Here I am this morning, trying to get out of here to go to the family Christmas get-together, packing the car, and getting the baby ready to go.
I go inside after starting the car, grab the baby, and come back outside to put him in the car, when some guy asks me “Hey, is that your car?”
Lo and behold, in the two minutes I was inside to get Aaron, a branch fell over my car. A BIG branch. In horror, I go and check it out. Amazingly enough, at first glance there was no damage. The end had landed on one side of the car and the body of the branch had remained propped up against the tree. How lucky am I?
However, after I had Robin pull the car out from under the mess, I found a dent, so now I have to deal with the insurance company, who will almost certainly tell me to suck wind, since my deductible is $500, or even if the deductible doesn’t apply, they’ll find some “Act of God” clause to get out of it.
So, I think it could have been considerably worse, but then again, I have to deal with the insurance company, so I’m not quite sure how.
Merry Christmas, all. Hope nothing like that happened to you.
Are you sure you want to deal with the insurance company?
If the cost of repair is going to be roughly the cost of your deductible, I would think twice about this. I’ve been hearing on our local news lately that insurance companies here have been taking claims as an opportunity to “review” your coverage and jack up your rates, even when you are not at fault. Fair? No. But you may find it financially advantageous to stay beneath their radar.
If it is more than X dollars over your insurance deductible, calculate how much your insurance will go up for the claim versus paying for it on your own (or living with the dent) minus the potential loss of resale value on your car.
It’s a brand-spanking-new car, so the resale value is reasonably high. Thus, it’s worth fixing.
However, my financial difficulties are fairly well known around here (my finance squadron is somewhat, shall we say, disorganized), so I can’t afford to fix it right now. And since it wasn’t my fault nor anyone else’s, would that require me to pay a deductible? I guess I should read my policy very carefully.
My estimate of the damage is about $200, tops. It’s a simple dent pull in an easy location to get to. Hell, I could do it myself in 2 hours if I had the right tools.
If they do review my insurance, all they’ll find is one ticket in the last five years, so that won’t hurt me at all. No big loss there. I’d just like to see the damn thing get fixed, preferably at no cost to me.
And the tree was a borough tree. They’re responsible for maintenance, trimming, etc. It’s one of those trees that line roads for beautification type trees.
As an insurance adjuster, I can tell you that whistlepig’s advise is good.
Your claim falls under your Comprehensive coverage so check your policy for any deductibles. Your policy will never exclude an “act of God”, that’s one of the things you DO have insurance for!
As for the tree, the only time someone else is liable for their tree falling on your car is (1) that they actually own the tree and not a municipality and (2) if they knew the tree was dead and failed to take appropriate measures.
I’m sure you’re grateful that neither you, MsRobyn nor BabyDoors were hurt. It sounds like that could have been ugly if you were just getting in the car when it fell. :eek:
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF *
**It’s a brand-spanking-new car, so the resale value is reasonably high. Thus, it’s worth fixing.
Yes.
And since it wasn’t my fault nor anyone else’s, would that require me to pay a deductible?
Yes. Some will say, “sue whoever” but you don’t have time/hassle to do that. And any time you have a car fixed, you have to pay the deductible first. (Basically)
My estimate of the damage is about $200, tops.
On a new car? If you can see it, it’s at least $500. And if the damage is less than your deductible, fix it on your own (some limitations may apply).
If they do review my insurance, all they’ll find is one ticket in the last five years, so that won’t hurt me at all.
It’s not your past that the insurance company looks at in these instances, it’s your future. If you have a claim, your insurance goes up, irregardless of your driving record. Because you might have another one.
I’d get the estimates and if you think that you can fix it yourself, do so. If you are going to hang onto the car for awhile, every year that goes by will make a homemade dent repair less “deductionworthy” at trade in.
Not true. Comprehensive (which is usually called “other than collision coverage” in the contract now) claims do not generate a surcharge at the company I work for. I can’t say that no companies surcharge for comp claims but in my experience it’s generally not done. Airman should ask his insurance agent if there will be a surcharge applied if he makes a claim. Unless Airman has made several other claims on his insurance policy (enough to be regarded as a poor risk overall) I don’t think he needs to worry about making a claim for this. The deductible will apply.
I am SO glad you and Robyn and Aaron are fine, that is really all that matters. Of course, that isn’t a very PRACTICAL attitude…( that the damage doesn’t matter, I mean, because of COURSE it is a pain in the neck and might be expensive for you.)
However, I once had a chunk of wood fall on my windshield from a truck in front of me, and when I talked to my insurance person, they told me that even though I didn’t have the kind of ins that would pay without deductible in a normal accident, items that “flew through the air” were covered without the normal deductible. I don’t know if yours is the same, but it is worth asking about.
