[NA] USAA Auto insurance claim, other driver at fault

RussR

RussR

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Russ
I'm sure we have a lot of USAA members on the forum, so I'm looking for any advice you might have.

I was involved in a 2-car accident this evening. (Everyone is fine.) It was at a 4-way stop sign. I stopped, let the other cars go in the order they arrived at, and then proceeded through the intersection. Most of the way through, my wife in the passenger seat screamed as the other car hit us on the right rear door. It had been the car stopped to our right, but she arrived after us and did not start moving until after we were already moving. There is construction in the intersection, so there are barricades that probably inhibited her view some.

However, the damage is pretty telling, I think. Our right rear door is caved in, and her front bumper was destroyed. We did not wait around for a police report (probably a mistake, I hope that doesn't come back to bite me). Everything seemed very amicable, I helped her duct tape her bumper so she could get on her way. I've had worse encounters over less damage...

She does have insurance, and I have the information.

I have USAA insurance. When I was filling out the claim details tonight on the app, near the end one of the questions was "do you want USAA to pay the claim, or not (i.e. do you want to take it up with their insurer)". Later research shows that if I pick USAA, then they'll do the work, pay the claim (minus my deductible), then attempt to recover costs (including the deductible) from the other insurer. I assume this is normal claim behavior.

I don't get in many accidents, and certainly not any where the fault is as seemingly clear-cut. But I assume it would be better to work with my insurer, wouldn't it? They have a certain duty to me, whereas the other driver's company would likely just try to stall me, no? But if I do use my insurer, does this show as a claim on my record for future rate increases even if I'm determined not at fault? I'll be calling tomorrow to ask similar questions. But who here has dealt with USAA in the recent past on a similar issue? (I say recent past because I've been a member for almost 30 years and recently have seen some changes I don't like.)

The other insurer is Bristol West, if that makes a difference. Never heard of them.

Note that I am certain of the sequence of events (who started and stopped when, etc.) because guess what, I do have a dashcam, and it recorded very well.

Thanks for any advice!
 
Sorry about the accident and I'm glad you all are ok. If you deal with your insurance, you may need to pay the deductible up front then work to get it back later. But they will then take care of getting you right in the meantime and they will work on getting reimbursed by the other driver's insurance company assuming that their interpretation of the accident is the same as yours. The dash cam will help - were police involved at all?

And if the other driver is found at fault then there should be no rate increases for you at all. Though I've seen some shady stuff from insurance companies so who knows.
 
Could their question have anything to do with the impact any claim may have on future premiums?
 
Also, despite how the other party acted at the scene, one thing that happens a lot is that they will later lie to their insurance company and make it seem like it was your fault. Don't trust the other person to tell the truth. It's unfortunate but the state of things.

Make sure your company has a copy of your dash cam footage if it is that clear cut, as it may save you time.
 
RussR said:
I'm sure we have a lot of USAA members on the forum, so I'm looking for any advice you might have….
She does have insurance, and I have the information.

I have USAA insurance. When I was filling out the claim details tonight on the app, near the end one of the questions was "do you want USAA to pay the claim, or not (i.e. do you want to take it up with their insurer)". Later research shows that if I pick USAA, then they'll do the work, pay the claim (minus my deductible), then attempt to recover costs (including the deductible) from the other insurer. I assume this is normal claim behavior.
…
I don't get in many accidents, and certainly not any where the fault is as seemingly clear-cut. But I assume it would be better to work with my insurer, wouldn't it?
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Generally speaking, if you elect USAA to pay the claim for you, they will do two things for you. First, they’ll set everything up from estimate to rental replacement and get you on your way. Then they will work it out with the other insurer. This is usually done simultaneously, but keeps you from having to deal with the other insurer. You may have to pay the deductible up front and wait for reimbursement once fault is assigned.

Or, do the work yourself to settle the claim with the other insurer and play whatever reindeer games they have for you. Also, if you DIY and have a problem with the quality of work because of the other insurer’s agreements, you get to decide if it’s worth it to fight or not. Take a rental for instance. The other company may give you the smallest rent-a-wreck rental whereas USAA may set up a rental equivalent to your current vehicle.

Having said all that, each state and each policy is unique and it can be worth a call to P&C service for plain english explanations of what that election does for you for this particular claim.
 
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Friend of mine opted recently to take care of things himself, as the other driver AND their insurance company admitted fault/liability.

I don’t remember all of the details, but it turned into a major fiasco, to include someone fraudulently calling the shop he selected to do the repairs, saying it was him, and had the car moved to another shop.

I’d let my insurance company take care of it. That’s what they do, and they have the expertise in place to do it.
 
Been a USAA member since I commissioned 23 years ago. I’ve always had USAA take care of everything up front and then recover from the guilty party. No complaints with USAA.

