I answer your auto insurance questions?

[Premium Parrots]

I've always carried auto insurance that covers the occasional driver. That costs me more. I'm not going to pay even more yet by telling them a certain occasional driver might be useing it.


I'm aware that insurance is a huge industry and that they have everything researched and calculated to the extreme max......to save them money. This is just one of those gray areas where the knowledgable consumer can save.

I realize that you are giving the insurance companys point of view. Thats cool.

[Thunder_Snus]

I've always carried auto insurance that covers the occasional driver. That costs me more. I'm not going to pay even more yet by telling them a certain occasional driver might be useing it.


I'm aware that insurance is a huge industry and that they have everything researched and calculated to the extreme max......to save them money. This is just one of those gray areas where the knowledgable consumer can save.

I realize that you are giving the insurance companys point of view. Thats cool.

So is it listed some where in your policy that people that drive it more than on rare occasion are covered or do they need to be named? I'm a bit confused. Yes you always have permissive use of your vehicle but most insurance will say when permissive use turns into using it frequently they SHOULD be named. It certainly doesnt mean they always are though. Now with most companies all member of a household sometimes only related members in a household that can drive need to be named. And from that you get into the world of excluded drivers and thats when shit gets interesting.

[Premium Parrots]

So is it listed some where in your policy that people that drive it more than on rare occasion are covered or do they need to be named? I'm a bit confused. Yes you always have permissive use of your vehicle but most insurance will say when permissive use turns into using it frequently they SHOULD be named. It certainly doesnt mean they always are though. Now with most companies all member of a household sometimes only related members in a household that can drive need to be named. And from that you get into the world of excluded drivers and thats when shit gets interesting.

There is no law that demands that when your child gets his drivers license that you have to tell your insurance co. The auto is owned and registered to the parents. Anyone else is an occasional driver. Its the insurance cos that wish that you tell them. I can understand what you are getting at and the standpoint you have to come from. But the fact remains the same. Don't tell em unless you actually want to pay more.

[Thunder_Snus]

There is no law that demands that when your child gets his drivers license that you have to tell your insurance co. The auto is owned and registered to the parents. Anyone else is an occasional driver. Its the insurance cos that wish that you tell them. I can understand what you are getting at and the standpoint you have to come from. But the fact remains the same. Don't tell em unless you actually want to pay more.

Totally true. Noone is responsible for telling their insurance about their children. However most insurers run reports that will list your children if they have their license and will ask you about them. You could lie and say they dont live with you and then you're looking at insurance fraud. So yes if you have a policy in force and you dont have your reports rerun at renewal you're fine. I'm just trying to say what insurance would LIKE to know, and your saying the reality. Some policies have reports rerun at renewal. Most likely yours wont be. However if you switch companies AFTER your children have been licensed they will more than likely be rated on those vehicles because they will come up in reports.

I was just asking if maybe your policy charged you more for the potential of more drivers using the car rather than the permissive use rule. Of course like i said other people are allowed to drive your car but when its more than on rare occasion that they want to know about it. I was just wondering if they perhaps charged you additionally so that undiscolsed drivers are always accounted for rather than having to inform them that you gave someone permissive use to use a vehicle when they got in an accident.

[Bigblue1]

I'm going with the insurance insider on this one. I'm sorry but this isn't the 80's when PP had his experience with his kids. You buy insurance for piece of mind as much as getting your stuff fixed or replaced. Trying to fool the insurance companies is not going to bring much in my opinion.

[Premium Parrots]

Totally true. Noone is responsible for telling their insurance about their children. However most insurers run reports that will list your children if they have their license and will ask you about them. You could lie and say they dont live with you and then you're looking at insurance fraud. So yes if you have a policy in force and you dont have your reports rerun at renewal you're fine. I'm just trying to say what insurance would LIKE to know, and your saying the reality. Some policies have reports rerun at renewal. Most likely yours wont be. However if you switch companies AFTER your children have been licensed they will more than likely be rated on those vehicles because they will come up in reports.

I was just asking if maybe your policy charged you more for the potential of more drivers using the car rather than the permissive use rule. Of course like i said other people are allowed to drive your car but when its more than on rare occasion that they want to know about it. I was just wondering if they perhaps charged you additionally so that undiscolsed drivers are always accounted for rather than having to inform them that you gave someone permissive use to use a vehicle when they got in an accident.

Nope, no seperate charge but we all pay for this senerio in our premiums. I thought just like most people do [and the insurance cos want you to believe] that when your kid starts driving you are required to let them know. But when I called my agent she said it wasn't required to notify the company itself and highly recommended to just keep it as it is. She had 3 sons driving at the time and shes been telling her customers that for years. All 3 of my kids had their accidents and of course my rates went up a tad. That I can understand. But if you tell them when the kid gets his license they will charge you more before the fact/accident.....then raise your rate again after the accident.

