Car Insurance: What are your experiences?

redcrane22 said:Man, Joe Biden, there's no way someone working in the field like me is actually seeing those kinds of perks. Someone please set the record straight for me.😁

What I really want to understand is how these discounts actually show up on the policy itself. Like, does it lower the coverage amount, reduce the passenger insurance value, or does it just not show up at all? As far as I know, standard stuff is just the bonus or maybe a 5% cash discount, and that's pretty much it. You definitely don't want to end up issuing some weirdly discounted policy without knowing where the math came from—that's how you end up with a voided policy if something goes wrong.
I’d love it if someone could just shoot me a DM with an example of what a policy like that looks like, so I can see what we're talking about.

Brian Wright56 said:I'm not sure how they handle it. On my paperwork, it lists the actual vehicle value and says me and all the passengers are covered... then the price shows $647. Back in August 2013, I paid $1,740 over six installments, and by November, the guy told me I would have paid $500 for that exact same policy. That's the deal.

@Brian Wright56,
is it possible that the difference between what you paid and the policy total is just the AO tax?

That's exactly what happened to me—everything looked fine on the paperwork, but they demanded I pay the amount excluding tax.
Then, a few months later, 😍—surprise!—I get a collection notice from a massive corporation in the mail claiming the policy was never paid. Not even the tax, nothing. I call the guy I actually paid... he tells me "he'll take care of it"... meanwhile, I'm getting a legal threat for the full amount. I call the company, and it turns out they finally processed the payment I made back in August—but the tax is still sitting there as a debt. They promised to fix it. It seems like they've done this to plenty of people—giving discounts equal to the AO tax and then failing to link them to the payments properly 🤷
I had two policies handled this way last year—one went through fine, but the other one left me with a massive headache.🙂

Jeffrey Campbell97 said:I used to have my coverage through $0.87(an 85 kw car, New York City), but I just ended up paying a whopping $0.67 over at State Farm. Before this, I was with Europe... and honestly, they were just taking me for every cent I had for years...
Hopefully, the rates will drop even further...

Just a heads-up, right now Euroherc and Liberty Mutual—since State Farm recently started cutting prices—are the cheapest options out there... I just paid for my 77kw ride $567 ... whether you pay cash or installments, the price is exactly the same... and while everyone else was stuck with identical quotes, I was consistently getting $167 better deals at Liberty Mutual than anywhere else...

Kyle Rogers8 said:@Brian Wright56,
is it possible that the difference between what you paid and the policy total is just the AO tax?

That's exactly what happened to me—everything looked fine on the paperwork, but they demanded I pay the amount excluding tax.
Then, a few months later, 😍—surprise!—I get a collection notice from a massive corporation in the mail claiming the policy was never paid. Not even the tax, nothing. I call the guy I actually paid... he tells me "he'll take care of it"... meanwhile, I'm getting a legal threat for the full amount. I call the company, and it turns out they finally processed the payment I made back in August—but the tax is still sitting there as a debt. They promised to fix it. It seems like they've done this to plenty of people—giving discounts equal to the AO tax and then failing to link them to the payments properly 🤷
I had two policies handled this way last year—one went through fine, but the other one left me with a massive headache.🙂

Look, I don't know, man—I've been dealing with this for four years now and never had an issue. I keep every single bill and credit card receipt to prove exactly what I paid, so if any trouble starts, it's their employee's neck on the line for signing off on that policy.

My registration expires on February 4th. I’m planning to pay the insurance premium, but I’m skipping the state inspection for now—I've got some repairs to handle on the car first. If I don't pass the inspection, am I required to take the car off the road? I really want to avoid getting slapped with a fine.

what plates are we talking about?

New York City

casualmaker6 said:My registration expires on February 4th. I’m planning to pay the insurance premium, but I’m skipping the state inspection for now—I've got some repairs to handle on the car first. If I don't pass the inspection, am I required to take the car off the road? I really want to avoid getting slapped with a fine.

