The St. Lucie Appraisal Company
- Highly praised for personalized, fast, and professional service—many reviews highlight “communication … personal, responsive and just excellent.”Their methodology is thorough: based on real market data from 6 dealership managers, rather than formulaic approaches.
- One satisfied reviewer said turnaround time was less than a week and the report was “well formatted. including quotes from six new car dealerships.”
- Reddit users also specifically named “St. Lucie Appraisal Company,” noting they’re based in Fort Pierce, FL but are licensed adjusters and appraisers preparing diminished value appraisals in all 50 states.
When an appraisal company also works for insurance companies, there can be a perceived (or real) conflict of interest. Even if they claim impartiality, it’s fair to wonder whether their appraisers might lean toward preserving those larger, ongoing insurance contracts rather than advocating strongly for individual claimants like you.
Why St. Lucie Appraisal Company / Franklin Colletta May Be a Better Fit:
Works Exclusively for Vehicle Owners – Franklin Colletta and his firm are known for being strictly consumer advocates, not beholden to insurance companies.
If your goal is to work with someone whose sole loyalty is to the vehicle owner, then your instincts are spot on. St. Lucie Appraisal Company is a strong, consumer-centered choice—hundreds of car owners have already had a positive experience with them.
Contact Information
- Phone: (772) 359‑4300
- Email: contact@stlucieappraisal.net
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2700, Fort Pierce, FL 34954
Current Rates
- Standard Automobile Diminished Value Appraisal: $275.00
- Exotic Vehicles (e.g., Maserati): $350.00 for diminished value report; $225.00 for loss-of-use report
Takeaway
- Their base rate remains $275, consistent with what they have charged previously, for most standard vehicles.
- If the vehicle is an exotic or high-end model, expect a higher rate, around $350 for the appraisal.
If your car is declared a total loss, then a diminished value claim would not apply—because diminished value only applies when the vehicle is repaired and retained, not when it’s totaled and paid out by the insurance company.
However, The St. Lucie Appraisal Company can still help in a total loss situation in a different way:
- Fair Market Valuation Disputes
- If the insurer offers a low total loss payout, Franklin Colletta can independently appraise the vehicle’s pre-accident market value.
- This is often helpful when insurers undervalue a car by using poor comps or faulty data.
- The appraisal can be used to negotiate a higher total loss settlement.
- Disputing Insurance Valuation Methodology
- Some insurers use valuation tools (e.g., CCC One) that understate vehicle values.
- An independent appraisal gives you credible documentation to challenge that.
Recommendation:
If your insurer has totaled the car and the offer seems low, then yes—St. Lucie Appraisal Company can absolutely help by providing an independent fair market value appraisal. This can be a very effective tool to dispute the insurance company’s payout.
TotalLossDispute.com is a dedicated service offered by The St. Lucie Appraisal Company, run by Franklin Colletta. It’s designed specifically to help vehicle owners dispute low total loss settlement offers from insurance companies.
What TotalLossDispute.com Offers:
1. Independent Market Value Appraisals
- They’ll evaluate your vehicle’s actual pre-loss market value using comparable local sales — not insurance-favored tools like CCC One.
- The goal is to determine whether the insurance payout is fair and, if not, equip you to challenge it.
2. Expertise with Dispute Letters
- They provide not only the appraisal but also help with crafting a dispute or negotiation letter to your insurer.
3. Experience with Claims in all 50 States
- The St. Lucie Appraisal Company can provide appraisals that are legally valid and relevant for your case.
4. Flat Fee Pricing
- The fee for a vehicle valuation appraisal is $275.00.
- The fee for representing you in Appraisal Clause negotiations is $275.00.
You should consider using TotalLossDispute.com if:
- The total loss offer seems too low or the comps used by the insurer are clearly mismatched.
- You want to negotiate a better payout using third-party documentation.
- You feel the insurer is ignoring your evidence or concerns.
How to Proceed
- Go directly to https://totallossdispute.com.
email the insurance company CCC or other valuation appraisal then make your payment.
- Collision Shop Referrals
- Many body shops recommend them when customers are fighting for fair diminished value or total loss settlements.
- Body shops see firsthand how insurers lowball people, so they often refer customers to trusted third-party appraisers like Franklin Colletta, who they know will fight for the vehicle owner.
