i was in a 5 car pile up 2 years ago on an expressway in nyc. i was the car in the middle. the first car stopped and the guy in front of me hit him, i stopped just in time and didnt hit the guy in front of me but i got hit in the back by a car, then that person got hit from behind as well. the guy in front of me fled.

i have state farm and sued geico and received a settlement for 11k and one for 9k from 2 separate drivers.

my car is registered to my uncle’s address in another state. he recently gave me a pamphlet and said i should read it. basically someone that i sued from the accident is suing me back. the summons they sent me was from September but im just now receiving it. it says that i hadn’t responded to my initial summons from several months ago and if i don’t respond i will be in default. i contacted my lawyer and they said to contact state farm and basically said the person has a right to sue me.

i contacted state farm and they said, why didn’t i answer it, i told them this is the first i’m hearing of any of this.

basically i had been served on behalf of a woman who i do not know. i guess it may be the door woman of my uncle’s building but im not 100% sure. they gave me her name but idk her.

state farm said the matter is urgent & they dont know if their attorneys will be very helpful at this point and this was my lawyers job to handle this. They mentioned that me nor my lawyer answered the summons, which I am confused on how my lawyer would even know about this if i myself am just finding out.

i don’t know what i’m supposed to do at this point. is state farm going to be able to help me on this matter still?

This convo was over 2 years ago and this is the TRUNCATED VERSION.

TL;DR: Woman thinks her home's equity is just sitting in a bank for her somewhere as an asset that helped her secure a mortgage. Thinks she can use that money to pay for home repairs.

I was working with an older woman, about 65, who was retiring and had downsized to a 300k home in Georgia and had a very low mortgage payment. Like many cheaper, older homes the reconstruction cost is a lot higher than the property value. 2,200 square feet of solid brick!

As we were talking she kept pushing back on my reconstruction cost.

“Why do I need 500k in coverage! I have 150k equity in my home.”

“Because market value is much much different from the value to rebuild. If you want to maintain your property's value, you would need to rebuild a 2,200 square foot brick home on that land.”

“But I have 150k equity. So I only need 350k in coverage.”

“No, because if the house burns down, you don't still have that 150k in equity.”

“Of course I do. I own that part of the house.”

“Your equity is the difference between what the house is worth and what you owe on it. If the house is destroyed, the equity isn't sitting somewhere separately from the house.”

“But I still own the land.”

“Right. But we're talking about the house. If the dwelling is a total loss, you don't have a $300k house anymore. You have the land and whatever insurance proceeds you're entitled to.”

“But I have 150k equity.”

“Right now. In the house that's standing there.”

“So you're saying if my house burns down, I lose my equity?”

“Yes.”

“But I don't lose the money I've already paid into the house.”

“You don't have that money sitting in a separate account. You have equity in the property. If the property is destroyed, that equity doesn't become cash that you can apply toward rebuilding.”

“So I would need the full 500k?”

“Yes. If it costs 500k to rebuild, you need enough insurance to cover that reconstruction cost.”

“But wouldn't the 150k equity be mine?”

“Not as a separate pot of money. Your mortgage doesn't suddenly disappear and hand you $150k because your house burned down.”

“So if I only insure it for 350k, I'd be short?”

“Yes. You'd potentially be short $150k on a $500k reconstruction.”

“But I have $150k equity.”

“Again, that's the part you're missing. The equity is in the house.”

“So if the house is gone, the equity is gone?”

“Yes.”

She just sat there for a second.

“So you're telling me I can't use my equity to rebuild the house? Then what's the point in all those ads saying you can use your equity for this or that.

“Because your equity isn't cash. It's the portion of the property's value that you own. People use equity to get loans for renovations that increase property values. If your home is gone, there is no equity.

“But I thought I had 150k in the house.”

“You do. Until the house is gone.”

"I'm......I'm not sure about that! I paid 150k down, that's a lot of money! No one said it could just dissapear!

“Okay, let me ask you something. If your house burned down, what would it be worth? If your house was gone, would the land be worth maybe $15k?”

