I got into a very minor fender bender in the parking lot of Wendy's in November of 2009. I was looking down while pulling away from the order window and bumped the lady in front of me. Her car (not downplaying the damage whatsoever) had two or three scuff marks the size of a dime on her already imperfect bumper (Jeep Cherokee) while my Ford Taurus suffered a broken headlight. There were no dents nor deep gashes to her vehicle at all.
I asked her to settle w/ out the insurance company but she insisted on reporting so we exchanged information. The police officer came and wrote a report. Emphatically he scoffed at the damage to the Jeep.
A few weeks later I was wondering if the claim had ever been filed against me so innocently I called Geico to inquire...BIG MISTAKE. Turns out the lady never filed a claim but Geico still needed the information just for 'record' purposes. Reluctantly I gave them the information. Well, Geico lied and used the information against me. I now realize all accidents are supposed to be reported no matter how minor?! I had since left Geico since they wanted to jack up my rate upon renewal, that's when I knew they used the voluntary information I gave them.
I heard nothing of this incident until a week ago when my insurance company stated my rate was going up because I had an accident in 2009. I was shocked adding to the fact that there was a claim paid out to the lady without my knowledge. She sent me the CLUE report and sure enough it says Geico paid out $1173! For what??? A few scuff marks?
My questions are:
- How could Geico pay out that much money on scuff marks? There was a police report that details the minor damage. Didn't a claims adjuster survey the vehicle?
- Why wasn't I notified of the payment made to the other party?
- Can this be disputed?
TIA for you help. I'm baffled...
I asked her to settle w/ out the insurance company but she insisted on reporting so we exchanged information. The police officer came and wrote a report. Emphatically he scoffed at the damage to the Jeep.
A few weeks later I was wondering if the claim had ever been filed against me so innocently I called Geico to inquire...BIG MISTAKE. Turns out the lady never filed a claim but Geico still needed the information just for 'record' purposes. Reluctantly I gave them the information. Well, Geico lied and used the information against me. I now realize all accidents are supposed to be reported no matter how minor?! I had since left Geico since they wanted to jack up my rate upon renewal, that's when I knew they used the voluntary information I gave them.
I heard nothing of this incident until a week ago when my insurance company stated my rate was going up because I had an accident in 2009. I was shocked adding to the fact that there was a claim paid out to the lady without my knowledge. She sent me the CLUE report and sure enough it says Geico paid out $1173! For what??? A few scuff marks?
My questions are:
- How could Geico pay out that much money on scuff marks? There was a police report that details the minor damage. Didn't a claims adjuster survey the vehicle?
- Why wasn't I notified of the payment made to the other party?
- Can this be disputed?
TIA for you help. I'm baffled...