If the insurance co wants to run a report than so be it....it still doesn't change the fact that maybe littlePP may only drive it once in a while. How would they know if he drove it to school everyday or once a week, especially if they don't ask.

If the insurance co wants to know whos driving in this household they can find out. Fooling them would be them finding out you have kids that have a license, they confront you on the issue and then you lie to them that although littlepp has his license he doesn't drive your cars. Thats wrong.....unless he really doesn't drive your cars.

remember gray area. We all pay for this occasional driver anyway. Why pay more just because they get a license, then when they do have an accident they raise your rates again.

not much more to say. you work for the insurance co and of course they have their way of thinking [this issue is not stated in any law] so I can't blame you for supporting the insurance co. But I'm a consumer, if insurance cos don't ask and occasional drivers are covered then wth.

no need to beat this dead horse anymore. Both sides have been stated and its not law. I will continue to let my friends know that its not mandatory to call their agent the day their kid starts to drive. Surely when you kids buys his own car and buys his own tags hes goiing to have to pay big time anyway.

[Thunder_Snus]

PP I've been completely agreeing with you. You just like 99% of people dont want their children on their policy. And unless your going with some budget state min only company the insurance company wants those drivers with licenses accounted for even if they are not driving the car. Like you said your kids got in an accident and your rates went up. The reason your agent(s) didnt include your children is simple, they didnt want to raise your rates. On one side you have consumers who dont want their rates to go up and on the other you have an insurance company that wants to make sure the risk of the vehicle is equated properly. If they told you your rates will raise by adding your children would you have shopped around at other companies? Of course which is why the agent didnt include them, they want to keep you as a customer. Something to think about is the agent kind of works against the insurance company just as much as the consumer does. They get commission every renewal, not how much the customer is paying because they are paying for the risk they transfer to the company.

I'm by no means telling everyone to call up their insurance and inform them of other people driving the car, I'm just saying the insurance wants to add the extra risk that person adds by being a young driver. Hell theres situations where you inform your insurance about a new driver and your rates go DOWN. As you can guess that wont happen when adding children though.

PP i feel like you think we're in some kind of an arguement. You did nothing wrong for insuring your children you called and told them and they didnt do anything because they want your rates to stay same, and you seem like the kind of guy who would have a personal relationship with your agent and he didnt want to lose your business or friendship. I'm not arguing anything you've said, you've been completely right with everything you've said, as have I. We're on the same side and agreeing on the same things. It is bullshit that littleP is adding more premium even though he doesnt drive, unfortunately insurance companies arent going to pay to watch who drives your car and how often so a blind stab is made as to what should be charged. And what your agent did for you is what most agents will do for their customers when adding children. It's not by the book and its not being charged the correct risk, but like I said, agents are working against insurance companies just as much as consumers will. I just want to be clear that I never meant to imply I was arguing with you or that you were wrong. Hell PP if i was an agent and was selling you insurance i'd be dam sure to get you the lowest rate possible because ive got a freezer full of things I can't begin to thank you enough for.

[Premium Parrots]

its kind of the same thing as health insurance. If you don't smoke and you buy a health policy then a month later one of your friends gives you a ciggy and you really like it so you start smoking. Do you run and tell your health insurance co that you are now a smoker so they can charge you 40% more on your premium? If, at a later date they ask you if you smoke you have to tell the truth because you better not lie on the application. Besides they will test you. I'm not telling anyone to be dishonest. But sometimes its best not to volunteer info when you aren't asked or required to provide that info. grey area again

or when you apply for homeowners insurance....do they ask if you have a panther or a 20 foot anaconda? No. But if you tell them you do your rates will certainly go up or they will probably cancel your policy.

[Premium Parrots]

PP I've been completely agreeing with you. You just like 99% of people dont want their children on their policy. And unless your going with some budget state min only company the insurance company wants those drivers with licenses accounted for even if they are not driving the car. Like you said your kids got in an accident and your rates went up. The reason your agent(s) didnt include your children is simple, they didnt want to raise your rates. On one side you have consumers who dont want their rates to go up and on the other you have an insurance company that wants to make sure the risk of the vehicle is equated properly. If they told you your rates will raise by adding your children would you have shopped around at other companies? Of course which is why the agent didnt include them, they want to keep you as a customer. Something to think about is the agent kind of works against the insurance company just as much as the consumer does. They get commission every renewal, not how much the customer is paying because they are paying for the risk they transfer to the company.

I'm by no means telling everyone to call up their insurance and inform them of other people driving the car, I'm just saying the insurance wants to add the extra risk that person adds by being a young driver. Hell theres situations where you inform your insurance about a new driver and your rates go DOWN. As you can guess that wont happen when adding children though.

