Insurance company tried to blame his wife for another driver’s mistake — he turned the tables
Despite all the premiums we are forced to pay every month, insurance companies can be stingy when it comes to actually helping us. Oftentimes, they nitpick and ignore filings in the hopes of us giving up or simply accepting the crumbs they offer us. However, when this insurer tried to pin the blame on a woman for another driver's mistake, her husband decided to turn the tables.
So, insurance company, you won't give me a letter with a clean driving record?
byu/sad_puppy_eyes inMaliciousCompliance
On October 2, U/sad_puppy_eyes shared the story of an insurance company crumbling under the gaze of an unrelenting customer. Recalling an incident from the past, the author wrote about his wife driving up to an intersection in Toronto when something terrible happened to their car. His wife waited at the red light and soon began turning left when the green arrow lit up. However, a driver coming from the opposite direction was clearly not paying attention as he proceeded straight through the red light and collided with his wife’s car.
The author contacted the insurance company and explained to them that his wife was legally turning left when the other driver ran through a red light and struck his wife's vehicle. However, the insurance company informed him that because his wife was turning left, she was considered equally at fault. Stating that she should have 'anticipated the possibility of another vehicle running the red light,' the insurer said that it was the wife who should have ensured it was safe to proceed. Although the author disagreed with their ruling, he was not ready to continue the dispute. The author revealed that the damage cost $4000, but the car remained fully drivable. He refused to file claims and opted to repay the damages privately.
Nine months later, when the couple were unexpectedly relocating to another province, they were required to change to a new insurance company, which requested him to provide a clean driving history from the previous insurer. When the author contacted his previous insurer, they refused to provide the documents, citing the prior accident, and informed him that they must report it to the new company. When the author objected, the insurer yet again stated that 'rules cannot be broken.' Here's when the author decided to turn the tables against the insurance company with their own policy. After reviewing the terms and conditions, the author discovered that he had a one-year window to process a claim. He informed the insurer that he would proceed with fully repairing the vehicle, renting a car during the repair, and increasing the repair costs within legal limits. He also quipped that he would notify the company’s head office to praise the insurer's work ethic for adhering to the rules even though it had resulted in additional expenses. The employee, after a moment of thought, decided to help by issuing the letter stating that he had a 'claims-free driving history.' Fortunately, the new insurance company accepted the letter, and the author was able to settle the issue.
The Reddit story has been echoed in a study authored by Michael J. Browne in 2004, which explored that in states where bad-faith laws are recognized, insurers tend to make timely payments to claimants compared to states without such laws. The study suggests that the threat of legal repercussions encourages insurers to handle claims more fairly and promptly. Soon after the post went viral, many Reddit users rallied to appreciate the author's determination. u/FaagenDazs wrote, "Insurance is just gambling against yourself... mandated by law, wtf."
u/SnakeJG commented, "Once the letter was in hand, you should have filed the claim. F**k them." u/Old-Bat194 commented, "Glad it all worked out. Insurance doesn't always work out in our favour."