Allstate Insurance - Warning (or maybe I am an idiot)

TreyYoung

Registered
Recently I had a small incident on the bike, and broke my wrist. Below are the following events with Allstate, and keep in mind I have been paying $140 per month to Allstate for the past 2 years for Motorcycle insurance:

1 - Call and let them know I had an incident. The lady says; are you OK (that was nice)? I let her know it was a minor crash, and I broke my wrist. She replies with; you only have $2,000 in coverage. Although I am surprised (paying $140 per month you would think more, and no I did not read the policy).
2 - The lady says she will have to assign to an adjuster, and they will call me back no later than tomorrow.
3 - Four days later I get a letter in the mail that reads; we have carefully examined the circumstances surrounding this loss and believe, at this time, they have sufficient evidence to make a decision.
4 - The next line reads; We have found that there is no Medical Coverage on your policy, therefore we cannot make any payments on your injury... Wait WTF?

I know I am an idiot and didn't read my policy, did that ASSUMING thing.

Just posting as a heads up and maybe get some feedback. Oh, and by the way F-Allstate.
 
Sorry to hear of this. To some extent yes you do need to read your declarations page to see what is covered but here are other tips I have learned. I am with State Farm. So I don't know if Allstate is the same but SF does NOT cover any medical a passenger you may have with you at the time of an accident. So my medical only covers me and noone else. AND they offer no additonal coverage that would cover a passenger.

I do have Allstate on a rental house I own. Occasionally we get heavy rains and it overruns our drainage system. Enough water that I asked my Allstate agent about any water damage I may get. he responded with get a rising water policy to cover any possibility of it happening. So at $300 and some change a year I did. Well we had a hell of a hard storm and water overran our drainage, filled up the patio and came inside the house a little bit. Ruined the wooden patio slider and buckled the wood floor. So I called my agent. They sent out an adjuster and was denied coverage. Why. because rising waters only applies if the entire neighborhood gets flooded. Thanks Allstate agent. I trusted you to be looking out for my needs instead of just collecting dues on a policy that I will most likely never be able to claim on.
 
If you have full coverage on the bike and you claim the damage on the bike - it's one thing. Since you didn't say anything about fixing the bike, but said about the broken wrist, the lady assumed that you were looking for medical coverage, and is it turned out you have none. Go check your policy if you haven't already. It should state clearly what's covered, and in many cases what's not.

Based on your post, it's not clear what did you expect from the insurance company? On a side note, I've stayed with Progressive for years. My '01 got flooded by Sandy, and when the adjuster came he was looking for anything that he could add to the value of the bike - and he did: aftermarket exhaust, alarm, TPMS, and bla-bla-bla. He was just being honest and was not doing my any favors - because IIRC $3000 in accessories already included with their policy. I also think Progressive tries to cater to bikers.
 
Allstate doesn't provide medical ins or coverage for you if you get injured.
Full coverage ie comp and collision will cover another persons med bills but not yours.
Your medical insurance should be covering the broke wrist.
 
One assumption about insurance is safe: They're in for profit. That means you're paying b/c you're betting that you'll need the insurance and that the insurer will cover your loss/expense. It also means that the insurer is selling insurance b/c they're betting that you'll never need it or that you'll never have a qualifying claim. That effectively makes it their job to sell you what you don't need or can't use. Which, in turn, makes it your job to be very carful about what insurance and terms you do actually buy. Given that insurance companies are so often found to be selling policies that are written with a thousand "loop holes" that allow them to deny claims, it's absolutely PARAMOUNT that the buyer know and read their policies. And yes, the policies are a PITA to read as their barely readable for the average non-legal/non-insurance person. But, even with the best due diligence completed, a claimant can find themselves denied coverage on a legitimate claim and forced to fight, contest, appeal and even sue to get the service and coverage that they have paid for all along.

