Well, I am just picking myself off the floor after the conversation with Geico insurance. I rang to find out why our premium rose by $500 (making it $1981 for 6 months) when I informed them of my daughter's term-time address despite being told from the outset that it shouldn't change the amount. Apparently, she is now deemed the active driver of the chevy, even though she was originally.
Anyway during the conversation, where it transpired the chevy pickup was still registered at our address but the other 2 cars were registered at Elisabeth's address, he asked me about Alan's status. Oh he has a full licence for a whole day actually. Well Madam, with all the correct information in the system now (their mistakes not ours as we had given all the correct information) your premium is now $2879 but if you and your husband take defensive driving, you will get a 10% discount. Me How's that! Oh Alan is now an active driver.
Apparently, they aren't active whilst on a permit. So for the privilege of taking my car for trip to say the cinema with his girlfriend,which as a 17.5yr old he was keen to do without Mum driving him there, we are being charged $998 or $38.38 a week. WOWee
A friend of ours in Scotland, thought it was bad when his yearly premium went up to £1000 when they added their 17 yr old son. Wonder how he would feel if he had to pay £3066 a year.
Well, I suppose we will have to swallow this and get on it but does make me wonder how all this kids around here, get these massive trucks (often brand new) and a lot younger than my 2. At the moment, we have 3 cars, the 3rd because Elisabeth needs it for uni. One of the cars, is worth about $4000 and the one Gordon is driving a Ford Aspire with a stick shift, is worth probably less than $1000. Looks like Alan will be waiting a considerable time before he get his own vehicle. Hopefully, he will go to the same uni as Elisabeth and they can share a car. Fat chance of that happening, I suspect! Poor Emily (currently 15.5), at this rate, she will never get a driver's licence, as we wont be able to afford it.
The real kicker, was when I asked if Elisabeth decides to return home in the summer (she's still undecided), would that reduce our rate. No afraid not, madam, it would actually increase to more than $3000. cry
With property taxes, car insurance, health costs and uni costs this country is rapidly becoming too expensive for us to live in. Not only that food and electricity is also more expensive. We use to be able to save but not any more.
Well, I am just picking myself off the floor after the conversation with Geico insurance. I rang to find out why our premium rose by $500 (making it $1981 for 6 months) when I informed them of my daughter's term-time address despite being told from the outset that it shouldn't change the amount. Apparently, she is now deemed the active driver of the chevy, even though she was originally.
Anyway during the conversation, where it transpired the chevy pickup was still registered at our address but the other 2 cars were registered at Elisabeth's address, he asked me about Alan's status. Oh he has a full licence for a whole day actually. Well Madam, with all the correct information in the system now (their mistakes not ours as we had given all the correct information) your premium is now $2879 but if you and your husband take defensive driving, you will get a 10% discount. Me: How's that! Oh Alan is now an active driver.
Apparently, they aren't active whilst on a permit. So for the privilege of taking my car for trip to say the cinema with his girlfriend,which as a 17.5yr old he was keen to do without Mum driving him there, we are being charged $998 or $38.38 a week. WOWee
A friend of ours in Scotland, thought it was bad when his yearly premium went up to £1000 when they added their 17 yr old son. Wonder how he would feel if he had to pay £3066 a year.
Well, I suppose we will have to swallow this and get on it but does make me wonder how all this kids around here, get these massive trucks (often brand new) and a lot younger than my 2. At the moment, we have 3 cars, the 3rd because Elisabeth needs it for uni. One of the cars, is worth about $4000 and the one Gordon is driving a Ford Aspire with a stick shift, is worth probably less than $1000. Looks like Alan will be waiting a considerable time before he get his own vehicle. Hopefully, he will go to the same uni as Elisabeth and they can share a car. Fat chance of that happening, I suspect! Poor Emily (currently 15.5), at this rate, she will never get a driver's licence, as we wont be able to afford it.
The real kicker, was when I asked if Elisabeth decides to return home in the summer (she's still undecided), would that reduce our rate. No afraid not, madam, it would actually increase to more than $3000. :cry:
With property taxes, car insurance, health costs and uni costs this country is rapidly becoming too expensive for us to live in. Not only that food and electricity is also more expensive. We use to be able to save but not any more.
sent you a pm
Aren't you in Texas? If so, those numbers seem insane to me. We have a newish volvo and a brand new (one month old) Mazda SV and ours is less than $800 for both cars for 6 months. I would expect it to be higher with younger drivers, but, wow. Our rates weren't even anything like that in LA and Cali has very high insurance premiums.
