Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was in a car accident and I was deemed at fault, even though I never hit a car. It was about cars racing and I had to break and another car following hit me so that I was spinning and another car hit me.
Anyway, my insurance broker said she will help me settle this and she got back to me to say that she can't do anything for me.
I went further by contacting the government and I got guidance and wrote a strong email to the designated employee of the insurance company so that they can reinvestigate. In the end, they waived my at fault and said it was listed as waived and called it my 1st car accident.
My husband and I are not happy with this insurance company and broker.
Would it cost me more to find another broker and get them to help us find another insurance company or should I search for another insurance company and not get a broker?
I don't know if there is hidden costs and I don't know if you can call this being frugal or being cheap, but for sure, you can say that I am unhappy customer due to the costs that was put on us.
Our car is old and we don't need a newer car, this one is working just fine.
I was in a car accident and I was deemed at fault, even though I never hit a car. It was about cars racing and I had to break and another car following hit me so that I was spinning and another car hit me.
Anyway, my insurance broker said she will help me settle this and she got back to me to say that she can't do anything for me.
I went further by contacting the government and I got guidance and wrote a strong email to the designated employee of the insurance company so that they can reinvestigate. In the end, they waived my at fault and said it was listed as waived and called it my 1st car accident.
My husband and I are not happy with this insurance company and broker.
Would it cost me more to find another broker and get them to help us find another insurance company or should I search for another insurance company and not get a broker?
I don't know if there is hidden costs and I don't know if you can call this being frugal or being cheap, but for sure, you can say that I am unhappy customer due to the costs that was put on us.
Our car is old and we don't need a newer car, this one is working just fine.
Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated.
Wasn't clear from your OP but were YOU involved in the racing?
If so, quarreling over the insurance and the costs involved is the least of your problems. Drive more carefully and your insurance costs will be lower. If it was determined that YOU were the cause of the accident (not necessarily by the insurance co. but by the accident investigator) you have to pay for that. Having insurance doesn't mean accidents don't cost you anything.
I ran an insurance broker in the past, so I can answer your question. For those who do no know the difference between an insurance agent and an insurance broker.
Insurance Agent= Works for or is only contracted to 1 company. Example: Allstate, Farmers, State Farm.
Insurance Broker= An Independent Contractor who have contracts to many insurance companies. They have contracts to companies like Allied, Metlife, Stillwater, Progressive, Travelers, Hartford, etc.
You have to understand that an insurance agent or broker have no real authority to make decisions to favor you or on your behalf. It's the insurance companies that determines your fate, not your agent. Your agent does not have much authority and can not perform miracles for you. It's completely out of their hands. Whatever the insurance company says, it goes.
There is only so many insurance companies. It does not matter where you go, in general, most broker have about the same contracts to all the insurance companies. Some may have a few more, some may have a few less, but not much.
Now, if you are not happy with your broker or the insurance company, you may look for new coverage elsewhere. Depending on your State and the insurance broker, some charge broker fees, anywhere from $50-$300 on top of your insurance premium when you buy insurance. So if you are going to go to a different broker, you must ask them if they charge broker fee. When I ran my own insurance broker, I did not charge a broker fee because insurance is already expensive enough. Insurance agent do not charge a fee because they are not allow to but they are limited to only one company, they can not price shop for you.
Broker is usually the better way to go because they run through 5-10 insurance companies and give you the best rate vs you calling up 5-10 insurance companies on your own. It's a pain in the behind.
So to answer your question, depending on who you speak to, there may be a cost to buy insurance from, especially from a broker. You'll have to ask them because not all brokers charge a fee.
If your car is old, just get rid of the comp and collision. That will eliminate some of the cost but you'll be responsible to pay for your own repairs to your own car if you got into an accident and you are found at fault.
Most people do not understand that car insurance is more than just car insurance. It's just not about repairing your car and repairing someone else's car. That's the cheap part.
The Liability. The medical and hospital bill, that is the killer if you do not have enough insurance to cover the other people's injury if you are found at fault. You are screwed. Medical bills can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars that you may end up being responsible for. Bankruptcy will not erase those expenses if you get sued.
We don't drive frequently and use it in the winter and for grocery shopping. Sometimes to visit family out of the city. When it comes to entertainment, we normally use transit. When my husband has a job, he requires it daily.
Wasn't clear from your OP but were YOU involved in the racing?
If so, quarreling over the insurance and the costs involved is the least of your problems. Drive more carefully and your insurance costs will be lower. If it was determined that YOU were the cause of the accident (not necessarily by the insurance co. but by the accident investigator) you have to pay for that. Having insurance doesn't mean accidents don't cost you anything.
lol I am too old to be racing other drivers. I don't care for that. These are drivers who are impatient and their world evolve around them. They were passing between cars and I got cut off and another side swept me that led to me spinning and another t-bone me.
I hate insurance companies that target good drivers. I have to pay the price because I didn't get licence plates.
Hi mikefong123, thanks for the info. If the other driver sue me, they won't get much money from me as I am the only one working and my one month pay go toward rent that that is 85% of my income.
This is why I decided to post on the frugal board.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
