by Terry Mahoney

Created on: August 31, 2009

"I'm surprised you caught me. I'm usually outside until dusk, and hardly answer the phone after dark."

Her voice was light, even friendly. The man had been surprised when she had picked up the phone. He had been calling her number since Monday, and knew for certain that her phone would ring fifteen (sometimes fifteen and a half) times before going to a fast-busy signal.

"I just seem to lose my energy after the sun goes down." She had continued before he could say anything.

What an oddly intimate comment, he thought, considering who he was.

"Ms. Lennon, you have not responded to our offer of settlement." He knew better than to beat around the bush. The original adjuster and her supervisor had passed on detailed notes of the obstinate behavior he could expect.

"Oh, dear. I thought for sure that I had." Her voice showed genuine concern. "Didn't Mr. Simmons tell you that I couldn't replace my tractor for less than forty-five-hundred dollars?"

Kevin Colvin sighed. His company, like any other insurance firm, used valuations based on nationally tabulated matrices. PurpleBook for autos, and Cockey's Ag Report for farm implements.

"Ma'am, the base value of the vehicle in question, a 1986 John Deere 300, is thirty-seven-hundred and fifty. You had preexisting damage. Our offer was formulated...."

"But the man who hit me was drunk." She had interrupted him, and the feeling in her voice was still genuine, only now it was annoyance, not concern. "And he fled the scene."

The man paused for a moment. He sighed again. "Ms. Lennon, none of that changes the value of your...."

"Let's talk about the value of my tractor." Her genuine emotion had switched again. Now it was palpable anger. "I checked online and in the different classifieds; the cheapest replacement I could find was an '85 up in Hawley for forty-five-hundred. Most of what I found was in the six to seven thousand range."

"Ma'am, we use Cockey's Ag Report for our valuations, and by their tables, with the preexisting damage...."

"You don't value a tractor based on its scratches and dents. Have you ever even seen a tractor?" She had cut him off. "It's for working, not looking pretty."

Their conversation lasted another fifteen minutes, with Kevin continually explaining the company's policy on establishing value, and the woman trying to explain that in a free market, value is set by supply and demand.

In the end, they made an appointment for him to come to her house on Wednesday

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next Page >>