You really need to shop around.
I'm not happy with my insurance either (small, Oregon underwriter who insure my house too).
They raised the premium about $75 since July because they no longer recognise the discount on my car having ABS and airbags.
It's hardly like they don't work any more. evil
I went to AAA and they quoted me what I was paying about a year ago, two premium-raises previously so I guess I am off there at renewal time (about 2 weeks away). Their coverage amounts were a bit higher too and the deductible is half what I had before.
So much for being loyal to your local insurers.
Rates go sky high with teenage and young adults on your policies. I know ours was outrageous, even 15 yrs ago with Geico, with our kids on it.
You have to look at the bright side though, you are living in a country where you can afford to have 3 cars. Could be worse you could have to drive them everywhere. wink
Look at the freedom you'll have when they're on their own. I know it's wonderful to have our premium back under six hundred for two vehicles with Geico.
I'd check around with other companies, but they all have so many rules and regs. it's not worth changing unless you get a big discount. Good luck. 8)
You have to look at the bright side though, you are living in a country where you can afford to have 3 cars. Could be worse you could have to drive them everywhere. :wink:
Or, god forbid, they might have to use public transport :roll:
I'm not proud that we live in a city and still need a car each - particularly when one of them (mine) lives most days in a parking lot.
BTW our insurance for two grow adults and two run of the mill (non-American) sedans, tops $4000 per year. :evil:
Or, god forbid, they might have to use public transport :roll:
what's that, then?
Rates go sky high with teenage and young adults on your policies. I know ours was outrageous, even 15 yrs ago with Geico, with our kids on it.
You have to look at the bright side though, you are living in a country where you can afford to have 3 cars. Could be worse you could have to drive them everywhere. :wink:
Look at the freedom you'll have when they're on their own. I know it's wonderful to have our premium back under six hundred for two vehicles with Geico.
I'd check around with other companies, but they all have so many rules and regs. it's not worth changing unless you get a big discount. Good luck. 8)
If we had stayed in scotland, we wouldn't have needed the 3 cars (eventually to be 5 if we stay here) as the kids would have used the buses. That was one of the things my daughter hated when we move here, that she was suddenly reliant on me again to get her anywhere. No doubt I would have got rid of my car in Scotland by now as I hate having to drive. Didn't learn to drive until we moved to MA, (was then aged 31) as I had no need to. Was quite happy to walk to town with the kids in tow and on the days when I needed to go further, the buses were always there for me, plus the kids love taking a ride on the bus.
The highlight of our trip back to Scotland in 2001 were the trips on the trains, despite being standard BR stock. Elisabeth's american boyfriend came with us and it was the first time he had used public transport. He thought it was great. He also thought the pedestrian crossing lights were an excellent idea as well. He was amazed that all the traffic stopped to allow people to cross the road.
my stepdaugher is 14, I have already told her that she will not be insured on our cars. we lease ours, so they are nearly always new and we could never afford it. She will have to find a way to pay for her own.
the public transport we have here is on par to what we had where we lived in Nottingham. The kids have used it when we have had visitors who are older than them. The problem is that American children don't generally use the public transport so it isn't something that is used regularly by us personally. Just very handy when we have visitors)
my stepdaugher is 14, I have already told her that she will not be insured on our cars. we lease ours, so they are nearly always new and we could never afford it. She will have to find a way to pay for her own.
In Michigan at least it does't work like that. If you have a youthful driver in the household then they must be rated on at least one of the vehicles.
The only reason they can be excluded is if they have an ineligibilty problem such as too many tickets or DUI's or something of that nature.
A common way to get around it is the by an old banger, stick 20/40/10 (state minimums) on it and then she is free to drive whichever vehicle she choses.
Does that work in any other states, Manc?
dunno,
The reason the insurance companies do this is.
If they are in the same household they are still an exposure to the vehicle.
When she's got her license, it's all to easy to ask said kid to "Nip to the store for me"
or "Go and pick your sister from the softball game"
etc etc
It works that way in Maine.
When my daughter got her lisence we had 3 vehicles on the road.
One was a beat up old (82) truck she would never have driven but it was the cheapest way to insure her. She could have use of all the other vehicles.
After we sold the truck she is now primary on the 99 Mountaineer and I am primary on the 2002 Kia despite the fact that we drive the cars the opposite.