Auto Insurance Claims – The Other Party Does Not Accept Blame?
Reader question:
When the owner of an auto insurance policy in California who crashed into your car doesn’t want to take the blame, what do you do?
Mark
Thanks for asking, Mark.
Sometimes a person will be completely apologetic at the scene of the car accident, but when it comes time to file a claim with their auto insurance policy in CA, you find that they’ve told a whole other story to their car insurance company. The company that sells his auto insurance policy is going to go with his story unless forced to believe otherwise, because they want to pay the least money and stick by their policy holder. If it’s your fault, then they don’t have to pay anything.
Normally this happens when an accident hasn’t had a police report filed for it. There’s a good reason for calling the cops every time right there. However, sometimes even when a police officer comes, they don’t file a report. Why is that? It’s because if the police officer believes the damages of the accident to be $500 or less, then it isn’t necessary to file one. However, what might seem like only a little bit of damage at the time could be worth several thousand dollars at the mechanic.
While you might try to convince the police officer to follow a report, it’s not something that you can reasonably do. Instead, do things yourself. Ask witnesses and get their statements about the accident, get the other driver’s statement about the accident, and make sure you take your vehicle to a repair shop as soon as possible so that the damages can be checked out and no one can say that they didn’t come from that accident.
Make sure you get names and numbers of the witnesses, as well as the name, number, and policy number of the other driver. Take pictures of the vehicles, and if there is a police report filed, you can get a copy.
If the auto insurance policy still gets you a no to your claim, you can get more serious. Go to small claims court with the other driver, or even get an attorney. Make sure that they can’t push you around.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Information on Long Beach California Car Insurance Policy
Here’s some random information about your Long Beach California car insurance policy that I think you should keep in mind when getting your coverage.
- If it’s in your car, but not part of your car, then it isn’t covered.
My friend used to take his stereo around with him when he went driving because the radio from his car had gotten stolen. If, in turn, the car got stolen, then the stereo which had set him back a couple hundred dollars would be gone forever, unless he had renter’s or homeowner’s insurance. Your North Long Beach CA car insurance policy covers things that are part of your car, but nothing inside of them.
- When you get a broker, discuss the fee.
Some people decide to get their car insurance through a broker, because the broker can often help them in choosing a car insurance company so that they don’t have to waste a lot of time looking on their own. Whenever you do this, make sure to decide on a broker’s fee upfront, because the brokers do not deal with the state and therefore if you don’t have it in writing, you will be in trouble.
- If you’re okay, they’re okay.
If you have an insurance policy, then the members of your household are covered by it, even if they are not named on your policy and do not drive the car frequently. Also, if you give a friend or relative permission to drive your vehicle, then they are also covered by your car insurance policy. It is not always necessary for you to give permission, just for them to be sure that you would have consented to them driving the car if asked.
For the record, household is defined as relatives, not roommates. If someone is driving your car frequently, then they need to be on your policy or you could risk having your claim denied.
My Auto Insurance Was Just Canceled – What to Do?
Reader question:
Is it easy to get auto insurance in California after you’ve had your policy canceled?
Margeret
Thank you for asking, Margeret.
Actually, it can be pretty hard to get California auto insurance if you have something on your record like a previous cancellation by a car insurance company. This is why it is so important to take care with all of your automobile insurance dealings because if you don’t, then you will have to pay the price. And that price can be as much as a ten percent increase, and that’s only if you can find a company for auto insurance that wants to give you coverage at all.
When you go looking for auto insurance, the company will be able to look at your CLUE report, which aside from containing your claims history, will also have your previous cancellations and nonrenewals. This may influence them to deny your request for coverage, but if they do take you on then they might make you pay your entire yearly premium up front instead of allowing you to do the month by month installment. This can be a good thing for some people, because it is actually slightly more expensive for the installment plan. However, most people don’t have that much money at once.
Another thing that having your auto insurance canceled is that it will affect your credit score. Not all auto insurance companies report to credit agencies, but it is definitely something to think about even if they say you don’t, because most wouldn’t give a straight answer on this. Credit scores are also used hen determining how much you will pay for your auto insurance in California, and if you have a bad credit score, then that price could be pretty high. Even if your driving record is otherwise stellar, it could still hit you hard.
If all else fails, you’ll have to either go to a company for auto insurance in CA that sells policies to customers who are considered high risk. If you do this, you will pay more. And if no one will accept you, then you will have to consider going with the high risk pool for auto insurance which costs even more.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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