Car insurance claim ** UPDATED - SUCCESS!!! ***

[SoftwareEng]

My car was insured, but the rates went up after a speeding ticket. I didn't receive/see the bill ($270), so they cancelled my policy (seems, a couple of months ago)!!!

Now I need some body work done after hitting a metal barrier on the highway (don't ask). How can I get my insurance company to cover it?? Wtf, they could've shortened the policy to make up for the $, instead of cancelling it!

I paid in advance for the entire year of insurance.

Any info will help. Thanks.



Update!
Everything worked out! I called my agent, within two days had it all straightened out, and the insurance company immediately sent a person to look at the damage and do an estimate. There's the $1000 deductible, but the rest is covered. Nice

P.S. Check your mail and pay all your bills on time

 

[woodie1]

From the facts you provided you're sol.

 

[KLin]

Call them up and pay the bill explaining you never got the bill. Then put in a claim.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: woodie1
From the facts you provided you're sol.

 

[Lola]

Not to flame you but....

It is not your insurance companies responsibility to "baby sit" each customer they have.
If you had not seen a bill from them in a while, you probably should have contacted them. Perhaps the bill got lost in the mail, perhaps it was delivered to the wrong house, perhaps you threw it out by mistake... a thousand different things could have happened... but in the end, it is your responsibility to make sure the payment gets to them.

If your policy was cancelled it = no coverage. You can try and dispute it, but I doubt anything will come of it.

I saw this a lot working for a large insuarnce company.

 

[MrWizzard]

There are way to many facts missing from this story to give a good answer....

EDIT: Oh yea and once again LolaWiz beats me to the post and is right.

 

[waffleironhead]

Was this a paid up premium for 6 months or were you paying monthly?

 

[SoftwareEng]

Originally posted by: waffleironhead
Was this a paid up premium for 6 months or were you paying monthly?

Actually I paid for the entire year. So fine, they can trim the insurance by 1 month or whatever, but not just cancel it!!

 

[SoftwareEng]

Originally posted by: KLin
Call them up and pay the bill explaining you never got the bill. Then put in a claim.

Could this really work???

Probably not.. They would ask to submit new pictures of the car before reinstating the full coverage and sh*it..

 

[waffleironhead]

Originally posted by: SoftwareEng

Originally posted by: waffleironhead
Was this a paid up premium for 6 months or were you paying monthly?

Actually I paid for the entire year. So fine, they can trim the insurance by 1 month or whatever, but not just cancel it!!

I wasnt aware that they could change the cost of a paid up premium. I always figured that once you wee paid up you were good till it ran out. It was when the policy ran out that they could then get you. Definitly news to me.

 

[nakedfrog]

I'll bet you're boned. I would also bet that they sent you a letter explaining that your insurance was canceled. If they're any good, they probably would have even called you.

 

[sactoking]

Did they refund you any of your money? The money you paid for the portion of the year that has not occurred yet is 'unearned premium'. They HAVE to send it back. If they did, you're probably SOL. If they didn't, then that is an implied contract to continue to insure you and you would have coverage.

 

[Old Hippie]

I didn't receive/see the bill ($270), so they cancelled my policy (seems, a couple of months ago)!!!

Screwed.

If you're in a state that requires insurance, you're lucky you didn't get reported.

 

[OdiN]

Yup, you're fucked.

 

[spidey07]

Your policy got canceled because you didn't pay a bill, regardless of paying a years worth of premium. It sucks, but that's life. You can have them reinstate you but good luck getting anything for a claim that occurred when you didn't have coverage.

Just call and explain that you didn't receive the bill or cancellation notice. But don't expect much then them being kind enough to activate your policy again.

-edit-
And lieing about when the incident occurred is insurance fraud.

 

[Cuda1447]

Wait a second, how can you not pay a bill when you had paid it all to begin with? I'm a bit confused. They sent you an EXTRA bill since your rates went up and THEN canceled it?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Wait a second, how can you not pay a bill when you had paid it all to begin with? I'm a bit confused. They sent you an EXTRA bill since your rates went up and THEN canceled it?

He received a surcharge to his insurance due to his speeding ticket. The OP obviously ignored the notifications of the surcharge raising his insurance premium. He didn't pay and thus his insurance was canceled. However, the insurance company should be refunding the remainder of his policy that was paid in advance.

 

[Cuda1447]

If thats the case, you should be coming out ahead, depending on how much money you get back from the unused premium.

 

[RandomFool]

Originally posted by: waffleironhead

Originally posted by: SoftwareEng

Originally posted by: waffleironhead
Was this a paid up premium for 6 months or were you paying monthly?

Actually I paid for the entire year. So fine, they can trim the insurance by 1 month or whatever, but not just cancel it!!

I wasnt aware that they could change the cost of a paid up premium. I always figured that once you wee paid up you were good till it ran out. It was when the policy ran out that they could then get you. Definitly news to me.

I know they will charge you if switch cars (obviously). I got charged an extra 200 bucks or so when I got my new car.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: RandomFool

Originally posted by: waffleironhead

Originally posted by: SoftwareEng

Originally posted by: waffleironhead
Was this a paid up premium for 6 months or were you paying monthly?

Actually I paid for the entire year. So fine, they can trim the insurance by 1 month or whatever, but not just cancel it!!

I wasnt aware that they could change the cost of a paid up premium. I always figured that once you wee paid up you were good till it ran out. It was when the policy ran out that they could then get you. Definitly news to me.

I know they will charge you if switch cars (obviously). I got charged an extra 200 bucks or so when I got my new car.

They actually canceled the policy on your old car and created a new policy for your new one.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
If thats the case, you should be coming out ahead, depending on how much money you get back from the unused premium.

No, b/c he has no insurance to cover his accident and he still needs to get insurance and pay for it.

 

[Kelemvor]

Call your state's Attorney General's office and ask them about the legal aspect of it and see what they say.

 

[Pepsei]

good luck.

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Wait a second, how can you not pay a bill when you had paid it all to begin with? I'm a bit confused. They sent you an EXTRA bill since your rates went up and THEN canceled it?

He received a surcharge to his insurance due to his speeding ticket. The OP obviously ignored the notifications of the surcharge raising his insurance premium. He didn't pay and thus his insurance was canceled. However, the insurance company should be refunding the remainder of his policy that was paid in advance.

Are you omniscient?

In any case, perhaps the OP will come out ahead, depending on his deductible for collision. Hey OP, make sure you get a refund of the remainder of the pre-paid premium, pro-rated from the date of cancellation.

The insurance company is sleazy for not mailing a refund check after cancelling his insurance. Unless they claim it was lost in the mail.

 

[SoftwareEng]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
If thats the case, you should be coming out ahead, depending on how much money you get back from the unused premium.

well, they will refund my money, but I'll have to go and immediately buy insurance again, so it's not like I get free money (or assistance in paying for the damage)...