Insurance: How Many Claims (Including Not at Fault) Did You Make?

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  airzone on 07/02/2018 - 18:24

  +7

  You're free to select an insurer that doesn't ask that question. That may or may not result in a cheaper quote.

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  John Kimble on 07/02/2018 - 18:50

  Some only ask number of at fault claims.

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  87percent on 07/02/2018 - 19:21

  Out of curiosity, was the repairer AAMI appointed Capital Repair?

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  snellori on 07/02/2018 - 19:26

  Had a spate of bad luck and had 3 not at fault claims 3 years ago
  Toyota insurance only asked number of at fault claims
  They're pretty reasonable too

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  RockyRaccoon on 07/02/2018 - 19:44

  +6

  You called Youi?

  Relinquish your ozbargain membership now!!!!

  AND your user name….. 😀

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  Drew Peaballs on 07/02/2018 - 19:48

  You don't 'have' to say that there was an at fault/not at fault driver history if you choose not to, it could affect the outcome of a claim should your mother have to. Not at fault claims should not affect the premium, it's the at fault claims that will, because you're deemed to be a more 'at risk' driver. Also justifies the extra excess some people have to pay due to license loss/suspension.

  AAMI I know use capital smart which I believe are not the best as their turn around I feel is way too quick(around 3-4 days depending on the damage), but saying this they do give the "we guarantee the repairs for life" and you have to take them up on their word. Escalate the issue.

  I tend to stay away from Coles/Woolworths insurance because you don't go to AAMI/RACV/RACQ etc to buy groceries, so I don't believe it's their forte. Same with Budget insurance, because it is Budget. Again they guarantee their repairs for life.

  Youi is another insurer I would steer clear from as they advertise "Jenny takes the train to work so she doesn't use her car much" which means Jenny doesn't drive much and keeps her average KM's driven down, but once she clocks 1 KM over the "how many KM's a year do you drive?" question, Youi will disregard any claim.

  Look at Suncorp (who is the umbrella for AAMI) for insurance. You may pay a bit more but it's peace of mind at the end of the day. Shop around I say.

  Key note - Read the PDS'. It's boring but it will also help you come claim time.

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    [Deactivated] on 07/02/2018 - 23:07

    Youi's 'how many KMs a year do you drive' minimum is still heaps, and even if you drive almost nothing, they're still outrageously expensive. I've had 2 quotes from them over the years and they were more than double the nearest. Despite the fact that I do < 1500km a year…

    Basically their marketing is just that, they're looking to target a market that thinks they will save by choosing someone that supposedly discounts infrequent drivers, but they save nothing.

    Other insurers 'loyalty' discounts are also hilarious. I've had several that were like "it's nomtall $500 but you save $100 in loyalty bonus = $400 to renew". But I sign up with them again using the new customer form and get a $300 price. So…. basically they're advertising a $100 loyalty 'surcharge' as if they were offering a $100 discount…. Crooks.

    But yeah, different insurers ask different questions, if you find one that asks a question you don't like, find another. Or you know, just answer it and compare the prices independent of that.

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  bobbified on 07/02/2018 - 20:44

  +4

  Is 'bad luck' part of the insurance algorithm?

  In my opinion, having an above average number of not-at-fault claims says to me that a driver may be able to generally drive to the rules, but isn't necessarily a good driver overall.

  There are a lot of accidents that are caused by other drivers in which the not-at-fault driver could have helped to avoid if they were paying more attention or more aware of their surroundings just before the collision occurred. I say this as a motorcycle rider having avoided a large number of accidents (which wouldn't have been through any technical fault of my own) just because I was paying that extra attention and not just riding around with the "it's my right of way!!" attitude.

  Having said that, I suspect the insurer is asking to include the number of not-at-fault claims because there is an administrative cost to each claim or they factor in a % of claims that don't end up being recoverable from the at-fault driver - the costs of which would come out of their bottom line.