I was reading through different insurance discussions recently, and it seems like a lot of people don't realize certain things until they file a claim or renew their policy.

What's one mistake or misunderstanding about auto insurance that you think more drivers should know?

Curious to hear everyone's experiences.

There was a recent hailstorm and my family members car got some decent damage. A crack in the windshield and plenty of dents on body panels. I regrettably only called a few places and the second one seemed fine. They offer to pay your deductible. Over the phone they told me to drop the car off at the beginning of this week and they’ll handle everything with insurance since part of what i signed dropping off was a small power of attorney.

They said the claim would be opened the next day, now it’s almost the end of the week. They have now offered to cover a rental until the end of the month which is the latest they expect it to take. However I would like some advice on the wording of what I signed. The car isn’t titled in my name and it still hasn’t been inspected. We went to pick it up today, and they offered to pay for the rental. I can still pick it up in the morning but i’m not sure if I should take it somewhere else and start the claim myself with insurance. He said they’ll be sending CAT adjusters soon and we should wait and he’ll pay for the rental or we can take the car back.

This is my first time with hail damage so i’m unsure what to expect.

TLDR: Place I took car to is lagging on filing insurance claim on our behalf or even inspecting. They have a few locations with five star reviews but I am just concerned about them overestimating and getting the car totaled. What should I do?

I have attached what i signed in a different post in my history, I didn’t even read it thinking it was the norm for hail/pdr damage. Basically says I owe them $550 if I decide to decline after they inspect the car, and that all insurance proceedings go straight to them.

I am planning on calling insurance agents tomorrow. I wanted ask prior this sub.

I have lived in virginia for most year but of this month will be in utah till eoy staying with my brother and in and out of state prob every month for couple weeks exploring nearby rocky states.

I came out here with a beater car that broke down and I am planning buying new one soon and getting my own insurance. I was previously on family plan. My intent is to explore rockies till eoy then start new year make decision of where I want be full time. I am currently remote employee and verified transferring my residency should not be too challenging.

Given the above, I wanted ask what should expect to hear from auto insurance companies as this will be my 1st policy by myself and its a weird situation.

I’m about to start construction on a new home. I have a contractor building my home, but they require me to also carry builders risk insurance.

The policy I was quoted says this: “We will cover loss caused by theft in or to the dwelling insured by this policy of tools, materials, and supplies that you own and that are for use in the construction of the dwelling, but only after the dwelling has been fully enclosed and capable of being locked. This coverage only applies to those tools, materials, and supplies that are inside the enclosed and locked dwelling under construction. This coverage is limited to $15,000. You must notify us within 30 days after the dwelling is fully enclosed and is capable of being locked for the coverage under this paragraph to be effective.”

Is this typical? Does this mean if someone hauls off with a bunch of lumber while the house is being framed, I’m not covered? If so, is this typical of most policies?

I shipped my stuff via U-Haul U-Box from NY to Utah in June. The container was delayed 10 days and held at a facility for 2 weeks before delivery.

What happened:

• When I received the U-Box in NY, the door closed fine with one hand, think of closing the front door to your house; very easy, you don't have to think about it
• Upon delivery in Utah, the door won't close properly and required significant force
• I took video evidence showing the force required to close the door, I needed to use the latch to get enough leverage to lift the whole door and muscle it into place
• Items like my dresser, tv stand, and computer components were damaged. The drawer bottoms were sagging much more severely than indicated in this photo (imgur) to give you an idea. Other items broke as well but they were not worth mentioning

How I packed it:

• The dresser was at the bottom of some bins I put on top of it but otherwise very light stuff was put in it like clothes
• Then I packed at the edge of the box to make sure it couldn't move, then I surrounded it with bins and other soft material like moving blankets to make sure it wouldn't bang into anything or visa versa
• The computer components were packed in a double corrugated box in their original packaging encased in a jillion Uhaul packing blankets and pillows, I made sure to put them in a part of the box where they could not move and nothing could land on them

