Collision Safety Consultants

10/20/2026

Erie Insurance ERIE INSURANCE — WHAT HAS CHANGED?

For years, I recommended Erie Insurance and North Carolina Farm Bureau to my customers. Unfortunately, based on my recent professional experiences, I can no longer recommend Erie with the same confidence.

Erie continues to disappoint me by pushing back on proper vehicle repairs and undervaluing customers’ vehicles through CCC valuation reports.

Even more concerning is what happens when customers invoke their contractual right to the appraisal clause.

In my experience, Erie continues to select appraisers whom I consider combative, unprofessional, and unwilling to compromise. Rather than working toward fair and amicable resolutions, they seem more interested in controlling the process and defending the insurance company’s position.

Here’s my question: When an insurance company receives repeated complaints about its appraisers, why does it continue using them?

Something has changed at Erie. In my professional opinion, they are not the company I once recommended.

So who would I recommend?

For everyday automobile insurance in North Carolina, North Carolina Farm Bureau remains one of the few mainstream companies I feel comfortable recommending.

For premium coverage, I highly recommend considering Chubb, PURE, and AIG’s high-end insurance offerings. You’ll generally pay higher premiums, but quality coverage and claims service matter when you suffer a loss.

My opinions are based on years of firsthand experience handling insurance claims, vehicle valuations, and appraisal disputes.

My advice? Don’t choose insurance based solely on the premium. The true test of an insurance company comes when it’s time to pay a claim.

I sincerely hope Erie returns to the standards that once earned my recommendation.

Never trust the company that owes you money to determine how much money they owe you.

Billy Walkowiak
Owner | Collision Safety Consultants

10/19/2026

We get aggressive, when our customers are cheated by Progressive. A customer called me from Greer SC when his when his 2014 class 6 Freightliner 4x2 Cummins 408 with 192,356 miles was totaled. They tried to value his truck by using a base truck. They said according to them it was only worth $55,079. They did not consider the special bed. He challenged old Flo who wasn’t in the know. They hired an independent appraiser to negotiate with me. We quickly agreed Progressive was acting with greed. We amicably decided the truck was actually worth $65,000. Now that was fun. I stopped Progressive from cheating a hard working small business owner out of $9,921!! Never trust the people who owe you money to determine how much they owe you!

10/18/2026

Two new locations coming this month!!

10/10/2026

FLOOD OR HURRICANE DAMAGE CAR?- EMAIL ME BEFORE YOU ACCEPT AN OFFER FROM YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY. FREE CONSULTATION [email protected]

10/06/2026

Farmer’s new commercial is not only misleading. “HONESTLY IS OUR POLICY?” https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JhmARb5LE/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I think it’s false advertising. They say something to the effect you don’t need your glasses cause there’s no fine print. Honestly? Transparency? That’s 100% B. S. The policies in Washington state says that they have to agree with you to allow you to fight them. That’s in Fine print. Here’s when I love customers who fight back. John Kim The Adjuster at Farmers rejected my clients ability to use the appraisal clause. My customer did his own research and found out that Washington law specifically Under Washington state law (SB 5721 / RCW
48.18.620) says ALL insurance companies must allow customers to use the appraisal clause. See what he text Kim. Washington law prevailed and they were forced to let him hire me and they had to hire an independent appraiser. We quickly negotiated the total loss amount of his 2005 Toyota Tundra Limited Double Cab 4WD with 247,856 miles. That said it’s only worth $8116 and remember John Kim said AND I QUOTE HIM “ We are writing to inform you that we have reviewed all avalable information concerning your 2005 Toyota Tundra and we do not agree to proceeding with Appraisal as there is no credible evidence to disprove our settement value.” That’s a Big ole LIE!! Their independent appraiser only took 3 minutes to agree the Truck was really worth $13,000. That’s an insane increase of $4,884 when John Kim said NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE!!

10/06/2026

Farmer’s new commercial is not only misleading. “HONESTLY IS OUR POLICY?” https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JhmARb5LE/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I think it’s false advertising. They say something to the effect you don’t need your glasses cause there’s no fine print. Honestly? Transparency? That’s 100% B. S. The policies in Washington state says that they have to agree with you to allow you to fight them. That’s in Fine print. Here’s when I love customers who fight back. John Kim The Adjuster at Farmers rejected my clients ability to use the appraisal clause. My customer did his own research and found out that Washington law specifically Under Washington state law (SB 5721 / RCW
48.18.620) says ALL insurance companies must allow customers to use the appraisal clause. See what he text Kim. Washington law prevailed and they were forced to let him hire me and they had to hire an independent appraiser. We quickly negotiated the total loss amount of his 2005 Toyota Tundra Limited Double Cab 4WD with 247,856 miles. That said it’s only worth $8116 and remember John Kim said AND I QUOTE HIM “ We are writing to inform you that we have reviewed all avalable information concerning your 2005 Toyota Tundra and we do not agree to proceeding with Appraisal as there is no credible evidence to disprove our settement value.” That’s a Big ole LIE!! Their independent appraiser only took 3 minutes to agree the Truck was really worth $13,000. That’s an insane increase of $4,884 when John Kim said NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE!!
This is just MY opinion as a 16 year multi state licensed auto damage appraiser, who has been expert witness court accepted/certified as a vehicle valuation,a vehicle repair , a vehicle identification and a vehicle diminished value expert. I think Farmers policy violates Washington law and perhaps is itself shows BAD FAITH AS WELL AS UNFAIR AND DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES, but I’m no attorney this is just the opinion of a guy who has an international appraisal company. What do I know?
PLEASE SHARE THIS - read your Farmers policy- if you live in Washington state… no matter who your insurance is- it appears that you can challenge your insurance company if you disagree with them. This is just my opinion- I don’t give legal advice.

10/01/2026

09/29/2026

🔥 DON’T GET BURNT TWICE! 🔥
We’ll smoke the insurance company out!

An old friend from Wilmington, NC called me after his 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT Crew Cab 4WD With 157,986 miles caught fire.

His insurance company, State Farm, used a CCC Market Valuation Report and told him his truck was only worth $28,143.00.

Here’s where things really started smoking. 💨🔥

The valuation report included deductions based on the supposed condition of the truck.

I had one simple question:

HOW THE HELL CAN YOU ACCURATELY DEDUCT FOR THE CONDITION OF THE ENGINE, TIRES, INTERIOR AND OTHER COMPONENTS WHEN THE TRUCK LOOKS LIKE A DAMN BONFIRE?

🔥🔥🔥

There was no reliable evidence showing those items were in poor condition before the fire. Yet those condition deductions helped reduce the value of the truck.

We stepped in and negotiated with the independent appraiser hired by State Farm. We both recognized the obvious problem: neither one of us could know exactly what those components looked like before the fire.

Without evidence proving otherwise, we agreed there was no basis to assume the truck was in poor condition.

After negotiations, we mutually agreed on an actual cash value of:

💰 $30,300.00

That’s $2,157 MORE than the original $28,143 valuation.

My friend’s truck already got burned once.

We weren’t going to let him get burned twice. 🔥

And I’ll say it again:

Never trust the company that owes you money to determine how much money they owe you.

Collision Safety Consultants