I must say that GEICO insurance is a joke

[Mill]

I was hit on the 12th on the Interstate by a GEICO customer. It was stop-and-go traffic and the car in front of me stopped due to traffic and I did the same. The guy behind me (who was riding my bumper) was either not paying attention or has crappy brakes and ran into me.

Police came, marked him as fault, and I filed a claim with GEICO after I got the police report(the 14th). The police report shows that he hit me from behind while I was stopped. The driver was not cited (that rarely happens in Alabama).

GEICO did not return any of my phone calls since the 14th. In fact, they never called me back. I left 3-4 VMs a day in the inbox of my adjuster. Her VM was updated every single day to say she was in the office and available. She never answered or responded. On Tuesday (the 20th) I got fed up with waiting and called their main claims line again. After a 10 minute wait I was finally transferred to someone from my adjuster's "team" who stated GEICO has been waiting on me the entire time to give them a statement. :roll: I left my name, home and cell number, and claim number everytime I called (3-4 times EVERY FUCKING DAY). The "team member" took my recorded statement and said he felt a liability decision would be made the next day.

GEICO, of course, never called me back. I had to go through the main claims number again to get in contact with someone. Still never spoke to the adjuster. I spoke to another "team member' who said that my claim was DENIED. She said GEICO will not be covering my damage or my medical bills. She stated that the mailed me a letter on the 16th of October explaining why I was denied.

What the fuck? They refuse to return ANY of my calls, claim they were waiting for my statement and yet DENIED the claim 4 days BEFORE I gave it?

My insurance company (State Farm) -- with whom I filed a concurrent claim -- said the other driver was clearly at fault and that they will subrogate with GEICO. They said GEICO always does this and they have to arbitrate or sue.

Cliffs:

Rear-ended on Interstate
GEICO refuses to take my calls or return my messages saying they need my statement
I gave GEICO a statement after harassing them until they found someone who could help.
GEICO denies my claim with a date of the 16th -- 4 days BEFORE I gave my statement.
My Insurance company is going after GEICO.

 

[Soundmanred]

This is why I have GEICO.

 

[sjwaste]

Not to be an ass, but you're not their customer. They'll get to you after they talk to their customers first. Most businesses run this way.

That's why most insurance companies will subrogate the claim for you.

EDIT: Are you writing from jail?

 

[amdhunter]

edit: i misread your thread. Why are you handling this anyway? Leave that shit up to your insurance company.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Not to be an ass, but you're not their customer. They'll get to you after they talk to their customers first. Most businesses run this way.

That's why most insurance companies will subrogate the claim for you.

Doesn't matter if I'm their customer or not. They took on liability for a party that hit me. They have to act in good faith or can face sanctions or a lawsuit. In this case they timeline was hardly sufficient to say they acted in bad faith, but it is a bit suspicious to never return a SINGLE phone call and deny a claim before taking my statement. The police report states the other drive is at fault.

How can they deny? I will tell you GEICO's logic: The employee who informed me of the denial said the police report was irrelevant. She stated that the party that hit me denied responsibility and gave a different version of events. She said that it was his word against mine, and that even though he hit me from behind (and the police report says he was at fault) they will take his word. Funny considering they mailed the denial letter on the 16th before even contacting me.

 

[FoBoT]

i also thought that you only deal with your own company and leave dealing with the other guy's company to your company. it doesn't really matter whether geico or state farm covers it if it is a no fault situation anyway



in the interest of full disclosure, i have been a geico customer since 1987

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
edit: i misread your thread. Why are you handling this anyway? Leave that shit up to your insurance company.

Exactly.. Why the hell are you even dealing with this. Submit the claim to your insurance and let them handle it. Thats why you have insurance--so you dont have to deal with crap like this.

 

[Iron Woode]

its always fun to watch one insurance company go after another.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
edit: i misread your thread. Why are you handling this anyway? Leave that shit up to your insurance company.

I don't want to pay 250 dollars and wait months to get it back. Just because GEICO's customer is a liar does not mean they do not have a responsibility to pay.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i also thought that you only deal with your own company and leave dealing with the other guy's company to your company. it doesn't really matter whether geico or state farm covers it if it is a no fault situation anyway

I do not live in a no-fault state.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Geico most likely assume you have no insurance or YOU would not be handling your claim..............

 

[Mojoed]

Maybe Geico's don't like ravens?

 

[thescreensavers]

this is nothing...when I was rear ended it took United Auto 1 month just about to start talking to us. then a few days later we got stuff going. When we went to go pick up a check they could not find anyone who we talked too and 45 min later someone came out with the check.

 

[sjwaste]

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Not to be an ass, but you're not their customer. They'll get to you after they talk to their customers first. Most businesses run this way.

That's why most insurance companies will subrogate the claim for you.

Doesn't matter if I'm their customer or not. They took on liability for a party that hit me. They have to act in good faith or can face sanctions or a lawsuit. In this case they timeline was hardly sufficient to say they acted in bad faith, but it is a bit suspicious to never return a SINGLE phone call and deny a claim before taking my statement. The police report states the other drive is at fault.

