Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with insurance and claim

Bus bent my bike; am I stuck with the damage?

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:18:18 -0800

Locked my bike to a post, and a bus sideswiped my bike. Am I stuck with the damage? I stupidly locked my bike to a garbage can near a bus stop. A bus driver trying to squeeze past a left-turning car clipped my bike and pretzeled my wheel.

The damage is probably about $300 (unless the frame is bent in which case it's $1500). I don't have insurance. I do have photos of the scene of the collision, and two witnesses. I've made a report to the Toronto Transit Commission, and in three weeks I'll know what their claims department thinks of it.

Has anyone else tried to claim property damage from a Canadian transit system? What should I expect? If their claims department says no, what should I do?

Any not-legal-advice would be much appreciated

How long can I drive a car before turning it over to the insurance company?

tss — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:07:15 -0800

Someone hit my car. Their insurance company wants to total it. How long can I drive it before they take it away? I hope you'll bear with me. This will take some explaining:

Here in Pennsylvania, my '97 Nissan Sentra was fender-bent by a nice person who left a note under my wipers. As an older vehicle, the Nissan's repair costs are higher than its value... by a little bit. I had the car checked and it's mechanically sound, safe, and even capable of passing an ordinary PA state inspection. However, the insurance company wants to declare it a total loss and take it off my hands.

I could buy it back from the insurance company after they pay me for it, but then the car would be considered a "reconstructed vehicle". Here in PA that means a special, expensive, rigorous inspection designed to keep hucksters from selling totaled lemons to grannies. Passing that one could be hard for any ten year old car, I gather.

On the phone with the insurance company I've noticed that the representatives have been, well, coy about putting a date on when I have to decide what to do with my vehicle. I've been warned that waiting too long and building up mileage on the car will lower its value and hence diminish the eventual insurance payout. Which brought the question:

Me: So, ah, hypothetically speaking, what happens if I drive it around for, say, two years and then make up my mind?

Rep: I don't like to deal in hypotheticals...

She went on to say that the claim would be closed and reopened, and then repeated her warning about the car's value dropping with more mileage. But she didn't fit a deadline. Does this mean that, basically, I can drive my car around until I was planning to get rid of it anyway, and assuming I don't have an accident, the insurance company is obliged to buy it when I'm done with it for what it would be worth without the big dent? Here are the questions I need help with:

First, see question above. Then, assuming the answer is yes,

Is it ethical? Some thoughts about who's involved: the insurance company would be paying me anyway---now they can hold onto the money longer and invest it, then pay me less money in the end. The company might also choose not to raise the rates of the at-fault party until the payment---good for the at-fault party now, but perhaps an unexpected surprise later on. I'm owed money for my loss, but if my plans haven't really changed, how much of a loss is it? (Trade-in value, I suppose...)

Is it legal? This I can't answer... perhaps there's a statute of limitations? But the claim is already filed... it's just on hold. (YANAL, I know...)

Should we submit a claim for an accident between two cars we both own?

Ostara — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:39:17 -0800

I backed into my husband's car today with my SUV, and I think I caused about $3000 in damage. Are we better off submitting a claim to our insurance company, or handling this out of our own pocket? We have called our insurance company already and asked them this same question. They can't tell us how much our insurance will go up because "claims and underwriting are different departments."

We're taking the car to a body shop tomorrow for an official estimate. It is a 2006 Civic. The front bumper and front quarter panel are damaged, as well as the front headlight. It is possible that it may be even more than my guesstimate.

My car, a 2003 Santa Fe, is ok aside from a few scratches on the bumper.

I know I'm an idiot and I feel so bad. Suggestions on how to get back into my husband's good graces are also welcome.

When a tree falls in the woods, does the insurance company punish you?

10ch — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 06:48:48 -0800

At what dollar amount do I draw the line for making a homeowners insurance claim? We had a very large tree fall last week. It caused some damage to the house and the tree had to be cut up and dealt with. All in all it'll come in around two grand for repairs, should I claim it on my insurance?

So far the answers/anecdotes I've heard from people are all over the place. Some say it's not worth it to claim anything below ten grand. Others say claim if it's above your deductible (as low as $250!). I've heard of the "three strikes" rule and about the national databases that count even queries against you. It all sounds like a nightmare.

I want to be able to draw some sort of line. Should I claim if it's above a thousand? Five thousand? Ten thousand? Personal anecdotes, especially if they deal with life post-similar-sized claim, are welcome.

If it matters: I live in North Carolina and can pay cash for the repairs (though dropping two grand is wince-worthy).

Sue my insurance company?

Benny Andajetz — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:39:46 -0800

Have any MeFites sued their homeowner's insurance company? I just had a pretty serious claim denied. I believe I'm in the right and have contacted a lawyer, but before I jump I'm curious if anyone here has been through this? What were/can be the results and/or repercussions?

Up against a giant

jerseygirl — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:30:39 -0800

I have a claim in with another party's insurance. What do I need to know/do to make sure my interests are represented? In the past, our extent with insurance claims have been with our medical insurance and our auto insurance and generally, it has been without incident or issue as they were our insurance companies and our policies. This is pretty new territory for us and we want to make sure that we're treated fairly.

