I need a way to let out some anger safely, and I figure doing it during my swim tomorrow is a good enoug way. Any suggestions?
(Background: I just got a new car two weeks ago - my first one - and today it was dented by some ******* in a parking lot. Two golfball sized dents and streaks of white paint. And I have to pay for the repairs myself. I'm so depressed and angry at the same time.....)
There is a lot of really sorry advice on this forum concerning insurance claims. Insurance rates have nothing to do with fault versus no fault submission of claims. If it were the case, why would carriers even offer uninsured or underinsured coverage, where the submission of claims by defaul are not your fault?
Rates and premiums are based on experience (i.e. claim history) primarily with other factors also playing a large role (age, location, car type). If you submit 5 no fault claims, the carrier still pays for them so there is no difference, it's not like they use different dollars to pay for your not at fault claims.
This other advice not to submit a claim unless it's way above your deductible is also ludicrous. If you can afford to pay your own claims up to a certain point, then make your deductible that amount and save on your premium immediately. The first dollars are the most expensive to insure so if you retain a high deductible, your premium will be lower.
Sorry, I should have elaborated.
To make a claim for a few dollars above the deductible is not worth it. You not only incur the incident/claim, you also have the hassle of dealing with the claim process which can be bad depending on who you are dealing with.
...and yes my rates increased with the insurance representative explaining it was the incidents (whether I was at fault or not) that were the cause for the increase. I still had a safe driver designation during this period.
