Haha, tell me about it... Learned that one the hard way after my second fender-bender (don't judge me). Thought I had accident forgiveness, turns out I missed the fine print about needing 3 clean years between accidents. Insurance shot up like crazy. Now I'm counting down the days till my reset kicks in—just gotta survive Arkansas roads till then, wish me luck.
"Insurance shot up like crazy. Now I'm counting down the days till my reset kicks in—just gotta survive Arkansas roads till then, wish me luck."
Totally get the frustration, but honestly, accident forgiveness isn't always the best deal out there. I used to swear by it too until I shopped around and found a smaller local insurer that didn't penalize me nearly as much after a minor scrape. Might be worth checking out some local options instead of waiting out that reset... Arkansas roads aren't getting smoother anytime soon, unfortunately.
Had a similar experience a while back—my insurance spiked after a minor fender-bender, even though I'd paid extra for accident forgiveness. Thought I was covered, but turns out the fine print wasn't exactly in my favor. Switched to a smaller, local company and surprisingly got better rates and more straightforward policies.
"Might be worth checking out some local options instead of waiting out that reset..."
Definitely agree with this. Big-name insurers aren't always the best deal, especially if your driving record isn't spotless. Curious though, has anyone noticed if these smaller companies handle claims as smoothly as the bigger ones? My only hesitation is worrying about customer service or claim processing times if something serious ever happens...
Had a similar worry when I switched to a local insurer a few years back. Had one claim since then—hail damage—and honestly, it was pretty smooth. Might depend on individual companies, but smaller doesn't always mean slower or worse service...
Totally agree—smaller insurers can surprise you. Couple quick points from my experience:
- Local companies often have fewer hoops to jump through when filing claims...less red tape, fewer automated phone menus (thank goodness).
- They actually know your area, so they're familiar with common local issues like hail or deer collisions (Arkansas deer are basically ninjas, amirite?).
- But yeah, always smart to check their financial stability ratings first—small doesn't mean risky, but it pays to do your homework.
Glad your hail claim went smoothly though, that's always a relief.