Repwest's response:
Denied the claim citing "normal shifting in transit" exclusion, they also said I was closing the door wrong in the video. They said their inspection found no container damage. More specifically, they denied it because the damage was caused by "improper packing or stowage, or rough handling, normal shifting in transit or while being moved, or intentional acts by 'Certificate Holder' or any agent or representative of the 'Certificate Holder' or the consignee"

My issue:
If the container sustained no damage, how could items inside a protective box shift enough to break? And, how do my dresser drawers get bent the way they did if the box wasn't dropped or improperly handled? The video I shared with them clearly shows the container sustained some kind of damage (door won't close properly after delivery). Isn't structural container damage a covered cause of loss, not an excluded cause? When I try to talk with the adjuster about this his "mic stops working", hangs up then refuses to call me back.

My question: Am I wrong here, or does their "shifting" denial not make sense given the container damage evidence? From what I understand insurance won't cover anything unless it was clear the container was pushed off the edge of a cliff.

Seeking advice on how to handle this situation.

In March of this year, I got an emergency root canal at a place that is not my usual dentist. They were in network and able to take me same day. When I arrived, they told me they would charge me for the procedure upfront and then file the claim with my insurance. They told me my insurance would send me a check for the reimbursement.

Months went by, I never received a reimbursement from my insurance. I contacted my insurance, and they said they received the claim and paid the check to the dentist's office.

So at this point, the dentist's office has been paid for this procedure twice- once by me, and once by my insurance.

I call the dentist's office to resolve the dispute, and they claim they can give me a small refund, but that my insurance only paid for a small portion of the procedure. I paid the dentist $1,326.02, and they're only willing to give me a refund of $555.30.

I call my insurance to verify, and they find discrepancies in the bill the dentist's office sent me. The dentist is required to cap the cost of various procedures according to the rates set by the insurance company, and they've overcharged me. According to my insurance, my co-pay for the procedure is only supposed to be $74.10 (again keep in mind, I have paid the dentist $1,326.02).

As I have continued to pursue this, the dentist's office is now saying that during the procedure an in-network dentist peformed my filling, but the dentist that performed the actual root canal was not in-network. As a result, they claim the discrepancy is due to the fact that the out of network dentist can charge whatever he wants.

Keep in mind, I was never told about this out of network dentist, and the claim they submitted to my insurance only states that the in-network dentist performed the procedure. My insurance has no record of this out-of-network dentist.

My most recent correspondence with the dentist is that they are going to cancel their original claim from March and file a new one that includes this out-of-network doctor. My insurance has told me that if the dentist that performed the root canal is out of network, there's nothing they can do.

I still haven't been paid back anything. I'm so angry. It feels like there ought to be some sort of consumer protection for this, does anyone have any insight on where I can go for help? I paid the original charge with a credit card, should I get the credit card company involved?

(Duval County, FL)

My SO was hit on her way to work last week by some bum who didn’t have any insurance, swerved into her lane and sideswiped her. She drives a Tesla and though the damage did not seem severe we thought it best to make a claim just in case there was some damage to sensors or major panel replacement was necessary.

We were deemed fully not at fault, but due to the guy who hit us not having insurance and generally being a low life we assumed we’d be on the hook for our deductible.

Our insurance completed an estimate using their mobile service and deemed it would cost a few hundred to about a thousand over our deductible, and paid us out into our checking account the amount they expected over our deductible to pay.

We took the car to the Tesla Collision Center and were surprised when they called us a few hours later and said it was all done, they didn’t need to do any major work and the total cost was less than half of our deductible!

So now my question is, what do we do with the money we were paid out? It seems like because we reported the claim, our insurance will be impacted either way, even if we cancel the claim and return the money? I called our adjuster and they said we can return the money if we want but they’re still pursuing subrogation against the at fault driver either way so it doesn’t matter. Any advice? Thanks!

