Best cheap auto insurance?

Noah Cook said:Exactly. You'd never want to deal with a random budget carrier or a company like Fannie Mae when things go south.

Patrick Moore3 said:I'd rather shell out a few extra bucks... if you're gonna screw someone over, at least don't do it twice!

I honestly can't wrap my head around how an insurance company with "services" like these could even survive in this market.

If this were happening in the European Union, the competition would have wiped them off the map ages ago.

Is there really that many people willing to back up thieves like this just to save a little pocket change?

In a more organized system, the industry regulators would have shut them down themselves by now.

Samuel Baker3 said:I’ve been wondering lately about those discussions regarding whether we should move toward a system where, if you’re involved in an accident that isn't your fault, your own insurance provider steps in to cover you immediately, and then they handle the whole process of recovering the funds from the at-fault party's insurer later on.

That would only make sense if companies like Eurofins could actually operate in this bureaucratic mess of a country. As it stands, it would just screw over honest households that pay their premiums on time, only to have the insurers fight them in court and end up in the red. It'd be a bad move.

nimblecanyon said:I honestly can't wrap my head around how an insurance company with "services" like these could even survive in this market.

If this were happening in the European Union, the competition would have wiped them off the map ages ago.

Is there really that many people willing to back up thieves like this just to save a little pocket change?

In a more organized system, the industry regulators would have shut them down themselves by now.

It seems to be a unique phenomenon here in America—that there are enough people foolish enough to choose these providers just to save a tiny amount of money, only to find themselves fighting with these bottom-feeders for three months straight later on. They were actually caught in one of the biggest scams in history, where they used fictitious policies without any consequences. Not to mention, they were the ones who pushed for those initial 50% policy bans, only to turn around and create a monopoly on them later.
So much of what happens in this country falls into the "believe it or not" category.
Whenever you head to a municipal court, you see subpoenas everywhere, and about 90% of the time, it’s the same crews from Euroherc, Adriatic, or Hok.

nimblecanyon said:I honestly can't wrap my head around how an insurance company with "services" like these could even survive in this market.

If this were happening in the European Union, the competition would have wiped them off the map ages ago.

Is there really that many people willing to back up thieves like this just to save a little pocket change?

In a more organized system, the industry regulators would have shut them down themselves by now.

They were born during a period of total national collapse, backed by political connections and run by people who were essentially on the payroll of those in power. It was an open secret among insurers that they were working hand-in-hand with the regulatory agencies. That’s less common now, but they still operate in gray areas and hunt for loopholes.
Plus, the sluggishness of the legal system lets them pull stunts—like deciding whether or not to actually send a case to court whenever it suits them. Mostly, they choose not to.

Competition only wipes you out if everyone actually plays by the rules.

Noah Cook said:It seems to be a unique phenomenon here in America—that there are enough people foolish enough to choose these providers just to save a tiny amount of money, only to find themselves fighting with these bottom-feeders for three months straight later on. They were actually caught in one of the biggest scams in history, where they used fictitious policies without any consequences. Not to mention, they were the ones who pushed for those initial 50% policy bans, only to turn around and create a monopoly on them later.
So much of what happens in this country falls into the "believe it or not" category.
Whenever you head to a municipal court, you see subpoenas everywhere, and about 90% of the time, it’s the same crews from Euroherc, Adriatic, or Hok.

I don't really see what the municipal court has to do with this, because when we're talking about damage payouts under auto liability, we're firmly in the realm of Real Estate-style legal relationships that fall under the jurisdiction of the District Court.

An insurance company can't just show up at a misdemeanor hearing and refuse to pay me, the actual victim, right? That doesn't make any sense to me.

What I can actually do as the injured party is take them to court to demand fair compensation based on the very policy they are supposed to be covering.

Once it's established who is actually at fault for the damage, they don't really have a choice—they either have to pay out the claim or cover the repair costs themselves. And honestly, they should just be grateful I'm not demanding they pay for a rental car while mine is in the shop, which is pretty standard practice here in the States.

They can only offer discounts if certain specific conditions or contract clauses are met, like if you choose to use one of their preferred repair shops instead of picking your own.

I suppose I should be thankful that I pay for legal protection insurance, so if I ever end up in a dispute, the court fees and attorney costs won't break me... though, if they did decide to pay me back everything with interest, I wouldn't mind at all, even if the folks over in Lourdes might have something to say about it.

nimblecanyon said:I don't really see what the municipal court has to do with this, because when we're talking about damage payouts under auto liability, we're firmly in the realm of Real Estate-style legal relationships that fall under the jurisdiction of the District Court.

An insurance company can't just show up at a misdemeanor hearing and refuse to pay me, the actual victim, right? That doesn't make any sense to me.