Yeah, you really should go get that inspection done. I actually got lucky once where I missed my deadline by a year and didn't get hit with a ticket, but honestly, I was probably just a statistical anomaly.
Bottom line is, that fine is eventually coming for you. Your best bet is to officially take the car off the road—basically cancel the registration and let them hold onto the plates if needed—fix the issues, and then go for the inspection once it's ready. If you don't handle it that way, you're going to end up with a citation regardless of whether your insurance is paid up or not.

Kyle Rogers8 said:@Brian Wright56,
is it possible that the difference between what you paid and the policy total is just the AO tax?

That's exactly what happened to me—everything looked fine on the paperwork, but they demanded I pay the amount excluding tax.
Then, a few months later, 😍—surprise!—I get a collection notice from a massive corporation in the mail claiming the policy was never paid. Not even the tax, nothing. I call the guy I actually paid... he tells me "he'll take care of it"... meanwhile, I'm getting a legal threat for the full amount. I call the company, and it turns out they finally processed the payment I made back in August—but the tax is still sitting there as a debt. They promised to fix it. It seems like they've done this to plenty of people—giving discounts equal to the AO tax and then failing to link them to the payments properly 🤷
I had two policies handled this way last year—one went through fine, but the other one left me with a massive headache.🙂

Actually, I think they were doing that over at Euro Disney, and maybe a few other places too. I remember hearing that the US authorities filed a formal complaint with Handel, which caused quite a bit of legal trouble for them.

redcrane22 said:Actually, I think they were doing that over at Euro Disney, and maybe a few other places too. I remember hearing that the US authorities filed a formal complaint with Handel, which caused quite a bit of legal trouble for them.

Don't give me that... But hold on a second—then it's just your word against theirs (the insurance adjusters): you have the policy, it clearly states what you're owed, you paid your premiums, and that's where you draw the line.🤷

It’s like dealing with an insurance agent who tries to sell you a policy that isn't actually set up right. Once they realize the mistake, they trigger a formal audit, and then you're stuck in one of two annoying spots: either the company claws back their commission out of their own pocket, or—more likely—they come crawling back to you demanding more money just to make the policy valid in the first place. It’s a total headache. You could always try filing a complaint with a group like Consumer Reports to see if you can get some traction, but honestly, most people just don't have the energy to fight the system.

redcrane22 said:Yeah, you really should go get that inspection done. I actually got lucky once where I missed my deadline by a year and didn't get hit with a ticket, but honestly, I was probably just a statistical anomaly.
Bottom line is, that fine is eventually coming for you. Your best bet is to officially take the car off the road—basically cancel the registration and let them hold onto the plates if needed—fix the issues, and then go for the inspection once it's ready. If you don't handle it that way, you're going to end up with a citation regardless of whether your insurance is paid up or not.

If he decides to de-register the vehicle, then his next registration might end up being treated like a brand-new one, which means he’ll have to pay for new title paperwork, and I guess that makes the whole registration process a bit more expensive.
He’d have to turn the plates back in to the Department of Justice, and they can hold them for him for maybe three months if that's what he wants.
And if he doesn't de-register within 15 days after the registration expires, he’ll likely face a fine $250.
If he goes for the inspection while the car isn't ready and fails, he'll have about 15 days to fix everything and try again; during that time, he should be okay to drive since he'll have proof that he attempted the inspection right when the registration expired.

My Trek insurance is up for renewal soon, so I’ve been running some numbers using the online estimators most major providers offer. There's a gap of about $17 between the top three quotes, yet the coverage seems to be $133 less comprehensive. What's the catch?

Don't just take those online calculators at face value.
The truth is, almost every mortgage lender out there has these little extra discounts or perks tucked away that you won't see reflected in a basic spreadsheet.
Honestly, your best bet is to grab all your paperwork, go visit them in person, and see which deal actually makes sense for your life.
It’s not like it takes much time either; it’s just like waiting in line at a DMV or a local UPS store—you can usually knock the whole thing out in about half an hour while you're already out running errands.

I guess it just feels like they always try to pull you back at the last second just to make sure you hand over the cash instead of going elsewhere, because if you walk out the door, they lose their commission, so I usually prefer to handle everything via email or even just a quick phone call, since it’s much easier to cut ties with them that way if things go sideways.