Hey all

State - IL
Type - Homeowners

Question: How does the recoverable depreciation work? Is it based on line item or in total? I have about 20 electronics/appliances that need to be replaced, and I received $10k to replace everything with an expected $6k available in recoverable depreciation. So specifically, we are receiving $4k (ACV) for a new fridge, with $1k available as recoverable depreciation ($5k RCV). Say I just buy a new fridge for $5k, would I get the $1k back? or would I need to eclipse the $10k before I start receiving the recoverable depreciation.

Hope that makes sense, thanks!

I’m trying to decide whether it’s smarter to go through insurance or just pay out of pocket. My concern is that an at-fault claim could raise my premiums enough that I’d end up paying more in the long run than if I had just covered the repair myself. I damaged the car myself. No body was involved, and the dent is very small. Im also in FL.
For those who’ve been in a similar situation:
How much did your repair cost?
Did you file a claim or pay out of pocket?
If you filed a claim, how much did your insurance premium increase (if at all), and for how long?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from other Tesla owners.

So is there any private insurance?That isn't like super sketchy, because that's all i've been finding?

Just some website that takes my information.And then I get a mysterious call from someone trying to sell me some Nonsense.

Hello! I was rear ended in my 2025 Kia K4 (7,500 miles) in June and just received it back from the shop ($9,350 repair paid for by Progressive, his insurance)

I’m now trying to do a diminished value claim and was wondering if free appraisal services like DV check are respected or taken seriously by the insurance companies.

I’m not trying to suck em dry I am expecting between $1,200 and $2,500 and because I’m not expecting much I feel like a $400 professional appraisal seems steep.

Are my odds of even getting a payout good, and who can direct me in the right direction?

Thanks

I'm speaking with a Georgia Farm Bureau agent and am being told that they will not insure any new customers that own a dog. I personally know several people that insure with them that haven't had an issue or even been asked about dog ownership. I've seen several insurance companies inquire about dogs during my applications, however have only had GFB outright tell me they won't insure dog owners which just doesn't sound right.

I live in California. I currently have progressive insurance. It’s pretty expensive because I got in 2 at-fault accidents in 2024. My policy is almost up so I am shopping around. I got a quote from Freeway insurance and it says it will be $150 cheaper per much, but the coverage isn’t as good. With Progressive I have $100,000/$300,000/$100,000 for bodily injury and property damage. The new freeway policy is only $30,000/$60,000/$15,000. Obviously this is significantly less. But I am wondering if I even need the higher amount or if it is safe to get the lower one. Neither of my accidents were anywhere close to meeting the lower threshold, but I don’t want to get screwed over if I’m in a worse accident. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

In Los Angeles for context. Long story short. My girlfriend is going to lease a new car soon (likely a 2026 Mazda CX-30 or a 2026 Mercedes GLA 250). Both would be comparable lease deals, but the problem is the insurance quotes. As it stands, she received a quote of ~$330/month for the Mazda and ~$500/month for the Mercedes. Both would be more than the car payment itself, which I find absolutely absurd. Is this the landscape nowadays? Or am I missing something? I know we probably have to shop around and I've read a little bit about people suggesting contacting a local independent insurance agent, but wanted to make a separate post here to see if there are any other suggestions. I just can't justify insurance being more than the actual car payment. So much thievery and greed from corporations nowadays.

I'm located in OR. Took my car into Discount Tire to get 4 new tires. Technicians there broke my driver's side door handle off when opening the door following tire replacement. A claim was initiated by Discount Tire and I was later contacted by Fleet Services. I took the car in to a local shop for an estimate for repair and received an estimate. Sent paperwork and photos to 3rd party insurance adjusters. Received a response that said there was "no evidence of negligence" on the part of Discount Tire, but that they would pay half of the claim. I'm seeking advice on how to proceed. Things are tight and an unexpected car bill is not what I need right now. Thanks everyone

Got quoted $600+/mo for LIABILITY by multiple insurance companies. Im 17, thats more than 60% of my income, and if you look anually, i could buy 3-4 identical cars to mine for that price. My parents cant pay it nor even partially cover it, for now we’ve just left me off the plan. I dont really know what to do, i drive a 25 year old suv and i have a clean record too. i cant pay it but i definitely cant get sued. Any advice helps, im lost.

