $15 or less. The offerings are very fancy/gourmet.

The first thing that caught my eye was a tuna tartar, but I already had raw tuna this week, so I kept looking. Ooh, crab cakes with a horse radish sauce and fingerling potatoes! And then I came to seafood chorizo. Hmm. Now, that sounded different. I decided to try it out. While I waited for my food, I was brought a hunk of delicious herb bread.

A picture of my lunch is below. As I said to the server, “There are no words to convey how delicious this is.” The seafood chorizo was, of course, a sausage, thickly sliced and deliciously caramelized. It smelled strongly of the sea, but the taste was much more mild and quite sweet. The sausage was served with cubed and herbed Yukon Gold potatoes. Finally, there was a slaw made of julienned apples, red onion, radish, and fennel, topped with Parmesan shavings. I’ve always avoided fennel since I don’t like licorice, but it turns out that the plant is completely inoffensive, offering a bit of bite with a lot of crunch and not that much licorice flavour. All for $14.

I’d had my fill of the VMOFA by about 2:30. I decided to find a mall since I needed an outfit to wear to the party next Saturday. I picked the first one my GPS listed, drove all the way there, and discovered it had been razed. This is when I remembered that my phone has internet so I Googled ‘Richmond Mall’ and got a hit for the Regency. My GPS got me there without incident.

In Canada, I would have headed for a Reitmans, but I didn’t know what stores in the US would have clothes in my price range. So I was happy to see a JC Penney at the mall; it was the perfect place to start looking. I wound up finding a ton of things I liked, so there was no need to go anywhere else. I spent about an hour putting together an outfit then headed to the Payless next door for some dressy sandals. I wandered through the mall for a bit, but was quickly reaching burnout so I returned to the car.

I asked the GPS to take me to the nearest movie theatre, but when I arrived at the location, there was no cinema. I’d just about had enough, so I decided to drive by home and see if Miranda was level. It was only 5:00, so I was actually a little relieved to see that she was still tilted. This gave me the impression that perhaps work wasn’t done for the day. I decided to try the movie theatre idea again. The GPS took me here, where the cinema has been shut down for some time. *sighs* At least, there was a Starbucks right there.

$5,600 worth of damage

$5,600 worth of damage

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

now, this was interesting: that lady is sculpting a statue that is part of a series, one of which is at the Mariners' Museum in Newport (the one where I thought the men were wrestling a penguin)

now, this was interesting: that lady is sculpting a statue that is part of a series, one of which is at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport (the one where I thought the men were wrestling a penguin)

I just wanted to hug this little fellow; notice that his tongue is sticking out

I just wanted to hug this little fellow; notice that his tongue is sticking out

hilarious!

hilarious!

lovely view (which I would revisit at lunch)

lovely view (which I would revisit at lunch)

this image of a futuristic Marine World (with all the animals being deformed) was rather disturbing!

this image of a futuristic Marine World (with all the animals being deformed) was rather disturbing!

"An Athenian woman asks a Spartan woman, Why are you the only women to rule your men? In which the Spartan woman replies, Beause we are the only women who give birth to men."

“An Athenian woman asks a Spartan woman, Why are you the only women to rule your men? In which the Spartan woman replies, Beause we are the only women who give birth to men.”

these are more than more than 2,300 years old!

these are more than more than 2,300 years old!

more than 2,300 year old jewelry!

more than 2,300 year old jewelry!

this impressive sarcophagus was on loan from the Met!

this impressive sarcophagus was on loan from the Met!

statues like these could stand in for the person if the mummy was damaged

statues like these could stand in for the person if the mummy was damaged

deliciousness

deliciousness

a view is always good for digestion

a view is always good for digestion

I don't like the Art Deco style, but now I understand it. This clock is based on an Egyptian head dress!

I don’t like the Art Deco style, but now I understand it. This clock is based on an Egyptian head dress!

that window is the next best thing to a view!

that window is the next best thing to a view!

I was impressed that I could spot the Monet among the imitators

I was impressed that I could spot the Monet among the imitators

I adore Tiffany lamps

I adore Tiffany lamps

love the dragonflies

love the dragonflies

I'd never seen this Van Gogh, but recognized his work immediately

I’d never seen this Van Gogh, but recognized his work immediately

unmistakably a Renoir

unmistakably a Renoir

I was impressed that I could recognize a Matisse

I was impressed that I could recognize a Matisse

by

I Hope My Victory Dance Isn’t Going to Shoot Me in the Foot

The mechanic just came by, appalled by the fact that I’m home and my rig isn’t level, sure that I had said I’d be back tomorrow. I told him it’s fine. Since they’re doing the welding in the morning, it’s not worth getting a truck out to relevel me to sleep. They will make sure I’m level for the weekend. I appreciated the concern for my fridge. If two days off kilter is going to kill it, I’m not sure I want to know. 😀

The work should be done by Monday afternoon and I can hit the road on Tuesday. What I’d like on the Monday is to take Miranda out for fuel and propane so I can make sure she’s running smoothly and I can focus on getting through Richmond on Tuesday.