As for motorcycle insurance, my experience, in general has been that most coverage is about liability (coverage for 3rd parties losses/expenses). Additional coverage is usually comprehensive for the bike and raises the cost a fair amount. Finally, if you want medical coverage, be prepared to PAY UP b/c the insurance folks see it as a bad bet all around and if they're gonna take those odds, they require a big pile of cash from the buyers to offset the odds.

Final thoughts:
1) Remember this the next time you see a rider with little to no protection. They're a big part of why medical coverags is either unavailable or prohibitively expensive for riders.
2) Insurance companies aren't in the business of helping clients. Just like banks, they're only interested in taking in as much money as possible while paying out as little as possible.
3) Even if a claim is denied, don't be afraid to challenge that judgement if you're policy indicates you have a legit claim. Like many businesses, some companies/offices/agents in the industry will simply deny everything as a rule of thumb, knowing that many folks will simply accept the judgement, right or wrong. Only if you challenge such a ruling will they back pedal and step up to their obligations. Don't let them socially engineer you out of benefits that are rightfully yours.

Best of luck with recovery and repairs and claims!
 
USAA...they actually take great care of their people. They cater to veterans, and have better rates. In addition, they will actually talk you through the entire policy if you ask. A PITA for them, but they did it for me, so I know exactly what my coverage is. As a note, you never see them in a comparison test on the commercials!
 
USAA...they actually take great care of their people. They cater to veterans, and have better rates. In addition, they will actually talk you through the entire policy if you ask. A PITA for them, but they did it for me, so I know exactly what my coverage is. As a note, you never see them in a comparison test on the commercials!

USAA no longer covers new motorcycle policies if you didn't have motorcycle coverage before Sept/Oct 2003. If you call them now, they direct you to Progressive (unless this has changed in the last 6-months). Progressive isn't anywhere close to as good as or as cheap as USAA, you are better off calling State Farm.

Now if you are one of those covered before 2003 and still currently have USAA motorcycle, then YES....by far the best insurance co you can have... :beerchug:
 
Well, you can at least read your policy now. If it states something different that what you were told, I'd file a complaint with the insurance commissioner in your state. If you were led to believe something different than what your policy states, I'd still file a complaint. At least that will draw some attention to the whole thing. When a complaint is filed the insurance company has to review, document, and respond in writing and everyone up and down the chain gets into the picture. Not unusual to have no coverage for this as usually it is a duplicate of existing coverage if you have health insurance; but lets keep them honest. Sorry about your accident!
 
If you have full coverage on the bike and you claim the damage on the bike - it's one thing. Since you didn't say anything about fixing the bike, but said about the broken wrist, the lady assumed that you were looking for medical coverage, and is it turned out you have none. Go check your policy if you haven't already. It should state clearly what's covered, and in many cases what's not.

Based on your post, it's not clear what did you expect from the insurance company? On a side note, I've stayed with Progressive for years. My '01 got flooded by Sandy, and when the adjuster came he was looking for anything that he could add to the value of the bike - and he did: aftermarket exhaust, alarm, TPMS, and bla-bla-bla. He was just being honest and was not doing my any favors - because IIRC $3000 in accessories already included with their policy. I also think Progressive tries to cater to bikers.

and it may have just been that person. Some try to do their best to help consumers and some do their best to help their employer.

Insurance is a sore subject for me. I've been with an agency for 25+ years for vehicle and home insurance. Years ago everytime I went in to pay my premiums the agent would look for ways to lower my cost. She left the agency or the agency left her and for the last four or five years I would go in and they would basically take my money.
I kept telling them that I would go elsewhere if things didn't change. This year I changed agencies and saved a butt load of money. However the new agent was up front with me. My home is still with the old agency because according to my new agent I'm very lucky and would be hard pressed to find anything better. He also asked about the age of my heatpump and roof and I've heard of companies telling customers that they would have to replace these items or they would be dropped. Hasn't happened to me yet. He also told me that in the fine print now-a-days most companies will only pay 1% of properties value on a claim.