Ryan Carter52 said:If he decides to de-register the vehicle, then his next registration might end up being treated like a brand-new one, which means he’ll have to pay for new title paperwork, and I guess that makes the whole registration process a bit more expensive.
He’d have to turn the plates back in to the Department of Justice, and they can hold them for him for maybe three months if that's what he wants.
And if he doesn't de-register within 15 days after the registration expires, he’ll likely face a fine $250.
If he goes for the inspection while the car isn't ready and fails, he'll have about 15 days to fix everything and try again; during that time, he should be okay to drive since he'll have proof that he attempted the inspection right when the registration expired.

I don't recall being charged much more than that. Maybe around $40, if I remember correctly?
I'm not even sure if I had to get a whole new title. Sometimes they just stamp it "void" and then either carry over the old date or issue a new one. How much does it actually run? I don't think it's a huge deal—certainly less than getting hit with a fine. And they'll store the plates for free.

It’ll probably end up costing more than $33.
Maybe you could just head over to the registration calculator website and select a new registration instead of a renewal, then you'll get a better idea of the price. 😁
If you turn in your title, those folks over at the Department of Justice put this huge red "CANCELLED" stamp right over it, so there isn't really anything left to update or record on the Standard & Poor's report.
I know the whole process pretty well since I had to deal with all of that a couple of years ago when I couldn't quite get my car fixed within that 15-day window.
I think they do hold onto the plates for free, but I guess that’s only for about three months.
If you go ahead and turn in the plates too, you might end up paying twice for the new ones later on$25.

Has anyone had much experience dealing with State Farm when it comes to claim payouts? I had a minor fender bender recently—just needs some smoothing out and a repaint on the rear bumper. Their initial estimate is sitting at about $245.
To add to that, they cover authorized shops up to $50, but if you go with an independent mechanic, they cap it at $33 per hour including Sales Tax. My local guy gave me a rough quote of around $400. I'm not looking for a cash settlement; I'd rather just take the receipt to the insurance company for reimbursement, but I'm worried that might cause some friction.

I wonder why Everest doesn't just set up direct contracts with local auto repair shops? It would be so much smoother if the garage could just send the invoice or an estimate straight to the insurance company, letting you just drop off the car and walk away without the headache.

Nathan Sanders said:Has anyone had much experience dealing with State Farm when it comes to claim payouts? I had a minor fender bender recently—just needs some smoothing out and a repaint on the rear bumper. Their initial estimate is sitting at about $245.
To add to that, they cover authorized shops up to $50, but if you go with an independent mechanic, they cap it at $33 per hour including Sales Tax. My local guy gave me a rough quote of around $400. I'm not looking for a cash settlement; I'd rather just take the receipt to the insurance company for reimbursement, but I'm worried that might cause some friction.

If you decide to get the car repaired, you just take the accident report over to the body shop, and there's really no way they won't restore the car to its original state—and the insurance company has to pay for it. If they find more damage later on, they just send an adjuster out to update the report and cover those extra costs too. Most insurance companies have standardized hourly rates for specific repairs, and pretty much all mechanics just work within those guidelines.
Now, if you opt for a cash settlement instead, they'll pay you based on their assessment, but I think it’s reduced by the Sales Tax, which might be where that discrepancy comes from.

Pretty much all insurance companies operate this way, more or less.
As for Mount Everest specifically, here is the report from 2012, since they haven't released anything for last year yet.

My advice? Just head to a certified dealership or a franchise service center, get the car fixed, and let Mount Everest pay them directly. It makes everything a lot simpler.

redcrane22 said:I wonder why Everest doesn't just set up direct contracts with local auto repair shops? It would be so much smoother if the garage could just send the invoice or an estimate straight to the insurance company, letting you just drop off the car and walk away without the headache.

I mean, I'm sure they have agreements with certain big chains, but they can't really force a victim to go to one of their "preferred" shops. Though, if you go elsewhere, the main difference is that you end up paying for the repairs upfront and then waiting to get reimbursed later.

And honestly, as long as the shop handles the damage assessment reports themselves, there’s basically no way to dispute anything—it just becomes a closed loop.
Of course, any legitimate shop would need to be properly registered as a business 😁
.