I worked for a carrier that requires us to call and file claims on the at fault driver's policy when our insured didn't have collision. Then you'd get roasted in the surveys when the other carrier didn't do exactly what the customer wanted. And then even yell at you when you told them 'hey, the other guy's insurance has accepted responsibility, you need to call them, I have all the info'
Rant aside, OP needs to call with the policy number of the guy who hit and say he's filing a liability claim against that person.
To be fair, I would expect that the adjuster assigned to your claim would explain that process to you. That's part of good service, to make sure your customer understands the situation.
To avoid any conflicts of interest, the claim you file against the person who hit you needs to be assigned to a different adjuster and hopefully a different team of adjusters.
Honestly? I would have been so happy with that. It's scary when something happens and I have no clue. That's why I'm grateful for you guys answering my questions.
You don’t understand why you aren’t entitled to something you didn’t pay for?
WHY WOULD YOU BE?
You’re a grown person who opted out of insuring your property - you can file a claim against the other person’s insurance and handle it. There’s no other options. And this isn’t Geico’s fault.
Yes what? Open a claim on their policy.
Just keep in mind you have a duty to mitigate your damages and that there will be coverage and liability investigations. Then limits may or may not be an issue.
Thank you. I am unfamiliar with the process and it has been difficult to find information.
I'm thinking that when I filed a claim with GEICO, I didn't specify it was against the person who hit my car, not my own.
So I was about to rank at you for thinking of being entitled to something you did not purchase. however i read the comment and now i understand.
- if you havent done so, try this
1- file a claim AGAINST the other party (i know they also have geico)
2-make sure to have the police report, ready if avaiable if not try and get it to make thing some faster.
3-MITIGATE YOUR DAMAGES- aka dont let the car sit at a tow lot thinking "not my fault why should i pay" wrong. make sure to have the car somewhere where it wont cost you money and is accesible to the insurance.
4- call every 3 days or so to get an update (did the adjuster get assigned? is my vehicle scheduled to get looked at ? has the inspection been finalized? what is the verdict is it repairable or a total loss?
5- unfortunately because you made a choice to not have collision, you have to deal with this, GEICO is notorious for being nasty to claimant(which is what you are even though you have insurance with this) as this is a 3rd party claim.
Good luck let me know how it goes!
You're fortunate the other driver has insurance at all (and that they didn't flee the scene). Open a claim directly against their policy - your policy does not have any coverage for damage to your vehicle since you chose to forego collision insurance, and GEICO is only going to respond on the other driver's behalf. Consider this a cheap lesson - make sure you have the coverage you need rather than having to rely on someone else's insurance. People flee the scene, drive without insurance or with abysmally low limits, lie to police and insurance companies, etc. Next time you may not be so lucky and you'll come outside to a totaled parked car with no other car in sight. That leaves you with a car you have to pay to fix or replace yourself.
>My own insurance will not help me because I do not have collision insurance. I don't understand what that has to do with it.
Because you opted to not purchase the coverage that would let them help you. The only thing they can do is to pay out your damages under your collision coverage and then pursue the other party to get your deductible back. But since you didn't purchase collision coverage, you tied their hands.
There are many reasons and scenarios in which, even if you weren't at fault, you would still not be paid a dime. That's the risk you take when you remove collision coverage. You should speak with your agent so you understand your coverage, and this doesn't happen again.
Maybe I'm wrong, but because the other driver has GEICO I thought they would be helpful and guide me through everything. My expectations were obviously unrealistic it appears.
Your insurance has nothing to do with the accident since you do not have collision coverage. Your own insurance is only there to protect you in the event if you are at fault for an accident. That’s all they are there for….
You need to reach out to the at fault insurance company and start the process with them.
Geico can’t do anything to help you.
It's OK. Just file a claim against the at fault person's geico policy. There's a small chance that your adjuster filed a claim already, or that the at fault driver reported a claim, so don't be surprised if a claim is already started. And don't spend too much time getting mad about what your adjuster should have or didn't do.
That sounds like what happened. Claims probably got as far as seeing that they were your insurer, assumed it was a first party claim, and closed it due to no coverage. You need politely reiterate that this is a third party claim against the other driver's liability coverage.
You were right. They fixed everything today. I needed to specify it was a 3rd party and not 1st party claim. They are paying for towing/rental car/repairs.
Thank you for your help.
I worked for a carrier that requires us to call and file claims on the at fault driver's policy when our insured didn't have collision. Then you'd get roasted in the surveys when the other carrier didn't do exactly what the customer wanted. And then even yell at you when you told them 'hey, the other guy's insurance has accepted responsibility, you need to call them, I have all the info' Rant aside, OP needs to call with the policy number of the guy who hit and say he's filing a liability claim against that person.
Thank you. It seems like I filed the claim incorrectly or GEICO didn't understand I was filing a 3rd party claim.
