Help With Auto Insurance Claim In Illinois
Reader question:
I’ve made a claim with my auto insurance company, and it’s taking forever. Is there anything I can do? I need to move on!
Lily
Bloomington, Illinois
Excellent question, Lily.
Your auto insurance company is really messing things up here, as it should know what its obligations are in regards to paying you quickly and to your needs. There are actually laws mandating that your auto insurance company pay you promptly. However, you should take a couple of steps before you start trying to get those laws enforced. Whatever the outcome, you might want to look into changing to another auto insurance company.
First of all, call your auto insurance company and ask them what is going on. If you can’t get an answer, then ask to speak to someone who is higher up. There could be a real reason for why you have yet to have had your auto insurance claim settled. They should have contacted you whatever the case, but there still might be a reason.
If they cannot give you an explanation for the delay, then ask when it is you should expect your claim payment. It is possible that you could catch them at their inefficiency and they can fix things for you right away. Give them a chance to wrap things up first, and then take the next step.
If your auto insurance company fails to act, then it is time for you to act yourself. You can go to the Illinois Department of Insurance website, and there you can read about how to make a complaint about your auto insurance company. Normally, if you make a complaint then they will request that you follow it up with documentation. You submit this, and if they see it is a reasonable complaint, then they will take it up with the auto insurance company.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Cheap Chicago IL Auto Insurance Rates
Reader question:
If I get into an accident one time, will my IL auto insurance rate go up?
Megan
Great question, Megan.
Well, what kind of car insurance company are you with? It would also hinge on what kind of accident it was and what your previous record is. Let’s say that you got into an accident, but it wasn’t your fault, so you make a claim. You’re making this claim with the other car insurance company, so your own company isn’t paying out anything. The only interaction you have with them is that you had an accident so that they can put it on your CLUE report. This shouldn’t raise your IL auto insurance rate, and it doesn’t. It would be against the law for them to raise it when it’s not your fault.
But what happens when you get into a car accident that IS your fault? Well, now we look at the deal that you have with your car insurance company to see how it will affect your IL auto insurance rate.
First of all, many companies have an accident forgiveness option. They do this in a couple of ways. Sometimes you will get your accident forgiveness option right away, so if you get into an at fault accident the second day of your policy, it will be forgiven. Others let you earn it and you’ll only get it after a couple of years of being part of their company with a good driving record. Still others will actually add money to your IL auto insurance rate, essentially charging you for accident forgiveness. Avoid those companies.
If your company offers you accident forgiveness, then you have nothing to worry about. You’re off the hook until the next collision. However, if it doesn’t then you will see your IL auto insurance rate rise. Also, you will see it rise even more and could possibly have your policy canceled if you already have something else nasty on your record, like a speeding ticket.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Does A Man Pay More For Auto Insurance Than A Female
Reader question:
How come as a man I get a higher car insurance quote than a woman?
Jeff
Great question, Jeff.
This is the issue that my husband likes to complain about a lot despite the fact that my IL car insurance quote is higher than his anyway since I’m younger, but to each their own. It is true, though, that in general a woman will have a lower IL car insurance quote than a man, although it is most true when the man and woman are both under the age of twenty five. While there is still a gap going on past that age, it isn’t so wide and with discounts and shopping around, it’s actually very difficult to pinpoint at times.
So why is it that you’re paying more than the girl next door? Well, like anything else concerning an IL car insurance quote, it all boils down to statistics. As a gender, men, especially young men, are more likely to get into car accidents, especially serious ones, and thus file claims, be they collision or liability or whatever. Women, on the other hand, have relatively low rates of wrecking, and as such end up with the lower IL car insurance quote.
In the UK, this has been taken to the extreme to the point where there are car insurance companies that cater only to women. The funny thing is, though, that the rates from these companies are often higher than at the companies that sell policies to both genders. Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?
Anyhow, take this as a consolation: your IL car insurance quote will probably not be the way it is for long. Guys are actually getting in fewer accidents as the years go by, while women are getting in more. They still haven’t met in the middle, but it’s very possible that it may happen in the future to our detriment and to your gain. All power to you!
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Can You Buy Chicago Auto Insurance Online
Reader question:
Can you buy Chicago auto insurance online?
Maggie
Thanks for asking, Maggie.
Honey, you can buy anything online, from IL auto insurance online to a piece of toast with the image of the virgin Mary on it. The internet is your oyster, so just crack it open and dig.
There are a lot of advantages to buying your IL auto insurance online, and my favorite would be that more and more companies are offering discounts to you if you buy your IL auto insurance online. They do this because when the customers go through the websites, they have to pay so much less money when it comes to things such as personnel, buildings, and the like that they are able to pass the savings down to you. The more people that do it, perhaps the more savings they will be able to pass down, right? Normally if you buy your IL auto insurance online you can get as much as a fifteen percent discount.
Another advantage would be that you can get everything that you need to get done in regards to shopping for IL auto insurance online right there on the computer, from beginning to end. You can start by getting your online IL auto insurance quotes, continue by looking up the consumer ratings and financial stability of the company, checking that it’s licensed and has good complaint ratios at the IL department of insuranc website, and getting recommendations and reviews from people who have experience with the different online IL auto insurance companies.
If you didn’t have internet access, all of the above might take forever and might never even get done. You’d probably end up paying more than necessary for your insurance, too. The internet has made access to quality and cheap online IL auto insurance so easy that anyone could save.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
I Got Into An Auto Accident In Illinois But Not My Fault
Reader question:
I got into an accident and it was the other driver’s fault, so I filed a claim with their Aurora IL auto insurance company. Apparently, now they’re lying and saying it was my fault! What do I do? It was not my fault!
Sammy
Excellent question, Sammy.
I hear your concern. The trouble with much of our high insurance rates among Aurora IL auto insurance companies comes from fraud, and this is a small type of fraud in that this person is claiming that you were at fault for an accident that was not your fault. This puts you into a difficult situation because his Aurora IL auto insurance company is going to be inclined to believe their own customer, and thus the burden of proof is now on you to prove that you were not at fault for this accident.
This is where your documentation should come in, and let’s hope you have it. First of all, at the accident did you call the police and was a police report filed? This will be of great importance in proving that you were not at fault to his Aurora IL auto insurance company because normally the police report will say who was negligent or deliberate in causing the car insurance accident. If you don’t have a police report, then shame. You should always get a police report when a claim is going to be filed, because otherwise you run into problems like these later on. If you want a copy of the police report, you can usually get it from your police department for a few bucks.
Beyond that, were there any witnesses to the accident? You could call on them to make statements to the effect that you were not at fault for the accident. Another thing to consider is whether or not you have photos of the accident, or at least what the cars looked like immediately after. Their positions could be a good indicator as to whom was at fault.
If all else fails to convince the Aurora IL auto insurance company, then you would do well to contact an accident attorney. They can help you make your case stronger so that you can continue to file your claim.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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