Same insurer for both drivers and I'm getting completely stonewalled — anyone else?

Oh man, the same-insurer thing is a TRAP. I had almost the exact same situation — both of us under the same carrier — and I swear the left hand genuinely does not know what the right hand is doing. Or maybe they do and they're counting on you getting frustrated and dropping it. I finally stopped calling and started sending everything in writing only, certified mail. That seemed to create some paper trail pressure.

I used to work claims and I'll be honest with you — when both parties are insured with the same company, your file can get shuffled around between the at-fault side and the not-at-fault side internally, and it creates this weird bureaucratic black hole. Nobody wants to "own" the payout. It's not technically policy to stall you, but it happens constantly in practice. The fact that you have everything documented is genuinely your strongest card right now. Don't let any of those conversations stay verbal.

Three months with zero reimbursement after a not-at-fault claim is not a clerical delay, that's a strategy. They are waiting to see if you'll just absorb the cost and move on. Do not call anymore — every call gives them a chance to reset the clock and say "we're actively working on it." File a complaint with your state's Department of Insurance. That complaint goes on their regulatory record and suddenly things tend to move a lot faster.

The state insurance commissioner complaint is genuinely the move here. Most states require insurers to acknowledge and resolve claims within specific timeframes — what you're describing may already be a violation depending on where you live. Filing the complaint is free, takes maybe 20 minutes online, and insurers hate having it on their record. Also, keep a log of every contact attempt with dates and times. That paper trail matters a lot if this escalates.

Not legal advice, but what you're describing — prolonged nonpayment on a clear liability claim — is exactly the kind of thing that can cross into bad faith insurance handling depending on your state's laws. A lot of PI attorneys will do a free consult and some will write a demand letter just on the property damage side. Sometimes that letter alone is enough to shake something loose. Worth at least one conversation.

I just want to check in — are you physically okay? Sometimes people get so focused on the car and the money (understandably!) that soft tissue stuff from the impact doesn't get addressed. If you had any soreness, stiffness, or headaches after the crash that you kind of brushed off, it's not too late to get checked out. Symptoms from whiplash especially can lag.

Stop calling. File the DOI complaint today, not next week. Then send a certified letter to the insurer's claims department stating clearly what you're owed, the date you expect payment by, and that you've filed a regulatory complaint. Short, factual, no emotion. Insurance companies have legal and compliance teams that get very nervous when a DOI complaint is open.

Quick question — when you paid the shop out of pocket and told them not to accept payment from the insurer, did you get that in writing from the shop confirming they've redirected any payment to you? And do you have documentation that the insurer acknowledged receiving that notice? I ask because that arrangement, while totally reasonable, needs to be airtight if you're going to fight for reimbursement.

I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but the fact that you've been this organized — certified letters, email trails, documented requests — puts you in a genuinely strong position compared to most people who are in this fight. A lot of folks have nothing. You have a paper trail that tells a clear story. That's not nothing.