getting bent over by ICBC, need advice please!

[chrisbouchard]

Hello all,

Just returning from 3 months in Africa, went to an insurance broker yesterday to put the deliberator on the road and was dumbfounded when I was told my rate was with a 100 percent SURCHARGE.....


First a little background:

2005- crashed my Mom's jeep, wrote it off. vehicle was under her insurance.
2006- read ended a woman then was read ended at high speed and wrote off my truck.
2006-present - no claims or tickets, 100 percent clean record.

Scenario:
I was told by the broker that "the system" did not pick up on my accidents until now, because i took the insurance off the van while i was away and upon returning and registering new plates the system picked it up.

Since my last accident in 2006 I have registered two different vehicles, and also pulled the plates off both of them twice while i traveled in the summer months.

Bottom line: my insurance is costing me 340 dollars per month!!!!!

The issue's: 1.When i trashed the Jeep in 2005 and it was under my moms insurance and she took the hit on her rates, should I take a hit on my rates also beacuse I was driving?

2.ICBC's system not picking up on my accidents until now means that my last three years of accident free driving have not counted for anything!!!!!!!

Is this grounds for an appeal of somesort? I am a young guy with little understanding of my rights with insurance companies but this seriously stinks. All Because "the system" picks up on something 3 years after the fact, screw you icky-bicky (icbc).

Any and all comments and advice would be very greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Chris Bouchard

[mararmeisto]

With respect to the Jeep, the driver's record is the one question even though the claim was made against your mother's insurance. This could be why they are not recognising your 'clean' record. As for the rear-ender, not sure what to think of that one. Insurance in BC is much more associated with the driver than with the vehicles involved - has been for a while now.

The fact still remains that you've insured two other vehicles since those incidents/claims, so you should be able to hold them to that. There must be SOME statute of limitations on their foul-ups. Threaten to speak with Fairness Commissioner if the agent you are speaking with, or their manager, is unwilling to give any ground. Ask if there is a deductible you can pay against instead of having your rates jumped all the way back up to 100%?

Regardless, it sounds like they're giving you the gears on this one. Here's hoping you get your rates lowered down to something more reasonable.

[Chewy]

in a country where pretty much everybody needs a car to be able to get around, it's asinine to think that a government/private insurance company wouldn't charge someone over $3000 a year! I hope you're able to sort this, since the screw up is theirs and they should eat it since they continued to take your money through all of this.

[Green1]

I can't speak for BC, but in Alberta every company I talk to remembers your mistakes for a minimum of 6 years, so anything since 2003 would cause problems and be just as applicable as anything yesterday.

[chrisbouchard]

My biggest concern is the fact that my three years of safe driving has not counted. THey should atleast bring my rates down from 100 percent to what if would be if it started when it should have, three years ago.

I am not debating my involvement or blame in the accidents that occured, merely the fairness of a three year delay in the repercussion's.

thank you all for your thoughts.

[jessef]

They are right.

If you would be looking at this 3 years ago, your premium would be 130% +

After three years, you are down to 100% + premium.

It will take a long time to get you back down to - 43% safe driving discount (max).

It took me 10 years to clear my record from when I was 16 (rear ended my neighbour my mistake and about $800 damage. He went through ICBC and I probably paid in % premiums over the next 10 years at least 3-4,000+).

When I turned 26, I started from scratch 0 %.

How it works : http://www.icbc.com/autoplan-insurance/ ... ts/crs.pdf

[Green1]

My insurance company simply asks for number of accidents and number of tickets in the past 6 years, they don't care if it was yesterday or 5.9 years ago... I'm just waiting for another year or two when I can finally say "zero" (I hope) (I wrote off a BMW in my work van in 2005... my fault entirely, I was sure I saw a green light when in fact it was red... )

[marsgal42]

ICBC's claim rated scale is well-documented. If you started with a null insurance record, two at-fault accidents could indeed move you a long way up. You've written off two vehicles in two years, and were at fault both times. Any insurance company will notice that.

Three years of no claims will move you three steps down the scale. Your insurance paperwork will reflect this. Be thankful they haven't come after you for the money they didn't collect because you bought insurance at a rate you were not actually entitled to.

I'm currently down at -17. I could wrap Gumdrop around a tree - twice - before my insurance went up.

...laura

[mararmeisto]

I still say you should talk to the Fairness Commissioner on the basis of "the system not catching it for three years", especially considering you insured vehicles during that time. That's not your fault the system didn't "catch" your record.

[loki]

I still say you should talk to the Fairness Commissioner on the basis of "the system not catching it for three years", especially considering you insured vehicles during that time. That's not your fault the system didn't "catch" your record.

I think they will look at more from the angle that he got away with not paying the elevated fees that if record said he should, if you poke at it too much you might end up with a bill of the premiums that you didn't pay :(