- Word-of-Mouth and Repeat Clients
- Their business model relies heavily on positive word-of-mouth rather than aggressive online marketing.
- Many reviews mention “my shop told me about them” or “a friend used them and got great results.”
- Specialized Websites
- Instead of one flashy central website, Franklin uses a network of niche sites (e.g. tesladiminishedvalue.com, corvettediminishedvalue.com etc.), which are more functional than promotional.
- This makes their online footprint feel small, but it’s intentional — they seem to focus more on credibility and results than SEO or social media.
Why Collision Shops Recommend Them
Shops know:
- Insurance companies often underpay, especially on total loss values and post-repair vehicle worth.
- Franklin’s appraisals are credible, detailed, and accepted by insurers in most cases.
- He doesn’t play both sides (i.e., he doesn’t work for insurers), which builds trust.
Bottom Line:
Their strong reputation is built offline, especially through:
- Collision centers
- Satisfied past clients
- Attorneys
That low-profile, high-integrity model is actually a great sign — and probably a big part of why clients report such a good experiences..
Even though The St. Lucie Appraisal Company (and Franklin Colletta) don’t have a strong marketing presence, their name comes up frequently and organically in owner-driven forums like:
Where They’re Mentioned:
- Multiple threads on subreddits like r/Insurance, r/AskCarsales, and r/Tesla mention them — often from people who:
- Successfully used them for diminished value claims.
- Felt underpaid on a total loss.
- Were referred by body shops or other Reddit users.
Example:
“I used St. Lucie Appraisal Company (Franklin Colletta) and got $4,200 for DV after GEICO originally offered $0.”
(r/InsuranceClaims, 2024)- Tesla Forums
- Tesla owners are very aware diminished value from even minor repairs. Many mention St. Lucie as a go-to for fighting back against insurance denials.
- Quora
- Users often recommend Franklin when people ask how to dispute insurance settlement amounts, particularly for newer or luxury vehicles.
- Facebook Groups & Owner Clubs
- His name pops up in brand-specific or regional vehicle owner groups where people share personal success stories.
Why This Matters:
- These mentions are unsolicited endorsements, not paid ads.
- In forums, people usually only recommend someone if they’ve had a genuinely positive experience — or they stay silent.
- The fact that The St. Lucie Appraisal Company is mentioned by name over and over across platforms suggests a strong, grassroots reputation.
Summary:
Franklin Colletta and The St. Lucie Appraisal Company have built a deep trust network, especially in:
- Online owner communities (Tesla, BMW, Honda, etc.)
- Reddit and Quora threads about diminished value and total loss claims
- Shops and previous clients who continue to recommend him without incentive
This kind of earned reputation is often more reliable than flashy websites or paid SEO, and it’s exactly why they’re still thriving despite a low digital profile.
Specialized URLs — like tesladiminishedvalue.com, ferraridiminishedvalue.com, corvettediminishedvalue.com, bentleydiminishedvalue.com, and many more — are indeed branded services of The St. Lucie Appraisal Company.
These sites are part of the firm’s intentionally modest web presence strategy: each focuses on a particular region or make (e.g., Florida, California, Ferrari, Tesla), but they all share the same underlying company, leadership (Franklin Colletta), methodology, and operational structure. For example:
- FerrariDiminishedValue.com is explicitly described as “a service of The St. Lucie Appraisal Company” and offers tailored Ferrari DV and Loss of Use appraisals at higher rates (e.g., $350).
- Other niche sites — from Arizona to Georgia to North Carolina diminished-value domains — also include the line “… are services of The St. Lucie Appraisal Company.”
So while the web footprint may feel fragmented, it’s all unified under one trusted, auto-focused appraisal firm that uses specific domains to address particular vehicle types or states.
READ CUSTOMER REVIEWS OF THE ST. LUCIE APPRAISAL COMPANY
Then click on the payment button above to pay by Credit Card or Paypal. The fee for an Automobile Diminished Value Report is
$275.00. You may also make your Credit Card Payment by telephone, call 772-359-4300.
Tesla and other exotic car owners please call for rates.
Service throughout Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi , Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming
READ MORE ARTICLES…