Only thing I’ve been hearing negative about USAA lately is that they have allegedly not been taking as good care of their newer members as long time clients like me. I can only speak for my personal experience which has been excellent
 
They satisfy the legal requirement for insurance. No more comment.
 
USAA was good for the damage claim when we were rear-ended, but we went after the other insurer ourselves (near the two-year time limit) for medical, pain/suffering.
 
Baked Potato said:
Also, despite how the other party acted at the scene, one thing that happens a lot is that they will later lie to their insurance company and make it seem like it was your fault. Don't trust the other person to tell the truth. It's unfortunate but the state of things.

Make sure your company has a copy of your dash cam footage if it is that clear cut, as it may save you time.
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100%. Wife got into an accident a couple years ago that should have been incredibly clear-cut, the other driver lied through his teeth, went through arbitration and won (it became a no-fault accident, despite it being a rear-ending), despite pictures at the scene etc. And we were out the claim and deductible. I immediately installed front & rear facing dash cams in both vehicles, you just can't trust anyone.

Separate note. I dropped USAA about half a decade ago. They've been consistently awful, I was unable to withdraw money from my accounts and when I began switching to different accounts, they held onto several of my payments illegally and I had to make a formal complaint to the Federal reserve to get my money back from them. I will never use any USAA products for anything, and my parents who have been long-time members have also been having increasing problems with them from banking and insurance.
 
I've had USAA handle those in the past. You get the car fixed (paying the deductible) and later on you'll get a check for the deductible when they recover from the other driver.

Of course, their claims system is in the TOILET right now. If you need to go outside what they can do online, the call queue is over an hour. Further, rather than doing their own appraisals now (or at least having a local contractor), they insisted on doing this inane photographic claim which resulted in a laughable low-ball. I'm still waiting to get my car fixed from a claim in November.
 
Long time USAA member here. The only complaint I have was they totaled my daughters car with no recourse and told her she could just continue to drive it (it was likely not totaled as it was rear quarter damage and was borderline at best). In Florida it is not legal to drive a totaled car until it’s been repaired and presented to the DMV with repair documentation. Cost her about what the check was plus time and hassle. And opened her up to risk of fines had she been caught during the 6 months she drove it before she found out.
 
jsstevens said:
Long time USAA member here. The only complaint I have was they totaled my daughters car with no recourse and told her she could just continue to drive it (it was likely not totaled as it was rear quarter damage and was borderline at best). In Florida it is not legal to drive a totaled car until it’s been repaired and presented to the DMV with repair documentation. Cost her about what the check was plus time and hassle. And opened her up to risk of fines had she been caught during the 6 months she drove it before she found out.
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I had a similar situation (different insurer) with a hail claim. It appears that insurance people are completely ignorant(intentionally or otherwise) of state laws regarding totaled vehicles.

Of course, when I called the state office to get clarification, she kept reading the “late model” car criteria for my “non-late model” car.
 
MauleSkinner said:
I had a similar situation (different insurer) with a hail claim. It appears that insurance people are completely ignorant(intentionally or otherwise) of state laws regarding totaled vehicles.

Of course, when I called the state office to get clarification, she kept reading the “late model” car criteria for my “non-late model” car.
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It does seem like they should know and if not, tell folks to check with they state.
 
I was with USAA for over 25 years, until a couple years ago.

I live in Wisconsin where cars get rusty, so I buy all my vehicles from Colorado, Oklahoma, and similar areas. Our son was soon to be getting his drivers license, so I found a nice one-owner Honda CR-V in the Denver area for $5000. (KBB private party value). My Dad lived nearby so he looked it over for me, and I secured the deal. I flew out there one-way and drove it home without incident, in March 2020 while things were starting to shut down due to COVID.

Soon after, my son got his license and started driving the car regularly. Fast forward a few months, he was in an accident where the other driver (a girl from his high school, also a new driver) ran a stop sign. The police said she was completely at fault, but my son still got a citation because he had more than one passenger in the car. (Probationary license...)

So for whatever reason, I let USAA handle the claim and talks with the other insured. The CR-V had collision coverage. The other insurance company combed the police reports, and during a statement my son made to the police, he said something to the affect he 'may have been' adjusting the radio or climate controls at one point while he was driving. So the other insurance company would not accept being 100% at fault, even though the other driver ran the stop sign. It seemed like USAA just rolled over and didn't fight them on it. So, we ended up being "25%" responsible and paid that percentage of the deductible.

Then when it came time to settle the total collision loss, when determining the value of the vehicle, they ran the 'comps' from my geographical location. So they were pulling comps of $3000 rust buckets from Chicago. I explained that I bought the vehicle from out of state, and purposely paid more for it to be free of rust and corrosion. I asked if they could simply run the comps in the zip code I bought it from (only 7 months prior) and they did not. By then the used car market was exploding and I could not touch that same car in the Denver zip code for less than $6900. If I recall, I ended up getting $3800 but still had $6000 into it. ($5000 plus new windshield and tires)

I had never made a full collision loss claim before. I have a couple of friends who had total collision losses with USAA and came out happy with the settlement.

