Date:         Mon, 8 Aug 2005 10:39:25 -0600
Reply-To:     jimt <camper@TACTICAL-BUS.INFO>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         jimt <camper@TACTICAL-BUS.INFO>
Subject:      Re: impact of claims on insurance prices (was RE: serious vanagon
In-Reply-To:  <C8BD93C2F627184A9BF36BAA339B292B0146EF99@mtnexc01.na.lennoxintl.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Back when I got rear ended and was having severe difficulties with the
"other" insurance company I queried my state farm agent.  He advised me to
tough it out as long as possible before filing a claim through my company
against the other one.  Part of this was the problem of state fault and no
fault laws that had just changed.  Policies and the way they were written
had changed as well to comply with our new (at that time) state laws on
insurance and fault.  Many years ago I did a short stint in insurance with
Met.  The training class we go on auto writing and claims was very eye
opening.  The laws of your state have more to do with the insurance products
than any other criteria point.  For example in some states in order to
comply with the procedures on speediness of a claim they jack up rates to
cover the extra losses that will be incurred because of inability to
investigate the shady ones until after payouts have been made and are
basically unrecoverable.
Here in this state state farm basically does, one no fault in a "period" is
ignored. A second gets examined, and a third will cost you your discounts or
a rate increase. A fourth claim will lead to a higher rate.

Jimt

On 8/8/05 8:17 AM, "Woten, Rodney" <rodney.woten@LENNOXIND.COM> wrote:

> I have to concur with Joy.  I was told exactly the same thing by my agent for
> a similar "trifecta" I've experienced.  I have State Farm & live in Iowa.  I
> ended up not claiming the third mishap, even though I was not at fault for any
> of them.
>
> Rod Woten
> '87 Westy
> Des Moines, IA
>