Im not gonna lie, I know this is probably going to be long. Its hard to ask my question without explaining my situation 1st so you have all the details. So im sorry for no TLDR.
Ok, so I have Progressive and pay $147/month for Full coverage on a financed 13 Escape. My policy ends 4/22 so my last payment is in 2 weeks the 22nd (technically I have my paying date set up for the 1st of every month so 4/1).
So on Jan 28th I got in an accident, while snowing slid into an intersection and got hit by 2 ppl. We were all going really slow so it wasn't bad, no one was hurt, and no one's airbags even deployed. Everyone was able to drive away. My car wasn't that bad, hit on the driver side doors but most damage went along the bottom doors and a little on the middle that divides the doors. We file claims and wait. So Feb 1st comes, I pay my insurance bill like usual, but a week later they come and pick up the car for an estimate, and then say they considered it totaled! They said the amount to fix it isn't the problem, but that it's not safe to repair (I think their saying frame damage). I say B.S. but don't care because they gave me a great price and I never loved the car anyway. So another week later they paid 7k to my loan, then the rest, $7k to me. So now here comes my current problem.
For numerous reasons I need at least a few weeks before I can get a new car. Could be even like 2 months. I could go get a cheap crappy car today but I don't want to do that and have a car thats in the shop every few months. So I call my insurance on the 1st before paying my bill and ask, what do I do now that I have a bill for a car I no longer have?".
Heres the options I was told. She said I could cancel, not pay this $147 due, AND get a refund on last month's $147 (because technically the "total" date is 1/28 even though I had it until the 2/8). But then when I do get a car it's gonna cost me because I'll be penalized for having a lapse in coverage, which is the stupidest f*cking thing ever if you don't even have a car, but anyways...
Another option is to just keep the car on there and keep paying it until I get a new car to add. But there's multiple problems with this. For starters I might get a car in 3 weeks or 2 months. I'm not sure yet. But also, I asked what if I do this but then come next month at renewal you guys drop me because of the accident? Cause let's not forget, I'm at fault for 2 cars, so kinda like 2 accidents. She said it's rare they drop ppl for accidents but more-so for fraud and criminal stuff. Is that true? Will my premium probably just go up but not get dropped? I don't want to pay $147 a 3rd time to avoid a lapse, just to have them drop me.
And the 3rd option has the same problem. I can get a non-owner policy? Or something like that? She said it's a policy for coverage to drive other cars since I don't have my own. So I guess if I get in an accident while borrowing a friend's car or a rental car? Idk... She said its like $100 so it would save me like $50 your next bill, but that could change in April when it's time to renew. But if I did this, they cant backdate it the same way they could if I canceled my policy. So id be out the $147 paid from Feb and March and my next/last payment would be for about $100 with the non-owner one. So do I pay $100 instead of $147 just to not have a lapse, when again, I could possibly get dropped the end of April?
I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any experience being an agent or just know other options? Is there a way I could cancel my policy to get Feb and March $147 refund like the agent said and then go to another company somehow without a car? At least I'd know I'm making payments to a company that isnt possibly gonna drop me April 22nd, and will still have me covered whenever I do get the car. I was also thinking, it might look better if I leave on my own and go to XYZ company, instead of going to XYZ company after and because I got dropped elsewhere. They'll be able to see I was dropped, right? Or does that not matter? I'm 34 and never had an accident before so I've never been dropped and don't know how it works or how it affects your next policy premium etc. I'm just so lost and don't know what to do.
I'm also adding up the math, canceling and paying more penalties for it later might actually still save me money. Adding up the $147 from Feb and March, plus let's say 2 more months I'd pay until I get another car, thats $147x4! That's $600 for insurance of a car I dont have. If I cancel now, and just get insurance when I get a car, will my next policy really be more than $600 higher just from a lapse? If it's only penalized like $200 higher, then I would save $400 if I just cancel and take the penalty.
I'm sorry this has gotten so long but I'm so stressed out, really broke, recently had heart surgery AND an unrelated cancer diagnosis during my valve replacement surgery. To top it off my mother has been deceased for 20 years and your parents are the ones who usually teach you about these things. Since ya know, school doesn't actually teach you any useful things for life. So if someone could help me figure out what to do I'd really appreciate it so much! And I want to say I already appreciate you so much if you actually made it this far and read all of this!!! People like you are the reason I believe most ppl genuinely are good and want to help others. So thank you to everyone in advance just for reading my novel, lol. I love you all!
