Don't Use Geico

[XS]

Danoff, does your sister live in Colorado too? Stupid question, but have you guys checked to see if the intersection has monitoring cameras (not red light)? If so, the CDOT can pull footage from that time frame. Also look to see if any nearby businesses - if there are any - might have footage of that intersection. That's actually how Farmers got stuck settling my claim. When I was 19 I hit a bicyclist that traveled across traffic and against a red light on Mississippi and Chambers in Aurora. Same thing, word against word, but front of my car was damaged fairly bad and Farmers said there was nothing they could do. So I had the gas station pull their parking lot footage which clearly shows the idiot riding against a red light, so Farmers contacted his Farmers agent, and paid up because he was still operating a vehicle in traffic, albeit a bicycle. Just thinking here, best of luck to your sister.

 

[a6m5]

Very savvy. Good job man! 👍

 

[Jubby]

US terminology:

Liability Insurance = Covers damage done to others' property that is your fault.
Collision Insurance = Covers damage done to your property that is your fault.

Liability is required by law. Collision is optional. Many people opt out of collision if their car is not worth very much. Carrying $50/mo collision coverage for 5 years on a car worth $2000 is a bad deal even if you total your car at the end of that 5 years and get paid nothing.

Been there, done that. It sucks. But, this is an excellent example why to have collision coverage for a vehicle. The vehicle would be covered and you could litigate the opposing driver and/or insurance company for the damage. When you file the collision claim your insurance company will try and get the money back via a tort claim (subrogation) if it's possible. It's just an unfortunate coincidence the other driver has Geico... I wonder if it's the same adjucator???? If not, get an independent one, if possible... especially if the police report backs up her side.

On the flip side of the coverage issue: why someone would pay 50/month for collision is up to their driving record, car, location, etc. I get my two vehicles (new-ish) for $250/year total. Even after 10 years our cars would be worth about $4,000 total and I would have paid in $5,000... however, we get insurance in-case-🤬-happens. What happens if I wrap the car around a light-pole in year 2? Covered. However, ANY insurance company will try and weasel out of it, if they can on ANY claim, especially if they can find the grey area.

Your sister has my sympathy. I hope she's alright. Now try to get additional witnesses and most importantly, a lawyer that'll work on a contingent fee basis. That'll take the stress of the litigation battle.

 

[Nero9]

Woodchucks can't chuck wood.

 

[Danoff]

Danoff, does your sister live in Colorado too? Stupid question, but have you guys checked to see if the intersection has monitoring cameras (not red light)? If so, the CDOT can pull footage from that time frame. Also look to see if any nearby businesses - if there are any - might have footage of that intersection.

No footage of the intersection and no nearby businesses with video footage.

Been there, done that. It sucks. But, this is an excellent example why to have collision coverage for a vehicle. The vehicle would be covered and you could litigate the opposing driver and/or insurance company for the damage. When you file the collision claim your insurance company will try and get the money back via a tort claim (subrogation) if it's possible. It's just an unfortunate coincidence the other driver has Geico... I wonder if it's the same adjucator???? If not, get an independent one, if possible... especially if the police report backs up her side.

So if she'd had collision, the insurance company would have to have paid for her car, but there still would be no incentive to find her innocent, unless the other driver didn't have Geico. So she'd be battling them over whether or not she has a payout on her driving record instead of battling them over whether or not to pay out. Either way she's losing money, maybe even more if she'd had collision.

The advantage to collision is that if the other driver didn't have Geico, and Geico had to pay for my sister's car either way, they'd have lots of incentive to find the other driver entirely at fault. That's not a bad argument in favor of carrying collision.

 

[lbsf1]

Insurance companies haven't tried any of these tricks to me, my bike got nicked and within 2 weeks I had a new bike that was worth twice the amount of my stolen bike. It was Direct Line Home Plus cover if your wondering.

What they are doing in this circumstance is incredibly underhand, almost forcing you to splash out for a lawyer to get the payment you deserve (which obviously turns many people off claiming and thus less money payed out.)

 

[FoolKiller]

And this is why I make sure to get a good personal relationship with my insurance agent. My agent's daughter is in dance class with my daughter. During class we have become quite friendly, our wives are Facebook friends, and now he calls us up whenever he finds an opportunity to lower our monthly premiums. Once he even called to say they had multiple roof damage claims in our neighborhood due to storms and so he was going to pay for a roof inspection on our house. He even offered me a job after I had lost mine last year, but his timing was off because it was a day after I took my current job.

If this Geico situation happened to us he would find himself really uncomfortable at dance class and during recitals and he couldn't back out of the socialization thing as our daughters have become very friendly. It also helps that we often bump into each other at things like Sesame Street Live and Disney Princesses Live.

I don't know if he screws others over or not, but he has a personal interest in not doing it to me. And that was no accident on my part.

 

[XS]

Very savvy. Good job man! 👍

Thanks! You do what you gotta sometimes, ya know.

No footage of the intersection and no nearby businesses with video footage.

Damn, I was hoping someone would have some sort of evidence to back up her claim.

And this is why I make sure to get a good personal relationship with my insurance agent.

I don't know if he screws others over or not, but he has a personal interest in not doing it to me. And that was no accident on my part.

