I know people have posted situations like this here before. Tonight, someone decided to make my long day even longer by rear ending me outside my apartment complex. The apparent damage looks to be a paint scrape, but the bumper may have been dented in a little as well. The sorority girl who hit me seemed desperate not to put it on her insurance and offered to just pay out of pocket. I've heard too many stories about deals like this going wrong later, and didn't accept the offer, feeling like it's just better to handle it through the proper channels. (Last year I scraped somebody's paint, gave them my insurance, they called it in, and my insurance went up but not that much; I didn't whine or try to argue my way out of it.) She would not take "no" for an answer and asked me many times, as well as having her boyfriend come ask us, and her mother get on the phone and beg and plead with us, and then her boyfriend's father. This gives me a lot less sympathy for her if she's one of those people who think they can get anything they want by whining long enough. It got pretty annoying. I take care of myself and take responsibility for my own stuff. I intend to still go through the normal (insurance) channels, but curious to see if anyone had any similar stories. Also I hope I am correct that my own insurance won't go up; I've dealt with them a lot lately but most of it has been other people's fault.
If it were a big wreck, I'd tend to agree with your behavior, but a paint scratch and a possible dent? Are you serious? What are you worried about, frame damage? Chances are, she's a bad driver, and another tag on her insurance might cancel quite a bit. (for example, I let an idiot drive my car around the block in 1990, and he drove it into a house. Combined with my own crappy driving, the insurance cancelled my entire family.) Tell her you are going to hold onto her insurance info. and get an estimate. Find a reasonable place of your choice, find out what it will cost, and let her know. If she doesn't get you the money then, go ahead and report it to her insurance. Oh, and btw, ANY accident can raise your insurance rates, regardless of who is at fault.
This is true. My mum was driving on Wheeler going to Richmond and some buttockshole ran a red light and slammed into my mum's car almost rolling the car. It was a hit and run situation and the guy had no insurance, and they were able to catch that sommabitch. However Geico raised mum's insurance saying she's a "high risk" driver. Apparently someone else's stupidity makes you high risk.
Thanks for the replies everyone. I did get the person's number, and want to talk to my insurance office first to see if the rates would go up. I also have a claim from a few months ago they're trying to settle, which was definitely the other person's fault, so that may well be on my record too. I don't wish any harm to the other driver, and would rather not mess up her insurance, really. I can empathize with bad things happening to you. I just don't want to get caught up in some situation where I'm wishing too late that I had gone through the "proper channels". I thought I remembered something like that being posted here a while back.
She has previously mentioned about being in Academia. Her age? Again, she has hinted about being somewhere around there (perhaps a llittle younger) in the past. Your guess isn't exactly that wild since that information has already been available.
If she wants to pay out of pocket, get an estimate from the shop of your choice. Alot of folks think they can make you get the ol "3 estimates". You don't have to do that. You don't have to have her permission to file a claim against her policy. If I were you, I would deal directly with their insurance company. If someone can't afford a rate increase, they aren't going to be able to afford a $500-$800 bumper cover replacement. Save yourself the time and hassle.
Oh and your carrier should not be raising your rates unless you file an "at fault" claim under your own policy. Merely reporting it to your agent shouldn't do anything.
Did you call the police and get a police report? I recently got backed into and the guy tried to say it was my fault! Anyway, the police report helped a lot. Also, I love my insurance. (Progressive) I just called them and they hounded the other insurance company for me.
And then what, you want to watch? Perv! Yaozer, you mom's insurance went up because she filed it under her own policy - I've had it happen to me as well. Had it not been a hit and run, and your mom had gotten the other insurance info, then it would have been on their policy, not your mom's.
I think uninsured motorists insurance is necessary in Houston. I have no sympathy for the sorority girl - and if I was at fault, I wouldn't expect her to have sympathy for me. If she would not give up her insurance info, I would have taken her license plate # and called the police.
At some point (depending on your relationship with your insurance company), it doesn't matter that the claim is filed against a different company. All insurance companies can access the same "driver" data. If you get in accidents (even if it's not your fault), you eventually become a risk and your insurance company can choose to raise your rates or cancel your policy.
Quite true - my youngest sister is a "risk". But the accident I was referring to was my first ever, and I was 20 years old - 4 1/2 years without an accident, down the drain. They explained to me that it was because I was filing on my own policy. Who knows, Yaozer's mom could be the second worst driver, behind sorority girl!
You should just get the estimate and have her pay for the damage. Why would it matter to you who pays for it, the insurance or her? Sounds kinda mean to raise her rates or get her insurance canceled... unless she was being a B I
You did the right thing. Go through insurance no matter what. My mom got rare ended and the lady offered to pay out of pocket, being a nice lady as my mom is, she accepted the offer. Only did her have a bounced check couple weeks later. Insurance is your best bet. Driving is a privilege, if some teenager don't know how to protect that then it's her problem, not yours.
A high school girl ran into my dad at a red light a few months ago, and her family begged my parents to just handle it out-of-pocket. So they got their address and everything and went to Maaco and they estimated the damaged around $650. Apparently the dad went ballistic and demanded that they take it to the Ford dealership to get an estimate. It's like, wtf? When I got into an accident 3 years ago the dealership estimate was more than twice what Maaco gave, and when we went with Maaco they did a damn good job. Anyways, my parents were a little afraid the checks would bounce (they payed in installments each week for 4 weeks) but everything worked out. I always pray I never get in a fender bender, whether it's my fault or the other person's, because it is a b**** of a hassle.
Go to a good shop (or ask codell for a recommendation -- dude knows everybody) and get an estimate. If they want to pay....let them pay by certified cheque. Their choice. You should not be pressured to go to any particular shop, nor accept any risk in payment. Might even be easier then going through insurance. I don't see the big deal. If you filed a police report, and get your car fixed to your satisfaction at no cost, I'm not sure how involving an insurance company makes it the 'proper channels.'
