Legal disclaimer

1. We are not a law firm

Recoupe is a software product operated by Handler Labs LLC. We do not practise law, we do not provide legal advice, and using this site does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and us or anyone associated with us.

Everything on this site, the guides, the state pages, the insurer pages, and the documents we generate, is general information about a process you are entitled to carry out yourself. It is not tailored legal advice about your circumstances, and it is not a substitute for consulting an attorney licensed in your state. If you were injured, if liability is genuinely disputed, or if the amount at stake justifies it, speak to a lawyer.

2. We are not a licensed appraisal service

We do not inspect your vehicle. We are not licensed vehicle appraisers, and the valuation report we produce is not a licensed appraisal within the meaning of any state licensing statute. It is a documented, market-based estimate prepared from information you supply.

Some insurers, and some states, will not pay a diminished value claim without an appraisal from a licensed independent appraiser. Where we can tell that applies to you, we say so in the calculator and point you to how to find and engage an appraiser. We do not claim to replace one.

3. We are not an insurance adjuster or public adjuster

We do not adjust claims, we do not negotiate on your behalf, and we do not communicate with any insurer for you. You present your own claim, you speak to the adjuster yourself, and you decide what to accept.

4. The estimate is an estimate

Our figure is a supported negotiating estimate, not a guaranteed recovery and not a valuation you can enforce. Specifically:

• No insurer is obliged to accept it. Insurers negotiate, and outcomes vary with liability, jurisdiction, evidence and negotiation.
• It depends entirely on the accuracy of what you enter. Condition, mileage, repair cost and damage particulars are as you report them, and we cannot verify any of it.
• It does not model local market conditions, which genuinely move used vehicle prices.
• The method, including every coefficient and cap, is published on our methodology page so that you and any adjuster can evaluate it rather than take it on trust.

We do not promise that you will recover any particular amount, or anything at all.

5. Legal information changes

Our state rules table, recovery rules, limitation periods, small-claims limits, shared-fault rules and regulator links, was compiled from primary sources and independently re-checked, and every state page shows the date it was last reviewed and cites its sources. Even so:

• Statutes, court decisions and dollar limits change.
• Which limitation period applies to a particular set of facts can be genuinely contested, and where we know a state's position is split we say so on that state's page.
• Deadlines can be paused, extended or shortened by circumstances a calculator cannot see.

Verify anything you intend to rely on. Do not let a deadline pass on the strength of a figure on this website.

6. Statements about insurance companies

Our insurer pagesdescribe documented and reported claim-handling practices, compiled from carriers' own published materials, state insurance-regulator resources, court opinions and legal publishers. Where a point derives from a commercial appraisal firm rather than the carrier or a regulator, the page says so.

Nothing on those pages is an allegation of unlawful conduct by any company. Practices, contact details and portals change, and we may be out of date. If you believe something we have published about a carrier is inaccurate, write to support@getrecoupe.com and we will review it promptly.

7. Third-party links and services

We link to valuation guides, listing sites, insurance regulators and court resources for your convenience. We do not control them, we are not responsible for their content or accuracy, and a link is not an endorsement. We receive no commission from any of them.

8. Michigan and other exceptions

Diminished value is recoverable from an at-fault driver's insurer in most US jurisdictions, but not all, and the mechanics differ materially between them. Michigan's no-fault system in particular bars most third-party vehicle damage claims. We surface these differences rather than assuming a single national rule. See your state page.

9. If we get something wrong

Tell us. We will correct it, and if a document we generated for you was wrong we will fix it or refund you under our refund policy. Our terms of service set out the limits of our liability in full.