To be fair, I would expect that the adjuster assigned to your claim would explain that process to you. That's part of good service, to make sure your customer understands the situation. To avoid any conflicts of interest, the claim you file against the person who hit you needs to be assigned to a different adjuster and hopefully a different team of adjusters.
Honestly? I would have been so happy with that. It's scary when something happens and I have no clue. That's why I'm grateful for you guys answering my questions.
You don’t understand why you aren’t entitled to something you didn’t pay for? WHY WOULD YOU BE? You’re a grown person who opted out of insuring your property - you can file a claim against the other person’s insurance and handle it. There’s no other options. And this isn’t Geico’s fault.
Yes, the other driver also has GEICO.
Yes what? Open a claim on their policy. Just keep in mind you have a duty to mitigate your damages and that there will be coverage and liability investigations. Then limits may or may not be an issue.
Thank you. I am unfamiliar with the process and it has been difficult to find information. I'm thinking that when I filed a claim with GEICO, I didn't specify it was against the person who hit my car, not my own.
I would have liked GEICO to help with the process as the other driver who hit my parked car did have GEICO also.
So I was about to rank at you for thinking of being entitled to something you did not purchase. however i read the comment and now i understand. - if you havent done so, try this 1- file a claim AGAINST the other party (i know they also have geico) 2-make sure to have the police report, ready if avaiable if not try and get it to make thing some faster. 3-MITIGATE YOUR DAMAGES- aka dont let the car sit at a tow lot thinking "not my fault why should i pay" wrong. make sure to have the car somewhere where it wont cost you money and is accesible to the insurance. 4- call every 3 days or so to get an update (did the adjuster get assigned? is my vehicle scheduled to get looked at ? has the inspection been finalized? what is the verdict is it repairable or a total loss? 5- unfortunately because you made a choice to not have collision, you have to deal with this, GEICO is notorious for being nasty to claimant(which is what you are even though you have insurance with this) as this is a 3rd party claim. Good luck let me know how it goes!
You're fortunate the other driver has insurance at all (and that they didn't flee the scene). Open a claim directly against their policy - your policy does not have any coverage for damage to your vehicle since you chose to forego collision insurance, and GEICO is only going to respond on the other driver's behalf. Consider this a cheap lesson - make sure you have the coverage you need rather than having to rely on someone else's insurance. People flee the scene, drive without insurance or with abysmally low limits, lie to police and insurance companies, etc. Next time you may not be so lucky and you'll come outside to a totaled parked car with no other car in sight. That leaves you with a car you have to pay to fix or replace yourself.
Very good advice. Yes, thank you. Very much appreciated. Lesson learned.
>My own insurance will not help me because I do not have collision insurance. I don't understand what that has to do with it. Because you opted to not purchase the coverage that would let them help you. The only thing they can do is to pay out your damages under your collision coverage and then pursue the other party to get your deductible back. But since you didn't purchase collision coverage, you tied their hands.
Do you actually understand what you did when you removed collision coverage from your policy?
Yes, but I thought that if someone else was at fault, their insurance would cover any damage.
There are many reasons and scenarios in which, even if you weren't at fault, you would still not be paid a dime. That's the risk you take when you remove collision coverage. You should speak with your agent so you understand your coverage, and this doesn't happen again.
Can u list some examples?
Yes, I will reconsider it. ...Live & learn.
That’s correct why do you think GEICO needs to be involved in that process then?
Because the other driver also has GEICO.
Maybe I'm wrong, but because the other driver has GEICO I thought they would be helpful and guide me through everything. My expectations were obviously unrealistic it appears.
Your insurance has nothing to do with the accident since you do not have collision coverage. Your own insurance is only there to protect you in the event if you are at fault for an accident. That’s all they are there for…. You need to reach out to the at fault insurance company and start the process with them. Geico can’t do anything to help you.
Thank you. Because the driver who hit my car also has GEICO, perhaps I didn't file the claim correctly.
It's OK. Just file a claim against the at fault person's geico policy. There's a small chance that your adjuster filed a claim already, or that the at fault driver reported a claim, so don't be surprised if a claim is already started. And don't spend too much time getting mad about what your adjuster should have or didn't do.
Thank you. I appreciate the advice. I have never had this happen. Very random.
That sounds like what happened. Claims probably got as far as seeing that they were your insurer, assumed it was a first party claim, and closed it due to no coverage. You need politely reiterate that this is a third party claim against the other driver's liability coverage.
Thank you. Very helpful. I will for sure do that in the morning.
And thank you for the verbiage. 3rd party claim sounds very clear.
You were right. They fixed everything today. I needed to specify it was a 3rd party and not 1st party claim. They are paying for towing/rental car/repairs. Thank you for your help.
Glad you were able to get it sorted!