It kind of seems to me that the insurance premiums that we pay aren't really providing much for us and that's a shame. It's not just one company guys.

Read the fine print and ask questions.
 
After I had my accident in 2010, I was surprised to find out that after paying for full coverage (with medical) that I wasn't medically insured! It was not an issue, since it went on my uninsured motorist.

You have to had a Med pay policy attached to your full coverage for the amount you want to insure YOURSELF for. THe medical part of full coverage covers EVERYONE ELSE!

Stupid, I know.... I just got lucky!
 
Just for your own education and enlightenment, you should become familiar with some motor vehicle insurance terms and policies. Here are a few that you should understand:

Medical insurance
Uninsured motorist insurance
Underinsured motorist insurance
Liability insurance
Comprehensive insurance
Collision insurance

With most policies, if you fall off your bike and break your wrist, your motorcycle policy will not cover the expenses for your wrist. This has nothing to do with Allstate or any other insurance carrier, and certainly has nothing to do with the price of your monthly premium. Your health insurance carrier will cover this expense. If you don't have health insurance, then you pay for your wrist yourself.

If another car hits you (their fault) and you fall off your bike and break your wrist, then the liability insurance of the other driver will cover your medical expenses. If they have insufficient or no liability coverage for your medical expenses, then your underinsured or uninsured benefits (if you have them) will cover the difference (but only the portion that your health insurance policy will not cover).

Required coverage and rules in general vary from state to state.
 
I wonder if Obamacare is going to cover you in the future Trey, if you don't have medical coverage thru your employer...
 
$1680 for $2000. nice
I pay 155 a year for Liability. the 1500 a year you would save you can just buy and replace broken bike parts
 
Great comments.

Yes, I am covered by my personal insurance. I just thought it almost comical that I was told by Allstate 2 years ago that my $140 per month was full coverage, and then when something happens their first comment was "you are only covered for 2k", and then after further review with my so-called full coverage @ $140 per month, "you have no medical coverage".

I know I assumed, so this is more of a heads up to those who assume like me. I will definitely read the policy next time, and since I set my insurance up over the phone with Allstate, and had them deduct my premiums directly from my bank account, I do not recall ever seeing my policy.

All good, I am covered.

Keith, I tried going to the healthcare.gov website for fun; after 2 days of trying to log-in (morning, night, during the day, etc), I quit trying. I could only imagine how bad this is going to be
 
Just for your own education and enlightenment, you should become familiar with some motor vehicle insurance terms and policies. Here are a few that you should understand:

Medical insurance
Uninsured motorist insurance
Underinsured motorist insurance
Liability insurance
Comprehensive insurance
Collision insurance

With most policies, if you fall off your bike and break your wrist, your motorcycle policy will not cover the expenses for your wrist. This has nothing to do with Allstate or any other insurance carrier, and certainly has nothing to do with the price of your monthly premium. Your health insurance carrier will cover this expense. If you don't have health insurance, then you pay for your wrist yourself.

If another car hits you (their fault) and you fall off your bike and break your wrist, then the liability insurance of the other driver will cover your medical expenses. If they have insufficient or no liability coverage for your medical expenses, then your underinsured or uninsured benefits (if you have them) will cover the difference (but only the portion that your health insurance policy will not cover).

Required coverage and rules in general vary from state to state.
and if you make a claim, even though you weren't at fault your premium's will go up :laugh:
 
I wonder if Obamacare is going to cover you in the future Trey, if you don't have medical coverage thru your employer...
Maybe the IRS will arrest him and the federal pen will take care of it, however you will be at a great disadvantage in federal prison with a broke wrist.
 
Check out your auto policy. Your medical is probably only 20-25K per person. In a serious accident that doesn't go very far. Now consider the chances of being injured in a minor motorcycle accident compared to a minor auto accident and you'll understand why almost every motorcycle policy has very low limits on medical.
 
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