What I can actually do as the injured party is take them to court to demand fair compensation based on the very policy they are supposed to be covering.

Once it's established who is actually at fault for the damage, they don't really have a choice—they either have to pay out the claim or cover the repair costs themselves. And honestly, they should just be grateful I'm not demanding they pay for a rental car while mine is in the shop, which is pretty standard practice here in the States.

They can only offer discounts if certain specific conditions or contract clauses are met, like if you choose to use one of their preferred repair shops instead of picking your own.

I suppose I should be thankful that I pay for legal protection insurance, so if I ever end up in a dispute, the court fees and attorney costs won't break me... though, if they did decide to pay me back everything with interest, I wouldn't mind at all, even if the folks over in Lourdes might have something to say about it.

I’ve actually been inside the courthouse and witnessed those kinds of disputes firsthand; I was even called in as a witness for an accident once.

In that case, the car's market value was around $2,700, but they declared it a total loss and offered $2000. Since I wasn't at fault, I told them they could either offer more or just fix the car. In the end, they settled for $2400, but they made it such a hassle by opening a specific bank account for me; I had to physically go to that branch to withdraw the funds and close the account. They were quite blunt about it, essentially saying that if I didn't accept $2400, I could sue them, but I'd likely never see a cent. Of course, this was dealing with an Atlantic-based firm. Later on, they tried to bump the offer up by 50%, but there was no way I was ever doing business with them again. The worst part? All these massive insurance headquarters are built with such luxury, yet when it comes time to actually pay out a claim, they become incredibly difficult to deal with.

So, here’s the thing: if I happen to have EH coverage and someone with regular American insurance shoots me up, am I going to run into any legal headaches just because I'm under the EH umbrella? And conversely, if I end up being the one pulling the trigger on someone who's carrying standard American insurance, will I be the one left holding the bag? (Though, let's face it, the unlucky guy is usually the one in trouble anyway).
Now, if there's actually zero risk involved in either scenario, then it seems like a total no-brainer to just go with Os, which is about a hundred bucks cheaper.

Also, does anyone actually know if Unica insurance is any good?

coppersailor14 said:So, here’s the thing: if I happen to have EH coverage and someone with regular American insurance shoots me up, am I going to run into any legal headaches just because I'm under the EH umbrella? And conversely, if I end up being the one pulling the trigger on someone who's carrying standard American insurance, will I be the one left holding the bag? (Though, let's face it, the unlucky guy is usually the one in trouble anyway).
Now, if there's actually zero risk involved in either scenario, then it seems like a total no-brainer to just go with Os, which is about a hundred bucks cheaper.

Also, does anyone actually know if Unica insurance is any good?

You really hit the nail on the head, coppersailor14, 🙂

If you're with UnitedHealth Group and the person at fault is with State Farm, you shouldn't face any hurdles because you'll just be filing your claim directly through State Farm...

However, you might run into complications if UnitedHealth Group tries to collect from State Farm first before paying out your claim... because from what I can gather, they might run into "liquidity" issues and start dragging their feet, or even try to pin some level of "contributory negligence" on you just to hold onto a chunk of the money... personally, I wouldn't even sit in the same diner as those crooks, let alone try to do business with them!

Is saving 100$67 really worth supporting and maintaining Grgić's yacht and essentially funding his lifestyle?

That whole group could vanish from the market entirely if they stop signing new policies altogether....

Which spikes will hit the US next, I wonder?🤣

Look, I wouldn't go to them even if they were half the price. They screwed me over twice when I was younger and naive as hell. There’s this local plant in my town—I don't know how they pull it off, but word is the government owns it—run by a family that bleeds it dry. To top it off, their two sons aren't even 40 yet, and both think they're big shots. One's a junkie and the other gambles away an average American salary every single day. Honestly, I wouldn't give a dime to people who play games with me like that. As for some executive lounging on a yacht in the Atlantic? I couldn't care less.☕

Staying on topic: my rule is simple. I go with whoever calls me first or gives me the best pitch when my registration expires, because those little perks$33 don't mean squat to me. For collision coverage, though, I use Euroherc. I actually know a guy there and I know the adjuster. For me, that's the best insurance option just because of those two connections; otherwise, there's no other way to do it here.😛

Aha, thanks for that. I was wondering, how does Unum actually handle things on that front?

granitejackal15, your logic is truly something else. It explains perfectly why that State Farm representative from your neck of the woods manages to have two orders of magnitude more influence, resources, and capital than you or anyone else. You’re acting like a typical American—too bitter to actually lend a hand when it matters, preferring instead to throw support toward bottom-feeders who we know for a fact are just looking for a quick payout through fraudulent claims.
Just an observation...

neondriver5 said:granitejackal15, your logic is truly something else. It explains perfectly why that State Farm representative from your neck of the woods manages to have two orders of magnitude more influence, resources, and capital than you or anyone else. You’re acting like a typical American—too bitter to actually lend a hand when it matters, preferring instead to throw support toward bottom-feeders who we know for a fact are just looking for a quick payout through fraudulent claims.
Just an observation...

exactly☕ if some tourist who doesn't even register their car in the US gets to lecture us on how insurance money should be spent, then I can too, right?

