AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH Commerce insurance can buuuurn

Accipiter22

Banned
Feb 11, 2005
7,947
2
0
Preface: Commerce insurance needs to die. Seriously. My dad works as a mechanic at this large shop in my town, the owner of which has said 'I would turn people away if they had Commerce Insurance, if they weren't accounting for about 30% of the business that comes in here". Keep in mind that my policy renews in August every year.

Chapter 1: In November of 2004 I was sitting at a stop sign at a t-shaped intersection...I was on the vertical portion of the T....a guy is traveling on the horizontal portion of the T and is about to turn onto the vertical portion...he's not in the oncoming lane directly in front of me..he's in the lane across from that. He takes the turn to sharp and hits me HEAD ON in MY LANE while I'm at the stop sign. Commerce finds 50-50 fault. they say 'well according to the police report you were about 5" over the white stop line". I tell the lady that I have a copy of the police report in my hands at that very second and it says no such thing. She tells me "oh..that doesn't matter...um..." and then goes off on a tangent. My insurance, and my urge to kill, rises slightly.

Chapter 2: I had actually gotten into a VERY minor accident that was my fault, in very early 2005. We filled out the insurance paperwork, my insurance only went up like 25/month for the rest of 2005, the policy renews in August at about the same rate that I had been paying after the accident. I get a new car in January of 2006. I call up the agency to get a quote from the insurance company...I get the quote, I'm happy with it, I get the car. A few weeks later I get 'adjustment' forms....my policy is going up about 10/month...I'm kind of pissed, but let it slide. Then TWO DAYS LATER I get MORE adjustment forms saying it's going up 40/month. I'm irate. I call up my insurance company....they say 'oh yeah it's for the accident you got in early on in 2005'. I say 'that was TWO policy renewals ago, AND my insurance went up at the time OF that accident, AND I just called you people 3 weeks ago before I bought the car to get a quote and you told me something that was nearly 70 dollars less than you want me to pay now'. AAAAAAAAAAAAUGH. I said something along the lines of 'you ADDED surcharges onto my insurance right after that accident, why is it going up again from the SAME ACCIDENT, and why did it take you 3 weeks to add it on, and why did you ****** it up the first time, and 2 days later add on even more?' the lady responded with some sort of snippy reply, and I mentally saw myself giving her a swirlie in a school house toilet. SHe also tells me that Mass. is redoing insurance laws, so everyone's insurance is going down.

Chapter 3: Today I get my policy renewal for this insurance policy, and it hasn't gone down, in fact it went up like 3 bucks and under accidents there's TWO listed...the one from early 2005...and one for July 15th!!!!!! I wasn't in any accident!! I never filed a police report, nor did anyone else, I never received any notification from insurance company, or received ANY paperwork from them about ANY supposed accident on July 15th of 2005!!!! How the ****** can they just add 3 points onto my insurance rating thing without even NOTIFYING me that anyone had filed a claim against me OR asked me for my side of whatever supposed accident this was?!?!?!?! I will now light myself on fire, make a thread about an internet-model girlfriend, and join the military so I can get lost in some desert somewhere.
 

Windogg

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
10,241
0
0
I saw the title and instantly knew it was written by a fellow Masshole. Yea, Commerce sucks. They are the ones fighting hardest against insurance reform so they can keep their grip on the profits for the socialist system they helped create. I recently dropped them for Amica after too many incidents of poor service.
 

Accipiter22

Banned
Feb 11, 2005
7,947
2
0
Originally posted by: Windogg
I saw the title and instantly knew it was written by a fellow Masshole. Yea, Commerce sucks. They are the ones fighting hardest against insurance reform so they can keep their grip on the profits for the socialist system they helped create. I recently dropped them for Amica after too many incidents of poor service.

yup, I'm dropping them too.


 

TwinkleToes77

Diamond Member
Jul 13, 2002
5,086
1
0
I just wanted to say.. I got my insurance renewal today and it went DOWN! and thats after having a claim in November.. comp though.. and then an accident in April.. not my fault.. but could have turned ugly. The guy backed into me while we were both stopped at a redlight. ... yes.. it went DOWN
 

Windogg

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
10,241
0
0
Originally posted by: xSauronx
someone has clearly missed all those commercials with a talking gecko.

As a primer to those that live outside of the People's Republic of Taxachusetts.

Insurance companies such as Geico, Allstate, State Farm, Progressive and other national carrier do not do business here. All rates are set by the state... errr.. I meant Commonwealth based on a strange formula of assigned risk. Everyone pays the same rates so there is no discounting.

The bottom line is the best drivers subsidize the absolute worst drivers. It takes years to work down to the best risk level. Once you drop to "Step 9," you no longer receive any discounts. You can be at Step 9 for 10 years and one little incident will bump your Step level and you pay through the nose. So who sits on the committees that set these rates? By golly, they are all former insurance company execs.

 

xSauronx

Lifer
Jul 14, 2000
19,586
4
81
Originally posted by: Windogg
Originally posted by: xSauronx
someone has clearly missed all those commercials with a talking gecko.

As a primer to those that live outside of the People's Republic of Taxachusetts.

Insurance companies such as Geico, Allstate, State Farm, Progressive and other national carrier do not do business here. All rates are set by the state... errr.. I meant Commonwealth based on a strange formula of assigned risk. Everyone pays the same rates so there is no discounting.

The bottom line is the best drivers subsidize the absolute worst drivers. It takes years to work down to the best risk level. Once you drop to "Step 9," you no longer receive any discounts. You can be at Step 9 for 10 years and one little incident will bump your Step level and you pay through the nose. So who sits on the committees that set these rates? By golly, they are all former insurance company execs.

yipes
 

Windogg

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
10,241
0
0
Accipiter22 could try the insurance appeals process but the Commonwealth makes the process about fun as getting your nutsack caught in a zipper. Tons of forms and red tape can make this process drag on for years.

Back in 2003, my brother was driving through a construction zone at night. As he rounded a corner, he struck a large piece of construction debris that had spilled onto the road. Six air bags went off, front end damage, oil pan damage, and trasmission damage. Despite the fact the troopers on scene declared the accident unavoidable, he was hit with a 5 point surchage and his rates went up $900.

The appears process took 2 years. He had to take quite a few days off from work and lots of leg work to get the paperwork in. For his troubles he got an $1,650 refund + $25 in interest.
 

Baked

Lifer
Dec 28, 2004
36,152
17
81
I'd have switched insurance company after the 1st incident where they're treating you like a dumbass. But that's just me.
 

LordMorpheus

Diamond Member
Aug 14, 2002
6,871
1
0
Originally posted by: xSauronx
someone has clearly missed all those commercials with a talking gecko.

geico has been good to me, but then I haven't filed any claims, so whatever. Customer service is top notch.

I've heard they can be pretty stingy, though, and that State Farm is a little easier to make claims with.

But I like the gecko.
 

fitzov

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2004
2,477
0
0
you can thank your little situation to your elected representatives who have allowed insurance companies to use "binding period" clauses in their contracts--it's not just a Commerce Insurance thing. Basically, it means that after you buy your insurance, the company has a certain period of time in which they can alter the terms of the agreement (i.e. how much you will be paying). I had the following happen to me: buy insurance, after two weeks company says, "Oh yeah, because your last insurance was "no fault" insurance, we are raising your cost by 200$/yr. I was like WTF? Then I found out that binding periods are completely legal.