Complaint Review: Geico - Chevy Chase Maryland

The only reason the police cleared you is that they determined you did not commit any criminal actions; that's what the police do.  If there are any civil matters between you and other drivers or people, they do not and will not get involved unless there is some danger of criminal activity that may occur. 

They probably determined you were not impaired by alcohol, or other chemicals, and let you go.  The police report also becomes irrelevant because they don't determine fault - that's the job of the insurance company.  If you were hit, and your car hits other cars, then you become 100% at-fault for every car that was hit by your car.

Now that we have the police report and involvment out of the way:

They then managed a way the other drivers, each of whom owned 15 year used cars, every penny of the $25000 that was covered by my liability coverage.  Yup, that's what liability coverage does - it will cover any damage to other vehicles caused by your at-fault accident.

Geico told me that they wanted more money and that I was required to pay it. I got a lawyer and put a stop to this, but it was never made clear to me how somebody whose 20 year old undamaged car could be entitled to $30,000 in repair-costs.  First, if you bought a $15,000/$25,000 policy, and you hit more than 2 cars, then yes you would be on the hook for more.  I mean good for you to get a lawyer and limit the coverage to the $25,000 limit, but yeah all of the vehicles involved could have incurred around $30K in damages, pain & suffering, loss of consortium, and all of that other stuff lawyers have to deal with.

I had been a Geico custumer for 20 years. Every month I paid them a nice little sum. This did not phase them.  Does this have anything to do with your accident?  No.  I always chuckle when someone comes and mentions how they pay a small little sum to a multi-billion dollar company and that somehow entitles them to something.  Perhaps, you can call Omaha, Nebraska and speak to Warren Buffett.....I think he owns 100% of Geico now....

Back then, I went through an actual physical broker, with whom I met in person and who was very personable.  The only reason you really need a broker is to determine how much coverage you should really have.  BTW, obtaining minimum coverage because you haven't had an accident in 20 years, is not a reason to only have minimum liability coverage.  As you mature in both age and wealth, your minimum coverages need to rise as well to maybe $100K/$300K, especially if you own a home.  You also will need to add collision and comprehensive if you have a car that is actually worth something to you.

I also liked the Geico mascot, with his funny British accent and endearingly self-effacing demeanor.  Umm.....that is also not a reason to select an insurance company either.  This gets more hilarious as a report when I read things like this.  The reason you select an insurance company is for their ability to be sufficiently capitalized so they can pay out a claim; you don't pick a fly-by-night company because they will lack the assets needed to pay when something happens. 

Once insurance companies get to be that size, they're pretty much all the same.  Your experience with this insurance company is really no different than any of the others who advertise their insurance products.  Much of your experience is not because of Geico, but of your inability to understand the purpose of insurance.

Liability coverage typically doesn't pay for damage to your own car after an accident — collision coverage helps with that.

Liability coverage also does not extend to costs associated with your own injuries after an accident you cause. If you want this type of coverage, you may want to consider medical payments coverage.

That is the reason you should always have full coverage. Liability is just that and no I do not work for Geico. I just know that I always have full coverage regardless and yes it is more expensive but worth it. If you are upset about their denial of your claim then contact your State Board of Insurance and file a complaint. 

Having a "spotless" record has nothing do with the insurance you chose because you chose the cheapest insurance and now have to suffer the consequences of your choices.

 Because of your "stellar driving record," you chose to purchase the very lowest level of insurance allowed by law, coverage only for liability which protects you if you are sued. You did not buy collision insurance. But when you are in an accident, you figure Geico will "cut you a break" and...what? Replace your car? Are you serious?

You say you've had insurance for many years, so I must assume that you are an adult. But you don't know how insurance works, clearly. So if I'm a customer with Geico my premiums should go up so that Geico can cover claims filed by people who...didn't pay for the coverage at all? Oh, but that wouldn't be Geico's universal response to claims filed by customers who didn't actually pay for collision coverage- just those who are good customers for years and years, right? And sorry, it might sound "robotic" or "scripted," but in fact the police report IS irrelevant unless you are being sued.

YOU DID NOT BUY COLLISION INSURANCE. That was YOUR DECISION. When you decided not to buy the insurance YOU ACCEPTED THE RISK. If you don't buy fire insurance (because you've always been super-careful) would you expect your insurance company to replace your house if it burns down because after all you paid your flood insurance religiously?

"They don't pay." Quite correct- they don't pay out for claims that are not insured because the customer chose not to buy the insurance. What is wrong with you? No one is going to "cut you a break." That's WHY YOU BUY INSURANCE. You were cheap for years, saved tons of money by not buying the collision protection....and now that decision looks like a bad one. And your response is to complain that Geico doesn't just ignore the fact that you didn't pay for the insurance and cut you a check as if you did....extraordinary. I think I've heard everything now.

 It was YOUR car which hit the other cars, therefore you are on the hook for that. You have ZERO COLLISION coverage. Why on earth do you think you are ENTITLED to FREE benefits? However, all is NOT lost here. You are absolutely correct the guy who caused this should make you whole. Who is his insurance company? If you know who that is then YOU should get YOUR OWN independent adjuster and file a claim!

Notice...I said YOUR OWN INDEPENDENT ADJUSTER. That person works for YOU and NOT anybody's insurance company. The insurance company's adjuster works for THEM and NOT you. His goal is to get away with paying as little as possible! If everything is exactly as you said, you have a very good case here. I would find an attorney who is experienced in fighting insurance companies.

If the guy who did this has little or no insurance and is judgement proof, then yes, you are out of luck. UNDERSTAND THIS- You need to take the initiative to make yourself whole. Sitting around complaining and writing reviews is NOT going to get you a penny. I want to see you win this!