Is this true about telephone inquiry and insurance company claims -

Told if one calls their insurance company and asks if a particular damage is covered, and my case as it wasn't, that the inquiry initiates a claim recorded with a payout of $0.00

And that it shows up on all the shared records.

I thought I was claim free, but because I inquired if my stolen bicycle was covered last summer (value was under deductible) I lost a claim free discount for a few years. The discount simply didn't appear on the renewal, and when I called to inquire about it they explained this to me.

Can they do that? I never filled out any papers for it with the insurance company, only spoke with them on the phone.

Each insurance company has their own rules on this...what did your company say when you called them to ask about it?

evbe said: They said TS, you're not claim free any more with us or anyone else!Looks like it's time to find a new insurance company. If they won't lower your premium to where it was with the claim-free discount, start shopping around.

It called a "ROC", known as either "Report Only Claim" or "Record Only Claim".

I am sure each company handles these differently.

When my bike was stolen I replaced it under my insurance, this was renters insurance thought. They said they would not pay me for the value of the old bike, but rather what ever I bought to replace it with. So I bought a much better bike than I had before, and one that was way over my deductible. Since they have dinged you call and ask if they cover the replacement cost.

Sage

I inquired if my stolen bicycle was covered last summer (value was under deductible)

I think your answer is here. If you had enquired about bicycle was covered, you'd have been off the hook. Also, when you called, did they ask you the details, like when was stolen, where it was stolen from etc?

yes, this is a terrible terrible practice but its very common.

Merely ASKING about whether something is covered can result in a claim. And many insurers and agents REFUSE to speak to you about coverage unless thay have your name and policy # pulled up.

The worst of these is when you call to ask if say, a water leak is covered. Theyll tell you no, and if your roof is damaged later they will use that call to try to deny coverage or allege faulty maintenance.

Thats why insurance (especially Homeowners) should only be used for LARGE claims. Pick a higher deductible and collect your savings that way to fund smaller losses.

Incredibly sleazy but not surprising, after all, we're talking insurance here

Insurance companies arae looking for any lousy excuse to increase the rate.

Call them BACK!!! Say silly me I found the bike in the garage or Timmy my neighbor borrowed it and never had the chace to return it. Get that off the record, if they won't budge talk to codename47 I am sure he has a method or suggestion to bring the matter to court.

Is the raging clue report?

Still another corporate rip off.

ipeachyd81 said: I worked for a major insurance company for 9 years. If you call the agents office, he/she generally will give you an basic answer without putting a claim in- these days, many people dont have a "friendly local agent" they work with, so anyone they call is not personally familiar with them.

Thus, agents are very reluctant to offer ANY help since they dont know the customer, are scared or being involved in litigation, and most often tell customers to call the 1800 claims #

If you submit a claim for water damage be prepared to be treated like you have the plague, seriously. I sold a house and moved to a different state and called up to get renter's insurance. First I called State Farm, and after spending about 10 minutes collecting data, she asked me if I had any claims in the past 5 years, to which I replied I had a water damage claim a year earlier. I swear she went deathly quiet, and told me SF wouldn't insure me for 5 years. I felt really dirty. I called a few other companies with similar results. This seems beyond crazy, being blackballed for something beyond my control that happened in a different dwelling/ different state. Seems like the insurance industry's slap on the wrist for having the gull to actually use what I pay for.

taxmantoo said: Dispute the information with ChoiceTrust as a provider of "consumer reports", and sue them when they don't investigate properly.This is bad advice, since the bike was stolen. The OP has already told Amica that it was stolen.

Part of the reason insurers will raise your rates for a theft that doesn't result in a claim is that they now know that you live/work in an area susceptible to theft. There is a higher risk that you will be a victim of theft in the future. And the insurer may have to pay for that one.

dandan123 said:
Is there anyway I can dispute this with CLUE and have it removed ?

For starters, get your report and see how it is worded. If you don't think it is accurate, dispute it. If the disputed information is verified, ask for them to disclose the procedures used to verify. But if there is a police report attributing 51% of the fault to you, there might not be anything you can do about it.

You're not alone. Here's one persons sad fate. Their ability to sell their house was affected by a water claim

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourHome/InsurersKeepASecretHistoryOfYourHome.aspx
Text


What you might not know is that making a claim could make selling your home more difficult down the road. What's more, you could find your home's value damaged or a sale jeopardized even if a previous owner, and not you, made a claim.

taxmantoo said: DamnoIT said: Call them BACK!!! Say silly me I found the bike in the garage or Timmy my neighbor borrowed it and never had the chace to return it. Get that off the record, if they won't budge talk to codename47 I am sure he has a method or suggestion to bring the matter to court.

FCRA. Dispute the information with ChoiceTrust as a provider of "consumer reports", and sue them when they don't investigate properly. But first, look up some case law and make sure that somebody has already successfully proven ChoiceTrust to be a credit bureau. It shouldn't be hard, as CT is publically admitting that FACTA applies to them and they are required to give free annual reports.

Went to pull my CLUE report today after seeing the link and here is the small print which displays when I go through the process:

"ChoiceTrust is not a consumer reporting agency as such term defined in the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq. ("FCRA"). ChoiceTrust reports do not constitute consumer reports as such term is defined in the FCRA, and accordingly these reports may not be used to determine eligibility for credit, employment, insurance underwriting, tenant screening or for any other purpose provided for in the FCRA"

Not sure that the disclaimer actually absolves them of responsibility as a provider of consumer reports, but my bigger question is: if the report cannot be used for insurance underwriting decisions, then what good is it? Are the insurance companies getting their CLUE reports from another company?