Question about not-at-fault vandalism insurance claim (Geico) - will it affect rate?

[Piwacet]

Hi. My car was recently vandalized - the main area of damage is the passenger side mirror that the vandal hit with his hand, damaging the paint on the mirror housing and breaking the mirror itself. I have Geico insurance and they initially estimated about $250 to repair, but indicated I could take it anywhere I wanted and they expected to cover the cost (minus deductible). I've scheduled with Tesla mobile service who will come out and replace the entire mirror assembly for about $750.

I've uploaded the video of the incident to the insurance company which clearly shows I'm not at fault.

When I ask Geico if this claim would affect my insurance rate, they could not give me an answer, basically saying that since I'm not at fault it normally would not, but if the repairs cost more than they expect, it might. They said the only way this would become clear is when I'm up for insurance renewal and the underwriters do their analysis. Apparently it's impossible to get them to look at it sooner and provide an answer.

Does anyone have any experience with this situation? While I would not be happy about it, it would probably make more sense for me to cover the cost to fix the mirror rather than have my rates go up over the long term.

Thanks!

 

[drtimhill]

When I ask Geico if this claim would affect my insurance rate, they could not give me an answer, basically saying that since I'm not at fault it normally would not, but if the repairs cost more than they expect, it might.

This is an insurance company we are talking about here. Need I say more?

 

[SpriteM3]

My information might be wrong or outdated but this is how I understand it.

Although you are not at fault, insurance companies use something called Nexus. Nexus basically tells the insurance company how many claims you had and how much it costs them. You may not have been at fault, but it still cost the insurance company money. While they may not count the vandalism against you as an at fault occurrence, you will look more expensive to insure on your Nexus report.

Again, I'm not an insurance agent and who knows if what I'm saying is accurate, hopefully an insurance agent can step in and give us some insight.


Anyway, let's see that video...

 

[chumanji9]

A long time ago. My Dad's car was hit twice within the same year on the way to work. Both time, it was not his fault and the other insurance cover it. When it was time for his renewal, his rates increased a significant amount. He called them asking why. They told him even though he was not at fault, because he was hit twice in a yr. It means his route or area is considered high risk, so they increase the rates to cover it....

 

[Randy-12]

Under a grand I would not even bother with a claim.

 

[father_of_6]

There are also people who are "not at fault" who somehow find accidents all the time. Point is... doesn't matter how the damage happens.

Insurance is a numbers game, and your numbers have just changed.

 

[Piwacet]

OK thanks everyone, appreciate the input

 

[Piwacet]

It seems I'm too far along in the claim process to cancel it at this point.

After speaking with several people/departments at Geico who could not give a clear answer, I spoke to someone in the "service" department who definitively told me that the claim will not increase my premium (and also said that her department is the one that would know the definitive answer).

Hope that is true. I guess I'll find out for real in a few months when I receive the renewal bill if this is really true...

Thanks everyone for your input. I'll be much more careful in the future if I ever have to consider an insurance claim. I'm feeling a bit naive/dumb for not being more careful this time around.

 

[father_of_6]

I wouldn't sweat it. Even if this did affect your rates, it would likely be marginal.