Quick help needed - who pays the deductible?

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

We live in a no-fault state (FL) and DH was hit in a parking lot. (See b*tching post!) So, when I file a claim through my insurance, do I still have to pay the deductible?

[jayali]

Ultimately I believe you are responsible for the deductible. However, you can always take the person who hit you to small claims court to cover the amount of the deductible, but probably not worth the hassle.

[dules]

My brand new car was hit in a parking garage in CA by a delivery truck. The truck left the name and number of his company on my windshield (super, super nice!) so I called and spoke to the owner. We agreed I'd get an estimate. Once I had the estimate in hand I called her back and told her what it was and she said they'd just pay the whole bill up front, rather than going through insurance. My insurance covered a loaner while my car was in the shop.

Hope that helps and I know how much this totally stinks!


Mary

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

Just wondering, did you report it to your insurance as soon as it happened? I was wondering if we should do this even if we end up not going through it.

[dules]

We had Geico, who are really easy to work with. So I called them and told them what happened and they advised me to see what the other party wanted to do.

The business owner apparently was advised by her insurance that if it were under a certain $$ amount that she would be better off paying out of pocket (because her premiums would probably increase).

I don't know what kind of car you have but I've replaced the plastic bumpers on Honda Civics (DH's ears are burning as I write this, lol! He's a terror of a parker, always nicking garage poles and etc. because he thinks he's got enough room) for around $350.

If it's less than your deductible, then there's probably no point in reporting it to insurance IMO.




Mary

[eb1]

We had a similar situation. We reported the incident to our own insurance company, but since the guy who hit our car was ticketed by the police, we ultimately filed our claim through the other's guy's insurance.

We learned that we'd have to pay our deductible if filing through our insurance; going through the other's guy's, we didn't. We did stay in touch with our insurance company through it all, mostly to be advised by them. Our insurance company also said that if we'd gone through them, they would have tried to get the other company to pay for our deductible but there were no guarantees.

I think it would have been more pleasant going through our own company, but think we would have gotten less back. We wound up negotiating with the other's guy's insurance on a few things.

[Radosti]

What PP said. If you know who the other party is, I'd take it up with him and his insurance. Someone slid into the back of my car in the rain and my insurance said I'd be responsible for the deductible if I filed through them. They advised me to go through the other guy's insurance. The other guy paid his deductible and his insurance covered repairs and the rental car.

[boolady]

Exactly. This is what happened to me, and I reported directly to the insurance company of the guy who hit me. Why should you have to pay your deductible or anything at all if it wasn't your fault? And I am in a no-fault state as well.

[KrisM]

I'm in a no-fault state, too. Here, it depends on whether we have standard or broadened insurance. If standard, you would pay the deductible regardless of who is at fault. If broadened, you only pay if it is your fault.

I had a car hit in a parking lot and no other car was around to prove it or get info from. I think it ended up being a comprehensive claim with no deductible rather than a collision claim.

I'd call an office of your company and ask them without giving your name and insurance info.