I cannot begin to express my frustration over that car accident that happened at the end of July. Can you believe that no one thinks we are fault, and yet we still have not received a penny? Not a penny. Our only car was totaled, and we have yet to receive any compensation.
To make matters worse, all 4 of the Geico reps who have “helped” us along this process have been terrible. I mean, embarrassingly terrible. The last Geico rep, the insurance adjustor named Gwenolyn, included me on a conference call with one of the “at fault” insurance companies. The guy at this other company talked circles around her, saying things like, “You should know this. Isn’t this what you do every day?” I couldn’t have agreed more. She wasn’t convincing (although it sounded like she was doing her best) and she didn’t sound like she knew what she was talking about, not even once. I actually started talking over her and dealing directly with the other insurance company myself! She was THAT BAD. She actually thought we were the wrong car in the accident, at one point!
Even if she had been mildly competent, I would still have been dissatisfied with Geico for all of this. NOT ONCE have we received a call from someone keeping us in the loop. I have had to call and fight, tooth and nail, for every bit of information we’ve received! Heck, when we reported the accident, we didn’t even hear from Geico for over a week! By that time, I’d dealt with the other insurance company at least a dozen times.
Long and short about where the case is headed? Neither of the other parties are assuming responsibility at this point in time, so it is going to arbitration court. Which won’t meet until December, at the earliest.
Also, an insurance company found to be at fault is not required by law to pay for a rental within the state of TX. There is probably a way, if they are feeling benevolent, but they do not have to.
So, two words of wisdom:
1. Stay away from Geico! I just cancelled our policy with them. I will GLADLY pay an extra $20/month with someone else, because now I know that without an excellent company representing you in a case such as this, an accident (already bad) turns into HELL.
2. Make sure a rental is included on your policy, because even if you’re not at fault, you might not get reimbursed. Definitely NOT in the state of TX, anyways. It would have been worth that extra $5/month, let me tell you! We are out $367 because of the rental we needed for 2 weeks.
In the meantime, we are getting an attorney to fight the case for us. Hello, Safeco and Mercury Insurance! See you in court!
P.S. When I called and cancelled our Geico policy today, the guy actually had the nerve to say that when we look into insurance rates again, he hopes we’ll choose them! After I’d just filed a complaint about the poor service we received, stating this as my reason for canceling. Unbelievable!
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That totally sucks. We just had an accident and had issues dealing with our insurance (Mercury) but it was NOWHERE near as bad of an experience as it sounds like you guys have had. I know Granite has been looking into switching insurance companies and has Geico on his radar, but I’ll make sure we go with someone else.
Stephanie! Funny you should mention Mercury– they’re the ones I dealt with today (the woman who hit jesse had Mercury). They’ve been ABSOLUTELY rude, but they at least knew what they were talking about (unlike my lady). The Mercury rep actually YELLED at us on the phone!
Go with State Farm. Everything I’ve heard about them is stellar. I swear, the only way these other companies get any business is by offering low rates to people who’ve never had to go through an accident.
State Farm is great, both if you are at fault or if you aren’t. Also, try calling different offices if you don’t like the price. When I signed up for Allstate (we can’t have State Farm), I got 3 different quotes from 3 different people. It might be worth the extra time on the phone 🙂
The first time I was rear ended back down in Southern California the offending party had Mercury Insurance and they were a breeze to deal with in that case. As soon as they were found to be “at fault” they pretty much took care of everything including calling the rental place for me and schedule everything…
Right now Mercury’s number 1 goal is to not be at fault so they are probably acting accordingly. I read that police report… how could this possibly be a question of who’s at fault?
Arbitration is a good thing though! Somebody who is not a judge who is impartial is going to hear each insurance company and then make quick and BINDING decision and then things will finally start to happen.
Jason, I know. That’s why we would win in Small Claims court, where the police report is basically the Bible. It clearly states that her testimony is whacko and not consistent with anything found at the scene. It’s her word against 2 others and the police. Doesn’t sound like a strong case for her!
OH.MY.GOSH…..i am sooooo sorry. this makes me want to cry for you, kelly. we really appreciate our AAA. their prices have always been lower than the competition but they seem to be a more ‘no frills company’. i don’t know why. any claims we’ve had with them (accidents our fault or acts of God) they’ve been suuuper helpful and compassionate. however, my impression is that state farm is the best comprehensive out there…but they come with a price tag…one i would be willing to pay after your experience. 🙁 again, soooooo sorry