ARTICLES: Ask The Expert

As published in Texas Automotive Magazine

Robert L. McDorman is a featured columnist in Texas Automotive Magazine. He has written the following articles for the column “Ask The Expert”.

October 2025 – Informing the Public about Mandatory Right to Appraisal
September 2025 – More Mandatory Appraisal Bill: Rule Making Considerations Explored
August 2025 –Exploring the Texas Mandatory Binding RTA Rule Making Phase & Qualification Criteria
July 2025 – Texas Mandatory Binding Right to Appraisal Rights Becomes Law
June 2025 – What are the Latest Developments with Texas’ Mandatory Right to Appraisal Journey?
May 2025 – Texas Gets Closer to Mandatory Right to Appraisal
April 2025 – The Importance of Right to Appraisal Time Triggers (Part 2)
March 2025 – The Importance of Right to Appraisal Time Triggers (Part 1)
February 2025 – Great Awareness Needed for Policyholders’ Rights via Right to Appraisal
January 2025 – TDI’s Appraisal Experience Data Call Report Supports the Need for Mandatory Appraisal Rights
December 2024 – Texans’ Right-of-Appraisal Rights are Being Heard
November 2024 – A Right to Appraisal Gone Bad
October 2024 – What’s the Deal with the Texas Department of Insurance Appraisal Data Call?
September 2024 – Carriers Wrongfully Reducing Settlement by the Salvage Value is Happening Everywhere
August 2024 – Latest Total Loss Scheme: Insurance Carriers Abandoning Vehicles at Shops
July 2024 – Why is the Mandatory Right to Appraisal in Texas so Important?
May 2024 – Why do we Need Mandatory Right to Appraisal in Texas?
April 2024 – Still Progressing Down the Road toward Mandatory Right to Appraisal in Texas
March 2024 – Journey to Mandatory Right to Appraisal in Texas Continues
February 2024 – A Well-Funded Mandatory Right to Appraisal Journey in Texas Continues
January 2024 – What are the Next Steps toward Mandatory Appraisal Rights?
December 2023 – Joe Collins: True Texas Hero
November 2023 – What is the Latest Under-Indemnification Scheme?
October 2023 – What is the Next Step toward Mandatory Right to Appraisal?
September 2023 – Do You See These Types of Unlawful Claims Handling Practices Often?
August 2023 – Consumer Rights and the $248,000 Way to Relief when Cheated by Your Insurance Company
July 2023 – Hail of a Scheme: What Options Do My Clients Have?
June 2023 – Our Journey Continues: the Latest Appraisal Bill Update
May 2023 – What is the Latest Update on the Appraisal Bill?
April 2023 – Are Lawmakers Changing their Mindset about Consumer Safety?
March 2023 – Reader Reports Latest Under-Indemnification Scheme
February 2023 – Fact Checking GEICO’s Deficient Response to TDI (Part 2)
January 2023 – Fact Checking GEICO’s Deficient Response to TDI (Part 1)
December 2022 – Who is Affected by the Insurance Carrier Economic Total Loss Scheme?
November 2022 – More Questions from the Texas House Committee’s September Hearing
October 2022 – Questions about the Texas House Committee’s September Hearing
September 2022 – How did my Client’s Repairable Vehicle Get Recorded as a “Total Loss”?
August 2022 – Why Do Some Insurers Pay for Certain Operations and Procedures that Others Don’t?
July 2022 – Are Our Clients the Only Ones who Suffer from Delays in the Claim Process?
June 2022 – What Is One of the Most Bizarre Claims You Have Handled?
May 2022 – Why are Safely Repairable Vehicles being Totaled in Oklahoma?
April 2022 – What is the Difference between Settled Appraised Actual Cash Value Supported Data versus Carrier’s Market Valuation Report Unsupported Data?
February 2022 – What Changes Should Be Made to the Current Titling of Vehicles Deemed a Total Loss?
January 2022 – State Farm’s “Prevailing Competitive Price” Scheme Unveiled
December 2021 – How to Define Loss Associated with a Total Loss
November 2021 – Can a Policy’s Right of Appraisal Resolve the Salvage Value Dispute between the Insurer and Insured?
October 2021 – How Can Shops Ensure Proper Indemnification when an Appraisal is Denied Unlawfully?
September 2021 – What Relief is Available for Consumers Wronged by Insurers?
August 2021 – How Can Shops Reverse an Insurer’s Total Loss of a Safely Repairable Vehicle?
July 2021 – How Can a Diminished Value Claim Help a Consumer?
May 2021 – What is the Prevailing Practice and How is it Determined?
April 2021 – How Could State Farm Undervalue my Tacoma, Deem it a Total Loss and Deduct from my Settlement?
February 2021 – How Could USAA do this to my Beetle?
January 2021 – Why Would USAA Undervalue My 2006 Jeep Wrangler and Deem It a Total Loss?
December 2020 – How Do You Rectify a State Farm Insured’s Under-Indimnification of Loss After Appraisal?
November 2020 – Is There a Safety Net to a Proper Repair?
October 2020 – Is State Farm Totaling Clients’ Vehicles without Inspection or Appraisal?
September, 2020 – How Did My Client’s Repairable Vehicle Get Recorded by the Texas Department of Transportation as Non-Repairable/Salvage?
August 2020 – Has COVID-19 Led to Increased Carrier Profits at the Insureds´ Expense?
July 2020 – Beyond TDI: Finding Help With Auto Insurance Complaints
June 2020 – How Will You Help Our Clients When Insurers Refuse to Return Vehicles Back to Pre-Loss Condition?
May 2020 – How Will You Work To Get Your Clients Made Whole?
April 2020 – What Changes Should be Made to the Current Titling of Vehicles Deemed a Total Loss by the Insurance Carrier
March 2020 – What Would be the Next Step in the Battle?
February 2020 – Game Over: Will the TDI act on Unfair Settlement Practice Violations?
January 2020 – Who Enforces Policyholder Rights?
December 2019 – Does the Customer Have Any Rights?
November 2019 – Was my Client’s Vehicle Really a Total Loss?
October 2019 – by Gap On Top of Gap: How Can This Be?”
September 2019 – How Many Times Does This Happen?
August 2019 – What will you be presenting at ABAT’s Trade Show?
July 2019 – What is one of the most bizarre claims you have handled?
June 2019 – A Follow-up To: What happens to a total loss vehicle when it leaves the collision repair facility?
May 2019 – What happens to a total loss vehicle when it leaves the collision repair facility?
April 2019 – What is the prevailing rate, and how is it determined?
March 2019 – How do non-OEM certified repairs affect vehicle value?
February 2019 – Exploring Total Loss Threshold, Total Loss Formula and Salvage
January 2019 – An Insured’s Remedy for Indemnity Issues
December 2018 – Please help me understand why the Insurance Carrier totaled a repairable vehicle
November 2018 – Fighting Back Against Short-Pays
October 2018 – OEM Blueprint Repair Plan vs Insurance Photo App Estimate
September 2018 – Shop Rates vs. “Prevailing Competitive Rates”