In the last two days, I have come across the same story twice: I have been involved in a car collision that was not my fault and my auto insurance told me I had to file a claim with the other party. WRONG!
In fact, this could not be more wrong. There are three reasons this is wrong:
- Your insurance policy requires you to report all claims to the insurance company. You MUST report a claim. So, why would they refuse to take it?
- Your insurance company has an obligation to pay any claim that is covered. By law in California, they cannot tell you no.
- Your rates do not go up for filing a claim.
The simple truth is that insurance companies do not want to take your claim because they do not want to pay out money. They want to keep their money as long as possible. If they can discourage you from filing a claim, it is one less claim to deal with and more money for them to keep.
If you have been in a collision, report it to your insurance company. If they tell you no, tell them you want to anyway.