“If that!”

“And you would still have a mortgage on that land. $150k owed to the bank, because that is what you borrowed.”

“Yes. That is why I need insurance.”

“Yes! Because if your home burns down, it's lost all of its value. Its equity is GONE. If you sold your home right now, you would get $300k for it minus the loan. That's $150k of equity. If your home is gone, you are not able to sell it for anywhere near enough to cover the loan. You have no equity. You have no home to secure a line of credit.”

At this point, I realized she thought her $150k in equity was the asset securing her loan, rather than the house itself. I explained that the equity wasn't a separate pot of money she could use to rebuild, but the difference between what her home was worth and what she owed on it.

I eventually told her she really needed to speak with her loan officer because I didn't think she understood how her mortgage worked.

Eugh 😵‍💫

As the title says, I was rear ended in Pennsylvania. I carry full coverage auto insurance, including full tort.

I was in the left hand lane (of a two lane road) waiting for oncoming traffic to clear (single lane road on opposite aide) so that I could turn left. A truck struck me at a high rate of speed. A witness stated to police that they do not think the driver of the truck even attempted to slow down. Clearly they were at fault.

I, fortunately, did not suffer any major injuries, but I'm still managing pain and my doctor has recommended chiropractic care or massage therapy. Is this a situation that warrants a lawyer?

I filed a first party claim for my vehicle (which was totalled), but I also had numerous items in the back of my Honda Pilot that were damaged or unable to be retrieved (due to the back of the vehicle being pushed in). Can I file a 3rd party claim for these items? Do I have any chance or being compensated for the items in the hidden compartment of the Pilot since I was unable to take a picture of them?

I was just in a minor fender bender, no one was hurt, but my rear bumper is hanging off on the drivers side and has some scrapes. I traded insurance info with the guy who rear ended me.

I have liability insurance through Geico and he has full coverage through State Farm. I'm assuming since I have liability only and I am not at fault I should reach out to his insurance company to file a third party claim for repairs, but wanted to check. This is my first accident in over a decade so I'm a bit lost on the process.

Thank you!

Hey everyone! I’m 22, graduated in May with a degree in Economics, and currently work as a mortgage loan officer at Rocket Mortgage in Phoenix.

I’ve realized pretty quickly that sales isn’t for me. I do enjoy talking to and working with people, just not spending 10 hours a day ripping phone calls. I’m much more interested in more analytical work, so I’ve been looking into transitioning into insurance underwriting. I have an interview coming up for an underwriting trainee position in the area.

My main concern is that I’ve seen some people describe underwriting as more sales-oriented than they expected. I’m hoping to find something with a better work-life balance and solid earnings potential.

I’m also planning to relocate from Arizona to North Carolina next summer to be closer to family, so I’d ideally like to build experience that will transfer well when I move.

For those working in insurance underwriting, would you recommend this transition? How analytical is the work, and how much of it involves sales? Would I be better off pursuing credit analysis or another finance role?

Appreciate any advice!

Location: Arizona

My 2024 Toyota Camry LE AWD (~53,000 miles) was affected by the recent hail storm and the car was deemed a total loss due to high cost of repairs. There are many small dents around most of the panels on my car. The car is perfectly functional and appears to be road safe, as all damage appears to be strictly cosmetic.

Geico offered a total loss settlement, and after paying off my car loan and deductible, I would end up with $15,434 if I do not retain the vehicle. If I wanted to buy an equivalent Camry, this wouldn’t be enough money and I cannot get into another car loan at this time since we plan to buy a minivan in the next few months, which may or may not require a car loan. I cannot handle 2 car loans at once.

If I owner retain the salvage title vehicle, Geico is offering me a buy back offer at $9,688.09 and Geico supposedly states that this is non-negotiable. I would end up with a salvage title Camry that I would be responsible for changing to restored salvage title at the DMV - I am confident that I can get the title changed to restored salvage without making any repairs due to the damage only being cosmetic.

