TCB insurance recommendations??

[ccage]

Iain:

FWIW, I've had the same kind of problem even with State Farm when it comes to policyholder vs. policyholder. I think most all of the companies try to force those into "no-faults" so they can get the most deductible.

My experience involved a 16 y.o. skidding entirely through an intersection and tagging the right rear of my CRX hard. She admitted guilt at the scene (it was painfully obvious), but then her father got into play and tried to blame me. State Farm declared it a no-fault despite ample evidence (location/type of damage on the cars, skid marks all through the intersection indicating speed MUCH greater than the limit, etc.).

I learned a pretty good lesson from it: Your insurance company isn't responsible for your liability in accidents -- you are. Your insurance company only contracts with you to cover it. Seems like splitting hairs, but makes a difference in cases like this. I just filed in small claims court against the girl/father. They flipped out and called State Farm (who's obligated to defend them). When State Farm called me (promptly). I explained that if they can't see from the ample evidence, I'd just take it to the judge. Realizing that even if they did manage to successfully defend in the stupid small claims court their $500 gained from my deductible would be long gone, they changed their mind and declared it the girl's fault. Go figure. :)

I can't help but think that even $500/year is the equivalent of ~$41/mo. A meal out, once a month. I'm not necessarily recommending that everyone jump to State Farm, but at least a widely-recognized company that can support a claim. (Like, for example, one of the companies large enough to have no-adjuster-required or onsite adjuster agreements with major repair facilites.)

As far as which company, heck, I think they all probably have ups and downs. I suspect that YMMV more because of the agent than the company (assuming it's one of the majors). As far as me personally, I've had the same agent since I was 15 in Burkburnett, TX, and they've carried me through some tough times so I'm pretty stuck on them. To put it in perspective, if their office was to say, "Oh, we're XXX company now," I'd be right on board...

Chuck

PS: For those of you wondering why a guy with two Miatas is spending time writing War-n-Peace posts about bull instead of Miata-related stuff, rest assured I'm wondering, too. Damn. I think it has something to do with not being able to get outta the house recently, much less able to drive the Miatas. I'm truly bummed I missed the Frisco-start drive. I'll be on-board for the next one for sure.

[icepenguin66]

One thing to think about when selecting insurance is what's gonna happen when you file a claim... It's tempting to think of insurance as a commodity -- like milk or something, you know... milk is milk regarless of whose name is on it or how much you pay for it -- but it's really a pretty complicated service product.

Chuck

That is a very good point to make. My best friend has several cars and to save money put some of them on different insurance companies. Recently a guy ran a red light and totaled his 93 Viper. It took 3 months and a lot of hassling to get his money and it was the other guy’s fault. He has had several other claims from vandalism to a stolen car and has often received a lot of trouble from all 3 companies he uses. I know he has Allstate, Progressive and someone else. I would not recommend Progressive after seeing what he has gone through with them on several occasions.

My parents have been with State Farm for around 20 years and they could never be happier. I am lucky enough to still be on their policy. One cool thing about State Farm is that they do not charge more because it is a sports car and do not increase your rates with a few tickets. I’m sure they would if you get a ton of tickets but they have not increased mine and I just had to get a license suspension overturned for too many tickets in a short time. Another great thing I have always experienced with State Farm is great claim service. Last Thanksgiving I got stuck in a flash flood and water locked my motor. Only one day to get a guy at the shop and 2 days later I had a $2000 check for a new motor, which paid for my wonderful 1.8 swap!

I would take Mr. Chuck’s advice when deciding on an insurance company. Nothing worse than paying for insurance then to have them not pay up when you have to make a claim.

[icepenguin66]

Iain:

FWIW, I've had the same kind of problem even with State Farm when it comes to policyholder vs. policyholder. I think most all of the companies try to force those into "no-faults" so they can get the most deductible.

My experience involved a 16 y.o. skidding entirely through an intersection and tagging the right rear of my CRX hard. She admitted guilt at the scene (it was painfully obvious), but then her father got into play and tried to blame me. State Farm declared it a no-fault despite ample evidence (location/type of damage on the cars, skid marks all through the intersection indicating speed MUCH greater than the limit, etc.).

Glad you came out good in the end Chuck. I almost has a problem similar to that with my neighbor hitting me head on while I was at a stop sign in front of my house…in a cul-de-sac none the less! Unfortunately my knee was hurt so I ended up having my friend, best injury attorney in Dallas, take car of everything and it’s a good thing I did. This was maybe 8 months after I bought my first Miata for $4900, not to mention the $2000 I put into it, and her insurance was only going to pay $1800 for the totaled vehicle! And I still got the short end of the stick with my knee injury.

Never hesitate to contact an attorney to at least discuss whether they can help you out, and in most cases they can do a lot of help.

I'm not necessarily recommending that everyone jump to State Farm, but at least a widely-recognized company that can support a claim. (Like, for example, one of the companies large enough to have no-adjuster-required or onsite adjuster agreements with major repair facilites.)

I am! That Aimica sounds like a good one too.