I know we're only talking about a couple grand, but I just felt like they could have tried to meet me a little closer to the loss I actually incurred. I've still not replaced that vehicle - he now drives my '06 Ford Explorer that was around as a spare. (Still rust free thanks to annual WoolWax treatments!) I ended up getting quotes from GEICO and even with the recent accident factored in, it was a 40% less premium. They made it really easy to switch and handled all the cancellation letters, etc..

Who knows, maybe the same thing would have happened with another carrier, but at least I'm saving money.

Big takeaway from this, don't make statements to the police after an accident, or participate in any recorded statements with the insurance company.
 
I’ve been a USAA member since birth. My dad was an Officer (pilot), my grandfather was an Officer (pilot), and I’m a retired Officer (you guessed it - pilot). USAA used to have all of my business. I would say the everything with “$” next to it was with USAA.

However, that has all changed now. I basically only bank with them. They are now a shell of what they once were. Rates for both investments and loans are not competitive. Their insurance rates are not competitive anymore. To cap it all off, their service has taken a nose-dive, we’ll before the pandemic - probably going back 10 years. We got to saying “USAA is great… until you need them.”

I pay enough premiums between airplane, boat, cars, houses and have come to the realization that no insurance company is interested in helping. They’re in the business of making money. So I try to give the least amount of my money to them - it all equates to the same sub-standard service.
 
USAA member for 43 years. All I have left there is a backup bank account and a credit card. The last couple years they’ve cratered. It’s sad, for decades I was a very, very happy customer. Now, just no.
 
When USAA started advertising in TV, their product went into the sh$&er.
But to the original poster, it's called subrogación
 
All I have left with USAA is a credit card…generally still good at paying claims…also Bristol West is really a sub standard Farmers Insurance Company…but acts the same.
 
I don't know what state you are in and I am probably not licensed to practice law there, so this isn't legal advice, and I am not your lawyer. This is how I would probably handle it if I were in your shoes.

I would start by reaching out to the other driver's carrier to see if they accept 100% liability first. They will talk to their insured, and find out what she says. If she admits fault, then that will make your life easier for the rest of the claim. I would also go ahead and send them the dash cam footage. If it's as clear as you say, that will also make your life easier. If they do not accept the liability 100%, then I would just make a claim against your own insurance and let the two carriers sort it out.

If they accept the liability 100%, then I would see if they have a facility that they want you to take the car to for an estimate. Many times, carriers have deals with places where they will agree to pay the repairs directly, and the repair shop agrees to bill the carrier, not you, and further agree to guarantee their work. This is more likely with the better carriers, like State Farm, etc. If the place they want you to go seems legitimate, then I would go ahead and get the estimate. If I was still happy, I would proceed with the repair and let them pay. If they want to send an adjuster/appraiser to look at it, I would let them. But, if they at any point, I'm not happy with their estimate/appraisal, I would take the car to a place of my choosing for an estimate. After that, if they won't come up to where I am happy, then I would decide whether to make a claim against my own carrier or accept their offer. Anything $500 (and probably $1000) isn't worth it to me to fight. But that's just me.
 
cowtowner said:
When USAA started advertising in TV, their product went into the sh$&er.
But to the original poster, it's called subrogación
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The real elephant in the room is when USAA went from officers only to include all military. THAT is the start of the decline. That said, I’m still with them, but need to investigate other alternatives.
 
I have been with USAA since I was 16 but the last claim I really did all the work on the injury claim with the other driver's insurance company (my wife was stopped and was rear-ended).

What do others suggest as a good company? The other driver was with State Farm and they were good to work with - better than the indifference from USAA (although they paid the damage claim easily).
 
I have been with USAA for around 35 years. Sadly I must admit that USAA is a shell of its former self. I blame it on USAA farming out services.
 
You really should have gotten a police report and not just an exchange of information. The accident report would have placed a driver at fault. Now if the other insurance company decides to claim you are at fault they won’t pay on your damage and may ask you to cover their insured’s damage.

If you have USAA handle the claim, you have to pay your deductible on the claim.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Been a USAA member since I commissioned 23 years ago. I’ve always had USAA take care of everything up front and then recover from the guilty party. No complaints with USAA.
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USAA member for 53 years. Let USAA handle it! They have done really well by me.

Happy New Year to all!
 
Another point, I learned the hard way. If there are issues with the repair, if you claimed with them, the will pay to get it fixed right, without issues. I had this occur and had a hard time getting the other insurance to even listen to an additional claim based on missed damage.

42 years for me. 72 years for my Dad. :D
 
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