I would end up pocketing just over $6k in addition to not having a car payment. I would not be able to get full comprehensive car insurance coverage on the vehicle any longer without making the costly repairs and would only be eligible for liability only coverage.

In my situation, where the damage appears to be strictly cosmetic with a perfectly functional vehicle - does it make more sense to retain the salvage title vehicle or to take the larger settlement and get a new car?

As the title but I was covered for the first one and they accepted my insurance. For the second, they tell me I am responsible because I should have checked if they are in network but do I have to check every appointment? I already did and they were in network. Like they should have informed me, correct? Anything I can do?

Edit: sorry for the confusion. The first cleaning happened in 2025 and the other 2026. They called today regarding this.

My parked 2016 Mazda6 was hit by another driver who was 100% at fault.

Their insurance's photo-based estimate was only $1,108, but a body shop physically inspected my car and quoted $4,491.

I disputed the offer, but the adjuster said in back and forth emails that's all they'll pay if I don't repair the car. Now they've sent a check even though I disagree with the amount.

Can I negotiate a higher cash settlement without repairing the car? Would cashing the check affect my right to dispute the amount? Should I escalate to the California Department of Insurance?

I’m a public school teacher and I already have short-term disability insurance through Trustmark. I’m interested in increasing my coverage and potentially adding hospital indemnity insurance.

I’ve spent hours trying to find an actual breakdown of these policies, including coverage amounts, premiums, waiting periods, and exclusions.

Trustmark told me they couldn’t provide the information and referred me to my employer’s benefits department. My benefits representative said she doesn’t know anything about Trustmark and couldn’t help.

I was then directed to Ward Services, the company that handles enrollment. They scheduled me for a phone appointment, but when I asked if they could email me policy documents beforehand, they said they had absolutely nothing in writing to send me. I pushed back on this a few times-there’s absolutely nothing they could send me in writing.

Apparently, I’m expected to listen to someone explain everything over the phone and make a financial decision on the spot.

Is this actually normal or even legal? Shouldn’t consumers have access to written policy terms before agreeing to purchase or modify insurance coverage?

Finally got renters insurance and I’m going to begin creating an inventory of my belongings.

Does anything and everything qualify? Like do I include my puzzles, decor, yarn collection and stuff?

I’m also wondering how I go about my book collection. It’s probably one of the most valuable things to me- do I take into account the first editions or no longer in print editions I own? How would I go about estimating the worth of things like this?

Any tips are welcome.

Hi, all!

It is open enrollment and I am needing your opinion on how to interpret this chart. For reference, I am currently on the Basic Plan, but I need to order contacts next year since i am almost out. I wear glasses most days, but I like to wear contacts when I want to feel "pretty". Typically, I rotate each year, buy contacts one year and glasses the next.

Currently, on the basic plan, I can get contacts OR glasses each year, covered basically up to $150 either way. I am confused by the wording in the enhanced package.

"$250 allowance per pair of materials, up to 2 pairs per calendar year"

1. Would you take this as $250 TOTAL, but including two pairs of glasses, OR

2. Would you take $250 PER as $500 TOTAL, in two transactions?

3. For the Enhanced package, since it is 2 glasses OR two contacts, could I do 1 glasses and 1 contacts?

I called the insurance and of course the rep had no idea either... It is VSP in Oregon if anyone has any ideas!

I was driving down a dark road in Pennsylvania and a car in the other lane had it's high beams on and swerved into my lane. I swerved to avoid a collision and a tree branch took off the roof of the truck. I didn't file a police report because the truck was still able to drive and I had 18 minutes left on my trip. I bought Standard SafeMove and paid the deductible. RepWest called me today and took an official statement. I paid the $250 deductible but am afraid that I will be charged for damages to the truck. Has anyone dealt with this before and what advice can you give me. Thank you. I am really worried.

I'm onboarding at a new company and looking at these options for dental coverage, and each one basically has a similarly-tiered PPO option available. I was curious which, generally speaking, is the best or most flexible or easiest in terms of coverage etc., or if they're all pretty much interchangeable. Thought asking here might get some good insights. Thanks in advance!

