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Whats is up with insurance companies? Rant ....
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| SkyHigh |
So a few years back i got into some ticket trouble ,speeding mainly .Which resulted in 2k fines.I paid all or so i thought ,i guess somewhere along the line i missed a 200 dollar ticket or interest from a ticket not sure..
So fast forward 3 years to dec 2011. i get a letter in the mail saying my license been suspended due to non payment ..Ok so i go and pay it right away plus 150 fee.Takes 3 days for system to update..Fine..
Fast forward to now..My insurance company tells me they won't insure me anymore 'cause im high risk.. I call other companies same thing..
Im a high risk what? Deadbeat? I didnt know i owed anything.When i was renewing my license i asked if i owed anything ..they said no.
They won't renew my license if i owe 10cent on 407 bill ..But they dont know i owe 100 bucks from 3 years ago?
And can't insurance companies tell the difference between suspension of license reasons?
Sometimes i think i would be better of taking my chances driving without insurance.. |
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| ChemEnhanced |
The suspension is the least of your concerns. Its the $2,000.00 in fines that concerns the insurance company the most. When you renew with your insurance company they don't always do an updated background check. You got unlucky in that your licence got suspended and that most likely triggered them to do a background check...which resulted in them considering you a high risk driver. If you want insurance you will have to go through a high risk insurer.....and if you pay less than $5,000.00 a year I would be shocked.
Don't take the chance of driving without insurance...just one at fault accident with no insurance could bankrupt you for life. |
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| SkyHigh |
Yea but all the other companies i called said they wont take me..They see the 2k fines? I thought everything is of my record all tickets and all points.
Seems to me if all they see now is the suspension shouldnt make me a high risk |
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| ChemEnhanced |
| any fines or suspensions are on your record for a minimum 5 years. |
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| SkyHigh |
I so though i was in the clear when my last point went away.. Sigh
I guess 10 years of high insurance for speeding is the norm these days |
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| -g- |
| quote: | Originally posted by SkyHigh
Yea but all the other companies i called said they wont take me..They see the 2k fines? I thought everything is of my record all tickets and all points.
Seems to me if all they see now is the suspension shouldnt make me a high risk |
the fine total has nothing to do with it.
| quote: | Originally posted by ChemEnhanced
any fines or suspensions are on your record for a minimum 5 years. |
not true. the ministry retains records for 2 years and insurance companies 3 years.
here's some advice and knowledge for you and i guess anyone who might gets tickets and is concerned about insurance...
insurance companies mainly don't give a what you get tickets for or how much the fines amount to, but rather simply the fact that you have numerous convictions.
so, a series of seemingly small speeding tickets does you far more damage - insurance wise - than say, 2 big speeding tickets, even though the aggregate fine incurred to you may well have been more for the 2 larger tickets.
by and large, whether you get a ticket for speeding, failing to signal, failing yield, etc. etc. doesn't matter to insurance companies.
the only exceptions are offenses that companies deem high risk (or are actually criminal rather than civil, such as DUI), such as failing to remain at the scene, passing a school bus, careless driving, etc.
incidentally this is why you should always, always take your tickets to court. what you're really fighting there is simply the conviction, since this affects you far fare more - insurance premium wise - rather than, say, the number of kms over the limit. never, ever, accept a crown's deal to plead guilty to a lower km amount or reduced points, as it means absolutely nothing insurance wise.
besides which, the mere fact that you take these things to court will mean that even if you wind up getting convicted, the actual conviction date will be delayed by at least a year, thereby spreading out the conviction and very possibly making things look better from an insurance pov. insurance keeps records for 3 years of tickets, not 5.
and anyway the JOPs always throw in a reduced fine amount in trial, so it's always worth doing. |
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| *~LiSa-LoO~* |
| Just out of curiosity. If you are high risk and no one will insure you, what the heck do you do? |
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| *~LiSa-LoO~* |
| quote: | Originally posted by -g-
besides which, the mere fact that you take these things to court will mean that even if you wind up getting convicted, the actual conviction date will be delayed by at least a year, thereby spreading out the conviction and very possibly making things look better from an insurance pov. insurance keeps records for 3 years of tickets, not 5.
and anyway the JOPs always throw in a reduced fine amount in trial, so it's always worth doing. |
In addition, with the back up in the system you will almost always have an 11b (your right a trial within a reasonable amount of time) defence, which would mean that the charges are dismissed or withdrawn. And further, speeding tickets are surprisingly easy to fight at trial. |
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| -g- |
| quote: | Originally posted by *~LiSa-LoO~*
Just out of curiosity. If you are high risk and no one will insure you, what the heck do you do? |
there is something called "Facility" insurance, which is basically pay out your ass insurance. however, since insurance is legally mandated in ontario, there must be AN option for even the riskiest of drivers to use for their insurance needs, and Facility is it.
you don't ever want to be getting insurance from Facility if you can avoid it. some people just stop driving for a couple years in order for their insurance record to become clean, it can be so expensive.
on another note, i think i saw Ian in the financial district yesterday, but it was a passing moment and too late before we'd each gone our separate ways! |
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| *~LiSa-LoO~* |
| quote: | Originally posted by -g-
there is something called "Facility" insurance, which is basically pay out your ass insurance. however, since insurance is legally mandated in ontario, there must be AN option for even the riskiest of drivers to use for their insurance needs, and Facility is it.
you don't ever want to be getting insurance from Facility if you can avoid it. some people just stop driving for a couple years in order for their insurance record to become clean, it can be so expensive.
on another note, i think i saw Ian in the financial district yesterday, but it was a passing moment and too late before we'd each gone our separate ways! |
Oh okay, I knew there had to be some option since insurance is mandatory. Hopefully I never get to that point! haha
It's likely you saw him. He works at King and University! |
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| -g- |
| quote: | Originally posted by *~LiSa-LoO~*
In addition, with the back up in the system you will almost always have an 11b (your right a trial within a reasonable amount of time) defence, which would mean that the charges are dismissed or withdrawn. And further, speeding tickets are surprisingly easy to fight at trial. |
heh heh.
here's what i used to do all the time, if i got a ticket:
1. file for a trial and await the trial notice - this alone usually takes about a year.
2. upon receiving trial date, request an obscene amount of evidence disclosure from the crown. everything from tuning fork calibration records for the radar gun to the officer's training log.
invariably this is not disclosed or the disclosure is incomplete.
3. file a motion to have the charges stayed due to incomplete evidence disclosure. JP invariably instead issues an adjournment to about a year another year later.
4. file an 11b motion since it's already been 2 years since the alleged offence.
poof, charges stayed, no conviction!
btw - where you working out of anyway? |
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| *~LiSa-LoO~* |
| quote: | Originally posted by -g-
heh heh.
here's what i used to do all the time, if i got a ticket:
1. file for a trial and await the trial notice - this alone usually takes about a year.
2. upon receiving trial date, request an obscene amount of evidence disclosure from the crown. everything from tuning fork calibration records for the radar gun to the officer's training log.
invariably this is not disclosed or the disclosure is incomplete.
3. file a motion to have the charges stayed due to incomplete evidence disclosure. JP invariably instead issues an adjournment to about a year another year later.
4. file an 11b motion since it's already been 2 years since the alleged offence.
poof, charges stayed, no conviction!
btw - where you working out of anyway? |
hahaha are you a lawyer on the side Mike?
My office is downtown, near Richmond and Church. However, I'm not always there and just use it as a home base because I'm in different courthouses everyday. Where are you these days? |
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