Disadvantages to filing claim on insurance?

[Klayfish]

Most policies would be written that way in that you don't get their benefits if you don't tell them about an accident. What Klayfish and I are saying in practice there are a decent chunk of accidents that go unreported to one's insurance company when they are seeking coverage from Company B (other party involved) and it becomes a no harm/no foul situation. If you don't want coverage from your own insurance company and instead seek to have the other company cover your damages then the clause of your own insurance company not providing coverage to you doesn't matter to you in that situation.

Right. That language in your policy that denies coverage for not reporting a claim is really designed to protect the insurance company in an extreme situation. Like I said, imagine (and it does happen), someone runs a red light and slams into another car, causing a very serious accident. The red light runner doesn't have collision on their car and doesn't want their insurance to find out about it. They refuse to turn the claim in, and for various reasons I won't get into, nobody else does. Six months pass and the red light runner is sued. He/she then turns the claim into insurance. By that time, much evidence is lost and the insurance company may not be able to investigate properly. That's where the denial could come in. But in a "normal" situation, it's different. Say you get tapped in the back while sitting at a traffic light. Your car is damaged, but drivable. You try to go through the other insurance. If you go to your carrier 2 months later because there is a problem with the other carrier, while it's not an ideal situation, it's "no harm, no foul" and you likely won't have an issue.

 

[okeydokey]

Another question, if the insured that hit us has a rental car benefit on his policy, does that mean that we can get a rental car while waiting for our car to be fixed?

 

[mom2rtk]

Another question, if the insured that hit us has a rental car benefit on his policy, does that mean that we can get a rental car while waiting for our car to be fixed?

You should be compensated for loss of use on your own car. I can't imagine it matters whether the other driver had rental car benefits or not.

 

[Klayfish]

Another question, if the insured that hit us has a rental car benefit on his policy, does that mean that we can get a rental car while waiting for our car to be fixed?

Yes, but not for that reason. Having rental car benefit on your policy only applies to YOU, not someone you hit. Coverage for a person you cause damage to is paid out of your liability coverage, including the rental car. So yes, you should get a rental car, but out of their liability coverage, not their rental.