I apologize if this gets asked here frequently, but I have never been in a situation like this before, and I'm finding conflicting information online.

A couple of weeks ago, I got into an accident that was not my fault. The other driver was in a rental car, and only had insurance through the rental car company. There is damage to the back driver's side door of my car, but the door is still fully functional, and the car drives just fine. I drive a 2003 Camry. Although it is over 20 years old, it has been taken care of very well, including getting new brakes and a new battery just over a month ago. It also still has less than 90k miles.

I filed a claim, and sent Progressive all the things they asked for. Today, I got a call, and a person left a message saying that she needs to do a total loss evaluation because their virtual estimating team said that my car is a "potential total loss". Looking into it, it seems like they are either going to take my car, and give me like $1,000 or they will let me keep it as a "salvage" car, which is uninsurable.

Do I have other options? Is there a way to keep driving the car as is (it is purely cosmetic damage), and keep my insurance through Progressive, or am I just screwed? Has Progressive already made the decision that my car is a loss, and the in-person evaluation is just a formality? Is it actually possible that this person will come out, look at my car, and decide that it can be fixed after all? I get the feeling that they are going to come, and make sure they find enough damage to call it a loss.

I can't afford another car right now, and I can't afford to be driving around in an uninsured "salvage" car. I feel so helpless here. I called insurance in my time of need, and it seems like they are making everything worse. I know that sentiment is a tale as old as time, but I have never gone through this first-hand before. I just don't know what my options are. Can anyone help me out with some advice on where to go from here?

EDIT: My friend mentioned that I can cancel a claim. Do you think it is too late in the process for me to do that? No one from Progressive has officially seen my car in person. If I cancel the claim, I know it will stay on my "record", but as this accident was not my fault, what would be the negative side of doing this? I also read that I should cancel the claim by telling them I will pay for the damage myself. If I go that route, and I am successful in closing the claim, would I actually have to get the repairs done? If I didn't get the repairs, would my insurance rates go up the next time I renew.

Finally, there isn't much difference between my car's ACV and the online estimate, which was $1,851 coming from the insurance company and $1,000 coming from me. Would it be possible for me to go through the itemized repair list, and take off things until the repair costs are less than the car's value, then still get it fixed through insurance? Thank you again for any help you can provide. this is all a little overwhelming to me.

Curious how property adjusters at State farm handle preferred vendor mitigation billing disputes behind the scenes (Illinois).

After a passive smoke loss from our building, a national franchise preferred vendor (PSP) Service master submitted Xactimate estimates in the mid-five figures for structure and contents cleaning seperately of our condo.

They submitted this directly to the adjuster after doing shoddy work without ever reviewing the scope or estimate with us beforehand. This wasn't even an emergency-we stayed in the unit and came back once the smoke cleared from the building. We did sign their tablet form in good faith earlier before knowing much about the process, and have learned a lot the hard way since.

Because our unsalvageable items already max out our remaining personal property limit, every dollar paid to the vendor for contents cleaning comes straight out of our replacement payout. On top of that, the vendor has been shady-even billing for wiping down the outside of pantry food containers.

Reviewing the PDFs for the dwelling and personal property estimates, I caught several clear, verifiable errors: billing for more HVAC units and fixtures than physically exist in the condo, deodorization volume billed at several times the actual room dimensions, and thousands of dollars in "box-equivalent" cleaning for unboxed personal items that failed mitigation and are already on the total-loss list.

My adjuster has been great on everything else, but hasn't looked closely at the vendor's math and initially sided with them. Last week, I emailed a polite, line-by-line breakdown flagging these discrepancies, requesting the tablet sign-off logs, and asking to hold the disputed vendor funds.

Since then, radio silence. No vendor checks have been issued on the portal, and the contents estimate/payment worksheet was only emailed to me as a PDF rather than uploaded to the official portal.

1. Do adjusters push back on preferred program vendors directly, or does this get kicked to a Team Manager / vendor coordinator?

