Small things add up to big things
To the editor:
I peruse the newspapers daily, the letters to the editor in particular, and when I come across letters that cause my blood to boil I read them aloud to my father, Joe Curran. He has written many a letter over the years and his columns “From This Man’s Mind” are well known. After reading Richard Wallaces’ (Cape Coral) letter in another newspaper entitled “Make It Harder for Criminals” Dad said “What are you going to do about it?” He’s always saying “write a letter, go to the council meetings, get up and tell them what you think.” I always felt that it goes in one ear and out the other. Well, I’m writing this letter because I am in complete agreement with Mr. Wallace, and I want to relate our ongoing situation with regard to accidents and car insurance.
Here I sit, in total aggravation, as I write my check for my car insurance premium. It is a huge amount, in my opinion, so much so that I can only pay half then the balance in 60 days. I thank God that my insurance company allows this. There should be stronger measures taken against people that don’t carry insurance or allow it to lapse. I realize that the premiums are outrageous but if you can’t afford it you shouldn’t be on the road creating a hazardous situation for the poor individual who is unlucky enough to cross your path.
Case in point, in November my husband was sitting at a traffic light on Pine Island Road while on his way home from work. Minding his own business another vehicle piled into the back of him. Thank God he wasn’t injured, as well he could have been, but his Toyota Tundra sustained a great deal of damage. The other person’s vehicle was totaled, which is an indication as to how fast they were going and the fact that they weren’t paying attention. A police report was filed and insurance paperwork was exchanged at the scene. We filed a claim with our insurance company to have our vehicle repaired which included a $500 deductible, which we assumed we would get back after the two insurance companies hashed it all over. Well, you know the saying about what happens when you ass u me. Now, to the adding insult to injury part, in December we received a letter from our insurance company stating they would try to get our $500 deductible back to us but it could take as long as a year and even then there is no guarantee. On Feb. 26, I followed up on this letter and was told that the other person didn’t have insurance. I stated that insurance paperwork was exchanged at the scene. My insurance representative went on to say that this was true but the claim was denied in January because their insurance “was not in effect at the time of the accident.” Our insurance company will try, on our behalf to recover this money for us but again there is “no guarantee.” What our insurance company does in these instances is they send it to a collection agency for six months and if they don’t get any results it is sent to a second collection agency for four months. Our insurance company suggests we try taking it to small claims court.
1) My husband was inconvenienced by having to be without his vehicle while it was being repaired.
2) We were inconvenienced by having to borrow a vehicle so we both could get to our jobs.
3) Now we’re supposed to suffer further inconvenience by having to take these people to small claims court.
Where is the justice in all of this? I have no idea what the solution would be, I only hope that those who have more time, more control, and more knowledge of circumstances such as this are able to do something about it. I only know I thank God my husband was not injured physically but we have been injured both mentally and financially by the total ignorance, irresponsibility, and inconsideration of these individuals.
By the way, one more thing, “icing on the cake” so to speak, in following up with the first collection agency on Feb. 29 I was told that their efforts thus far are proving to be futile. All correspondence has been returned “address unknown.” It’s as if these people have “fallen off the face of the earth.”
Five hundred dollars probably isn’t a whole lot to many of you but it means an awful lot to us, especially after we make a point of paying our car insurance premiums in a timely manner.
Venting once more, I thank you for your ear!
Dorothy Gray
Cape Coral