Submitted: Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Posted: Thursday, January 16, 2003
Steven
Phoenix
U.S.A.
I almost got killed by a unregistered gravel-dumpster with broken brakes and broken steering, driven by a drunken driver well-known by the police because of numerous citations.
That was 3 years ago. Now I requested a quote from Allstate for car insurance. It came up with $ 137,- for 6 months. When I called them to accept that offer they told me: we are sorry: you had a "no-fault" accident in 1999, that changes the premium a little bit. The new offer was about 70% higher. Their justification: Fault or no-fault does not matter. What matters is that you made a claim.
Submitted: Wednesday, November 13, 2002
Posted: Thursday, November 14, 2002
Elizabeth
Phoenix
I worked in the auto industry for several years on both the insurance side & finance side and saw many insurance claims denied to the dismay of all involved parties.
You haven't mentioned whether or not the driver of your vehicle was ticketed. Often there is an assumption that a left turn is unsafe & therefore the driver attempting that is at least partly at fault.
Also if the driver of your vehicle was not licensed or under the influence that might make a difference. At this point your remedy may only be to sue in small claims court the person who drove your vehicle and the person who drove the other car.
The judge would then assign a percentage of fault to each involved party. As long as you did not allow an unlicensed or drunk driver to operate your vehicle your percentage should be zero, and the two people actually driving should be responsible for 100% of the damage collectively. The other driver if ordered by the court to be responsible for some or all of the damage would then have to sue their insurance company to recoup their losses.
Although, if you are unwilling to sue anyone then you are stuck. If you win you can recoup your court cost with the judgement. As for the police, if the ticket was dismissed in court it is inadmissable in arbitration decisions. Good Luck
Submitted: Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Posted: Thursday, March 13, 2003
Sarahbhardy
Miami
U.S.A.
Your insurance company is interpreting their obligations to you according to the contract that exists. It goes without saying that dishonest men steal and honest men justify.
Many times there is an argument of form versus substance in settling a claim. You have insurance to protect you from financial hardship. The insurance company, in form, has certain absolute obligations to you. However, substantively, they also must uphold the "spirit" of an agreement with you. After all, you paid your premiums and they lead you to believe that they were "good neighbors" or "a piece of the roc" or "a little green lizzard"...
If something is just not right about what they are doing, challenge them and, by all means, involve the state. The insurance industry is highly regulated. The state keeps count of how many complaints are filed.
If your state's insurance commissioner is not tough enough, make sure you vote in a better one. Your insurance company may be large, but the collective voice of your state can be very loud.
Good luck with your claim.
Submitted: Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Posted: Thursday, April 18, 2002
Brandon
Gilbert
What ALlstate is doing is nothing more than what ALL insurance companies do. You pay them hundreds of dollars a year to insure you in case of an accident, and then, when you need to make a claim, they do anything in their power to deny that claim. I am currently going through an accident right now. A lady rear-ended me at 35 miles per hour while I was completely stopped. Her insurance company is doing the same thing, trying anything to not pay. I had to get an attorney. So, it doesn't matter who the insurance carrier is, they all will do the same things.
Submitted: Friday, August 09, 2002
Posted: Saturday, August 10, 2002
Cindy
Phoenix
I had a similar experience when I was rear-ended by a school teacher two years ago. She hit me so hard I was under the truck in front of me. She totaled my car. I had no collision but wasn't worried because she admitted hitting me to the officer who responded.
She was cited with a failure to control her vehicle. We went before an arbitraitor and she completely changed her story with she had a memory relapse and couldn't remember hitting me. She had an excellent lawyer I didn't and she won.
I am still in shock and I have a judgement I owe to her and her lawyer for almost two thousand dollars. I believe there is no justice anymore anywhere but Phoenix is one of the worse places for corruption with lawyers and companies and government officals.