Personal computing discussed
Moderators: askfranklin, renee, emkubed, Captain Ned
JustAnEngineer wrote:If the at-fault driver has insurance, she should call that insurance company (with the policy #, the name of the insured, the vehicle description and the police accident report number) and start a claim. That's the way that the process is supposed to work. If the insurance company is legit, no lawyers need to get involved.
just brew it! wrote:JustAnEngineer wrote:If the at-fault driver has insurance, she should call that insurance company (with the policy #, the name of the insured, the vehicle description and the police accident report number) and start a claim. That's the way that the process is supposed to work. If the insurance company is legit, no lawyers need to get involved.
Getting lawyers involved for a busted side view mirror would likely end up costing more in legal fees than just paying for the repair out-of-pocket.
Drewstre wrote:- JBI: She's had this same State Farm agent for a long time, also has her home insurance. I don't think he'd personally try to jack her up... unless corporate tells him to.
Redocbew wrote:I'd be very wary of their claim that she can "handle things on her own". If she attempts to do that and then brings the insurance company in later it wouldn't just be the accident they'd be investigating, but any action she had taken about it afterwards as well. It really just allows for more opportunity for the insurance company to deny coverage.
just brew it! wrote:ThisHer insurance company's responsibility depends on what her coverage is. Without that info, I don't think it is possible to say whether what they said was reasonable or not.
kvndoom wrote:Also thisPart of the problem is that insurance companies operate differently in every state.
Captain Ned wrote:Definitely thisIf your friend doesn't agree with the service she's getting from her insurer, have her contact her state's Department of Insurance (insurance is still regulated state-by-state). They all have Consumer Affairs staff and can assist in getting the process working.
The Egg wrote:Anyone who has dealt with another party's insurance company knows that it's almost always a nightmare. They will jerk you around at every turn, try to send you to shoddy repair shops who do lousy work, and string everything out for as long as possible. It's not worth the time or aggravation. If she has full (comp & collision) coverage (which it looks like she does), I would just pay the deductible and let her own insurance take care of it. Since she wasn't at fault, the deductible should come back to her at the end (but she can clarify this with her agent).
The Egg wrote:If she has full (comp & collision) coverage (which it looks like she does), I would just pay the deductible and let her own insurance take care of it.
The Egg wrote:Since she wasn't at fault, the deductible should come back to her at the end (but she can clarify this with her agent).
The Egg wrote:Anyone who has dealt with another party's insurance company knows that it's almost always a nightmare.
Glorious wrote:OP indicated a 500 dollar deductible.
Unless "scuffed" actually means bent metal or deeply scratched paint, we're not almost certainly not talking anything near that high in damages. Driver-side side rearview mirrors aren't that expensive typically.
Thus, you're not really paying the deductible, as it won't be deducted from anything. You're just paying for it.The Egg wrote:Since she wasn't at fault, the deductible should come back to her at the end (but she can clarify this with her agent).
The only way that would happen, normally, is if the other insurance company reimburses her. So, why not just contact them outright?
The claim is against the other guy/his insurance company, and there's no deductible if it isn't your insurance (i.e. they are at fault, they eat the entire cost).
Your agent can hand-hold you through that process, and I guess really nice concierge-like services will do that, but it really doesn't have anything to do with them in actuality. At least in most situations, anyway, the property damage process isn't even where most of the state-related differences come into play.
In normal jurisdictions, the only way it does is if the damage is over your deductible, you make a claim for yourself, and then they later subrogate against the other insurance company.
TheRazorsEdge wrote:In my state, the at-fault driver (or his insurance) must cover all repairs and injuries, and the other party doesn't need to worry about deductibles at all.
....
If I am not fully or partially responsible for the accident, I pay nothing.