Carsley Williams (junior-journalism) said she had no complaints after last week's parking deck collapse that destroyed her 1993 Nissan Sentra and damaged 29 other vehicles.

"They take care of people here," she said of Pepper Mill Condominiums last week, who owns the parking garage at 710 S. Atherton St.

A week later, Williams is frustrated. Her car is still in storage at $25 a day awaiting an insurance adjuster to appraise it so she can have it towed to a junkyard.

"I'm getting nowhere," she said. "No one is returning my phone calls. No one has looked at my car. Pepper Mill made me pay to get it towed until I threw a screaming fit and they agreed to pay for it.

"It took me two years to save for that car, and I only had it for two weeks. I really need a car and no one is helping me," she said.

She added that she is unable to rent a car because she is only 20 years old.

Williams said, "We should at least have gotten a letter of apology [from Pepper Mill]."

Representatives for Pepper Mill Condominiums did not comment when contacted for this story.

Williams said she had only liability coverage on her car and she's been told by Pepper Mill's insurance company, Hartford Insurance, that it will not accept liability for the damage until the cause and blame for the accident has been established.

Cynthia Michener, a Hartford spokeswoman, said it's an unfortunate situation for those who only have minimum insurance coverage, but until liability for the accident can be determined, individuals will have to pay all of the expenses. She said the investigation could take weeks. Michener recommends those with collision insurance file a claim with their own insurance company.

Michener also said Hartford would only settle claims with residents whose cars were damaged if it is found that Pepper Mill was at fault.

Other residents have made out only slightly better than Williams.

Chrissy Boryenace said she expected a check for $3,300 from her insurance company for her 1989 Honda Accord, which is slightly more than book value. But she put $7,000 into the car during the last year, she said.

"It was just getting to the point where it was running smoothly," Boryenace said.

While she said she was happy with how her claim was handled by her insurance company, State Farm, she agreed with Williams that Pepper Mill hasn't been very forthcoming.

"No one's been helpful at all," she said. "All they did was push a paper under the door with the name of the Hartford contact and put signs up telling people where they should park. I feel bad for that girl [Williams]."

Another resident, Paul Minear (senior-electrical engineering), who had suspension damage to his car, also has had trouble finding help.

"I've been trying to get hold of [Hartford] all week," Minear said. "I made five or six phone calls and got no response. I finally got fed up. I filed a claim with my insurance company."

Michener said Hartford tries to accommodate all people.

"It's definitely our policy to be responsive to claimants, and make every effort to do so," she said.