PP i feel like you think we're in some kind of an arguement. You did nothing wrong for insuring your children you called and told them and they didnt do anything because they want your rates to stay same, and you seem like the kind of guy who would have a personal relationship with your agent and he didnt want to lose your business or friendship. I'm not arguing anything you've said, you've been completely right with everything you've said, as have I. We're on the same side and agreeing on the same things. It is bullshit that littleP is adding more premium even though he doesnt drive, unfortunately insurance companies arent going to pay to watch who drives your car and how often so a blind stab is made as to what should be charged. And what your agent did for you is what most agents will do for their customers when adding children. It's not by the book and its not being charged the correct risk, but like I said, agents are working against insurance companies just as much as consumers will. I just want to be clear that I never meant to imply I was arguing with you or that you were wrong. Hell PP if i was an agent and was selling you insurance i'd be dam sure to get you the lowest rate possible because ive got a freezer full of things I can't begin to thank you enough for.

Nah this isn't an arguement at all whatsoever. And I agree with you about the agents especially. The issue is that its the grey area that makes sense both ways you look at it. And theres no law requireing disclosure to the insurance co.

[Thunder_Snus]

its kind of the same thing as health insurance. If you don't smoke and you buy a health policy then a month later one of your friends gives you a ciggy and you really like it so you start smoking. Do you run and tell your health insurance co that you are now a smoker so they can charge you 40% more on your premium? If, at a later date they ask you if you smoke you have to tell the truth because you better not lie on the application. Besides they will test you. I'm not telling anyone to be dishonest. But sometimes its best not to volunteer info when you aren't asked or required to provide that info. grey area again

or when you apply for homeowners insurance....do they ask if you have a panther or a 20 foot anaconda? No. But if you tell them you do your rates will certainly go up or they will probably cancel your policy.

Lol i dont know when you bought your homeowners but they still certainly ask about any pets now. And yes there will be a huge difference between having a cat and having a panther. The thing to realize about insurance is they have MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of terabytes of statistical information, they will find that an 18 year old boy with good grades is a lower risk than a 20 year old D student. They will see a woman that is married or with a child is a lower risk than someone with neither. You might not agree and I might not agree....but thats what the statistics tell you. If there was statistics showing people with a certain color of hair were a higher risk then you'd better be dam sure your insurance will make note of what color hair you have....asumming insurance laws and regulations in the state permit........Let's make this fun.....anyone want to guess which state has the highest/lowest rates without googling it? Unless you have lived there or look up the answer its really not what you would expect.

[Thunder_Snus]

double post.

[Premium Parrots]

yea the insurance cos have more research and data than you could ever believe. I had my homeowners insurance thru one company for years. Then a few years back they canceled my policy because I had parrots even though I had very secure cages with key locks. I had to find another company and hope to hell the parrots were quiet while the fellow was here to look around. Luckily, it was his last stop of the day and he didn't give a shit and just wanted to go home. I got that policy with no problems. But still.............


Yea my buddy had a black panther in his house for a few years....untill it ate up all his new kitchen cabnets and such. Nice cat but it like to play really rough. There was still no way anyone would break into his house. He also has bears, tigers, camels, monkeys, parrots, etc but those were all in his facilities built especially for them [by me].

Lol i dont know when you bought your homeowners but they still certainly ask about any pets now. And yes there will be a huge difference between having a cat and having a panther. The thing to realize about insurance is they have MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of terabytes of statistical information, they will find that an 18 year old boy with good grades is a lower risk than a 20 year old D student. They will see a woman that is married or with a child is a lower risk than someone with neither. You might not agree and I might not agree....but thats what the statistics tell you. If there was statistics showing people with a certain color of hair were a higher risk then you'd better be dam sure your insurance will make note of what color hair you have....asumming insurance laws and regulations in the state permit........Let's make this fun.....anyone want to guess which state has the highest/lowest rates without googling it? Unless you have lived there or look up the answer its really not what you would expect.

[Crow]

Time to break the tension with..... more insurance advertisements:

[Thunder_Snus]

yea the insurance cos have more research and data than you could ever believe. I had my homeowners insurance thru one company for years. Then a few years back they canceled my policy because I had parrots even though I had very secure cages with key locks. I had to find another company and hope to hell the parrots were quiet while the fellow was here to look around. Luckily, it was his last stop of the day and he didn't give a shit and just wanted to go home. I got that policy with no problems. But still.............


Yea my buddy had a black panther in his house for a few years....untill it ate up all his new kitchen cabnets and such. Nice cat but it like to play really rough. There was still no way anyone would break into his house. He also has bears, tigers, camels, monkeys, parrots, etc but those were all in his facilities built especially for them [by me].

Are you serious? If i buy you and your friend some fleshlights can i come see his house?

[texastorm]

I am not sure which state is the cheapest, but from my experience I moved from Texas to Arizona, and AZ was a third... yes I said a third of the price in TX for the same coverage.... yeah twenty years ago though. Back then I went from 300 a year down to 100, I remember how happy I was about it.