The short of it is, recently a contractor damaged my home while doing an install. I am now dealing with the contractor's insurance company adjusters to get the damaged home property (flooring) replaced. We have been very accommodating and have acted in good faith, but because of our lack of experience and knowledge in this situation, we can't be sure that the adjuster or agency is doing the same. We just don't want to be taken advantage of.

I spoke with my home insurance agent. Our personal home insurance policy wouldn't cover this anyway, so our own insurance is of no help to us really.

The adjuster is trying to devalue and depreciate our carpets best he can thus far, as expected, but are going to rather extensive lengths to do so.

We've received and are still obtaining written estimates independently on our own to replace the flooring with similar flooring and will be submitting those. They have not made any settlement offers yet.

Is there anything else we should be doing? When the insurance company makes their settlement decision, do we have recourse as far as negotiation based on their valuation and offering? Any other advice? We're not looking for an unreasonable amount of money, more than what we're entitled to, but just enough to replace the damaged flooring with comparable flooring and end this giant pain in the ass. We just feel like we're being treated like criminals and don't want to be taken advantage of.

how to appeal a denied claim for travel health insurance

randomstriker — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 09:36:06 -0800

My friend hurt himself and ended up with a six-digit hospital bill. The health insurer has denied his claim because he had a couple of drinks that night. What are his options and best strategies for appeal? We reside in Vancouver, BC. He was visiting a friend in Denver, CO during the summer, and felt queasy due to the altitude immediately upon arriving. That evening, he went to the bar with friends, and had two drinks. He definitely did not have more than two drinks. Some time later in the evening (still at the bar), he had a spell of dizziness, then very suddenly fainted. When he came to, he was in the hospital, and later had to be treated for a fractured skull and brain haemorrage. No-one knows exactly what happened – most likely he cracked his head on a barstool or on the floor.

At this point, he is physically fine. However the travel insurance carrier has denied his claim for the hospital bills, due to the issue of alcohol consumption. When he originally bought the travel insurance, he had asked about the escape clause about alcohol, and the insurance broker said something to the effect that it’s fine if you have a drink or two – your claim will be denied only if you go overboard. What we're being told now is quite different!

Are we SOL? What is the best way for my friend to appeal the claim and get the insurer to foot the bill?

So I'm the victim of a hit and run... now what?

twiggy — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 07:52:09 -0800

Advice on filing an accident report where I'm not at fault, but was in a situation that commonly defines me as being at fault? (Chicago, IL if that matters, oh and the vehicle who hit me left the scene) I already spoke to a police officer. I was not written a ticket, but he said even though he believes it was not my fault, the insurance company will, because I had recently pulled out of a parking space. The officer wrote some things down and then handed me a report to file out that has a diagram, etc. I do not know if this is the only documentation that exists, or if he has filled out and kept any sort of report on his own from my verbal description. That's one important question I'd like answered. I have no reason to lie here at all, but if he has kept his own description, how do I know if he took it down accurately or if it will not match what I report in some minor detail? I was certainly under duress as I was verbalizing what happened.

Here's what happened:

Fullerton Avenue is a 2-way street with 2 lanes on each side, and 1 "lane" of parking. I had pulled into the "parking" lane, and thought it conspicuous that nobody was parked where I was, so I thought maybe I shouldn't park there. I turned on my left turn signal to move back into traffic, but remained stopped because there was traffic. I saw a sizeable safe window in the right lane, and pulled back into the right lane of traffic. I proceeded for probably 100 feet or so before a minivan who was in the left lane of traffic executed a lane change into the right lane, and struck the front of my car. The minivan left the scene of the accident. I tried to get his/her plate, but am not 100% sure I got it right, as 1's and 7's are hard to tell apart on our Illinois license plates.

The officer says that he believes I was likely not at fault here (signal on, in right lane for at least some distance already rather than hit while changing lanes, minivan was in left lane at first, and left the scene, too). However, he believes my insurance company will say I am.

Interestingly, I spoke to my insurance company, and so far they have said I am "0% at fault" and have opened a claim. They want me to get an estimate. They have not asked for a police report or anything yet. I was under duress when describing the incident, and I'm pretty sure I did say that I was parked the first time, but they did not request to record my call until I called a second time, at which point I said "I was in the right lane on fullerton, and he made a lane change from left to right and hit the front of my car, then left the scene" -- this is a 100% true statement. I was already entirely in the lane for a short time.

My concern:

If the officer wrote down that I was parked beforehand, which is true but honestly not very relevant since I had already been in the right lane for a bit and this guy was changing from left lane to right lane, can my insurance company change their assessment? They've already said they're recording it as a "0% liability".

My insurance company (Progressive) wants me to have an estimate done by one of their partner body shops, which seems to me to be in my best interest because they will want to pick a body shop who doesn't rip them off. Is this a dumb thought? I have only consented to an estimate at this point, and not repairs (which they wanted me to consent to but I said I'd like to wait).

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks...

Is it legal to file a damage insurance claim then not fix the damage?

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 13:00:22 -0800

Is it legal to make an insurance claim for legitimate damage done to your car if you have no intention of fixing the damage? If I state this intent, can the insurer deny my claim? This would be in California, if that makes a difference. Can you recommend a good online resource for plain-speak on insurance issues that leans towards consumer rights?