Should I File Car Claims Through the Other Driver’s Insurance?

Show of hands: Who among us has ever had genuinely good, positive feelings that they associate with their car insurance carrier? At best, we’re grateful when the experience isn’t outright terrible after calling to file a claim after some kind of accident or incident that has put a total kibosh on our day.

It’s fair to say that Nick Junes, a startup founder in the crypto/NFT space, isn’t going to be sending any love notes or thank you letters to the folks at Travellers Insurance anytime soon. In a recent TikTok clip, June (nickjunes) talks about the unsatisfactory experience he had recently after an incident where it sounds like he was hit by a driver who ran a red light.

Just like most people would, June contacted his carrier to report the accident where he said he wasn’t at fault. It was after starting that process that Junes said he learned he’d have been better off handling the claim with the other driver’s insurer, so his own policy would have no record of the accident or cause for a possible premium increase.

“I’m 43 years old, I just found out that you can contact somebody else’s insurance to file a claim,” he said.

‘If it’s somebody else’s fault, don’t even call your insurance’

“My insurance company didn’t tell me that. I’m sure a lot of people are going to comment on here. They’re going to be like, you’re an idiot. You should have known that. This is common knowledge. Everyone knows this. Their parents tell you it. Your teachers teach you this in school. Nobody told me… Nobody said, ‘Contact the other person’s insurance and file a claim through the other person’s insurance.’ I call my insurance company and they just start handling the claim. Why didn’t you tell me to do the claim through the other person? Now my insurance goes up. And guess what? I have to pay the deductible. I wouldn’t have had to pay the deductible because their insurance would have paid the deductible. For anybody else out there, guess what? If it’s somebody else’s fault, don’t even call your insurance.”

It’s certainly possible Junes and other drivers in his predicament could get their deductible refunded via the other driver’s insurance company, but who knows how much corporate red tape that whole process can entail? Still, with the average auto insurance deductible sitting around $500 (and climbing up to $2,000 for some policies) that’s definitely a chunk of money worth fighting for.

And, of course, it could have been avoided altogether by handling everything through the carrier of the at-fault driver.

Another note: It’s probably still advisable to contact your own carrier in most accidents, especially if there’s the possibility that a dispute could arise over who was at fault.

As we’ve covered here before, there is an astounding array of reasons and conditions that can prevent an auto insurance company from having to pay out for normally covered damages (especially if one of those nuclear warheads you’ve been sneaking around suddenly goes “BOOM!”).

Some viewers of Junes’ clip were similarly unaware, with one writing, “This isn’t common knowledge. I had no idea!”

Another, who identified herself as an insurance agent, said “customers always get mad when I suggest they call the other party’s insurance if not at fault.”

@nickjunes Dont call your insurance company if someone hits you. Your rates will go and you have to pay a deductible. For some reason they dont tell you to call the other persons insurance. Insurance companies never cease to amaze me how useless the are. Thanks for not telling me travelers. #travelers #travelersinsurance #accident #caraccident ♬ original sound – Nick Junes

And another agent advised Junes and other drivers: “talk to your agent about what can be done in your state to have the claim removed off your record so you can get your rate back, it’s a pain in the butt but is possible in the states I’m licensed in.”

The Daily Dot reached out to Junes via TikTokDM, and to Travelers Insurance via phone.