2.Why email a contents worksheet as a PDF instead of posting it to the official claim portal?

1. How long can a formal written dispute sit before it flags on an internal diary/aging report?

Dealing with this preferred vendor has been the only real headache of the entire claim—definitely wishing I had hired my own contractor, but learning as a first-timer!

Saturday night my car was dragged by the side/corner of a turning semi-truck. I’m pretty sure there’s no way I’m at fault here, since I was going 2mph, all the way in the left lane and the truck driver was turning right. I just think he thought he could fit in the roundabout but he couldn’t. My car is, predictably, destroyed. I flagged down a cop, they took both of our information and said the report would be ready in five days. Apparently my insurance didn’t have collision coverage, which I feel incredibly stupid as a driver of over 20 years I just assumed was what basic insurance was for. I took a photo of his plate and the back of the truck for whatever number might be listed there, but he left before I could get a picture of the cab of the truck so hopefully that info is on the police report. I live in a large city so there is likely camera footage of the accident. I also had a passenger with me who can corroborate details.

A friend told me a lawyer is the best course of action here. I was so scared and I think I really messed up by not getting the photo of the cab and driver, but he was a huge guy and honestly I was afraid of him. I am still so overwhelmed I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do once I get the police report. I don’t have a ton of money and as I understand it a lot of personal injury lawyers are not necessarily the most trustworthy…can anyone advise me on how to find a solid one, beyond just google or an ad on the side of a bus? What are my next steps once I go collect the police report? My car is currently in the shop thanks to the tow truck company who is kindly holding it for free.

Thanks in advance. I’m sorry I clearly made a few mistakes in the aftermath of the accident but I’m a human being so please be kind to me, I have had a really hard year and being hit by a semi really ices this shitty cake for me.

ETA: US exceptionalism had me forgetting to add—I am in Northeast United States. Thank you to everyone who explained that neither my insurance nor a lawyer are going to be of help. Writing it out, it all seems pretty obvious, but when you’re overwhelmed, having this clear and helpful advice is validating and reassuring. So thank you all again, this has been exceptionally valuable help.

Hey, I have not been to a dentist in years. I live in Texas on a HMO plan and had sticker shock when I got a quote for a dental cleaning for $600. I know I haven't been in years so maybe I do need it but was surprised it was so much. I'm not very well versed in insurance and was hoping for a second look at the charges.

Quote pic

Wondering if anyone has had a similar issue in the past.

A member in my policy was involved in a no-fault accident when their vehicle was hit while parked. Through a long issue where the other driver tried to claim we had fault, we resolved the issue over a couple weeks and were found not-at-fault. When it was time to renew our policy premium sky-rocketed over 50%.

When we called up to speak to the representative(s) and supervisor(s), they kept quoting regular city and state increases. Come to find out our current policy had jumped over 50% from ~2000 to ~3200. The increase to the new policy was from the adjusted ~3200 to ~3400. We were never notified about this increase and still have not received any visibility into where this increase has come from. All in all from our previous premium (~2000) to our current policy (~3400) we are seeing a 60-70% increase with no visibility into anything.

Geico has not been helpful at all (honestly a fucking nightmare). We continuously reach out both through email and phone to no avail and get no response. Wondering if a state consumer complaint would be helpful to get a detailed explanation of these increases and to push them to fix it if any errors in the underwriting that could potentially affect the sharp increase.

Note: Yes we have shopped around for other insurers but it seems like they are giving similar rates to our insurers but they state this is due to an accident being reported to as at fault. So we believe Geico has misreported this to other insurers and has been underwriting it as an at fault accident (although they claim they aren't). Doesn't make sense that Allstate or Progressive are quoting me at a similar rate to what Geico is yet accounting for an at fault accident while Geico claims they aren't accounting for the accident but are quoting me at what other insurers are quoting me.