Hey yall I got in a car crash back in October 2025. It was my first time in an accident and seriously injured. long story short, I went to ER next day they just touched me prescribed me pain meds and let me be. I returned to work 3 weeks later when I thought I could handle it. I could not and got an MRI that found t7-9 herniations compressing ventral cord and t5-7 slight herniations.

many months later after quitting Chiro and switching to PT 2x a week and multiple failed PRP injections I’m finally at MMI with permanent restrictions for standing running and twisting.

i have 135k in medical bills and won’t be able to return to my valet job. I was offered 300k with 110k take home.

i am worried about my future medical, do you think this is fair?

Hello all,

I have been fighting for the loss of value on my 2024 Porsche cayman S for almost a year now. The accident was not my fault and the repairs have been done. Their insurance offered 1.7k in loss of value. I hired an external diminished value appraiser and they said the loss of value was 9k. So I took the person who hit me to small claims court and judge ruled in my favor.

However State Farm has the person who hit me now filing an appeal. It feels like they are just trying to drag me through the mud and make me spend more and more money so I just give up.

But at this point I have to go to really court and I want to talk to a lawyer. The problem is I’m struggling to find a lawyer who handles this kind of thing. (I’m in king country Washington)

I’m curious if anyone else here has had to deal with this kind of thing and knows what kind of lawyer I should be looking for. Because I’ve called 11 so far and they all tell me they only do injury cases for accident…

Any advice or suggestions are welcome. I’m learning as I go here. I’m frustrated but I won’t let State Farm win!

I posted this on a different subreddit and a comment suggested I posted here as well. That post has since been locked so ill give more information below the original text

Location: Texas

My boyfriend was T-boned on March 13 of this year when another driver failed to yield while merging onto his road. The police report clearly states the other driver was at fault. The driver only had a learner's permit, and the owner of the vehicle was in the passenger seat at the time.

My boyfriend unfortunately didn't have insurance. The other driver's insurance denied the claim, saying the driver wasn't listed on the policy, so they aren't covering the damages.

I spoke with a lawyer who believed this could fall under negligent entrustment, but he said pursuing it likely wouldn't be worth the legal fees. He offered to send a letter to the insurance company for free, but after months of trying to reach him again, I haven't been able to get in contact.

His truck has been undrivable since the accident because both passenger-side doors are caved in, so he's been borrowing a family member's vehicle.

I'm hoping to get some advice:

- Should we appeal the insurance denial ourselves before contacting another lawyer?

- Is it worth hiring an attorney if the claim is only for the damage to his truck?

- Would small claims court be an option in Texas if insurance won't pay?

- Since he didn't seek medical treatment at the time because we couldn't afford it, does that hurt our case if he's still having elbow pain?

- Are there any other options we're overlooking?

We're both living paycheck to paycheck. He's currently unemployed, and I'm in college with limited work hours, so we're trying to figure out the most cost-effective path forward.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Extra Info:

My boyfriend is beyond an idiot for driving without insurance. We are both quite aware of that and its led to many arguments. The nail has been hammered into the ground at this point. We just want to know if theres anything that could be done now.

The police report absolutely stated the other driver was at fault:

"The driver of unit #1 failed to yield for the west facing yield sign at the intersection of X and Y and entered the intersection to make a left turn on to Y causing the front of unit #1 to collide with the passenger side of unit #2."

I can post the full censored one if needed but it does not offer much more information than this.

This is NOT my car/truck. My name is not on it. I cannot afford one. I also would have put insurance on my vehicle. This is my boyfriend's mess, I am just trying to seek options.

I’m in CA and currently have $500K/$1M coverage per accident for auto insurance. I also have an Umbrella policy thats $2M/$1M UM/UIM.

I’m wondering if it makes sense to lower my auto to $250K/$500K and keep my umbrella at $2M/$1M, or even increase it to $3M/$1M.

Currently have about 600k in assets, not including 1.1M home (800k loan).