I thought I had a decent relationship with mine, until the bicycle incident, then a few years later he wanted to total my truck because it needed a new radiator after a minor fender bender. I told him I could just fix it myself for a little over $100. Of course that violates Farmers policy and after much arguing he caved and sent me to a collision shop who raped Farmers for nearly $2900, just to put a radiator and grill in, no body work! So of course up goes my premium. I left shortly after and have State Farm.

 

[Danoff]

And this is why I make sure to get a good personal relationship with my insurance agent. My agent's daughter is in dance class with my daughter. During class we have become quite friendly, our wives are Facebook friends, and now he calls us up whenever he finds an opportunity to lower our monthly premiums. Once he even called to say they had multiple roof damage claims in our neighborhood due to storms and so he was going to pay for a roof inspection on our house. He even offered me a job after I had lost mine last year, but his timing was off because it was a day after I took my current job.

If this Geico situation happened to us he would find himself really uncomfortable at dance class and during recitals and he couldn't back out of the socialization thing as our daughters have become very friendly. It also helps that we often bump into each other at things like Sesame Street Live and Disney Princesses Live.

I don't know if he screws others over or not, but he has a personal interest in not doing it to me. And that was no accident on my part.

...maybe not enough to outweigh his personal interest in his job.

Besides that, if that's what it takes, to be personal friends with everyone who has any influence in your life... I'll self insure.

 

[FoolKiller]

...maybe not enough to outweigh his personal interest in his job.

Besides that, if that's what it takes, to be personal friends with everyone who has any influence in your life... I'll self insure.

He's an independent State Farm agent. His pay is based on his office's ability to make money under his leadership. Proactively working to lower my premiums is not in his best immediate professional interest, but it does help him long term. He understands that, and I have to assume that he understands jerking is around on claims would be a short term gain at a long term loss.

In claim situations, In have dealt with Progressive, Liberty Mutual, and All State. Progressive and Liberty Mutual both constantly found reasons to raise my premiums and I had to fight with them over claims, including paying to others. All State was the insurance of a woman who hit my car. It took months of the claims adjusted ducking my calls to get my money.

The one time we had a claim with our current guy (my wife hit her brother's car in the driveway) the check was mailed out within the week. In an eerily similar situation with Liberty (my wife drives safe, but parked cars beware) I had to call them after six weeks and yell at them to make the payment because this was t some random guy but family and there was no debate about fault.

So in 1:1 comparisons my current guy is awesome. Unless State Farm Corporate overrules him (can they?) I have little reason to believe he isn't a rare example of an honest insurance salesman.

 

[Danoff]

So far my experience with state farm has been positive (we use state farm for car, home etc.). My sister is choosing between them and allstate.

 

[Keef]

I got my Progressive insurance through a friend of my parents. I don't have much interaction with the lady but we're on a first name basis and she's helped me save money in the past.

 

[FoolKiller]

I got my Progressive insurance through a friend of my parents. I don't have much interaction with the lady but we're on a first name basis and she's helped me save money in the past.

Did it involve a tracking device plugged into your car?

 

[Danoff]

The Alabama Department of Insurance says there is no obvious method to intervene and recommends suing...

Useless.

 

[FoolKiller]

The Alabama Department of Insurance says there is no obvious method to intervene and recommends suing...

Useless.

*Looks at date this began* Ah, the speed of government.

At this point, would it be better to just forget the whole deal and accept her losses? I don't know how much the claim is for, so I can't tell.

 

[Danoff]

Well, getting a lawyer would likely eat all of her profits. Going to small claims court seems less likely to pay out and a lot of work. Very frustrating.

 

[nk4e]

Have you looked for like cases?

 

[Keef]

Well, getting a lawyer would likely eat all of her profits. Going to small claims court seems less likely to pay out and a lot of work. Very frustrating.

This is when you wear a mask at 2 in the morning and really ruin somebody's next morning. Satisfying, and if you do it right they won't ever find you.

 

[hogger129]

They'll apparently deny your claim regardless of any evidence you bring to them. I don't know if there are any good car insurance companies out there, but the one with the little animated gecko with the British accent is not one.

My sister got into a nasty accident recently (car totaled) because another driver pulled in front of her to make an unprotected left turn on a green yield. T-bone accident, both cars totaled.

Turns out both drivers have Geico insurance - neither has collision coverage.

Other driver claims a green arrow, and that my sister was running a red and that's why the t-bone happened. My sister claims her light was green and that the other driver failed to yield and this is why the accident happened. Geico says "lol iono, but we don't have to pay if we deny you both, so you're both denied".

Here's the kicker. She went back and looked at the light, there is no possible way the other driver had a green arrow. A witness in another car described her light situation well enough to conclusively determine that this was a yield green. It's all in the police report and in the light timing. Geico didn't listen to the argument about the light timing, didn't go to the scene to check the light pattern, didn't do anything except determine that this was a case of "word against word" and so they won't be paying anyone thank you very much. Appeal? Absolutely not. This is the end of the line, go the hell away.

So now she's combing through her policy to try to find an appeals process before taking the case to the state insurance board. WTH, how can they possibly just look at this, shrug their shoulders, and refuse to pay either way?

Bastards. Anyway, if you have Geico, think about changing before this is you.

Use American Family. I have had them as long as I've been driving and they've been good to me and my family.