How can they deny? I will tell you GEICO's logic: The employee who informed me of the denial said the police report was irrelevant. She stated that the party that hit me denied responsibility and gave a different version of events. She said that it was his word against mine, and that even though he hit me from behind (and the police report says he was at fault) they will take his word. Funny considering they mailed the denial letter on the 16th before even contacting me.

Well, read your insurance contract, I'm sure it's similar to GEICO's. It's an agreement to indemnify you against claimaints as a result of certain vehicular events. It's not a contract to answer the phone and pay out against anyone claiming their policyholder was at fault.

A police report is evidence, but it's not conclusive. I agree that it should hold some weight, and you shouldn't be summarily denied reimbursement for damage when the police report states contrary facts. I don't, however, fault them for siding with the person paying for the policy. You'd want your insurance company to take your word too if it's a matter of conflicting stories.

A rear end collision is usually a no brainer. You're probably right, if the facts are as you've stated. But if the other guy called in and told them something that plausibly went against you in some way, they should side with their customer. Remember, it's an indemnity contract and you have not sued the adverse party.

Good faith doesn't mean what you think it does. It generally relates to the covenant of good faith between two contracting parties. You don't have a contract with either party. I don't work in insurance defense, but I'm pretty sure that any duty owed to you by a non-contractual party is minimal.

I'm not saying you didn't get screwed, nor am I saying you did. Nobody here knows both sides. But if there's any reasonable basis for a dispute, it's probably more likely to be in bad faith for the insurer to fault its own policyholder than it is to fault you.

I'm willing to bet that with identical facts and circumstances, reversing the roles, State Farm would do the same for you.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Look around you, you might see something different. It's looking at you. It's the money you could be saving with Geico.

 

[Whisper]

In both of the accidents in which I've been involved (neither of which were my fault), I contacted my insurance company first (Progressive), who informed me that I could either pay the deductible and they would handle the claim at that point (and refund my deductible if/when they recovered it from the other party), or I could attempt to deal with the other company myself.

In both cases, like the OP, I dealt with the other party's insurance company directly (USAgencies both times, I believe). The other party's insurance company worked with me rather expediently, which was a surprise. Once the police report was available, they paid for my rental car, offered me a variety of choices with respect to repair shops (including dealers), and had the check to said repair shops within a week. Although in both cases, I also had contact information from numerous witnesses who corroborated the events, which may have helped speed things along.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: sjwaste

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Not to be an ass, but you're not their customer. They'll get to you after they talk to their customers first. Most businesses run this way.

That's why most insurance companies will subrogate the claim for you.

Doesn't matter if I'm their customer or not. They took on liability for a party that hit me. They have to act in good faith or can face sanctions or a lawsuit. In this case they timeline was hardly sufficient to say they acted in bad faith, but it is a bit suspicious to never return a SINGLE phone call and deny a claim before taking my statement. The police report states the other drive is at fault.

How can they deny? I will tell you GEICO's logic: The employee who informed me of the denial said the police report was irrelevant. She stated that the party that hit me denied responsibility and gave a different version of events. She said that it was his word against mine, and that even though he hit me from behind (and the police report says he was at fault) they will take his word. Funny considering they mailed the denial letter on the 16th before even contacting me.

Well, read your insurance contract, I'm sure it's similar to GEICO's. It's an agreement to indemnify you against claimaints as a result of certain vehicular events. It's not a contract to answer the phone and pay out against anyone claiming their policyholder was at fault.

A police report is evidence, but it's not conclusive. I agree that it should hold some weight, and you shouldn't be summarily denied reimbursement for damage when the police report states contrary facts. I don't, however, fault them for siding with the person paying for the policy. You'd want your insurance company to take your word too if it's a matter of conflicting stories.

A rear end collision is usually a no brainer. You're probably right, if the facts are as you've stated. But if the other guy called in and told them something that plausibly went against you in some way, they should side with their customer. Remember, it's an indemnity contract and you have not sued the adverse party.

Good faith doesn't mean what you think it does. It generally relates to the covenant of good faith between two contracting parties. You don't have a contract with either party. I don't work in insurance defense, but I'm pretty sure that any duty owed to you by a non-contractual party is minimal.

I'm not saying you didn't get screwed, nor am I saying you did. Nobody here knows both sides. But if there's any reasonable basis for a dispute, it's probably more likely to be in bad faith for the insurer to fault its own policyholder than it is to fault you.

I'm willing to bet that with identical facts and circumstances, reversing the roles, State Farm would do the same for you.

I agree with most of what you say minus a few quick points.
First off, bad faith does mean what I said it did:

http://www.rand.org/pubs/resea...efs/RB9036/index1.html

It depends upon the State. You are right that third-parties do not always have the ability to take action on bad faith. In Alabama you do:

http://www.policyholdersofamer...e_punish_bad_faith.pdf

I don't, however, fault them for siding with the person paying for the policy. You'd want your insurance company to take your word too if it's a matter of conflicting stories.

Actually, no. Not if I was at fault. Many times people "believe" or "think" they are not at fault even though they are. I'm an honest and transparent person and I don't like liars. I had an at-fault accident a few months ago. I was scheduled to go out of the country that week, and I made sure to call MY insurance company, provide my statement, and tell them to PAY the claim and not hassle the other party. They did, too.

