Auto Insurance - General Claims Memo

[use2betrix]

Posting to share some information I wish I would have been aware of regarding a recent insurance ‘claim.’

Last year I was driving down the highway and got a rock chip on my windshield. Something most everyone has experienced. Like most people, I also frequently see signs from places that say, “free rock chip repair with approved insurance.”

So, since I pay a lot for insurance and hadn’t made a claim in around 12 years, I called progressive to see if I have rock chip coverage. They simply told me, “no.” So I moved on with my life and paid the $55 out of pocket to have it repaired.

Several months later it was time for my 6 month insurance renewal and my plan went up around $200ish for the 6 month period. I called Progressive and they said because of my ‘claim’, I lost my ‘good drivers discount.’ I was incredibly confused by what ‘claim’ was made. They said that because I called about coverage and mentioned I got a rock chip, it was classified in their records as a claim (even though they never paid a dollar from it).

I spoke to a half dozen people and spent hours on the phone taking notes and it was a mixed bag of responses from people saying there was a claim, not a claim, some saying it shouldn’t impact my insurance costs, others with alternate opinions.

Ultimately, I switched insurance companies, but that ‘claim’ still shows up on my driving history.

I think that fighting this would largely be a wasted effort at this point. Any input would be great, but hopefully this at least helps someone in the future whom may be in a similar situation.

[RWD]

That is bizarre. I also have Progressive and got a rock chip. I actually made a claim which they paid out. My insurance went up but after calling them and talking to too many people I learned that the increase was not due to the claim but because it was mistakenly categorized as "at fault." I was able to get escalated to a claims manager who was able to get it properly categorized as a "not at fault" incident. He also admitted to me that in general a rock chip is not supposed to be considered the fault of the driver. This saved me $600-700 for the year.

I do agree that you probably don't want to tell your insurance company about any incidents unless you are going to make a claim. In the case of the "free rock chip repair with approved insurance" they are specifically talking about if your comprehensive coverage includes a $0 glass deductible. This would be clearly stated on your declarations documentation (says "Full Comprehensive Window Glass" and "$0 glass" on mine). Chip repair is so cheap that it's probably not worth paying for $0 glass unless you're worried about having to completely replace your windshield (there's a lot of gravel on the roads where we live).

[GilesMM]

Free chip repair is included in our USAA policy (which is about $60/yr/car for the Comprehensive portion) and I have not seen a "claim" cause a premium change but premiums seem to change for many reasons.  Repairs are really easy - just click a few buttons on the USAA website and Safelite comes to your house.

[wageslave23]

This is the type of situation where being an asshole to customer service (as mentioned in another thread) seems justified.  As someone who works with clients a lot, I don't mind at all when clients get pissed and turn into "assholes" when myself or coworkers are doing their job competently.  Either do your job competently or find a different job. Sorry to derail the thread. Back to your question, no that non claim shouldn't raise your premium. But it's probably not worth the frustration to try to fix it.

[use2betrix]

Thanks all for the further input. I was surprised as a whole and the added cost is just money down the drain. In the future, will definitely not reach out to “ask questions.”

@wageslave23 - After I realized that I was getting nowhere with Progressive, I was a bit of a prick in a couple of the calls. Using all the logic, documented conversations with others, etc., I could tell that many of the representatives agreed with me how absurd it is, but on their recorded lines, they obviously had to stick to their script. One gentleman that started off incredibly ‘nice’ eventually became incredibly patronizing.

I find it wild that before every call they mention that lines are recorded, but if you ask them to listen to the recording from prior calls to see what I was told by other agents, that’s somehow out of the question. I’m sure their recordings are only used for when it benefits them, not the other way around.

[Luke Warm]

Thanks all for the further input. I was surprised as a whole and the added cost is just money down the drain. In the future, will definitely not reach out to “ask questions.”

@wageslave23 - After I realized that I was getting nowhere with Progressive, I was a bit of a prick in a couple of the calls. Using all the logic, documented conversations with others, etc., I could tell that many of the representatives agreed with me how absurd it is, but on their recorded lines, they obviously had to stick to their script. One gentleman that started off incredibly ‘nice’ eventually became incredibly patronizing.

I find it wild that before every call they mention that lines are recorded, but if you ask them to listen to the recording from prior calls to see what I was told by other agents, that’s somehow out of the question. I’m sure their recordings are only used for when it benefits them, not the other way around.

I wonder what would happen if you told them you were recording the call also?

[flow321]

I just want to say what happened to you is crazy

[Sibley]

I do wonder what would happen if you filed a complaint with the DOI. Because an inquiry should not be a claim. Might be worth a try, though YMMV based on the state. However, complaints filed with the DOI have legal teeth - not because your complaint will pass, but because if the insurance company doesn't do what they're supposed to regarding investigating the claim, the DOI has teeth and may well use them.

[elaine amj]

I have heard of similar complaints from other people. So I guess it’s important when calling to ask about “hypothetical scenarios”. Which is ridiculous.


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