As for jealousy, the only guy worth being jealous of is someone like Milan Popovic, and not because of his business success, but because he’s out there flirting with pop stars.😛

Once someone hits you with a massive bill from HOK or an Adriatic provider... you’re gonna be thinking about us!

granitejackal15 said:exactly☕ if some tourist who doesn't even register their car in the US gets to lecture us on how insurance money should be spent, then I can too, right?

As for jealousy, the only guy worth being jealous of is someone like Milan Popovic, and not because of his business success, but because he’s out there flirting with pop stars.😛

That German guy is sending half of his paycheck—which, honestly, is about what you'd make at a decent job here in the States—back home to his daughters, all while paying insurance premiums on two different cars back there too. So, if you ask me, he’s clearly not exactly a local patriot, and I highly doubt he has a single friend working in any of our insurance companies.

It’s honestly terrifying to think about how little is being said regarding that massive billion-dollar shortfall, especially since it puts every other insurance provider at risk of having to step up and cover those policies if things go south. Of course, the owners will likely walk away with their assets untouched because they were smart enough to move the money out just in time, while the leadership—in any functional, rule-of-law nation—would already be facing criminal charges for corporate fraud and economic malpractice.

Look, even after spending fifty years navigating both life here in the States and abroad, I’ve learned one fundamental truth: you pay for insurance specifically so you can receive a fair settlement when things go sideways. That is quite literally the entire reason these companies exist—to ensure that if you accidentally cause damage, you aren't left footing the bill out of your own pocket. In a country governed by actual rule of law, if an insurance provider refuses to cover a legitimate claim, then the policyholder ends up paying the victim directly from their own savings. That is a completely different animal altogether, but I suppose the core point of that just isn't registering with you.

Patrick Moore3 said:Once someone hits you with a massive bill from HOK or an Adriatic provider... you’re gonna be thinking about us!

It doesn't matter.

I got hit by some guy insured through Euroherc, even though my car is covered by State Farm...
I couldn't get on the same page with the damage estimate Euroherc came up with, so—on the advice of a buddy over at the repair shop—I just went to my people at State Farm. They handled the assessment and fixed the car, and then they just went after Euroherc themselves to collect the money.

I honestly had no idea you could do things that way.

I suspect that only works if you’re carrying full collision coverage... otherwise, you’re pretty much looking at filing a claim against the other party's insurance provider first!

Every company deals with certain types of employees, but at Euro Car Parts, the issues seem baked right into their core business model.

Besides, skimming cash directly from the register isn't exactly easy, especially on that scale. You’d likely have to be involved in some shady side deals regarding damage claims, and even then, you’d need to be working closely with an adjuster or the claims department to pull it off. I mean, anything is possible, but I get the feeling you're assuming people are just stuffing their pockets for years based solely on register scraps. That sounds like something that would definitely need verification first.

So, how did they screw you over? In my experience, unless you're dealing with a handful of specific companies, a client's sense of being "ripped off" is often just a subjective reaction to unrealistic expectations—especially when the job was actually done correctly. Of course, bad actors definitely exist, but it varies.

Starting around mid-June or July, a new law regarding the liberalization of auto insurance is set to take effect. Under this new regulation, mandatory insurance coverage will no longer be dictated by the government; instead, individual insurance companies will have the autonomy to determine their own rates for compulsory coverage.

This shift was recently implemented in Canada, where we saw a significant drop in premiums, so it will be interesting to see how things unfold here in the States. Of course, there is always that lingering possibility that prices might actually climb instead. :-)

Otherwise, we’re looking at unrealistic drops that will just trigger shortages and massive headaches when it comes to paying out claims.

That law allowing for price liberalization has actually been on the books for years. In reality, though, things have stalled at the American Medical Association. They have to sign off on every single rate, and as far as I know, only two companies—Allstate and Generali—have actually bothered to set their own. My guess? Lobbyists from Chevron (or maybe someone else) killed it because cheaper rates would mean too much competition for them.

It’s pretty sad how these little games continue until the European Union finally forces our hand. Can we really get anything done without an outside boss breathing down our necks?
Rhetorical question.

But now that liberalization is inevitable, we might run into issues. We saw this happen in other countries when they joined the European Union—a lot of insurance providers just folded.