He said that the appraiser came and looked at the damage and will be back with a cheque. Yes, the appraiser is 100% convinced that the damage was caused by the accident. A lot of whooping has ensued (all my windows are open and there are people outside, so I’m a little embarrassed, but anyway). The adjuster still needs to sign off, but, come on, she’s not going to go against the appraiser, is she?

Now, I just need to confirm if I will need to pay my deductible (which would be reimbursed) and the towing fee (which I would fight). I’m probably celebrating a little too early, but I know I will sleep more easily tonight!

I am really irked that my adjuster at Aviva knew about this yesterday, did not let me know, and was unreachable today. The appraiser has also complained about how hard she is to reach. She knows I’m on a time crunch and have been stressed about this. So I am rather less than impressed with her tonight.

by

Update on the Repairs to Miranda

I just called to find out how the repairs on Miranda are going. She is being serviced by W.S. Campbell in Petersburg, VA.

I expected to leave a message for my mechanic and was surprised and pleased that the lady who answered had a full status update for me and could answer all my questions. I have never in all my years of owning a vehicle had that happen when I call a repair shop!

The shop has all the parts, but the work is being held up by the welder. He is hoping to be there this afternoon or first thing in the morning, but it could be as late as Monday. But once that’s done, the repairs won’t take any time at all. There is no reason I couldn’t be on the way back to Canada by Wednesday morning.

The appraiser did come by and take a look before the work started, but there is no more information about that. I’m expecting to hear back from my adjuster at Aviva at some point. I just emailed her to ask for an update.

Even though the hotel is paid for tonight, I will be checking out sometime after dinner. I need to be in Richmond for 11 tomorrow morning, so it makes sense to do the bulk of the drive tonight, check up on the cats, who must be traumatized by the repair work, and sleep in my own bed. I still feel that it made sense to have the hotel booked for tonight since that lets me use it all day today. I should be on the road most of tomorrow since I won’t be able to be home if work is being done on Miranda. I can stay home over the weekend and then go back to the hotel next week for a few days if necessary.

My friend is super contagious right now, so all our plans have fallen through. 🙁 I think it’s karma for all the times in the past that I told her I was coming to visit and had to cancel! I’m grateful we had two evenings together and I still think the detour was worthwhile, but we’re both extremely disappointed. Hopefully, she’ll be well enough in a few days for us to see each other one more time before I head north.

I’m hoping to be able to do a few touristy things over the weekend since I’ll still have the car. In case anyone is wondering how my time is being spent this week, let me just say that I have a right to make sure my business is running smoothly while I am on vacation, and let’s leave it at that. 🙂 I really can’t be out gallivanting anyway, not with the number of times the phone has been ringing a day and the huge repair bill that is looming.

by

Managed to Reach BMO

I dug through my computer and found enough to call BMO this afternoon. Friday just felt too far away. The first number I tried was the wrong one, but the helpful lady gave me the correct number.

The correct number was answered by an English-speaking computer. WHAT?! I’m not used to dealing with this stuff in English, so I pressed two for French and got an Anglo with a really thick accent. HUH?! It has always been my experience that Anglos are lucky to get a French person who can muddle by in English with an almost incomprehensible accent when they call anything that’s remotely official in Quebec.

But I digress.

I didn’t have my loan account number, but I was found through my name (it helps to be the only person on the planet with your name) and then I breezed through the security questions.

The loan balance was just about where I expected it to be, $4,200. I have a payment over the weekend which may affect the balance unless BMO does a stop payment once they’ve heard from the insurance company. I don’t mind if that payment goes through because it will eventually come back to me, but it would be nice if it doesn’t.

Before we got down to the business, the guy told me he was sorry to hear about the accident and was I okay? Yes, thank you, but I’m pissed off that my nearly paid off car is totaled. He gave me the balance and said he hoped that the insurance payout would cover it. “Yup. And I’ll still have more than $7,000 in my pocket by the time the moron’s insurance pays me back my deductible.” His reply was, “How did you pull that off?!” Apparently, they get a lot of people who have their car totaled and the insurance payment doesn’t cover the loan. It would suck to have to make payments on a car that’s been totaled!

So, now I just have to wait for my total loss adjuster to contact BMO because that’s how BMO wants things done. At least, I’m two days ahead of where I thought I’d be after I hung up with her.

Intact has been absolutely stellar. Big thumbs up!