Ok, so I have Progressive and pay $147/month for Full coverage on a financed 13 Escape. My policy ends 4/22 so my last payment is in 2 weeks the 22nd (technically I have my paying date set up for the 1st of every month so 4/1).
So on Jan 28th I got in an accident, while snowing slid into an intersection and got hit by 2 ppl. We were all going really slow so it wasn't bad, no one was hurt, and no one's airbags even deployed. Everyone was able to drive away. My car wasn't that bad, hit on the driver side doors but most damage went along the bottom doors and a little on the middle that divides the doors. We file claims and wait. So Feb 1st comes, I pay my insurance bill like usual, but a week later they come and pick up the car for an estimate, and then say they considered it totaled! They said the amount to fix it isn't the problem, but that it's not safe to repair (I think their saying frame damage). I say B.S. but don't care because they gave me a great price and I never loved the car anyway. So another week later they paid 7k to my loan, then the rest, $7k to me. So now here comes my current problem.
For numerous reasons I need at least a few weeks before I can get a new car. Could be even like 2 months. I could go get a cheap crappy car today but I don't want to do that and have a car thats in the shop every few months. So I call my insurance on the 1st before paying my bill and ask, what do I do now that I have a bill for a car I no longer have?".
Heres the options I was told. She said I could cancel, not pay this $147 due, AND get a refund on last month's $147 (because technically the "total" date is 1/28 even though I had it until the 2/8). But then when I do get a car it's gonna cost me because I'll be penalized for having a lapse in coverage, which is the stupidest f*cking thing ever if you don't even have a car, but anyways...
Another option is to just keep the car on there and keep paying it until I get a new car to add. But there's multiple problems with this. For starters I might get a car in 3 weeks or 2 months. I'm not sure yet. But also, I asked what if I do this but then come next month at renewal you guys drop me because of the accident? Cause let's not forget, I'm at fault for 2 cars, so kinda like 2 accidents. She said it's rare they drop ppl for accidents but more-so for fraud and criminal stuff. Is that true? Will my premium probably just go up but not get dropped? I don't want to pay $147 a 3rd time to avoid a lapse, just to have them drop me.
And the 3rd option has the same problem. I can get a non-owner policy? Or something like that? She said it's a policy for coverage to drive other cars since I don't have my own. So I guess if I get in an accident while borrowing a friend's car or a rental car? Idk... She said its like $100 so it would save me like $50 your next bill, but that could change in April when it's time to renew. But if I did this, they cant backdate it the same way they could if I canceled my policy. So id be out the $147 paid from Feb and March and my next/last payment would be for about $100 with the non-owner one. So do I pay $100 instead of $147 just to not have a lapse, when again, I could possibly get dropped the end of April?
I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any experience being an agent or just know other options? Is there a way I could cancel my policy to get Feb and March $147 refund like the agent said and then go to another company somehow without a car? At least I'd know I'm making payments to a company that isnt possibly gonna drop me April 22nd, and will still have me covered whenever I do get the car. I was also thinking, it might look better if I leave on my own and go to XYZ company, instead of going to XYZ company after and because I got dropped elsewhere. They'll be able to see I was dropped, right? Or does that not matter? I'm 34 and never had an accident before so I've never been dropped and don't know how it works or how it affects your next policy premium etc. I'm just so lost and don't know what to do.
I'm also adding up the math, canceling and paying more penalties for it later might actually still save me money. Adding up the $147 from Feb and March, plus let's say 2 more months I'd pay until I get another car, thats $147x4! That's $600 for insurance of a car I dont have. If I cancel now, and just get insurance when I get a car, will my next policy really be more than $600 higher just from a lapse? If it's only penalized like $200 higher, then I would save $400 if I just cancel and take the penalty.
I'm sorry this has gotten so long but I'm so stressed out, really broke, recently had heart surgery AND an unrelated cancer diagnosis during my valve replacement surgery. To top it off my mother has been deceased for 20 years and your parents are the ones who usually teach you about these things. Since ya know, school doesn't actually teach you any useful things for life. So if someone could help me figure out what to do I'd really appreciate it so much! And I want to say I already appreciate you so much if you actually made it this far and read all of this!!! People like you are the reason I believe most ppl genuinely are good and want to help others. So thank you to everyone in advance just for reading my novel, lol. I love you all!
So for what you said above, I want to make sure I understand correctly. I would ask if they can suspend them rather than cancel them. But im still leaving the vehicle the same, until I get a new car to update it and "un-suspend" those 2. Is that right? T.I.A.