I’m not looking for judgement I know what I did. I need help finding non owner SR22 insurance after a dui. I need it to even reinstate my license and I cannot find what I’m looking for. Pls help

I’m trying to decide if I should opt into vision insurance coverage through my company for next year. It would cost me about $350 for coverage of one eye exam and pair of glasses or contacts annually. Here’s what I’m trying to decide– I’ve never worn glasses or contacts, but I haven’t had an eye exam in about 5 years. I’m 24F for context. I’ve noticed my far away vision very gradually getting a little worse…nothing crazy just feels like it would be worth checking out.

So I’m trying to figure out if I should A) opt into vision coverage and just wait until next year for an eye exam or B) go to a retailer like Warby Parker now for a $100-200 eye exam, see if they say I need glasses/contacts, then decide based on that if vision coverage for next year would be worth it? If I went the Warby Parker route and they say I need glasses/contacts, I would probably opt into vision coverage for 2027 and wait to get glasses until then. Does this make sense? I have until Nov 6 to decide my coverage for next year and WP has plenty of available appts before then

TL/DR: is a Warby Parker eye exam worth it if I don‘t have vision insurance coverage? And it is useful to help me decide if I should get vision insurance?

Commonhealth covers many OTC items including pen needles. I have Medicare also and the pharmacy is claiming that pen needles are only covered for insulin, which the MassHealth website contradicts. How can I get this covered? What does the pharmacy need to do to get this to go through ?

So about 2 months ago, I got into a fender bender at a mall parking lot in IL. My car was parked and the other driver hit my car trying to park, admitted being at fault, took her insurance info, got a police report, filed a claim. It has been 2 months and no progress, her insurance (Progressive) said they were conducting coverage investigation, other party not cooperating with them. Last time I spoke to the adjuster was a month ago, I have been calling her every week, couple times a week and goes straight into voicemail, probably blocked me. What can I do now? I got a quote from Cadillac for the damages and just waiting now. Can’t get ahold of her supervisor as well.

Hi, I was involved in a minor rear-end accident on October 6th, and I’m now dealing with a situation that has me extremely frustrated.
I was at fault for the accident, and I’m not disputing that whatsoever. However, the other driver is now claiming that an additional person was in her vehicle who I am 100% certain was not there.
Immediately after the accident, I spoke with the driver and specifically asked if everyone was okay. She told me, “Yes, my baby is in the car.” I saw who was present at the scene, and there was no additional woman in the vehicle.
Here’s where things get suspicious to me:
When the other driver initially filed the insurance claim with GEICO, she reported that there were only two occupants in the vehicle: herself and her baby. GEICO confirmed this information to me. There was absolutely no mention of a third person being present when the accident was originally reported.
Now, several weeks later, the other driver has retained a personal injury attorney, and suddenly a third person is being added to the claim as an alleged passenger who was injured in the accident.
This person was never mentioned at the scene, never identified in the initial insurance claim, and only appeared in the claim after the other driver obtained legal representation.
GEICO has confirmed that they’re investigating whether this additional person was actually in the vehicle. However, I was also told that if she has medical documentation claiming injuries from the accident, there’s a possibility they could pay her claim.
Unfortunately, the police weren’t called to the scene. I have photographs of the vehicle damage, but I don’t have photographic proof of who was inside the other vehicle. My dashcam footage from that day has also been overwritten.
I’m extremely frustrated because I have absolutely no problem accepting responsibility for an accident I caused. However, I have a serious problem with the possibility of someone receiving compensation for an accident they weren’t even involved in.
My questions are:
Has anyone dealt with someone claiming to be a passenger when they weren’t actually in the vehicle?
How do insurance companies investigate disputed passengers when there isn’t a police report or video footage?
How significant is it that the driver initially reported only herself and her baby, but a third person was added after retaining an attorney?
Can GEICO deny this additional person’s bodily injury claim if there’s no independent evidence proving she was in the vehicle, even if she has medical records?
Has anyone experienced something similar, and what was the outcome?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from insurance adjusters, SIU investigators, or anyone who has dealt with a similar situation.
I’m not disputing fault for the accident. I’m disputing the existence of an additional passenger who was never reported until after an attorney became involved.