I don't want insurance companies to believe their customers simply because they pay them money. That's a terrible way to do business. It is not logical. An insurance company should believe their customers because the facts and evidence support them not because they have a relationship. If the police report states he was at fault then he either must be a skilled and convincing con or they deny claims without rationale. They have a reputation for it. My boss is an attorney and he said they are one of the more egregious offenders when it comes to slow-paying and denying claims.

As you can see by this poll, their reputation is nationwide:

http://alabamacaraccident.blog...et-geico-get-sued.html

That is not my boss's firm and we have no relation to them -- I found it on Google earlier.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Soundmanred
This is why I have GEICO.

This is why I drive less than 1300 miles a year. I don't need the aggravation.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Not to be an ass, but you're not their customer. They'll get to you after they talk to their customers first. Most businesses run this way.

That's why most insurance companies will subrogate the claim for you.

Doesn't matter if I'm their customer or not. They took on liability for a party that hit me. They have to act in good faith or can face sanctions or a lawsuit. In this case they timeline was hardly sufficient to say they acted in bad faith, but it is a bit suspicious to never return a SINGLE phone call and deny a claim before taking my statement. The police report states the other drive is at fault.

How can they deny? I will tell you GEICO's logic: The employee who informed me of the denial said the police report was irrelevant. She stated that the party that hit me denied responsibility and gave a different version of events. She said that it was his word against mine, and that even though he hit me from behind (and the police report says he was at fault) they will take his word. Funny considering they mailed the denial letter on the 16th before even contacting me.

Geico will lose in court if it goes that far. They know it and will settle, assuming your insurance company goes to bat for you. If your insurance company is not on the hook I wouldn't assume they'll handle it and you might need a lawyer. However, you are in a great position. You were not only hit from behind, but the police report states that it was the other driver's fault. You almost certainly can't lose. The challenge for you is just to handle it properly and not lose your cool.

Originally posted by: FoBoT

in the interest of full disclosure, i have been a geico customer since 1987

I checked out Geico again a day or two ago and they want far more in premiums than the insurer who's taking over my coverage in 4 hours plus 5 minutes, Mercury. Even if it were close and Geico a bit cheaper I'd go with Mercury. I don't need that lizard in my life.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: Muse
I checked out Geico again a day or two ago and they want far more in premiums than the insurer who's taking over my coverage in 4 hours plus 5 minutes, Mercury. Even if it were close and Geico a bit cheaper I'd go with Mercury. I don't need that lizard in my life.

I signed up for Mercury a few years ago. I got a phone call a month later saying that they were dropping me because the decided not to cover any CJ model of jeep. They gave me one week to find a new carrier. I won't be dealing with them again.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
edit: i misread your thread. Why are you handling this anyway? Leave that shit up to your insurance company.

This

 

[gooseman]

Lawyer up.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: Soundmanred
This is why I have GEICO.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Not to be an ass, but you're not their customer. They'll get to you after they talk to their customers first. Most businesses run this way.

That's why most insurance companies will subrogate the claim for you.

Doesn't matter if I'm their customer or not. They took on liability for a party that hit me. They have to act in good faith or can face sanctions or a lawsuit. In this case they timeline was hardly sufficient to say they acted in bad faith, but it is a bit suspicious to never return a SINGLE phone call and deny a claim before taking my statement. The police report states the other drive is at fault.

How can they deny? I will tell you GEICO's logic: The employee who informed me of the denial said the police report was irrelevant. She stated that the party that hit me denied responsibility and gave a different version of events. She said that it was his word against mine, and that even though he hit me from behind (and the police report says he was at fault) they will take his word. Funny considering they mailed the denial letter on the 16th before even contacting me.

Dear Mill,

You are a moron. GEICO doesn't owe you shit. They are paid to protect THEIR customer, who is NOT YOU. Sue him, and they will protect him. File with your insurer as has been said. They will pay you, and go after GEICO to recoup THEIR loss.

Best Regards,

Ex claims adjuster

P.S. You didn't file a "counter-claim" with your insurer. You filed a claim.

P.P.S. That GEICO team probably laughs about some idiot calling them at lunch every day.

P.P.P.S. Call your state insurance department so that they can have a giggle too. Bad faith, LOLOLOLOL

 

[Balt]

I have a limited experience with auto accidents (I've only been in one), but it was a similar situation to the OP's where I was rear-ended. I called up my insurance company figuring they would handle dealing with the other insurance company... wrooooooooong. The person I spoke with pretended like I had a deadly disease that could be transmitted over the telephone. They told me to communicate directly with the other guy's insurance company, which I did. Fortunately in my case he didn't try to change up his story. After nagging his insurer a bit (it was Allstate, iirc), and getting my vehicle's damage appraised, they sent me a check.

My insurance company is probably just crap, but I don't think the OP was out of line trying to deal with the other guy's company first before going to his own, as some have suggested.

Anyway, best of luck. Since they are being asses about it make sure you try to get them to pay for a rental while your car is in the shop.